Quote:
>>Hi gang. I would like to know if there is any rule of thumb between
>>swimming and running. For example, I run about three miles per day. How
>>much swimming do I have to do to get the same benefit? Also is there an
>>average number of swimming laps that one should be able to finish in a
>>given amount of time?
>Three miles of running a day will make about 2.2 miles swimming a day
>to get the same benefit, swimming at about a speed of 1 lap in 43 seconds.
I don't know where you got these numbers from, but I don't believe that they
are accurate. Comparable benefit can vary depending on what your criteria
are, but a simple basis for comparison is amount of time spent. For a
runner and swimmer of equal ability, the runner will run approximately
4 times as fast as the swimmer will swim. Thus, 1 mile swimming is roughly
comparable to 4 miles running.
As far as 1 lap in 43 seconds is concerned, what length lap is this? If
it is 25 yards, then it would take 50:27 (mm:ss) to swim 1 mile (which is
fairly slow for a swimmer but within the range of a slow swimmer), or 1:51:00
(h:mm:ss) to swim 2.2 miles. Running 3 miles in 1:51:00 is 37:00 per mile,
an incredibly slow running time. If the lap is 50 meters, this is comparable
to 23:04 per mile (a very good swimming time), or 50:44 to swim 2.2 miles.
Running 3 miles in 50:44 is 16:55 per mile, which is still a very slow running
time.
As a very gross classification (and based only on my own estimates):
Time to swim 1 mile Classification
15:00 World class
30:00 Good (mediocre high school distance swimmer)
1:00:00 Slow (person who does not know how to swim
properly).
swimming