Training Logs - Swimming times

There have been quite a few threads on this over the years.  Based on those the majority of people seem to log their entire time in the pool, which throws off the average per 100, but gives them a sense of the overall workout (assuming they do the same one) that they can compare to later.

I personally only log actual swim time and start/stop my watch after each swim interval.  So what I have in my log is exactly the pace I "swam" for my workout.  Others are different.  I just think this is a better gauge for me then logging overall time (plus it doesn't "pad" the training log .... ....)

As Rick says, everyone is different.  I enter the total time (because it just doesn't matter to me, it's irrelevant to what I am trying to do).  I couldn't stop and start my watch, I keep my splits with my watch to reference later, so I am always resetting it.  No way I could reconstruct it later.  Besides, I don't need topad last year's 370,000 yards with additional hours

The actual elapsed time is also irrelevant to me since some sets I swim easy, some sets I swim hard, some sets I swim pace, so the "overall" pace for any particular workout has nothign to do with my race pace (which is further affected by course measurements, waves, how many people, run to T1 times, etc etc.)

Log however it makes most sense to you.  Just keep swimming, you will get faster

Don't worry about "padding" anything.  Honestly, swimmers don't talk in terms of swimming "5 hours last week."  They talk in terms of swimming "5,000 yards last week."  So don't worry about that.

As you know, your time for 1500 meters isn't determined by how you log, but by how you train.  Simply because you can do 2:00 / 100 in the pool does not mean your 1500 meter time will be 30 minutes.  It might be, and might give you an estimate, but ( I assume you are ne to tris?) there are simply too many race variables.  (also, if you swim yards, and the race is meters, add 8-10 seconds / 100 ).  ETA - As an example, I can hold 1:12 or so/100 in a pool if I am in a groove.  My last tri, I won my age group out of the water, and was 54/776 overall........ with a 1:53/100 pace. 

ETA II, sorry just remembered I also wanted to say that if you log the entire time you swim, don't autocalculate your pace, since as you've seen it's inaccurate.  Better to swim a 1K time trial, or 10 100s on a set interval, to gauge where your swimming progress is.  If you can hold a steady time for 10 consecutive 100s, that's a great indicator of your race pace.

Getting faster in the pool is simply a function of swimming more with proper technique.  DO that, i guarantee you will get faster.

For me, it's a mixed bag....

I log my total yardage (that's what's most important to me as a newer swimmer), but I'll clock various interval sesssions of any "significant" length, maybe greater than 100 yards. This way I keep track of the yardage (which is how I have set my goals), but I also can see improvements in pace.....predictor of race performance