I’ve done a bit of digging and can’t seem to find any information on how to select an ideal race pace for swimming based on distance. I know how to select a race pace for cycling and running based on threshold numbers, but I’m a bit unclear when it comes to swimming. In a HIM/IM distance swim, is there an ideal % of Anaerobic Threshold that should be targeted, or something similar? If, for example, someone has a swimming AnT of 1:30/100 yds., what pace could they conceivably maintain for 1.2 miles? I realize that there are tons of variables in open water swimming: waves, chop, current, other swimmers, sighting, etc. that can affect what your actual swim pace is on race day. But, removing those from the equation, is there a target rule of thumb?
I realize that there are tons of variables in open water swimming: waves, chop, current, other swimmers, sighting, etc. that can affect what your actual swim pace is on race day. But, removing those from the equation, is there a target rule of thumb?
Since you cannot remove any of those variables on race day, what is your real point? What you swim on race day is going to be based on PE and how competitive you want to be. FOP athletes will swim virtually all out for a prescribed distance(PE pace for that distance), to hold feet and get with the best bike group they can. Others are content to swim and stay comfortable so that they start the bike fresh. Each will fit somewhere in-between those two extremes, but there is no actual number you can assign it.
HIM and IM are long races. There are three parts, but it’s all one race. Ideally your perceived level of exertion should be whatever you would need to do to slightly negative split the race (from an exertion standpoint). Negative splits typically give the best results for longer distance races. For an ironman, that means you would need to start out at aerobic threshold or even a bit slower. The only thing that might affect that decision would be that the swim offers an opportunity to draft and save up to 5% of your energy. For non-draft events this may be the only opportunity you have for that type of energy savings. Therefore, you may want to increase your pace a bit and get on someone’s feet in order to draft.
Since you cannot remove any of those variables on race day, what is your real point?
I suppose my real point is simply to understand what the ideal energy zone is for longcourse triathlon swimming. As a relatively new triathlete I find one of the hardest things about swimming on race day is trying “feel” the effort. Sometimes I nail it, but more often than not I have a tendancy to either swim far too easy or far too hard; I doubt I’m alone.
I understand that distance swimming involves, primarily, the aerobic energy system. I’ve found charts that show swim training zones defined as % of max heart rate and/or perceived effort. I was just hoping that someone might have found a way to express them in terms of swim pace. It seems to me that if AnT can be determined from test efforts performed in a pool and can be expressed as a pace (x sec./100), then so could an ideal race effort for a distance swim (assuming that race was in the same pool). If not, no big deal…just thought I’d ask the ST community.