Triathlon and Open Water Swim Training

Get ready to crush the swim on race day!

Are you training for a triathlon or open water swim and want some structure and coaching for the effort? Join PACE© Swim Training and select a training plan for your A-race distance and your skill level. Our training plans will reinforce and improve your stroke mechanics as they build your conditioning and speed for race day.

Take advantage of a 14-day free trial membership at the introductory PACE Essentials membership level at the end of the sign up process. You can upgrade to a higher membership level at the end of the trial period if you choose.

To get signed up for a program, you’ll do the following four steps:

  1. Determine your skill level to ensure you start at the right level of volume and intensity
  2. Select a plan for distance matching your A-Race
  3. Provide us these details and information about your goals and races
  4. Select a coaching membership payment plan that matches the level of coaching that you need.

If you would rather have a pool-based swim training plan for fitness swimming or Masters swim training -OR- if you are looking for an off-season training plan, take a look at one of our “Fitness 2 Masters” training plans.

Step 1:  Determine Your Skill Level

We’ve identified three broad skill levels of swimmers that will take part in our programs. The level that’s correct for you depends on the frequency of your swimming, your stroke technique, and your conditioning. As you continue with PACE, your skill level can and will change. The three skill levels are:

  • Level 1: You are new to the sport of triathlon and you are still developing your skills and conditioning to complete your A-Race
  • Level 2: You have completed a triathlon or two but either the race distance is new for you or you want to do a plan with lower training volume
  • Level 3: You are experienced in the sport and want to get a PR for this race distance

Step 2:  Pick Your Training Plan

Now that you know your skill level, you’ll pick the type of training plan that matches the distance of your A-Race While you might do another race or races between now and the date of your A-Race, you will select a plan for your race distance and we will schedule the plan to peak for your A-Race. The distances that we offer for triathlons and open water swims are:

  • Triathlon: Sprint, Olympic, Half-Ironman, and Ironman
  • Open Water Swims: Less than 1 Mile, 1 Mile, 2.5K, 5K, longer than 5K

Now that you know your skill level and the distance for your A-Race, tell us more about yourself.

Step 3:  Give Us These Details, Your Goals, and Your Racing Schedule

Click the Start button below to complete our informational intake process. After you complete the survey, you’ll be redirected to select a coaching membership plan and provide payment information.


Step 4:  Pick Your Membership Plan

The core content and community elements of PACE© Swim Training will be hosted within a Circle Community app.  You membership registration, access to resources, and billing will be handled within your Circle membership profile.  Click each section below to find out what’s contained in each membership plan as well as a button to send you to Circle to finish your registration.

PACE Essentials $35/Month with FREE 14-DAY TRIAL

The PACE Essentials membership level is targeted toward those swimmers who are looking for purposeful practice plans and basic support in the form of drill video clips and basic self-service support files.  The practices will be designed around the stroke drills and focal points that are most fundamental to improving efficiency.

We offer our new clients a FREE 14-DAY TRIAL MEMBERSHIP at this level to try out some practices, see what resources are available, and determine if the program is a good fit.  At the end of the trial period, you can determine if you want to continue at the PACE Essentials Level or upgrade to the PACE Select or PACE Premium levels (see below).

The list of services for PACE Essentials includes:

  • Articles relevant to three different skills levels:  Learn-to-Swim (newbies), Building Proficiency (intermediate), and Advanced Skills (advanced).  Like a post or add a comment if the topic resonated with you or if you have a question about it
  • The Did You Swim Today? space allows you to post about your swims — where you did it, what you did, what you learned and achieved, who you swam with, etc.  You can also read about other members’ swims, pick up a tip, or cheer on their progress
  • Announcements about new features of the PACE Swim Training community
  • Three practices per week sent to you through Training Peaks to structure your pool time
  • Setting individualized pacing zones, stroke counts, and tempos in your Training Peaks profile based on the results of your monthly test sets
  • 1 DM per month in the Circle App with a Chicago Blue Dolphins coach to answer questions
Sign Up for PACE Essentials
PACE Select $105/Month

The PACE Select membership level is targeted toward those swimmers who are looking for a more customized training program and access to the Circle community for more support and collaboration with other athletes.  The list of services for PACE Select members includes all the services in PACE Essentials membership plan PLUS:

  • One textual analysis with screen shots of a swimming video clip every quarter (3 months)Swimmer must provide the video to the coach.
  • Access to the Circle “Ask the Coach” community board for questions
  • 2 DMs per month through the Circle App with a Chicago Blue Dolphins coach
  • 5% discount on all CBD classes and private/semi-private lessons at the Swim Studio
Sign Up for PACE Select
PACE Premium $225/Month

The PACE Premium membership level is targeted toward those swimmers who have a specific racing goal that they are looking to achieve and want to have a tailored and active coaching experience to ensure their success.  The list of services for PACE Premium includes all the services in PACE Select membership plan PLUS:

  • Initial phone or video call to set up the practice plan, define goals and key race dates, and other milestones
  • Three or more practices per week sent to you through Training Peaks with weekly adjustments based on swimmer feedback to maximize training effects
  • Coach will conduct a weekly review of practice feedback and Training Peaks data
  • One textual and voiceover analysis of a video clip per monthSwimmer must provide the video to the coach.
  • Customized set of stroke drills and focal points for the practices based on the results of the video analysis
  • Up to 30 minutes of phone or video calls per month (calls are either 15 or 30 minutes in length)
  • 4 DMs per month through the Circle App with a Chicago Blue Dolphins coach
  • 10% discount on all CBD classes and private/semi-private lessons at the Swim Studio
Sign Up for PACE Premium
PACE Program Add-Ons

In addition to the membership level, there are supplemental services that you can purchase on an ad-hoc basis if you feel it will help improve your PACE experience.  Contact the CBD office at (773) 342-7250 to schedule or register for these services.

Service Description Cost
Calibration Clinic Coach-led group clinic at an outside facility including a 60-minute practice to run the time trial test set and 30-minute session to capture video clips for each swimmer for video analysis.  Note:  This will run on a schedule set by the CBD coaching staff $90.00
15-Minute Coach Phone or Video Call A 15-minute appointment scheduled with a coach over the phone or a video call to get answers to any questions or to resolve training issues $35.00
How Billing Works
When you sign up for the PACE© Swim Training program, we will charge you for the first month on the date of your registration.  If you opted to do the 14-day free trial, you will be notified 3 days before the end of the period to provide a credit card if you’d like to continue.  You will then be charged for the first month at the conclusion of the trial period.

Each month on the anniversary of your first charge, we will charge you for another month of membership.  If you would like you cancel your membership or change your membership plan, you can do so on the Billing tab within your Circle Community membership profile.  For help in doing so, you can review this article on “Managing Your Membership Subscriptions.”

Any Additional Questions?

If you have any questions about PACE or want help with your registration, call our office at (773) 342-7250 or fill out a contact form and we’ll reach out to you.

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