Other useful sessions with the Tempo Trainer are with mode 3 which is strokes per min. It’s individual but my comfortable pool rate is about 71, occasionally we’ll do some intervals a couple of beats higher (what I’d call tempo). Obvs if you can maintain dps at a higher rate you’re going quicker.
My open water turnover is about 76 spm, I find it useful to try and make 76 feel more comfortable in the pool as OW season approaches. I realise it’s different for you racing all year round but I think it would be beneficial to have a play around with quicker stroke rates.
At least once per year in our swim club we will do a ramp pyramid test with increasing & decreasing stroke rates to see how it effects pace & RPE.
Think might try this today but off 2:00 cycle. If I have understood right this means I’ll get 2 minutes rest after the 400 before having to go again. Does that sound right, and also like something worth doing or would slower with shorter rests trump it d’ya reckon?
edit: aaah hang on. bleeper maths in the 20m pool, think it might have to be off 36s (2 beeps) rest per 100m swum. Alternative is 18s (1 beep) which I know I won’t be able to hold So after the 400m will get 2m24s rest. But think I’ll need it.
edit: did it. Grim. 2nd 300 and 200 especially, had to really focus to hit the wall in time. That little yellow bleeper takes no prisoners.
Feels like progress - covered the distance at target pace in one session- but still a big way to go to a continuous 1500m at this pace, there were about 8 minutes of rest in that
Don’t you have a timer on your watch? I’d go off the timer or rest timer on my watch then reset the beep for each interval. For some reason it’s nicer to look at a timer than wait for the beep of doom to come .
My Wahoo watch is rubbish, it’s stopped recording any swim data at all. just says I swam 0m. Didn’t get round to picking up a new one yet. But am loving the tempo trainer, in a sort of love -hate way
More water-torture tonight with the bleeper set to 22s per length which is 1m28 pace. 15x100m off 1m50 was the plan, and just about managed to hold the pace, although for the last few I had to let the rest roll on for a second bleep (=2m12).
Tried a race-the-bleeper swim this morning. See how far I could get swimming continuously at 1m30s per 100m.
Result: 725m
Bit disappointed by this & need to up my game over the next few weeks. Going to aim to swim at least 10km per week, with at least 2km at target pace or faster.
Still think 1500m in 22m30 is achievable, but it’s going to take work not just the usual bit of splashing about.
I was making good progress up to Christmas, incremental improvements each week, then I got a cold, had a week or so off & now I can’t get back to the pace I was at before.
Just got to keep at it & trust the process but it’s still a bit frustrating.
Yeah I’m cheating by using the 20m pool (need all the help…)
Unfortunately I don’t feel like I have made much progress in Jan & guess am probably just not doing enough swimming - 1500m about 5 times per week. So think am going to up the sessions to 2km each as a next step.
I tend to get a bit bored in the longer swims & generally want to get out and crack on with something else after half an hour
Your swimming was really impressive in December - some crackers in there IIRC
That is not far off a Monday evening for the distance lane in El Nino’s squad oh and they probably did 3.5-5k in the morning also, depending when they leave the pool for school
I jest but there does come a time when you need to be swimming considerably more to break that plateau.
I think this is one of my main issues with swimming. Post covid the sessions in LCC pools have all become shorter with most of the ones I can attend are only an hour long. It can make it tough to get some long swims in.
So after the 400m will get 2m24s rest. But think I’ll need it.
.
.
I’m just interested in your experience with the tempo so pushing for your opinions.
oh and they probably did 3.5-5k in the morning also, depending when they leave the pool for school