ajthomas wrote:
you are thinking about pacing and being smart about it so, really, that is 90% of the battle. The thing with a swim time trial is they are a lot more variable than we like to think. I swim a 3000 straight every Tuesday and have ranged from 40:30 to 42:07 the last month. It has a lot to do with what I did in the AM, the day before and the swimsuit I wear. So what is my pace?
It seems that, on that particular day, you needed to target 1:40. (And perhaps half way through you make an adjustment.)
If all you are doing is swimming the approach would be more exact. There would be a lot less variables and thus your pace range on any given day would narrow. Unless that is the case, you need to be able to adapt...
PS: Tim works with a lot of folks who have such a high fitness level a bad day is maybe 1 or 2 seconds per 100.
Thanks for the feedback (you and trex..)!
Yes, I have noticed that variation in myself, too. Case in point, today was slower than Saturday. I didn't do a USRPT set...but, I clearly would not have been able to hold 1:40 for very many reps today (1:45 would have been more apropos today).
I sorta mentally adjusted to the 1:43-ish pace....but, this was my first time to do 30x100 (ever)...so, I just wasn't sure how I was going to feel around 22 reps AND with only :20 rest. So, I played the pace a little conservative...apparently TOO much so. I'll get a better feel for it with a little more practice. I suppose its a lot like strength training...it takes a few attempts to find out what pace (weight) is required to fail at the "right" point. From what I've read, I should be "looking to fail" around the 15 rep mark...for the first time (rather than 27 as happened above).
If nothing more, it seems to be good practice at managing RPE (particularly that balance between moderate and too hard), which is something that I don't seem to have a good sense of in the water.
Trex...yes, I knew I was SUPPOSED to fail. and all rest intervals were exactly :20 (I setup the workout on my 920, with a :20 RI). As I said above, I just wasn't sure how quickly I would or wouldn't fade. Even if I didn't get the workout exactly right....If nothing else, it was a bit of a confidence boost going into my A-race this coming Sunday...as I'd never swum THAT fast (1:43), THAT much (2900 scy), on THAT little rest.
I just want to better my Oly swim from 3 weeks ago (31:00)...this one should be wetsuit legal, so there's that. But, I'd really like to do better even "wetsuit adjusted". Hell...if I can just swim in a straight line, that should take 2 minutes off. :-)