Need pace clock alternative

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Phillip Luebke — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 04:37:01 GMT

I would amend this to read "any waterproof watch that is actually waterproof". Make sure it actually is waterproof, because I bought a watch that was supposed to be waterproof to 10m, and it filled with water and broke in less than four feet of water. Yep. A watch needs to be water-resistant to 50 meters (5ATM) if you are going to use it for swimming. Anything less than that is mostly just to protect against accidental splashes. If you're interested in buying a product designed exactly for your needs, take a look at my product, the PaceWatch. It's available at my website (brilliantswim.com).

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Former Member — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:26:46 GMT

I swear by the Finis (?) Tempo Trainer. It's a tiny little beeper that you attach to your goggles. You can set it for stroke cadence, kick speed (down to 0.2 seconds) or for intervals (by 25s, 50s, whatever) from any time above 0.2 seconds up to 9.99 minutes, or something like that. It really helps the near-sighted. Plus, you don't have to rely on a clock. When it beeps you just take off and then it beeps at whatever interval you've set it on. If it beeps too early (after your turn, for example), then you know you're ahead of pace; if it beeps halfway down a 25, well, you know you need to pick it up. It makes swimming fly very fun (I set it so I pull every 1.5 secs; I know that's slow, but I'm working my way down to 1.2 secs). I ordered it online. It was $40, including shipping. Is this something I could use to work on breaststroke pacing? I'm trying to find a device that will emit a sound under water to speed up or slow down the stroke.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Former Member — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:11:20 GMT

It seems like any waterproof watch with a second hand would do the trick just fine. A pace clock is simply a really big clock, after all. Any watch that displays seconds does this by definition. I would amend this to read "any waterproof watch that is actually waterproof". Make sure it actually is waterproof, because I bought a watch that was supposed to be waterproof to 10m, and it filled with water and broke in less than four feet of water.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Former Member — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:19:06 GMT

Had the same problem and I don't like swimming with a watch around my wrist. I bought the biggest digital kitchen time I could find - was about $15. It's not waterproof - so I got a little plastic casing for it. It worked really well for the money.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Nothin'but50s — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:58:13 GMT

I know you are working toward getting a timing tool (watch, etc), but try also looking into a heart rate monitor if you want a different look at your workouts. You can base everything on a target heart rate for the entire workout; just puts a new spin on things. Coach, What would be the target heart rate to which one would drop during the rest phase for repeat, all-out 25-yard sprints? Or should the rest duration be determined (found) simply by limiting rest just long enough to achieve 90% maximum heart rate (MHR) during each sprint? That is, if you don't get 90% MHR on a sprint because of fatigue, rest a little longer to hit the sprint with enough intensity to get 90% MHR, while maintaining perfect form and explosiveness. And should the rest phase be adjusted (likely increased) over the sprint session to account for fatigue?

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Allen Stark — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:33:38 GMT

Allen, does your watch repeat 1:00 and back to zero continuously, or do you just leave the stopwatch function running? Thanks, After a hour it stops recording 100ths of a sec and records sec only,which is good enough for me.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Former Member — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:34:06 GMT

A low-cost solution is to buy a jumbo battery-operated wall clock with a second hand (I got one that's about 14 inches in diameter at the nearest mega-store for about $10), then stick in one of those big zip-lock bags and set it near you on a pool deck or on a nearby deck chair. Definitely a great option! You can probably rest it against the block as well!

RE: Need pace clock alternative

swimsuit addict — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:49:33 GMT

A low-cost solution is to buy a jumbo battery-operated wall clock with a second hand (I got one that's about 14 inches in diameter at the nearest mega-store for about $10), then stick in one of those big zip-lock bags and set it near you on a pool deck or on a nearby deck chair. I did this on vacation when swimming in a pool with no pace clock and was happy with the results. The clock turned out to be a bit small for seeing splits while I was swimming, but it worked just fine for send-offs.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

knelson — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 03:23:55 GMT

It seems like any waterproof watch with a second hand would do the trick just fine. A pace clock is simply a really big clock, after all. like a digital watch that can repeat 60 sec Any watch that displays seconds does this by definition.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

ced357 — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:40:19 GMT

Great ideas, thanks.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

isobel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:31:45 GMT

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Former Member — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:52:11 GMT

I just joined a new pool that does not have any sort of pace clock. I want some advice on a small portable alternative that I could use, like a digital watch that can repeat 60 sec, or even an affordable small pace clock. I’ve done some research on watches but don’t know which ones are any good for pacing purposes. I've come across the classic runners stop watch, but find them very expensive. If anyone has had success with a timing device, please advise. I know you are working toward getting a timing tool (watch, etc), but try also looking into a heart rate monitor if you want a different look at your workouts. You can base everything on a target heart rate for the entire workout; just puts a new spin on things.

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Former Member — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:50:58 GMT

Many Timex Ironman watches have a timer (different from a stopwatch) that can be set to a value and it will repeat the timer cycle. These watches are probably in the $50 range (list).

RE: Need pace clock alternative

ced357 — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:39:10 GMT

Allen, does your watch repeat 1:00 and back to zero continuously, or do you just leave the stopwatch function running? Thanks,

RE: Need pace clock alternative

Allen Stark — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:20:13 GMT

I use my Timex Ironman and it works fine.I generally just use the stop watch function,but most of my repeats are on the min. or on the 30 sec. so there is no complicated math.