Quick Dip: How Should I Pace My Race?

A short read for the car journey

Category: Racing  | Read time: Under 2 minutes

Pacing means choosing how to use your effort across a race. The distance changes how you use your arms and legs.

In a 50m sprint, aim for speed from the start: quick, effective strokes and a strong kick. Fast arms still need to move you forward, rather than simply splash faster.

For 100m and 200m, practise an opening pace that lets you keep your stroke effective through the middle. Commit to the finish instead of saving all your effort for the final few metres.

In a longer race, such as 400m, settle into a strong rhythm you can hold. Keep travelling well with each stroke, without stretching too far or pausing to glide. Using your full sprint effort early can make the remaining lengths much harder.

Your kick has a rhythm and an effort level.

In front crawl, two-beat, four-beat and six-beat mean two, four or six downward kicks during two arm strokes: one with each arm.

Six-beat does not mean kicking flat out. You can use that rhythm with lighter kicks, then increase their strength as part of your race plan. No single pattern suits everyone.

As you tire, holding the same speed can take more effort. Feeling that you are working harder does not always mean you are swimming faster.

Afterwards, compare your split times, the times for sections of your race, with how your swimming felt.

Ask your coach: What should my opening pace feel like, and where should I increase my effort?

Created by Basingstoke Bluefins Coaching Team