Gull mentioned the one hour postal swim in the Elite vs. Fitness thread and rather than go further off topic over there I decided to create a new thread.
So one thing I've been wondering about is what is the best way to swim it? The obvious strategy is to just start out with a pace you think you can hold for an hour and go for it. Past experience has told me this isn't always easy, though! Has anyone tried it using repeats? For example, to swim 5,000 yards you need to hold a 1:12 pace per 100. What if instead of trying to swim straight you did 100s on the 1:12? Maybe I'm crazy, but I feel like maybe I could hold 100s on the 1:12, going probably 1:07-1:08 the entire time easier than I could swim for an hour straight at a 1:12 pace.
Another strategy might be to have a goal pace in mind and keep swimming until you fall off the pace, then rest some amount of time and continue. The question is whether this approach would actually allow you to swim farther over the course of an hour. It seems a little counterintuitive, but maybe it would work.
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Former Member
I am not in ya'lls league but... I am still going to try and catch Andy and will accept anything above last place as a good finish.
Last year I swam 50's alternating with 100 yard repeats on 1 amd 2 minute repeats. This was a two fold stradegy. I got plenty of rest and my sweet wife who was my offical timer had an easy time recording everything. All she had to do was keep me honest.
This year after tinkering at the pool the last two weeks I have decided to swim 500's. I am going to swim 100 free then 50 back and split the odd 50. I will then kick 50 back and repeat until an hour is up. This gains about 2:30 in a hunderd or about a 100 yards at last years pace. breathing is bilateral every other stroke.
Have a great day
Paul
I am not in ya'lls league but... I am still going to try and catch Andy and will accept anything above last place as a good finish.
Last year I swam 50's alternating with 100 yard repeats on 1 amd 2 minute repeats. This was a two fold stradegy. I got plenty of rest and my sweet wife who was my offical timer had an easy time recording everything. All she had to do was keep me honest.
This year after tinkering at the pool the last two weeks I have decided to swim 500's. I am going to swim 100 free then 50 back and split the odd 50. I will then kick 50 back and repeat until an hour is up. This gains about 2:30 in a hunderd or about a 100 yards at last years pace. breathing is bilateral every other stroke.
Have a great day
Paul
