Today’s set is a special one:
That’s right, a timed 30 minute swim, or T-30 as it’s often affectionately called in the age group ranks. I LOVED T-30s in high school, mostly because they were shorter than 3000 meters for time. And because I was a very weird kid who enjoyed staring at the black line (or ceiling/sky, since I did most of my workouts backstroke) for long periods of time.
These days, I would probably rather do a set of 3x800s so so there’s time to chat on the wall between reps, but I still see the value in long continuous swims, so I begrudgingly do them anyway!
Why do a 30 minute swim?
Because stopping on the wall, even for a few seconds, is resting. And there’s no resting in open water swimming!! Whenever I do a long continuous swim for the first time I notice my lower back and hip flexors get a little achy. Aching is not allowed on race day!! Adding a few longer swims into my training helps me feel great the whole way!
How do you pace a 30 minute swim?
I try to negative split long efforts like this, swimming the second half faster than the first. In a timed swim, I’m never quite sure when I’m halfway, so it’s more of a gradual build. When I did this set this morning, I kept the first 500 pretty aerobic and cruise-y, then tried to build the pace every subsequent 500. Swimming fast at the end feels GREAT!
Why not just swim open water?
Because mid-week open water swimming is not exactly convenient in Atlanta. Plus I think there’s a lot of value in training in a controlled environment. I like trying to hit certain paces, which is hard to do in open water.
Have Fun!
I made it just short of 2400 meters in my T-30 at Dynamo Masters this morning. Let me know how far you swim!!
