In distance running and cycling we train long distances and then we use shorter distances for pace training. Pace training is done so one knows if one is going too fast or too slow for their race distance. For example, it’s common to run an hour or more for distance training and then run only fifteen minutes to work on one’s race pace.

Yet in swimming, more often than not we train the other way. We swim 50’s, 100’s, 200’s 500’s and then we try to swim a half mile to a mile to determine our race pace. This would be like only running 200’s, 400’s, 800’s and a mile on the track and then suddenly running for a three to six miles distance to see how we are doing. It is no wonder swimming a mile seems long and hard!

What is wrong here?

A great deal is wrong here. Two aspects that are wrong with swimming short intervals is that we are generally starting too fast for the distance we want to race AND we are working on our technique in short bursts rather than with sustained concentration.

If you have had trouble swimming in triathlons, it is time to come for a workshop with me to learn technique and how to train.