Swimming questions - time and distance

Yes, use your 4:10 time as your predicted time.  Race day may make you a little faster but then again slower people ahead of you may slow you down.  Passing can be difficult in a snake swim. Most people pass at the lane ends/turns.  Usually, no flip turns allowed.  No dive in the pool allowed.  Usually starts in the shallow end.  My first pool race, I jumped in thinking I was in the deep end, and boy did I hit the bottom hard in the shallow end!  Prepare for a long wait in a hot humid environment before your start. 

And finally be kind to the idiots who so grossly mis-predict their time.  Many of us got clawed over by a woman who was so obviously faster than her predicted time.  And then there is the pitiful soul doing the sidestroke up there with a 3 minute predicted time.  They are learning a lesson the hard way!

you are correct on your swim calculation. I always enter what I think I can swim the distance in. It's easier (at least for me) to swim with people that are going a similar pace. that way you are not having to swim over people and not getting swam over. With such a short distance , you will be fine if you want to be a bit conservative with your time. Good luck in your race

I disagree, you'll need to take into account that you're shifting to a shorter pool.  If you train in a 25 meter pool, you're going to be anywhere from 3-8 seconds faster per 100 in a yard pool (barring any significant slowdowns).

Here's the breakdown:

250m in 4:10 = 1:40 per 100m

Using the same predictor:
273 yards (~250m) in 4:10 = 1:32 per 100 yards

1:32 * 2.5 = 3:50

I'd use 3:50 for 250 yards, maybe even a little faster because people generally screw this up and seed themselves too high.

* Edit:  Snake swims are tricky because you can get caught at the wall waiting for people to go under the lane lines.  If you can flip turn, practice flipping then shooting diagonally under the lane line, it's the fastest way to do it.



Edited by strostertag 2009-08-12 7:44 AM

Ditto on the "diagonal" wall push-off for the diagonal swim.  I've only done one pool swim (and have vowed to never do another one) and it took me about half way through to figure out that the diagonal approach is way faster than 1) touch the end of the pool, 2) moving under the lane lines, then 3) pushing off.  You can use this technique to pass people with minimal disruption or danger of hitting someone dead-on.

Also, as for the # of laps...I try to distinguish the difference between a lap and a length.  A lap (for me at least) is there and back.  A length is just one time across the pool.  If you're in a 25M pool, then 25M is the length.  one lap (there and back) would be 50M.  so, a 250M swim would be 5 laps or 10 lengths.

Thank you all for your input. I didn't consider the difference between the times in 25 meter pool and a 250 yard swim, so thanks for that tidbit.

I finally officially signed up! Paid the money (ouch) and all, so now I am on the hook. Not sure if that fluttering in my stomach is nervousness or excitement!

Hmmm....that just sounds odd to me.  How big is the pool this is in?  For a race that should be only 5 laps (lap = down and back) of a pool, I find it strange that you will do two of those laps in one pool and then have to jump to another pool for three laps?  Must be two very small pools?

WOW! You are a fast swimmer!

Good luck!