I just started getting back into a routine of swimming laps so that I can improve my fitness enough to start taking surf lessons within the next month or two. Right now I aim to swim a mile each workout, and in a few weeks I'm planning on adding some sprints and breath control sets to mix it up and get in better shape. I'm not interested in swimming for speed or joining a Master's group, I simply want to swim regularly to build up my fitness and stamina, and also to challenge myself and get some adrenaline pumping. My question is, how do I know if my swim workouts are hard enough for my fitness and stamina to improve? Is it enough for me to just be breathing a little fast, or do I need to kick my own butt and feel pretty out of breath at the end of a set or workout? I try to swim at a vigorous but constant pace, but after swimming a mile I'm not the least bit tired or out of breath. I know that I need to push myself out of my comfort zone to build fitness, but how far is far enough?
Do some internet research on target heart rate, and check your heart rate periodically during your workout. You don't need a fancy heart rate monitor; a simple waterproof digital watch and two fingers on your carotid artery will do the trick.
A couple of times during my daily swim training sessions, I will check my pulse at the end of a set or after a practice race. As soon as I hit the wall, I check the pulse in my neck at the carotid artery and count the beats for ten seconds. (Multiply times six to get the rate for one minute.) After my last fast set before cool-down, I will check my pulse, and then check it again in two minutes to get my recovery heart rate.
Here is link with more information:www.heart.org/.../Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp
You could do some type of test set every month to see if you are getting better. I'd probably start out with a t-30, that is swim laps for a straight 30 minutes and see how much yardage you get. Do t-30 for 4-6 months each month and chart your improvement. Next do a test set of 200's on a certain interval, for instance try 5 X 200 on a 3:20 interval (or whatever you can handle and get 20 seconds or so rest). Keep track of your average 200 time. If your stamina is increasing you will see a steady time average drop. If your stamina is not improving try more interval speed work in your workout. Most people max out very fast just doing laps. Push yourself and do interval based workouts for measurable results.
I think it's great that you want to swim more. But you're kind of all over the place with the description of your current status, and where you want to be. You say that you "don't want to swim for speed" but then talk about how "you need to swim at a vigorous pace." But your initial point of swimming more is for your surfing. So, in this case, I just think you might be best served by sticking to the mantra "practice how you play." In other words...do your swim workouts as if you're out surfing. After a wave, how far do you have to swim back out to where you catch the waves? Do repeats of the distance. And, if I were you, I would do a workout at the beach frequently...swimming out through the breakers -- practicing how you play.
Dan
All of the above advice is really excellent: Test sets, practice how you play, monitor HR - all of it.
The only one thing I will add is that if you are not feeling tired or out of breath after a 1650 (or 1750), despite feeling like you're swimming "vigorously" then you are either not warmed up for your fitness level before swimming that mile or you are slowing down faster than you think you are.
For the first scenario - not warmed up enough - what happens when I start swimming my warmup is that a pace that feels good or brisk at the start actually isn't. Depending on the day it could take 500 yards or 800 yards for my body to get with the program - this means how fast I feel like I am going actually matches the number on the clock. This is the equivalent of about 8 - 12 minutes of swimming for me (depending on what the intervals and drills are). So, if I were to jump in for a 1650 to start my workout, without checking the clock, I can make a sure bet that the number of minutes I spend is going to be anywhere from 2-5 minutes longer than the speed I thought I was going. And if I'm not going as fast as I thought I was it means my body really wasn't working as hard and my technique wasn't as pulled together as I thought it was. Neither are really ideal for improving over time.
There is also the natural tendency for a person to slow down the longer they are swimming. The pace they think they were going drops. This happens regardless of sport but for running and cycling you can check your pace without needing to stop by just looking at your watch. So, for both these things, the solution is the same. Stop and check your speed. Use the pace clock or use a watch. You don't even have to stop for more than taking a breath just to look at the watch at the wall. But I do recommending stopping at the wall because it really can mess with your stroke and streamline when you try to check your watch while swimming. Pick any distance you wish. Maybe every 200 yards and check. Some facilities have their pace clocks positioned brilliantly so you can look for the clock while you catch a breath and not mess things up too much.
Although, if the entire workout is a 1650, you may not be feeling out of breath because you took the first 500 at a warm up pace, the middle 650 at your "vigorous" pace and the last 500 at your cool down pace. If this is the case, then I would say you have achieved a good workout balance. You don't want to be out of breath at the end of your cool down.
IMHO, the best way to build "stamina" is not straight, steady swimming, but interval swims. You want to take yourself to the edge of neural failure, then rest briefly and do it again. My stamina building set today was 20 x 200 yards at a pace that matches my mid-race mile pace (1:19-1:20/100), on 3 minutes. I got about 20-22 seconds rest each repeat. Easy at first, challenging at the end.
