Tempo trainer is a real gamechanger in the pool

Triathlon Forum
1

Who needs Form goggles with this beeper?

In past, I’ve only really used it to track stroke rate, but I figured I’d give it a shot for tracking pace as well.
2.5 weeks ago I did my CSS. 1:23.5. Not my best work but its where I’m at.
I’ve struggled to settle on properly paced intervals and keeping endurance sets interesting. Usually my threshold sets wind up a little too hard, or I’m always fighting to get ahead of the time. And on long sets I’d start out fast and slow down over the course.

With the tempo trainer its been eye opening. I’ve had to force myself to slow down at the start and hold my pace as time goes on. 15x100 at CSS is totally manageable when I’m not going out too fast. and even a boring session of 10x400 goes by so quickly when my mind is focused on the beep instead of wondering.
I spent 2 weeks ago in the pool and completed 32k over 7 days.
Took a recovery week last week and completed another CSS just yesterday. 1:19.5!

I’m going to keep using this in almost every session.

2

I’ve used both form and a tempo trainer. I loved the tempo trainer when in a squad where the sets were all based off CSS with a tempo trainer, now that I’m doing mostly swimming by myself I like the Form googles where I don’t have to make up a workout and can just follow what’s in my googles.

3

Hadn’t considered you were getting workouts fed into it. I write my own.

4

I really like the tempo trainer except that they keep breaking on me. I hate that prices on them keep going up. I’ve since switched to Form and has already cost about same during same period that I’ve had using/replacing the tempo trainer.

I think I’d be perfectly happy with the tempo trainer if it was more durable.

5

they are so great. really keeps you humble on the long intervals

6

I just use the time alert on my fenix 5, how is a tempo trainer different ?
But yeah, I really like it and I absolutly do not understand how Form Goggles would be better than the watch time alert.

7

The info it provides is great - but the product itself is garbaaaage. I was going through several a season.

The solution is getting one of the apps for your Garmin that provides the same tempo/ stroke rate/interval info as the tempo trainer.

8

the Finnis? That’s odd

I can’t see garmin alerts working all too well. several screens to get there. and it doesnt look like you can reset the timer on your send off

9

Total garbage. There was a point one year where I just kept a rolling return going on Amazon as I went through one after another.

The app iirc was not the native Garmin timer - it was a third party app that I found through Garmin iQ (??). I’ll see if I can dig it up.

10

Total garbage. There was a point one year where I just kept a rolling return going on Amazon as I went through one after another.

The app iirc was not the native Garmin timer - it was a third party app that I found through Garmin iQ (??). I’ll see if I can dig it up.

Maybe Swim Pacer?

11

Who needs Form goggles with this beeper?

In past, I’ve only really used it to track stroke rate, but I figured I’d give it a shot for tracking pace as well.
2.5 weeks ago I did my CSS. 1:23.5. Not my best work but its where I’m at.
I’ve struggled to settle on properly paced intervals and keeping endurance sets interesting. Usually my threshold sets wind up a little too hard, or I’m always fighting to get ahead of the time. And on long sets I’d start out fast and slow down over the course.

With the tempo trainer its been eye opening. I’ve had to force myself to slow down at the start and hold my pace as time goes on. 15x100 at CSS is totally manageable when I’m not going out too fast. and even a boring session of 10x400 goes by so quickly when my mind is focused on the beep instead of wondering.
I spent 2 weeks ago in the pool and completed 32k over 7 days.
Took a recovery week last week and completed another CSS just yesterday. 1:19.5!

I’m going to keep using this in almost every session.

You should ask your pool people to install a nice clock or two. My 50m pool has synchronized digital clocks at each end, so i can check my pace every 50m.

12

weird, I am on my same tempo trainer from 3 years ago and never have had a hitch. knock on wood

13

I use my watch time alert for pacing. Set it to 21s and that will keep me on pace for 1.24min/100m pace. Really useful. I’m terrible with pacing.

14

A few problems there. My goggles are never that reliably clear. How do you have time to look? And how can you do math so quickly?

This evening I set a pace of 1:26 to start my red mist set. That’s 21.5 per 25.

15

A few problems there. My goggles are never that reliably clear. How do you have time to look? And how can you do math so quickly?

Ha. Try this set: 100s starting at 1:30 interval, descending each interval by :01. First at :00, second at :30, third at :59, fourth at :27, fifth at :54, etc., until you can’t make the interval.

16

A few problems there. My goggles are never that reliably clear. How do you have time to look? And how can you do math so quickly?

Ha. Try this set: 100s starting at 1:30 interval, descending each interval by :01. First at :00, second at :30, third at :59, fourth at :27, fifth at :54, etc., until you can’t make the interval.

That would be over quickly lol.

My kid’s swim team used to do 50s on 1:00…:59, :58 etc, always seemed like a good one to try - maybe tomorrow lol

17

I just put pace on my watch screen and take a quick glance during each flip turn. Towards the end of a long workout doing that mental math to calculate timing is almost impossible.

18

I really like the tempo trainer except that they keep breaking on me. I hate that prices on them keep going up. I’ve since switched to Form and has already cost about same during same period that I’ve had using/replacing the tempo trainer.

I think I’d be perfectly happy with the tempo trainer if it was more durable.

This is really weird, I’ve had mine for 6 years and even thought the bright mind here has dropped it to the floor several times, it keeps working like a charm.