How far do you swim each week?

RE: How far do you swim each week?

aztimm — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:30:18 GMT

In a perfect week, with no travel, I swim 5 days, 6 workouts (a double on Friday), and usually about 20,000 yards. However, this week, where I only swam Mon-Tues, I got in maybe 6500 yards; but I'm thinking of making a Sat workout appearance.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:32:33 GMT

I agree with Jim about GTD. It's a great way to keep you motivated. It is the only way I was able to answer the question! Love GTD--just broke 200 miles since May. I love having the certificates since I'm not competing. They're my own little ribbons. :bliss:

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:19:24 GMT

12,000 - 14,000 yd. per week. 3 workouts.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

knelson — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:25:53 GMT

I agree with Jim about GTD. It's a great way to keep you motivated. Some people put up some really amazing numbers, too. The current leader as of the end of September is Carrie Kostopolus with 1795.55 miles. By my count there have been almost exactly 39 weeks in 2008 through the end of September, so Carrie has been averaging 46 miles per week or 81,000 yards. Not sure what percentage of that has been at race pace :)

RE: How far do you swim each week?

sydned — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:56:29 GMT

I also recommend swimmingcommunity.com, where you can enter a profile, log your yardage/meters, and also get computer generated workouts that help on those days you can't make it to a practice, or just need someone else to decide what you are going to swim. I've been using it for a few years and I love that it's low tech., and not filled with any sponsorship ads.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:57:03 GMT

I swim about 2,000 yards a practice, four times a week, so about 8,000 yards a week with the team. I also swim on my own, about 1,000-1,500 yards once a week. So, I probably swim about 9,000-9,500 yards a week, but that can vary depending on what we're doing in practice. The other two days I go to the gym and lift. Lately, I haven't been able to swim on my own because the gym has been trying to convert the pool to a salt water system, and it's been closed for almost a month now.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

moodyrichardson — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:43:56 GMT

My local Rec Center has a program for Master's swimmers called Swim Across Tennessee to log your miles. I've participated in this program for a couple of years now. It is very helpful to log your miles, meters, or yds.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:31:28 GMT

15,000 - 16,000 yds winter, 17,000 - 18,000 m in summer if I make 4/week. Assumes 3 mornings at about 3,400 plus a Saturday at 5,000+, then a good nap. DV

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:12:50 GMT

Right now (easy time of the year) about 15,000-20,000/week. If I ramp up for a longer race it can go to a max of 55,000/week. -LBJ

RE: How far do you swim each week?

jim thornton — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:45:15 GMT

It's easy to overestimate how much you swim if you don't write it down. I enthusiastically recommend any and all of you who are not already signed up to log your monthly yards/miles and post the total on Mary Sweat's great "Go the Distance" feature on USMS. Mary is great--an excellent swimmer and a tireless promoter of our sport. If you email her, she will send you a neat Excel spread sheet that helps you keep track, has some graphs to compare this year to last year, etc. I find it very motivational--you see that you are up or down on your goal mileage, and it serves to modify your behavior accordingly. Most of all, it keeps a pitiless calculation (assuming you are honest and log your yards or meters at the end of each practice) of how much you're doing. PS we had a poll some time ago about this topic, and if memory serves, the most common weekly yardage was somewhere between 12,000 - 15,000, though many did a lot less, and some did up to 30,000 or more.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

tjrpatt — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:15:48 GMT

A good week, I do about 20 to 25,000 yards/meters in the summer a week. Right now, since I am on the road for work, I am lucky if I can do 15k yards. But, I was able to get almost 9,000 yards these last two days.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Rykno — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:49:36 GMT

I try to swim 12,000m a week. 3 x 4000, but the more and more stroke work I do tues and thurs usually means I swim 3500-3800 those days and try to get 4500-5000 in on satursday. but looking at my swim journal I see that I have only swam 12k 5 times in the last 10 weeks, the last two weeks because of illness, two weeks because of meets and one week I missed it by 100m. this week I am on track to miss 12k, 3800 last night, 3300-3500 planned for thursday and then mostly sprints and starts on sat. next week I will probably swim 2000 + sprints and starts on tuesday and then 1500 + sprints and starts on thurs, but then with a two day meet, about 4x 2000 warm up (roughly 2000 at the start of each session) and then 1500fr + 400fr + 400im + 200im + 100im+ 200br + 100br + 50br + 200ba plus a 200 meter warm down after every race. and then 5 relays....so I will wind up swimming more than usual. nearly 13,000 just on sat and sun.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

swimshark — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:10:21 GMT

Depends on what the coach gives me but we average 4000 on week days - I go 3 days a week. And on Saturdays we swim 2 hours and get 5500-6000.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

sydned — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:48:06 GMT

I'm all about the open water season, so I keep it long all year. I do about 25000 yards a week, more in season. I swim 5 days a week, and usually run 4. That means more doubles than I'd like, but I love running so I can't quite give it up. Since I'm all about longer distances when I race, I have noticed that upping my distance in the last few years, from about 18000 to 25000, has lowered my time enough that I'm pretty satisfied. I didn't start swimming until 10 years ago, when I was 27, so I feel happy to even be doing this!

RE: How far do you swim each week?

ced357 — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:33:44 GMT

I usually swim about 2,500 yards 3x a week so, about 7,500 yards a week. Un-tapered I can pull out a 51 in the 100 free, 56 100 Fly. I would love to add some yardage and get those times down, but I find that I'm too tired at night to swim anymore.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

moodyrichardson — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:39:36 GMT

Since I just started swimming this past August, I'm up to about 6000m swimming 3x a week. I also run 3 days a week and get in 20-25 miles. I do weights twice a week.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:59:23 GMT

I swim 2,500-3,500 per session, 5-6 times per week. I alternate sessions between aerobic/technique and speed/lactate work. I also lift weights +/- every other day.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:31:53 GMT

I seem to always come in between 12-15K yards in 3-5 workouts. Since I'm focusing on sprints, I try to do weights at least twice per week on top of this.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:04:07 GMT

About 12-13K yards per week in 4 workouts. Today I swam 3500 yds, which is more than normal. I'm 50 and race a few times a year.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:56:19 GMT

Last week I swam 17,000, but a typical week is 12-15,000. I'm trying to up my yardage because I started to plateau and get bored. I average 4 days a week. Not competing.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Patrick W. Brundage — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:50:12 GMT

Since getting back into Masters back in 2001, I was averaging maybe 10K a week, ramping up in a good week when I was trying to swim fast to about 15K. However, since August, I've been trying to ratchet it up and have been doing 15K on a week where I have a lot of business travel and then trying to get as close to 25K as possible when I'm home.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Donna — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:24:01 GMT

Now that I am coaching in the evenings I am only doing 3500-4000 per day 6 days a week.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:08:08 GMT

I'm at 4500 per day right now swimming for about 1.5 - 2.0 hours per day. I sometimes go over/under depending on the day/workout. Just in case; 5 days a week....22500 for the week.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:06:45 GMT

Just curious how many yards or meters USMS folks do per week. I swim independently (i.e. not on a team) for about 45 mins before work, 4 or 5 days per week. Depending on what type of workout I do, and how lazy I feel, I do 1,500 - 2,000 yards per day. Lately, more than half of my workout is breastroke. So, my range is anywhere from 6,000 - 10,000 yards per week. That is for the two months leading up to a meet. If I am more than 2 months from a swim meet, I swim once or twice per week, and lift weights twice a week. I am 41, and swam the 100 yd *** in 1:08, and 50 yd *** in 31 at my last meet. My 100 yd free time is somewhere in the mid-high 50's, but I haven't swam it in over a year. I would love to hear what other folks are doing for yardage, and what times you are getting out of 'em. I'm at 4500 per day right now swimming for about 1.5 - 2.0 hours per day. I sometimes go over/under depending on the day/workout.

RE: How far do you swim each week?

Former Member — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 07:59:28 GMT

I swim 4x a week for about 50 min per workout (that's really all the time I have). 1650K x 4=6600 yds per week. Slow and paltry but I am just getting back into shape and I'm pretty slow right now. I've missed a week and a half in the pool due to illness. Can't wait to get back.