I did a swim test at the pool this week, as outlined in my training plan. It involves warming up for 10-20 minutes. Then swim 3×300 with 30 second rest in between each. The goal is to attain the highest average speed possible for the entire set, and the time for each 300 should be within 15 seconds of each other.
Then you average the three times and divide by 3 to get your “T” pace, I guess the “T” is for test. This “T” pace is used in many of the workouts in Gale Bernhardt’s Swim Workouts in a Binder book.

March 2008, 25 yard pool:

1) 5:25; HR: 148/156
2) 5:33; HR: 150/158
3) 5:37; HR: 148/147

Average of all three = 5:32

T pace = 1:50 / 100 yards -OR- 2:01 / 100 meters

(I used this calculator to convert yards/meter pace)

So, then I took a trip down memory lane and looked through my old workout journal entries. I looked through two years worth of stuff and only found one other time that I wrote down these test results.

June 2006, 25 meter pool (luckily I noted that this pool was meters vs yards):

1) 5:48
2) 5:57
3) 5:58

Average = 5:54

T pace = 1:47 / 100 yards -OR- 1:58 / 100 meters

Two years of swimming and my “T” pace time has actually gotten slightly worse. ACK! Unfortunately, I did NOT wear a HR monitor during the test two years ago, so I can’t look back and compare HR for the test, and say “Well, at least I’ve gotten more efficient”. I think… I hope…that I have, but there’s no data to confirm.

In looking back in my journal for swim test results, I also looked for ANY swim entries where I wrote down a time, distance, and heart rate. If I could find some data, I could reproduce that same workout and compare HR. But, I found Nothing. I rarely wore my HR monitor for swimming, and when I did, I only wrote down the average number for the entire workout.

journal.jpgI did find lots and lots of places where I wrote “I suck” next to the swimming entry. LOL! I find this quite amusing! I even wrote down “Why do I even bother swimming?” on one page. (click image to enlarge).

bunny.jpgWhen I was done with my entire swim workout, the friendly lifeguard, Chuck, commented that I’d had a good workout and I just kept going and going like the Energizer Bunny. Yes, that’s me, the energizer bunny. He doesn’t go fast, but he does keep going and going and going. There’s my reason for bothering to swim – so I can be the energizer bunny in the pool.