I’m in that week where you do the FTP test on your bike and wondering if some of you do similar tests for pace (running/swim). If so, what type of running test do you do? Swimming I believe is a 1000m swim, not sure on running ang google seems to have a variety of things.
God no. If I did that while swimming I’d likely drown. And if while running I’d likely run into something or at the very least fall over somewhere.
The best running test is a 5k or 10k race.
And, in my opinion, because swimming is done at a higher intensity, many days become test sets. Do repeat 100s or 200s on low rest and you’ll get what you need.
For running, it’s a similar test to determine LT. It sucks. For swimming, a T1,000 can be used to determine pace zones.
I tend to use the following protocols for testing:
Run (Jack Daniels VDot)
Track session
Warm up: 1600m, jog the beds, stride the straights
Drills: high knees, bum kicks, etc.
Test:
3200m (8 laps) as fast as possible, record time, use for Vdot pacing (obviously skews a bit in favor of shorter races, but gives solid training paces)
Cool down: 1200m jog
Swimming (Swim Smooth CSS testing)
W/U
200m free
300m mixed
4 x 50m free build
Test
400m free
recovery swimming
200m free
Record times for the 400 / 200, insert values into form on the www.swimsmooth.com site, use for training values. Obviously there are other methods, but I’ve been very happy with this one.
Of course, 5k race, 10k (or half marathon if you’re middle / long course) are the best stand alone tests, while a 1500m open water is ideal as well.
Thanks for the detail. I’ll give that a try.
Run…joe friel has a test protocol in his book but a 10km race is your best bet. I use hrm a lot and honestly it becomes pretty self evident when you are in tune with perceived effort. McMillan calculator is your friend or Daniels vdot.
Swim…swim smooth has a good protocol I believe using a timed 200 And a timed 400. Others use a 1000tt.
do your best to make it a repeatable test…as you are your own baseline.
5K or 10K race then look up Daniels VDOT paces
1000 yards (or meters) in a swim meet or maximal effort in practice. The average 100 pace +15 seconds is my T-pace which I base all training sets on.
jaretj
A few options:
Run: a 5k is tough to beat as a fitness indicator. 10k also good.
You can also run for a set amount of time on a track (10, 15, 20 minutes) with a GPS to tell distance.
Swim:
100 intervals are good indicator.
500 or 1,000 yard time trial.
Laps in 10, 15, or 20 ,minutes.
I am assuming that the 5k run can be on the road and have very slight elevations changes. Just as long as I use the same route to re-test myself later.
NO!
Swim: 1k TT, 100TT, 50TT they are the metrics I look at. Don’t bother with test sets, not accurate enough, especially in small changes in speed.
Run: Run TT’s ON TRACK!! Only way you can be sure of valididty of the time and are repeatable on any accurate track. 3/5k’s for me as I race short-course.
Everyday is a test set for swimming.
If you want something specific, a time trial 800m/1000yd/mile is good. Also a T30.
Threshold test for swimming = 30 min test like person above said, fast as you can go for 30 minutes, see how far you can go then determine ave 100m time and that’ll give you threshold pace. If you have decent fitness you may be surprised at how long you can keep making it hurt.
ie it can hurt after 400m…
I am assuming that the 5k run can be on the road and have very slight elevations changes. Just as long as I use the same route to re-test myself later.
It doesn’t need to be on a track, unless you’re trying to be extremely accurate. There are a lot of free or low-cost weekly 5k’s where I live and they’re great for measuring fitness gains and speed.
A timed 2000 with someone getting your splits each 100 - try to stay consistent. That will definitely show your threshold limit.
Another option is 30x100s with 5 seconds rest. The problem with intervals - it is too easy to start to add time and fall into a comfort zone.
Thanks everyone. I have a perfect road route that is a 5k to my house and back (basically around the block). It’s a route I can run all year round since the roads are plowed consistently during winter (two schools on these roads). If I use a track, then in the winter I’ll need to use a treadmill to test and I despise the treadmill with everything inside of me.
Cant I just have my Garmin set up to include a 5k interval and then use that number? Won’t that be as accurate as a track?