Swim Threshold Pace – What is it?

After stroke technique, the next most important thing to improving your triathlon swim speed is understanding swim threshold pace (STP).  You can swim hundreds of thousands of yards each month and if you don’t understand swim threshold pace, those training yards may not have been as effective as they could have been – and they may have been wasted time altogether.  On race day, without an understanding of swim threshold pace, you will likely be swimming to fast – leading to lactic acidosis with the obvious negative effect; or swimming too slow – with the equally obvious negative effect. Continue reading “Swim Threshold Pace – What is it?”

How to Determine Your Swim Threshold Pace

Do your normal warm-up. Follow with a short build set to be ready to swim fast.  Or you might consider our recommended warm-up.

Once you are thoroughly warmed up, you will do two time trials to establish your STP; one of 400 yards (or meters if you are in a long course pool) and one of 200 yards/meters. Continue reading “How to Determine Your Swim Threshold Pace”