{"id":3945,"date":"2022-05-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-06T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.masterspas.com\/blog\/?p=3945"},"modified":"2026-01-08T21:31:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T21:31:28","slug":"pro-triathlon-swimming-tips-with-tim-odonnell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.masterspas.com\/blog\/pro-triathlon-swimming-tips-with-tim-odonnell\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro triathlon swimming tips with Tim O’Donnell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tim O\u2019Donnell was a standout swimmer as a high school student. At his Pennsylvania prep school, he set multiple school records and earned all-state honors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But just years before, O\u2019Donnell was trying to keep up with his siblings as they participated in club swimming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Donnell first began swimming at the age of 5 years old. It was not that he showed promise in the water. Rather, as the youngest of four children, it was easier on the family schedule if everyone was  in the same sport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like any young child new to the sport, O\u2019Donnell had room to develop. He was not the fastest, and his technique was not picture-perfect. He jokes that his brother was the MVP and he was the coach\u2019s award winner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What O\u2019Donnell did have was a positive attitude and the discipline to work hard \u2014 something that he carries with him even now, as a professional triathlete.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a video series with MasterSpas, O\u2019Donnell shares his best pro tips for incorporating a swim spa into your swim training. Living in Boulder with his wife Mirinda Carfrae, O\u2019Donnell trains in an H2X Challenger <\/a> swim spa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"triathlon<\/a>
Tim O’Donnell swims in an H2X Challenger swim spa from MasterSpas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Swimming in a swim-in-place pool<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Donning his U.S. Navy swim parka, O\u2019Donnell heads out of the house and to his MasterSpas H2X Challenger swim spa<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The swim spa is designed to be used year-round \u2014 even when there\u2019s snow on the ground in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For O\u2019Donnell, a Navy veteran and professional triathlete, he can hop in for a workout when it\u2019s most convenient for his schedule, regardless of when the local pool is open. The convenience also helps him balance family life. Tin and Rinny share two children, Izzy and Finn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(By the way, they also love swimming and splashing in the swim spa.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the kids might be more curious about floats and fun, for triathletes, swim speed is important. The H2X Challenger has three swim pumps, which produces a swim current that swims as fast as 1:10 per 100-meter pace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For O\u2019Donnell, who completes an IRONMAN swim in under 48 minutes, it \u201cswims plenty fast.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the benefits of training in a swim spa include training for those open-water conditions. The spa offers a continuous swimming experience, which means you swim against a current of water without having to do flip turns. Each time you turn at the wall, you have a short break and those seconds of rest add up, O\u2019Donnell says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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