What's considered a good time for a 50 yard sprint?

We need your age. Are you looking for local -state - national meet times? What ever you do now is good for you , knowing where you are coming from. Keep at it.

What ever you do now is good for you , knowing where you are coming from. I think orca's got it right. If you couldn't even swim 25 yards without stopping 6 months ago then it's great. Is it fast compared to people who have been swimming for a long time? No, of course not. But you shouldn't be comparing yourself to those people right now. You can look up events rankings here if you're curious: www.usms.org/.../toptimes.php

If you are interested in comparing yourself to your former self, or to other people, consider entering meets. You can see the local Pacific Masters schedule here, as well as results from many, many past years. You also could join a team, which gives you people to compare yourself with in a friendly and mutually supportive atmosphere. If :42 is an all-out 50 free for you, you would be in one of the slower lanes on my team but you would not be the slowest and you would not be holding people up.

I'm 50, started swimming last March for fitness. I'm just wondering if that's a good time.

To think 6 months ago I was posting here whining about not making it halfway across my 25 yard pool... This morning I pushed it and decided to see how fast I could do a 50 yard sprint (Freestyle). I did it in :42. Is this good? Marian Yes, it is very good for you, considering your history. Keep up the good work! Do you really want to compare your time today with those of swimmers who have been in the sport 40+ more years than you? That is kind of like buying a new car off the lot and asking if it compares to a race car. Well, yeah, they both have engines and 4 wheels, but there are plenty of differences as well. If you want to know the record for your age group, it is something by which you can compare your progress. I started swimming competitively in high school and got a scholarship to swim in college. All of my fastest times are in the dim past. In Masters, I am often gladdened to hear stories like yours, with the ability to perform personal bests from month to month or year to year. I am truly jealous, because I remember the thrill of swimming a little faster than I ever did before. Welcome and congratulations!

It is very relative. I am 55 and do about 28 in 50-yard, but I have been swimming since age 9, and swam competitively as a youth (before getting back into it two years ago). If you are a beginner who could barely swim less than a year ago, and you are already down to 42.0, I would say you're making excellent progress.

It is very relative. I am 55 and do about 28 in 50-yard, but I have been swimming since age 9, and swam competitively as a youth (before getting back into it two years ago). If you are a beginner who could barely swim less than a year ago, and you are already down to 42.0, I would say you're making excellent progress. ha! I've only been swimming since my late 20s (I'm 44 now), and I can do a similar 50 to you :) Seeing your post makes me feel much better. To the OP...it can be frustrating comparing yourself to the best in your age group. If you haven't, I'd join a team. There's people of all speeds, and you can be challenged if you want. Just in the past 2-3 years when I switched teams, I've noticed some significant improvements.

OK 50 is a good age for you to start a long swimming career! Please find a Masters team to join. You will enjoy the friendship & really improve your strokes.

Well, I did a 26.3 in practice, but it was handheld, so it is possible it was up to +/- 0.5 off. Anyway , remember I am 55 and didn't swim competitively for 35 years, so it was like starting over. At 18, I did 28.0 for 50 meters (that was respectable back in 1976, though I actually wasn't fast enough for our free relay...I was mainly a breaststroke specialist), which is about 25.00 in yards. I am happy to be so close. There is no reason to feel bad about where you are...no matter how good...unless you are an Olympian, someone will be faster. I try to only race against myself...and even there, the time doesn't always tell the whole story...I could have a crappy start, but feel great in the water. There are so many variables on any given day. Also, I think the benefits of longevity as a swimmer begin to be less important once you hit a certain benchmark...I mean, you have already been at it 15+ years. I find improving my time at this point is going to happen in very small bits. ha! I've only been swimming since my late 20s (I'm 44 now), and I can do a similar 50 to you :) Seeing your post makes me feel much better. To the OP...it can be frustrating comparing yourself to the best in your age group. If you haven't, I'd join a team. There's people of all speeds, and you can be challenged if you want. Just in the past 2-3 years when I switched teams, I've noticed some significant improvements.

This morning I pushed it and decided to see how fast I could do a 50 yard sprint (Freestyle). I did it in :42. Is this good? Yes, it's good. But not nearly as good as 39.9! As good as you are now, which is much. much better than you were before, you are not nearly as good as you're gonna be! Keep going! It'll feel great to break 40!