Correct way to log swim workouts

im using trainingpeaks too. i just log my total time. my coach knows i go to 1 hour masters classes, and i always log 1 hour swim time.  hasn't said anything regarding it.  i don't think i swim enough for swim TSS to even matter though. at most i'll do 12k a week.

there are a bunch of watches that can track it pretty well, i've been thinking of picking up the garmin swim.  you could just record each interval in the few seconds you have between too though...

I do what you do - if I get in at 5:30 and exit at 6:30 then I enter 1:00 as the workout time.  This often results in a swim TSS somewhere between 1 and 2.    Trying to figure out moving time would be more effort than it's worth to me.

x2

I used to wear my 100-lap Timex Ironman watch to record everything, but it was too much of a hassle.  I've reverted to old school mode and just use the pace clock on the pool deck to track my intervals.

Mark

I log moving time -- I use a Garmin 910 and hit stop and lap between intervals.  Honestly, this is mostly because I like to be able to analyze the information and look back on it in the future (for example, I want to improve my HIM swim time next year, so I can go back to my logs and see that I was swimming X number of 100m repeats on an X:XX interval, so if I'm not swimming faster than that, it's unlikely I'll improve). 

It's also interesting to see how much actual swimming time we do in a given workout.  With one coach, a 75 minute master's session results in 60-65 minutes of swimming.  With a different one, it's typically closer to 55 minutes.  I prefer the former to the latter...

If using a 910, then TP automatically puts in only the moving time.  When entering it in BT it displays total swim time.

It's eye opening how much time you spend at the wall sometimes...

I log "moving time".  It was easy for me during training last season as I had set rest times during my workouts (5x100 w/30sec rest between each, 8x25 w/20sec rest between each, etc).  Total pool time - break time sum = swim time.

I only use the BT logs now and don't use a watch, just have the pace clock up on the wall. No times for w/u or c/d, I just get it in. Send-off only for drills/skill work emphasis. I get it in at a reasonable effort, not as fast as possible. Send-off plus In times (or splits) for main set work. "In" times noted are usually a range, trend, or average depending on what the set was, or the parts of the set as they're often a mix of interval types. Sometimes I can remember all the splits, but still note things this way as that's what's more useful for me.

I like being able to track both moving and resting time.  So on my 910xt, I press Start at the beginning of the workout.  During the workout, I only use the lap button until the end when I press Start again to stop the workout.  I press the lap button at the beginning and end of each rest period.

I used to just track moving time, which required me to start/stop the timer repeatedly during my workout.  But every so often I'd miss a button push and I'd start losing laps.  So only using the lap button once the workout has started eliminated that problem.  Worst case now is a rest period gets lumped into a moving period.

I really don't like TP for swim analysis (maybe I don't know how to use it correctly).  So when I want to dig into swim info, I typically look in Garmin Connect.  You could just grab the moving time from that and paste it into TP so you have the moving time accurate in there.

I log moving time only. I'm not interested in logging the time I spent resting. Same with bike and run.

x2. Check out my log - my coach keeps masters practice interesting, for sure. I can barely remember the sets afterwards - let alone try to calculate rest time.

I log yardage.

I also put 1:00 as my time - even if I stay a few minutes longer to finish the set. The time doesn't matter much to me in the frame of swimming, but it helps me look at total weekly volume.

When I swim solo, I do the same. Total yardage, total time. 

This.  Anything else is (to me) overthinking it.  

I've always wondered what people record as well.  I have a 910xt and always record my total time and total yardage which gives me an inaccurate pace when put in BT, but I do make note of my individual paces for each set in my swim description for my reference.  So ultimately my swim hours and pace are both overstated, but not a big deal to me.  In any given hour long workout, I'm usually only resting 10-30 seconds per set so it might shave off 5-10 minutes which IMO is no big deal.