What is your time for 100m

[TIJoe]

In a couple of months, I will be at the anniversary of practicing TI. I set up a personal goal to break 1:30 for 100m before the end of this summer. I have seen 8-9 years old swimming lap after lap of 25m around 20 seconds, so my goal is by no means lofty. If you are a competitive swimmer who picked up swimming while you were very young, you probably at one time broke 1 minute mark (or very close to it) for 100m. Still it is interesting to know as you age, whether your speed is reduced considerably.

I have never found anywhere on internet talking about average speed for adult onset recreational swimmers. So if a lot of people are willing to share their numbers, we will at least get some idea about average speed for serious recreational (TI?) swimmers. Personally I am about 1:40 for 100m at a 25m pool right now.

[RobM77]

I can't do 100m without stopping to breath freely (see other thread), but for the record my fastest 25 metre time is 16/17 seconds. 20 seconds is a fairly rapid pace for me, and around 23-24 seconds is what I swim continuously at, with my current best endurance being 80 metres. So I'm guessing if I ever crack this breathing issue I should be able to do 100 metres in somewhere between 1:20 and 1:30.

MY goal is triathlon though, so 99% of my swimming is at a chilled out pace, just simply trying to crack the breathing issue. All I want to do at the moment is manage the swim in a sprint tri so I can get out of the water at the other end and then cycle and run.

[westyswoods]

TIJoe,

You state, "If you are a competitive swimmer...", then use the word recreational. I don't view them as one of the same. In my humble opinion if you are swimming 100's in 1:40 that sure is nothing too shabby and most likely is in the top tier of all recreational adult onset swimmers.

What happens after the first 100 is key? As a recreational swimmer while following a TI philosophy I have become more aware of my own progress and where the comparisons are focused. It is not so much on times rather how do I feel and how long can I maintain a good fluid stroke. Yes time does count just not nearly what it used to. Time is becoming more secondary as progress is made. I do not discount time being a metric of that progress.

Last evening I did an OW, it was a great swim my best so far this year at about 1.1 miles. Starting my goal was to have no structured focal points, but instead let them develop as the I progressed. Without even thinking the swim thoughts seemed to flow and I was able to hold them for longer durations of time. To my pleasant surprise, was that mentally I did not struggle with time seeming to drag and when I finished I had covered the distance in about 32 minutes. Very fast for me even in a wetsuit.

To all who know what I think of wetsuits, it was worn for safety as I was alone and swimming shoreline. When finished I had the chance to stick around and observe several other swimmers who arrived. It is always educational to watch others. The most common thread independent of the varying forms was the speed at which all started and then how rapidly they slowed.

Question being are you looking for that single 100 for competitiveness? I do not consider that recreation swimming.

Swim Silent and Be Well
Westy

[RobM77]

Bear in mind Westy that many of us who don't compete are extremely competitive with ourselves. Whatever I'm doing in life I'm interested in timing myself, setting goals and beating them. I'm currently aiming to increase my swimming endurance, but I can't resist going all out and timing myself every now and then :)

Regarding wetsuits, this is an old issue with an easy answer. Everyone feels the cold differently due to different amounts of fat reserves, different nerve sensitivity etc; so bear in mind for some people wetsuits will be essential to open water swimming, and for others less so. Regarding fat, I recently compared a knee MRI scan with a friend and the different in fat was alarming - I had essentially none - on close examination there was a scarcely visible thin wrap of it; whereas my friend had about 1cm all over. Regarding nerve sensitivity, look at the fingers, where everyone has a similar amount of fat (i.e. very little!) - everyone knows someone in the family who can help out lifting hot plates at dinner time; that's the natural nerve sensitivity variation we all have. Combine the two and you get a big variation in cold sensitivity. Many people who are good with cold water forget all this. It's an issue with competitive swimming because wetsuits alter swimming performance, so the organisers have to make a firm decision either way, which is understandable.

[DD_l_enclume]

Not sure if you're talking about sprint, or long distance pace.

Here is my last timed swim ow : 3000m/1h16min
so that's a 2.32min/100m pace.
Mid-pack was ~1.48min/100m
winner : 1.16/100m

[Alex-SG]

When you say: "What is your time for 100m?".... do you mean personal best or a smooth 100m part of a longer (perhaps 1,500m) swim?

I ask because my cruise time is probably 2min but I can probably go down to 1m30sec if I start kicking like a mule.... ALEX

[dobarton]

I've been working with TI for about a year or so. I, too, like to look at times, but only once in a while.
This morning, I was doing 100's in a 25 m pool with the TT (a new and interesting tool that I haven't quite gotten used to). Just did a few. I do an open turn and a 2-beat kick. I managed a 1:29 using my wrist watch to time myself. That's my best to date. I wasn't quite as fatigued as I have been in the past, which was encouraging. Gives me hope of going just a little faster some day.
Terri has said on this board that he hits 1:15's routinely during training... I can't figure it. You fast guys amaze me!!

[CoachKris]

bit pointless as you have to take a dive and tumble turns in to consideration + long/short course or maybe open water, I believe we had that discussion before to come to conclusion that we are all different and we all come from different age groups and backgrounds, my 1:10 could be impressive for someone struggling with breaking 2min but for me and probably any competitive swimmer it is at best average time with plenty of space for improvement, so why do you ask? ;P