I cannot understand the times people post. They seem pretty danged fast to me. I've tried checking the pace clock at my pool, but am I really that slow, 40-45 seconds to go 25 yards? That's what the pace clock seems to say. It sounds like I'm standing still. But maybe I'm just reading the clock wrong.
I'm not training for anything. But I do want to get a decent workout. I've looked at the articles here on swimming pace, and the information is a jumble with all those meters x whatever and talk of splits. Keeping up with some of the other swimmers I see on a regular basis, it feels like I'm moving right along. But the pace clock says I'm a turtle. So can anyone please explain how to accurately figure my pace?
FYI, I'm 5' tall (OK, 4'11 1/2) and no matter how much I stretch and glide, and no matter how hard I pull, I'm obviously never going to be as fast as someone with longer arms who's covering a much greater distance with fewer strokes.
I cannot understand the times people post. They seem pretty danged fast to me. I've tried checking the pace clock at my pool, but am I really that slow, 40-45 seconds to go 25 yards? That's what the pace clock seems to say. It sounds like I'm standing still. But maybe I'm just reading the clock wrong.
I'm not training for anything. But I do want to get a decent workout. I've looked at the articles here on swimming pace, and the information is a jumble with all those meters x whatever and talk of splits. Keeping up with some of the other swimmers I see on a regular basis, it feels like I'm moving right along. But the pace clock says I'm a turtle. So can anyone please explain how to accurately figure my pace?
FYI, I'm 5' tall (OK, 4'11 1/2) and no matter how much I stretch and glide, and no matter how hard I pull, I'm obviously never going to be as fast as someone with longer arms who's covering a much greater distance with fewer strokes.
Several points seem worth noting here:
First, as much as we sometimes hate to admit it, the clock does not lie. Sometimes we mis-read it, but the clock is brutally honest. To get a reasonably reliable estimate, watch the clock, try to time your pushoff so that your head goes under the water for the pushoff as the clock hits your start time. Swim the desired distance. As soon as you touch the wall, or even better, as you are touching the wall, look at the clock and note the time. The difference between your finish time and your start time is your swim time for that distance. With practice, you should be able to get an estimate that is good to +/- 1s or better. With even more practice you will start to notice that you can estimate the fraction of a second. On an analogue clock, the second hand may be closer to the lower integer or the higher one. If you swim a 25 leaving "at the top" and finish around the 40, you may notice that sometimes the second hand is close to the 40 (call that 40-low) and sometimes it is closer to the 41 (call that 40-high). On a digital clock, you can judge by how much "hang time" there is on the 40 before you see it switch to the 41. If there is a discernible pause before you see it change to 41, that was a 40-low. If it is changes immediately after you finish, that's a 40-high.
Second, there are some seriously fast swimmers that post to these forums. In fact, these forums seem dominated by folks for whom a top-ten placing in the USMS national rankings at the end of the season is almost a foregone conclusion. One can become disillusioned very quickly by "comparing and despairing." What is more important is to have fun working toward your own goals. The folks here have a wealth of knowledge and most are very happy to share it with other swimmers of all abilities. The blogs are a wonderful source of workout ideas, but don't get caught up in, "I will never make these crazy fast intervals!"
Third,
Height is great for swimming fast but it's not essential for being pretty darn good. Lots of short pre-pubescent kids swim very fast. In any case, there is no sense to fret over something beyond your control. If your reading of the clock is correct and you are really going 1:20 per 50 yds, I don't care if your are 4'11 1/2, I'd bet a lot that by improving your stroke and conditioning you can get much faster. A buddy of mine who is a triathlete tells me that he was swimming around 2:00 per 100 yds. He went to a swim clinic to work on his stroke and very shortly thereafter was well under 1:50 per 100 yds. With some work, that dropped to near 1:30.
Enjoy the process!
How long are your workouts and what's your total distance swum? You can determine your pace this way, too. Say you're swimming 100 lengths of a 25 yard pool in 60 minutes. 2,500 yards in 60 minutes is 41 2/3 yards per minute or 2.4 (2:24) minutes per 100 yards.
If it's a digital pace clock wait for it to be :00, swim 25 yards and look at the clock to get your time. It might help if you start at the opposite end of the pool where the clock is so that when you touch the wall and look at the clock, you can easily tell your time. If you have an analog clock, wait until "it is at the top", i.e. at the 60, swim your 25 yards and note where the moving hand is when you touch the wall.
Also, don't get hung up on your or anyone else's height. You cannot control that. But you can control your technique. And technique is THE most important aspect to swimming fast. It's all about going through the water with less drag then anyone else.
BTW Janet Evans who held the 800 record for more than ten years, is 5' 5" tall.
Thanks, folks. I don't know what "average" is vs. "slow" for a beginner, but I've only really started doing laps regularly since March. I think I'm pretty slow, though, if it's taking me more than a minute to go one lap. I just figured someone taller has a longer reach so can move more water with fewer strokes. But it looks like I'm wrong about that. All I can do is keep working at it and improving my technique, but I feel like I run out of breath pretty quickly when I try to pick up the pace.
As a coach of H S swimmers for a total of 34 seasons & a masters swimmer for 28 years, try this saying " there are only 3 things I need to think about when I swim --- " you - the water - the clock". Not about how your speed is compared to others, taller , shorter , thinner or fatter swimmers. You are in the pool for YOU!. Yes , try the above tips for the clock. As you get better technique , you will swim faster but keep swimming cuz you like to!
Yes, orca1946, you are right. I never even thought about it until I swam with a Master's group and spent the entire session worried I was blocking the lane.
