Reverse Brick: Run to Open Water Swim Session

Session Overview

A reverse brick flips the usual triathlon order — run first, then open water swim. This uncommon approach develops your ability to manage elevated heart rate and lactic acid in the water, which directly transfers to race starts, aquathlons and SwimRun events where controlling your breath after physical exertion is critical.

What You’ll Need

• Running shoes and socks (remove at the water’s edge)
• Wetsuit if applicable, or swimwear ready to pull on after the run
• Open water venue with a safe, visible swimming area
• Swimming buddy or lifeguard present — never swim open water alone
• GPS watch to track transitions and distances

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Start with 10 minutes of easy jogging at Zone 2. Include dynamic leg swings, high knees and butt kicks to warm the hips. At the water’s edge, remove shoes and pull on your wetsuit before entering for the first swim leg.

Main Set

Perform 3 rounds of the run-to-swim combination with 2 minutes transition time and 3 minutes full recovery between rounds:

• Run leg: 8 minutes at Zone 3–4 (tempo to threshold). This elevates heart rate into the range you will experience at a race swim start.
• Transition: Walk briskly to the water and enter as safely as conditions allow.
• Swim leg: 400m at a controlled, steady pace. The goal is to calm your stroke despite the elevated HR from the run — this is the key adaptation.
• Recovery: 3 minutes easy between rounds.

Cool-Down (5 minutes)

Float or swim very gently for 2–3 minutes, then walk on land for 5 minutes. Allow heart rate to fully settle before leaving the water. Hydrate and refuel within 30 minutes.

Coaching Notes

• The key challenge is breathing control in the water when HR is elevated from the run — actively slow your breathing during the first 50m of each swim leg.
• This session is excellent pre-season preparation for aquathlons, SwimRun events or mass-start triathlons.
• Never enter open water alone. Always use a supervised session or an experienced buddy.
• Beginner modification: reduce the run leg to 5 minutes and the swim to 200m.
• Advanced version: increase to 5 rounds or extend the run leg to 12 minutes at threshold pace.