Broken 2000 m as 4 x 500 m on Short Rest
A 2900 m session that breaks a 2000 m swim into four 500s with 15 seconds rest so you can hold steady aerobic pace for the whole distance.
- Duration
- 1 h 01 minestimated
- Distance
- 2,900 m
- Effort
- 74
- Level
- Intermediate
- Focus zone
- Endurance
Your values
Targets relative to your threshold values. Enter your values to see absolute numbers.
100% is your threshold pace. Higher values are faster, lower values are slower.
| # | Step | Length | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Warm-upEndurance Easy freestyle | 400 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 2 | Rest | 20 s | |
| 4 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 3.1 | Warm-upRecovery Drill of choice | 50 m | 75-85% CSS pace |
| 3.2 | Rest | 15 s | |
| 4 ×Repeat these steps | |||
| 4.1 | IntervalEndurance Freestyle, steady, same pace each 500 | 500 m | 85-92% CSS pace |
| 4.2 | Rest | 15 s | |
| 5 | Cool-downRecovery Easy choice of stroke | 300 m | 75-85% CSS pace |
About this workout
A broken swim splits a long distance into parts with very short rest. You still cover the full distance at almost the same pace, but the brief stops let you reset the stroke and check your split. Fifteen seconds at the wall is enough for two or three breaths and a look at the clock, not enough to recover fully.
Swim each 500 at an easy to steady aerobic pace, roughly 10 seconds per 100 m slower than your CSS, and try to keep all four within a few seconds of each other. Add up the four times and you have a useful reference for a continuous 2000 m. The broken version usually comes out a little faster.
It works well for triathletes and open water swimmers who are building toward a continuous 2000 m or longer. Shorten the rest to 10 seconds as the set gets easier, then swim it as 2 x 1000.
Tips
- Start the first 500 calmly, the last 500 shows whether the pace was right.
- Use the 15 seconds for breathing, not for stretching or chatting.
- Split each 500 into five 100s in your head and hold them even.
Good forPoolOpen waterStandard-distance triathlonHalf-distance triathlon
Season phaseBaseBuild