Ruby5 Lake Wanaka Swim Training Session 40
Swimming, January 09, 2026
Build the endurance, confidence, and open-water skills to conquer your 5 km Ruby Island challenge. Are you ready to take on the iconic Ruby5 Swim in beautiful Lake Wanaka? 🏊♀️🏊♂️ Whether it’s your first 5 km open-water swim or you’re looking to improve your performance from previous years, the Ruby5 Lake Wanaka Swim Training Plan is designed to get you to the start line feeling confident, prepared, and ready to enjoy every stroke. 🌊
This series of workouts, the sessions are all targeting athletes looking to swim the Ruby5 swim in Lake Wanaka.
Read this article here for an explanation of Swim Intensity.
Session 40
- 800 WU;
- 10x 50 Drill 15RI;
- 3x 1,000 60RI;
- 8x 200 30RI;
- 400 CD (6,300)
For the Warm Up (WU) start with an 800m swim. During the warm-up feel free to stop and stretch as needed. It doesn’t need to be a continuous swim.
Follow that with a drill set. There are ten, 50m Drills. Feel free to use fins whilst doing this set. Do the drills below twice through (with the Kick On Side for a third time each side):
The main set is made up of three, 1,000m reps. Take a 60-second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.
The second main set includes eight, 200m reps with a 30-second Rest Interval (RI) after each rep.
For the Cool Down (CD) swim 400m. Unlike the previous sets which have to be freestyle, the Cool Down (CD) (like the Warm Up (WU)) can be any stroke you wish to swim. You can also stop and rest after any length. I encourage you to stop and stretch during the cool-down.
If you would like further advice feel free to contact me.
I am the Head Coach & Director of Qwik Kiwi Coaching.
I specialise in assisting first-timers and recreational athletes to achieve their sporting goals. I can be contacted at coachray@coachray.nz and 021 348 729.
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