How fast am I really going?

I've been training for my first open-water swim in a lap pool. The event is only one mile and I've been swimming it in about 29 minutes. Is that fast or not? I'm not entirely sure. Also, how does lap pool swimming translate to open water in terms of time. I know I need to take into consideration the sighting, temperature and not having walls to stop at/push off, but should I expect to swim it in 29 minutes? Or is that unrealistic?:cane: What do you mean by a mile in the lap pool? In the pool, most people refer to 1,650 yards or 1,500 meters as a mile, but in open water they'll be using 1,764 yards. If you're swimming 1650 yards in 29 minutes, it would take you about 31 minutes to swim an actual mile. I find it very hard to predict times for open water. Conditions make a big difference. Even on a lake, high winds can slow me down by 1-2 minutes per 1,000m. Also, there's no guarantee that the course is measured accurately. I'm about the same speed as you, maybe a minute slower. I'm always thrilled to finish in the middle of the pack, but it depends on who shows up on race day. If the water is a little chilly, the slower swimmers tend to switch to the wetsuit division, leaving me at the back of a pack of penguins, mermaids, dolphins, sharks and every other variety of fast sea creature. Good luck, and have fun.

I've been training for my first open-water swim in a lap pool. The event is only one mile and I've been swimming it in about 29 minutes. Is that fast or not? I'm not entirely sure. Also, how does lap pool swimming translate to open water in terms of time. I know I need to take into consideration the sighting, temperature and not having walls to stop at/push off, but should I expect to swim it in 29 minutes? Or is that unrealistic?:cane: What do you mean by a mile in the lap pool? In the pool, most people refer to 1,650 yards or 1,500 meters as a mile, but in open water they'll be using 1,764 yards. If you're swimming 1650 yards in 29 minutes, it would take you about 31 minutes to swim an actual mile. I find it very hard to predict times for open water. Conditions make a big difference. Even on a lake, high winds can slow me down by 1-2 minutes per 1,000m. Also, there's no guarantee that the course is measured accurately. I'm about the same speed as you, maybe a minute slower. I'm always thrilled to finish in the middle of the pack, but it depends on who shows up on race day. If the water is a little chilly, the slower swimmers tend to switch to the wetsuit division, leaving me at the back of a pack of penguins, mermaids, dolphins, sharks and every other variety of fast sea creature. Good luck, and have fun.