The plan behind the story · Fiona Govan joined the slowest group on a Greek swimming holiday, and booked another
Ten weeks from the pool to a 4 km swimming day
In ten weeks you will go from a 20-minute pool session to a day of two open water swims, the shape of a guided swimming holiday. If you already swim, the same ten weeks take you to two 4 km days back to back.
Why this works
Fiona Govan meant to train for eight months before her swimming holiday in Greece and managed a few weeks. She still swam about 4 km a day, because the trip was built for it: groups by pace, a boat alongside, and fins allowed. This plan gives you the weeks she did not have, so the first day of a trip, or of a summer of lake swimming, feels like more of the same.
The NHS (the UK health service) lists swimming among its examples of vigorous activity and recommends 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, or 150 minutes of moderate activity, plus strengthening on two days. Three swims a week covers the first part. A swimming day of two sessions is a big step up from that, which is why the plan builds to it slowly.
Before you start
- Check with your GP (family doctor) if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, breathing problems, or have not exercised for some time.
- Find a pool with lane swimming at times you can keep. Note its length (25 m is usual; 40 lengths is 1 km).
- Kit: goggles that do not leak, a bright swimming cap, and, if you like, short training fins and a front-mounted swimming snorkel. Govan used fins and a snorkel on her trip.
- Find supervised open water for weeks 5 to 10: a lido, a lake with lifeguards, or a club’s open water sessions. The RNLI (the UK’s lifeboat charity) says the safest sea swimming is between the red and yellow flags on a lifeguarded beach.
- Learn to float. The RNLI’s advice if you get into trouble in the water: tilt your head back with your ears under, relax and breathe, move your hands and legs to stay up, then call for help or swim to safety once your breathing is under control.
The plan
| Week | Do this | How often | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 (getting going) | Swim lengths for 20 minutes, any stroke, resting at the wall when you need to. | 3 times a week | Count lengths. The number will go up on its own. |
| 1–2 (already fit) | Swim 1.5 km continuously, then 4 × 100 m a little faster with 30 seconds’ rest. | 3 times a week | Note your time for the 1.5 km. |
| 3–4 (getting going) | 30 minutes. Try two lengths without stopping, then rest. Use fins for part of one session. | 3 times a week | Fins take the strain off your legs so you can think about breathing. |
| 3–4 (already fit) | 2 km continuous in one session; 3 km with short rests in another. | 3 times a week | Practise lifting your eyes to the end wall every 6 to 8 strokes. |
| 5–6 (getting going) | One session a week moves to supervised open water: 15 to 20 minutes, close to the edge. | 3 times a week (1 open water) | Get in slowly and let your breathing settle before you swim. |
| 5–6 (already fit) | One open water session of 45 to 60 minutes, sighting a fixed point. | 3–4 times a week | Wear a bright cap so you can be seen. |
| 7–8 (getting going) | 40 minutes in the pool; 30 minutes in open water. | 3 times a week | Aim for 1 km in one session, with rests if you need them. |
| 7–8 (already fit) | A practice swimming day: 2 km in the morning, 2 km in the afternoon. | Once a week, plus 2 shorter swims | Eat and drink properly between the two. |
| 9 | Getting going: a practice day of two open water swims of 30 minutes each. Already fit: two 4 km days, one day apart. | Once | Note how the second swim felt. That is the test. |
| 10 | Easy week. Two relaxed swims, then plan the trip, lake or sea swim you have been training for. | 2 times | Ask any holiday company how far each day is, how groups are set and whether a boat follows. |
If it goes wrong
- Sore shoulders: cut the distance by a third for a week and use fins more. Pain that lasts needs a GP or physiotherapist.
- Panicky breathing in open water: stop, float on your back as the RNLI describes, and wait for your breathing to settle. Go back to swimming close to the edge next time.
- Missed a week: repeat the last week you finished.
- Cold: get out before you start shivering hard. Cold water can put even strong swimmers at risk of cold water shock, the RNLI warns.
- Chest pain that spreads or does not ease, severe breathlessness or fainting: get out and call 999 (911 in the US). At the coast in the UK, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
Track it
Keep a single page with three columns: date, minutes or distance, and one line on how it felt. Add a fourth column for where you swam once you start open water. Week by week, you should see the longest unbroken swim grow.
What next
Swim with other people. Govan’s group of three became a group of eight when they booked a second trip with five swimmers they had met. A local club, a lido’s early swimmers or an open water group gives you the same thing closer to home. Our guide to swimming and cycling has more on getting started in the pool.
General information, not medical advice. Check with your GP before starting a new exercise programme.