I had a really good swim in the pool this evening.  I enjoyed it, because I swam different intervals that covered several different paces.

Figuring out different paces in the pool, is sometimes quite challenging for people new to swimming and triathlon.  I have summarized below, what the various paces feel like to me.  Hopefully they can help you get a better understanding of what different paces in the pool might feel like.  I am no expert swimmer, so my descriptions might not align with people who are a ‘fish’ in the pool, but this what they feel like to me. 

• Zone 2 – Easy Pace:   This is the pace where I feel like I could swim all day.  My stroke is very relaxed and my breathing is very controlled.  Whenever I finish an easy pace interval, I feel like I could start the next interval immediately; I don’t need a recovery or rest interval.
• Zone 3 – Steady or Cruise Pace:   This pace feel like I am swimming with a purpose.  It feels more deliberate.  The feeling of pressure on my arms during the pull is stronger and my breathing is a little harder.  This pace is very controlled still and I still feel like I can swim a long way, without dropping my speed.  I need a minimum of recovery, after an interval at this pace.
• Zone 4 – Fast and Strong:  This is where the effort really picks up.  I am pulling hard on the water and my cadence has increased.  Breathing becomes hard after a while, but I feel strong in the water.  Depending on my fitness, I can hold this pace for a few hundred yards at most… I am ‘sprinting’ for want of a better way of describing it.  Recovery takes a while after a fast interval. In my workouts however, the rest interval is often not sufficient to completely recover, so intervals at this speed are valuable for improving anaerobic capacity.
• Zone 5 – All Out:   This is exactly like it sounds… maximum effort.  My stroke gets much less controlled, I am aggressively ‘attacking’ the water, and my breathing becomes very hard.  At the end of an all out interval, I am panting for breath.

So there you have it.  That’s how I feel while doing my workouts.