Quick Dip: How Do I Work Out My Swim Time?
Updated: 6 days ago
A short read for the car journey
Category: Pace Clock & Lane Skills | Read time: Under 2 minutes
Your swim time is the time between pushing off and finishing. Remember your starting number and use the same coloured hand to check your finish.
Finish properly: touch the wall, then check the clock straight away. Avoid slowing down or lifting your head early to look.
For a swim lasting less than a minute:
If you start on 10 and finish on 45, subtract 10 from 45. Your swim time is 35 seconds.
What if the hand passes the top?
If you start on 50 and finish on 20:
From 50 to the top of the clock is 10 seconds.
From the top to 20 is another 20 seconds.
Add them together: your swim time is 30 seconds.
For longer swims, you must also keep track of whole minutes. If the hand makes one extra complete lap during that second example, your time is 1 minute 30 seconds.
The finishing number alone cannot tell you your time.
Begin by checking one short swim with your coach. Reading the clock gives you a useful training time, but it may differ slightly from their stopwatch.
Ask your coach: Can we compare the time I worked out with the time you recorded?
Created by Basingstoke Bluefins Coaching Team
