I just happened across this site and thought I would give it a try. As my name suggests I race triathlons and swimming has been my weakest part. I look like a tugboat going sideways in the water! It has been a long winter plus the fact that my work travel schedule has been interfering too. Anyway I am back to my workouts again, trying to swim twice a week, a minimum of 1000 meters. I want to improve my speed. Do I train for speed in swimming as I do in running or is it completely different?
Parents
Former Member
I don't pay attention to a pace clock since some of my workouts are in a pool that doesn't have one. But Jean is right, that hard 100's or 50 at or near race speed you should at least rest a minute or more. Slower ones you can rest only 5 seconds or 10 to 15 seconds. I kind of have a sense of time since I swam years ago as a child. I think you are better whether you use a pace clock or not to create rest periods rather than go every 1:50 or 2:00 because you are more likely to fall back. But Triathons are distance events you should include 500 freestyle or 1000 freestyles in your workout besides just 50's to 200's. Also, if you know some of the other strokes, swim between 200 to 500 another stroke to use other swimming mucsles and break up boredom by doing only freestyle.
I don't pay attention to a pace clock since some of my workouts are in a pool that doesn't have one. But Jean is right, that hard 100's or 50 at or near race speed you should at least rest a minute or more. Slower ones you can rest only 5 seconds or 10 to 15 seconds. I kind of have a sense of time since I swam years ago as a child. I think you are better whether you use a pace clock or not to create rest periods rather than go every 1:50 or 2:00 because you are more likely to fall back. But Triathons are distance events you should include 500 freestyle or 1000 freestyles in your workout besides just 50's to 200's. Also, if you know some of the other strokes, swim between 200 to 500 another stroke to use other swimming mucsles and break up boredom by doing only freestyle.
