what are the newb's swim times?

I'm new to swimming too.  My 100 time is around 2:30 so I am super slow.   Right now, I am not getting so hung up on that as I am on how to improve my stroke.  For me, it has been a slow process, but I am making progress and learning to accept what I can do in the pool.

I started at the end of last year but I hurt my neck, so I never got very far. I restarted again this January. I try to swim 3 x week. I did the zero to 1650 thing that you can find with a google search.

I have done a single 1000y time trial (about 2 or 3 weeks ago) and did 16:14 (1:37/100y).

I plan on doing another in a couple of weeks to see if I just was lucky and saw results very quick or if there has been further improvement since then.

As a newb I find the swimming frustarting because I know it is very technical,  mine is not good, but also on any given day my stroke might feel different and that normally results in a crappy swim. Just stick at it and things will keep getting better.

Seriously...1:31 over a 1000yards and you consider yourself a newbie?!?! 

To the original question:  I just started month 3 of the "3 Month Beginner" swim program on BT.  Yesterday I did 2 x 250 and they both were abound 4:40 (1:50/100).  One thing I have to constantly say to myself while doing longer swims: "Go slow to go faster".  My only goal for the swim is to make it to the finish. 

Before January 2009, the last time I swam 1+ lap was 1991.  I will be doing my first tri in June so I have lots of time to get better/longer.  I remember when I first started running last January I could barely make it two miles but but summer time I was flying.  I am hoping the swim thing is kind of the same...just give it time and practice!

I've been swimming for about 3 months now and I'm at about 2:10/100yds.  I'm about to try a swim class at the gym though, so hopefully that will help...if it doesn't I'll just have to be faster on the bike and running.

I just checked my logs from the spring of 2004 when I started swimming/tri training and about 1 month in I did a 600 yard workout in 14 minutes. 2m 20s per 100 yards. And I was probably exhausted.

Make sure you get to the pool regularly/consistently and if at all possible get some instruction. But don't worry about what your times are now. You'll improve. It just takes some time and effort.

Dennis,

I have the same problem as you with regards to being out of breath when I use the crawl.  Not only that, but I can side stroke faster at about 1:50/100 pace.  However, the side stroke is a PITA because of the frog kick that takes up too much room and I am sure it annoys swimmers around me.  Right now, I just alternate strokes as I feel appropriate for the moment and hope that eventually I will be able to get proficient enough with the crawl to use it 100% and get down around 1:30/100 pace.  Right now, that feels years away...

Greg

I looked back to my logs in 2007 for a number, which was when I truly started out.  I had an indoor tri where I managed 800 yards in 30 minutes (3:45/100 pace).  That was a mix of backstroke, crawl, kicking, hanging on the side...

This week I did a time trial of 500 yards and ended up with 11:12, which is 2:14/100.  This is the result of two seperate Total Immersion courses and lots of practice.  While 2:14 may not seem like a victory, it was to me after starting out so very poorly. 

Good luck! 

I've been swimming for over 1.5 years now but just recently got a coach...because of that I consider myself a newbie.  Until I got a coach I was never seeing any real improvement.  Swimming is so much technique related that I think it is very difficult to improve unless you have someone evaluating your technique and giving you feedback while you're in the pool.  In three sessions my stroke count per 25M has reduced close to 50% (to 18 strokes) while my speed for 50M has increased 30% to 50 sec per 50M all while my heart rate is lower.

Someone else in the thread said swim slower to go faster.  I agree.  Stretching out my stroke, lessening my rotation (I was over rotating) and getting the proper position (11 and 1 o'clock) for hand entry is helping a ton.  My coach is basically rebuilding my stroke and ramping up my interval distances to slowly build endurance without giving up technique.  I'm actually enjoying the swim now!

Don't worry about your times right now. Your speed will come, it's just a matter of time before it will really start showing. When's your first race by the way?

Just stay in the water and swim. That's it. Swim more. Work on the stroke and technique. That's critical. Once you find that stroke, your times will greatly improve. Head down, one eye breathing, high elbow, outside of the midline, kick from the hips, straight legs, it all comes into play.

If you think about it, anybody can get on a bike and spin, and most everybody can pick their feet up to run, but not everyone can swim. It takes practice and skill. Not everybody is born w/ the 1:30/100yr speed. It's drills and swimming.

I come from a swimming background (more endurance than speed), but still have plenty of work to do. I joined a masters class and have seen my times drop significantly. What was a tough 1000yrd workout, is now a pretty easy workout. What was fast when I joined, is now slow. It's all in just being consistent. It's taken me quite a while to get comfortable and have the aerobic abiltity, but I can now successfully swim 2000yrd non stop and hold a 1:40/100. It's just time and practice.

Good luck with it and let us know how you're progressing!

I have always been a decent swimmer...  used to life guard...

When I was a newb to tri, I typically would shoot for 2:00/100 for a workout (including rests).  I could probably do 1:40/100 for a steady swim.  As a matter of fact, I STILL assume a workout is going to take as long as 2:00/100, granted I usually cut 5 or minutes off that for anything over 2000 meters.

One of my first Oly swim splits was 1:35/100, but I'm not sure if I trust it (the distance).

Surely you were a swimmer at some point earlier on.  If not, I am soooo jealous.  I have been working my hind end off since summer (then about 2:15 per 100yds for maybe 600-1000yds).  Today, after having continously swam 3 - 5 times a week, averaging > 10K yards per week I swam a 500 in 7:57 or 1:35.4/100yds.

I doubt that you're lucky, perhaps somewhat talented.