I’m in roughly the same boat (~10sec/100m), but that’s comparing mid-rest intervals to racing the first event in a long day.
I find that my OWS times generally match my pool times. The benefit of a wetsuit seems to basically offset not having speed gains from the walls (SCY pool…would be different LCM).
If i would want to swim 55m (1.26/100m) i would need to hold 1.16/100m in repetitions?
My very basic answer is to do a sub 55:00 on a “fair” course (ie one where the lead pros are around 48:30 - whether wet suit legal or not) you need to be able to hold 1:17 on a set of 20 x 100’s on 1:30 in short course meters pretty much all the time. Not on your best day, freshly shaved legs, speed suit on or whatever. This means around 1:10 in yards or around 1:20 in LCM.
Anyhow I did a 3400M time trial (SCM with a speedsuit) in 44:16 (1:18/100 m ) and then did IM TX in 54:30 ( 1:26/100M )
For a 50 minute IM wetsuit swim, I will hold low 1:20’s 50m long course all day on a 1:30 base. Very little use of the pull buoy. Paddles were in the workout 3 days a week, swimming 3-4 times a week 3-4k each workout. No intervals over 400m. I’m not faster with a pull buoy, but I am a little faster with paddles. For me, the paddle work was what gave me the long swim pacing consistency. This is not for everyone, but that’s what helped me.
Being able to hold a consistent pace is the big thing. Not slowing in the later half of the IM swim is my challenge. I found the tool that made me dig deeper on each stroke for a portion of the workout was what helped to keep my pace up later in the swim.
For me, swimming masters is a great push to get faster and be held to the workout and the interval. If you can hold the interval and do the clock math, lead the lane, prepare yourself to be the one setting the pace. That way, if you find some feet slightly faster than you, you can sit in and it will seem easier. I also try to get in the open water once a week if possible and swim at least a half a mile. Even if this is really easy pace, it gives me the feeling of swimming without being able to push off the wall.
It’s really hard to say because I would say 60 - 70% of the triathlons I do, the distance is incorrect, plus sometimes my 920XT doesn’t record the correct distance, it’s heaps better than my 910XT in open water, but every now and again it will report an incorrect distance. Then you can throw in other variables of current, swell/chop, wind, drafting, hitting slower swimmers from other waves, so invariably a lot of my wetsuit swims are slower or on a par with pool times because of those factors. Recent 70.3 and IM times have been 27/59 which is 1.27/100m and 1.32/100m pace and that’s slow compared to what I swim in a pool (sans wetsuit). I would hold low 1.20s all day.
pace of 10/15x 100s in a 25meter swimming pool with 15" recovery: 1’32"
pace of 3800m test in swimming pool with wetsuit: 1’35" with an higher effort compared with the one at IMAU race
At IMAU i’ve had big problems with trajectory after the second turn and i’m sure i’ve lost a lot of time because i’ve a terrible technique when i’ve to check the trajectory during breathing.
So i think my paces are roughly consistent … (for sure my techinque get worse when i perform short reps like 50 and 100m).
It was my first IM with a rolling start so it’s the first time that i can compare swimming pool paces with open water paces…