Some guy at the pool (who was kind of a dick) made fun of me about 12 years ago when I brought one of those lap counters to swimming. He was like, "Leave that at home, it makes you look like a geek." I thought, "I am a geek."

I can't believe it. I did what he said. Not only am I a geek, I'm a wuss.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Now there is an admission you don't see every day. Break the darn thing out again...who gives a crap what others in the pool think..you're swimming not trying to impress others (at least not until you see them after the bike turn around because you left them so far behind in the swim because they didn't count their laps correctly). Stand up and be counted..you are a geek..but a faster one than them.

The best way to count is to get a training partner who can keep track.

Even though I have swum since I was 6, I still lose count a lot. If I want to do a long set (like a 1500 tt) and I don't have anyone else there to count. I find the most effective for me is to do 15*100 on the average pace + 2 sec that I want to hold. The 2 sec gives me just enough time to read the clock. Then I only have to count to 15. not 60.

Unlike running and biking, the pool is always almost the same conditions and resistance. You should therefore find it much easier to gauge your distance by time. Get a feel for how long each 100 takes you - you should then be able to look at the clock and know if you are short or long just with a little calculation. i.e. if each hundred takes you about 1:35 and you want to do 1000 then you should finish in 16:00 so the second hand on the pace clock should be near the top. If it is closer to the 45 then you probably have another 50, closer to the 15 and you probably did a 50 too much.

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"which is like watching one of your buddies announce that he's quitting booze and cigarettes, switching to a Vegan diet and training for triathalons ... but he's going to keep snorting heroin." Bill Simmons, ESPN

Don't obsess over it. Your undercounts will balance out with your overcounts over the course of a season or a lifetime. It is like losing money in a candy machine. Every now and then you get a free candy bar to make up for it.

How I count (up to 500 yards)



I use Paul and Roch's whole deal (www.multisports.com). Most of the time there are workouts with up to 500 yards...and 10 of them or what ever. I put my drink next to the start block, and count ceramic tiles for everyset. I move the bottle for every set, count the tiles and you know whats what.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

There's some good ideas in here ... much less obvious than my pennies in a jar crap.

Now, the only thing making me look amatuer are my swim trunks, my lack of swim cap, my leg hair, and ... my swim times.

I appreciate the ideas.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

Can't do anything about the times, but.

Baggy trunks - easily fixed. Buy a couple pair of speedos, and you're good to go.

Real swimmers only shave for big meets, not when in heavy training

There are lots of fast guys who never wear a cap in training, they're too damn hot.

As for counting laps, easy. If you're doing a long continuous swim, break it down to a set of repeats with zero rest. eg an 800 straight becomes 4x200 without a break. Then just count the 200 and also keep track of how many you've done.

For keeping track of repeats, try to avoid doing sets that go on the same interval. eg 20 x 100 on 1:30, you'll always be leaving on the 60 or the 30. Better is to do 20 x 100 on 1:35 then you're leaving on the 60, 35, 10, 45, 20, ... Much easier to figure out where you are in the set by doing a little math.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

i'm usually good for 500, which is about the longest consecutive swim i do. occasionally i will do a 1000, but much above that bores me senseless, so i stick to repeats of 500. and the other thing i know, is that i can count the times i went over my intended distance on 1 finger, whereas the times i stopped only to realize i shorted it are too numerous to count. so if i am in doubt, just swim an extra 50(i give up if i am more than 50 off, because missing that many laps is pretty bad...).

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f/k/a mclamb6

Coming from a swimming background, I usually don't have a problem counting, although I still screw it up sometimes. I wear my Timex Ironman watch in the pool and doublecheck myself if I think I might be off. I usually don't swim repeats much longer than 200 anyway. I usually do 5 x 100s or 5 x 200s or some such set. I program in the interval into the Ironman and then it even counts repeats for me. Heck, with the 9 programmable intervals, I can even program in entire ladder sets.

yarf said it best, let someone else lead the lane. But, if you insist on being the lane leader and you can use a pace clock no worries. If your swimming around 1:15 per hundred then your always coming into the wall near the top, sides or bottom of the clock. If your 3 secs fast/slow you still know where your at. (You will hit just before/after the :15's) If swimming on the :20's you hit the wall on the :20, :40 and top. 50's on the :55? Leave on the top, 55, 50,45 etc.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

I tried Cathy's ABC's way of counting today. I keep track of my 250y times, so all I have to do is keep track of A through E (5x50y=250). I did 6, 250y's today[in 38 min -- HR 160/190]. I felt as though I could keep up the pace for at least double that, and it was comfortable.

Just count A, B, C, D, E, and then 2A, 2B. I'll try this wednesday when I shoot for 10-12 250y [however many I can get done in 60minutes, without going out of zone 2 low zone 3]. I'd like to get 3000y in 60min, then I'll know I'm starting to get down to business.

Works very well.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

>>Hope you're feeling better.<

Thanks! Yes, MUCH better!!

Off to swim now even.
clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Hey Tom, You should try swimming at the pool at our local health club. It is a 20 yard pool and I have done a few 5000 yard workouts there. It is very difficult to keep track of how many you've done (and I am a math teacher so I should be able to count!) unless you break it down into really small chunks (ie. 200 yd pull, 200 yd swim, 200 yd drill, etc. ...... I do repeat 120s and do a whole bunch whenever I go swimming there. Fortunately we have another pool that is a regulation 25m available a few days each week.

 
In my high school swimming pe class every six weeks we would swim a mile for time. Half the class would count the first day & swim the second.

My counter left early and I swam 30 minutes into the next period before the coach noticed/had mercy.

Is being able to keep track of your laps, the swiming equivalent to being a 'true' bike rider who worships tubulars?

You must be the water, you must be your breathing, you must be one with the rhythmic rotational movement as your body effortlessly glides through the cool water. Concentrate and think about the grace and power with which you are propelling yourself through the media.

...More importantly, think about the Rubio's carnitas burrito you're going to reward yourself with if you manage to keep count past lap 30.

(Sorry...no Rubios in the Great White North...still, the shit works for me.)

Scott

Yes...I actually focus more on my technique and how I'm moving through the water, etc. more than worrying about what lap I'm on. Not to mention I swim at the university's pool and who the hell can keep track of laps when there are a bunch of young coeds in the lanes next to you?!

900? 1000? 950??? What kind of sick masocist is training you? I refuse to go over 500...and have a hard time keeping track to 20 laps then. 200's and less...but anything longer I set my watch to 1:30 and try to count the times it beeps (each 100 yards) but I often loose track of the beeps when it comes to 500's. I rely on the lane next to me which is a little faster to count - when they stop I stop.