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Swim Pacing for HIM

BwalkerBwalker
in Racing Forum 🏎

I did Florida 70.3 last Saturday and my swim pace ended up being about 1:48 per 100m.  I am now transitioning to a short course training plan and it had me do a 1000 TT in the water.  I just got out and my pace ended up being 1:37 per 100m.  Does that sound about  right for my pacing for the 70.3?  My training pace leading up to the HIM was about 1:43.   I am struggling with my race execution for the HIM in general and wanted some more experienced feedback about the difference b/w race and TT from the team.  Any results that others have seen would help me quite a bit.  Thanks all.

Comments

  • Al TruscottAl Truscott
    Brian, I don't know what is *right*, but here are my numbers for comparison. My TT pace is usually 1:33-1:38 for 100 YARDS, or 1:44-1:48 for METERS (I swim in both type. Pools, both short course). My HIM pace is (was) usually 1:47-8. So either you can go faster in a race, by a significant amount, or your 1:37 TT pace...was it in a yards pool?
  • BwalkerBwalker
    The pool I use is a 25 meter pool (I am very fortunate that I get to use it during work and it is located about 100 meters outside my office!). So it might be that my race pace is way too easy. In the sprint race I have did last month, I averaged 1:32 per 100 meters (1:24 for yards) for the 500yard swim.
    I appreciate you taking a look and offering some guidance, Al.
  • zildgenzildgen
    @ Brain I heard some folks saying the FL 70.3 swim was a little long. Not sure but my swim pace was also ~ 10 sec/100M slow on Sunday.
  • Michael ByertsMichael Byerts
    There could be a lot of explanations. The Florida course may have been long; you may have had navigation problems and swum more than you had to; waves and current may have impacted your race; there may have been congestion in spots forcing you to slow down; the timing mat may have been a ways from the water's edge. In addition, was Florida wetsuit legal? I find that the speed gain from a wetsuit more or less cancels out the speed gain from getting to push off the wall every 50 meters in a long course pool. If there are no wetsuits, open water is going to be slower than pool swimming.
    Answering your question, I think depends on your swim fitness and technique. The better technique you have, the faster you can swim when you want to swim fast, and the bigger the gap betwween TT pace and HIM/IM race pace. On the other hand, if swimming fitness is poor, you will get tired quicker and slow down over the 1.9/3.8 K distance.
    When I am in swimming shape, my long course time trial pace is 1:19-1:21 per 100, and my HIM race pace is about 1:26-1:28 on an accurately measured course.
  • mgraffeomgraffeo
    I've never swam in a straight line in any triathlon swim, so I have no way of knowing if my splits per 100yds are anything like they 'should' have been.
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