How much faster do you fish guys (and girls) swim when you start 5 sec after someone compared to when you're alone in the lane? I guess it depends on speed, so give an educated guess for 1.20-1.30/100m (SC).
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Re: Draft in the swim [AS88]
[ In reply to ]
Well if you swim up onto the feet of the person in the lane in front, you could go 5+ seconds a 100 faster. IF you sit back that 5 seconds in distance, maybe 1 second?
Re: Draft in the swim [AS88]
[ In reply to ]
I can confirm this. As I often have to draft off of a way faster friend. If you’re right on the feet of someone, it’s a minimum of 5 sec per 100m. But 5 seconds behind someone? Very minimal I would suppose
Re: Draft in the swim [AS88]
[ In reply to ]
Even leaving 5 seconds behind a swimmer of comparable speed is close enough to offer quite a bit of relief. I would estimate it at 2-3 sec per 100m and that is at speeds under 1:15/100m.
This is also why I and the guys I swim with at masters go 10 apart when there are 3 or less people in our lane.
It's also why we swap out leading the lane every once in a while depending on how we feel. Most of the time, you just end up going the same speed as if you were leading, but with reduced effort. It's similar to trading pulls in a group ride.
Strava
This is also why I and the guys I swim with at masters go 10 apart when there are 3 or less people in our lane.
It's also why we swap out leading the lane every once in a while depending on how we feel. Most of the time, you just end up going the same speed as if you were leading, but with reduced effort. It's similar to trading pulls in a group ride.
Strava
Re: Draft in the swim [sch340]
[ In reply to ]
Thanks for the answers. We can't wait 10sec as we are 5 in the lane and the leading guy is doing 1.06-1.09/100m which means that he comes back to us in 33 sec (SCM pool). That is why we keep it to 5 sec intervals.
Agreed, agreed, he shouldn't be swimming with us but it is a social thing as well, the Sunday swim.
The guy in front of me and I hit the same times for the first 3/4 of the set, but then he tired and I felt quite the difference when I got on his feet. Still, it felt a lot easier than it normally does so I wanted to know what was what; was it 10 sec/100 easier, 5/sec or just a sec. Seems like 1-3 is reasonable at 5sec and even more once you reach the slip stream.
Agreed, agreed, he shouldn't be swimming with us but it is a social thing as well, the Sunday swim.
The guy in front of me and I hit the same times for the first 3/4 of the set, but then he tired and I felt quite the difference when I got on his feet. Still, it felt a lot easier than it normally does so I wanted to know what was what; was it 10 sec/100 easier, 5/sec or just a sec. Seems like 1-3 is reasonable at 5sec and even more once you reach the slip stream.
Re: Draft in the swim [sch340]
[ In reply to ]
sch340 wrote:
Even leaving 5 seconds behind a swimmer of comparable speed is close enough to offer quite a bit of relief. I would estimate it at 2-3 sec per 100m and that is at speeds under 1:15/100m. This is also why I and the guys I swim with at masters go 10 apart when there are 3 or less people in our lane.
It's also why we swap out leading the lane every once in a while depending on how we feel. Most of the time, you just end up going the same speed as if you were leading, but with reduced effort. It's similar to trading pulls in a group ride.
This is spot on. The draft can be mitigated quite a bit if there are only two to a lane and you split sides instead of circle swimming.
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AS88 wrote:
The guy in front of me and I hit the same times for the first 3/4 of the set, but then he tired and I felt quite the difference when I got on his feet. Still, it felt a lot easier than it normally does so I wanted to know what was what; was it 10 sec/100 easier, 5/sec or just a sec. Seems like 1-3 is reasonable at 5sec and even more once you reach the slip stream.Sounds like you should be going in front of that guy if he fades in the middle of the workout and you don't :)
Drafting is more of an energy conservation tactic rather than a tactic to increase your speed . If there is someone in front of you, your speed will be limited to what they are pushing in clean water. If they are generally faster than you, then yes, you could use their wake to maintain a speed that you normally couldn't hold in clean water. Or, if you are the same speed as them, you could go faster with less effort.
Strava