Base Pace
By Coach Doug
When we have new swimmers come on deck, I always ask them, “what’s your base pace?” I can usually tell right away if they understand the question. When I get that puzzled look on their face, I usually say something like, “if you were to do a set of 10 x 100, what interval would you swim these on, and get about 5 seconds rest?” If they still have the puzzled look on their face, I know that I have some instruction ahead of me, and that I need to find a lane where one of our experienced swimmers can guide them through the first practices—explaining base pace is a challenging item on a first visit to swim practice.
Over the years, I’ve had people say, “well I can swim a 100 yards in 1:50,” and my response is generally, “how many times in a row can you do that?” And the answer is usually, “well, once.” This is not considered a base pace, it’s race pace.
Another example of base pace confusion is the swimmer who asks how much rest should be taken on a set of 8 x 100 @ 1:45. My response is usually, “I don’t know how much rest you’ll get, depends on how fast you swim each 100 yards. If you swim the 100 yards in 1:30, then you’ll get :15 rest, or if you swim it in 1:40 then you’ll get :05 rest.”
We know from many years of study, the most effective aerobic fitness training occurs when a swimmer begins the next repeat with their breathing and heart rate still considerably elevated from the previous swim. This condition causes physiological systems to remain overloaded for the entire set, including the rest and work periods.
Base pace, also known as threshold pace, is critical for swimming improvement and in helping know where you belong in a busy Masters swim practice. Knowing your base pace determines the lane you swim in. One of the best ways to determine your base pace is to do a 30-minute set of 100s and maintain a consistent pace throughout the set. The pace you hold is your threshold or base pace. Figuring out your interval might take a little guess work. The goal is not to change the interval in the middle of the set. Note that not everyone can hold their base pace every day; life’s stresses, sickness, or time away from the water, can all play a factor in your base pace on any given day.
We also use the base pace to determine pacing for longer swims. For example, if a swimmer can do a set of 10 x 100 on 1:30 and gets about 5 seconds rest (coming in on 1:25) the same swimmer should be able to swim 5 x 200 at 3:00 and get about 10 seconds rest. This math can work for many different distances.
If you need assistance determining your base pace, please contact me.