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IM Swim times

ironmtngrlironmtngrl
in General Training Discussions

How fast would your Threshold pace per 100 yards have to be to reasonably be able to expect to do an IM swim in less than  1 hr?  1:10? 

 

Thanks!

Comments

  • GMAN 19030GMAN 19030

    I'll leave some of the yards to meters conversions to you...



    I'm about a 1:35/100m threshold pace swimmer (maybe 1:30 if I had a gun to my head and was really getting after it). I think I did IMFL in 1:05 (around a 1:43/100m pace). It would have been more like 1:03 or so but I got booted in the face real good and had to spend a minute or two getting my goggles back on and sealed. So I was roughly 8-10 seconds per 100m off what I would consider my TP at the time. That's about a 10% drop as well. If my math is right, a 1:33/100m pace (or a 1:25/100y pace) gets you just under 1 hour for a IM swim. I would think you'd need to be a consistent low to mid 1:20's per 100m threshold swimmer (or around a 1:15/100y threshold swimmer) to nail a sub-1 hour IM swim without much question. I assume we're using the 1,000 meters/yards test as the threshold benchmark.

    There's also the issue of wetsuit vs no wetsuit and all that.



    I generally have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to swimming so take everything I stated with a grain of salt and let the more knowledgeable fishes chime in. I do, however, know my body well and those are the threshold training times I would feel comfortable with if I were to consistently nail a 1 hour swim.

  • kurshingkurshing
    About 1:33/100, according to my calculation, would be the pace for the distance. Given the mass start and the race day confusion/people avoidance, I would think a 1:20 would do it, or maybe a 1:25.
  • Al TruscottAl Truscott

    Personal experience: I've routinely done 1:10 IM swims for the past 3-4 years (I used to be faster ), with pool 1000 yd TT times of 1:33-5, and open water (start of Oly Dist race) @ 1:38. These are per 100 YARDS, add 9-10 seconds for 100 METERS. More data: the pool times are in a 25 yard or meter pool (I swim in both), with flip turns, using a pull bouy. The open water times are, of course, without turns, push off, etc. but with a wetsuit. When I'm in shape, I can pretty much count on my IM swim pace to be the same as my Oly or HIM swim pace; I think the mass effect of drafting behind 100's of closely packed swimmers helps in the IM; in Olys, with waves, the draft is a lot less.

  • afrostafrost
    I will second what Bob and Stephen have to say. When I am in good swim shape I can hold about 1:32/ 100 LCM for a 1000TT. I swim about 1:02 / 1:03 at Ironman. My husband is a 1:20-1:25 / 100 LCM swimmer and he swims in the 55 to 57 minute range.

    ---Ann.
  • ironmtngrlironmtngrl
    Awesome! Thanks for all the data points. I just tested at 1:30 per 100 yds for a 1000 TT so it definitely seems like I'm getting in the sub 1:10 range. I'll set myself on pushing that down as close to 1:20 as I can with the expectation that that would enable a sub-1:00 swim which would be an amazing coup. What I love about swimming is get faster by using your brain. I think I just finally learned what it feels like to really use your lats in your pull. I do fist drill ad nauseum with a snorkel in the pool trying to figure out how to pull.
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