A triathlete asked me today what the best order of workouts is for swimming, biking and running if one does two or three in a day. Here's my answer…
If all 3 workouts are of similar importance and must be done within a few hours then the order is probably best as swim > run > bike. That will have the least negative impact on swim technique and the risk of injury for running. If they are spread out over the course of a day allowing for recovery, then the order becomes much less important. If one of the workouts is a very challenging, key session for the week then it is best done earlier n the day. But there are other issues to consider. Athletes often have an order which is dictated by weather, amount of time available, work or other scheduled activities, prearranged group workouts and facility availability. So it’s really hard to say there is an order which is best for everyone. It’s really quite individualized.