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Hi there - I posted this in the running forum, but this looks like a more appropriate place for the question...

Apologies for diving into the Triathlete Forum but my fellow runners don't seem to know much about swimming!  (I am training solely for running - no aspirations on the triathlon front)

At the moment, I run three times a week and cycle twice a week, plus one strength/stretching session.  So I work out 6 times a week, but only 3 are running sessions.

In the winter, when it was too dark to run in the morning before work, I was running at lunchtime and going to the swimming pool close to work twice a week (in the place of the two cycling sessions).

I'm thinking about going back to swimming a couple of times a week (it's logistically easier for getting to work a bit earlier and missing traffic etc.) and running at lunchtimes again.

So - the question I have is in relation to swimming.  The three running sessions I do are based on the Run Less, Run Faster book - so on a very basic level, 1 x speed session, 1 x lactate threshold session and 1 x long run.  All quality workouts.  The cross training is kind of in the place of recovery runs.  I tried a recovery run recently and landed up injuring my leg... so I'm keen to stick to the 3 x per week for now!  So, the question is - what should the effort be like when I'm swimming?  I am currently a very slow swimmer.  I can swim and swim for ages but at a slow pace.  When I was swimming previously, I did introduce some slightly tougher workouts - something like (25m lengths) 1x fast, 1x slow, 2x fast, 1 x slow, 3 x fast, 1 x slow, 4x fast, 1 x slow.  "Fast" for me is still very slow, but it was tough going and meant I was out of breath.  What would be of the most benefit for running?  Just slow and steady for aerobic base building?

Same question really goes for cycling - I now have the benefit of a heart rate monitor I could use when cycling to keep the effort in the right zone if necessary - I generally find cycling (at the speed I'm going at - about average 12mph (mountain bike mainly on the road)) pretty easy - I need to be going up a steep hill before I feel any difference in breathing and even then, if I just select a low gear I can cruise up fairly easily.  I think my cycling would almost always be in an "aerobic" zone heart rate wise (although I haven't measured yet).

So - I went for my morning swim this morning.  40 lengths of a 25m pool in about 30 minutes and didn't feel at all out of breath - could have gone on for ages at that rate.  I'm going to gradually up the number of lengths but try to stick to 30 minutes, so gradually getting quicker.  So, the question really is, will that do my aerobic fitness any good just sticking at one pace for 30 minutes or should I be pushing it a bit more and working in some different workouts?

Hope that all makes sense!?

Cheers 

Not sure if this is the best place to ask this question - well it's kind of two questions I suppose.

At the moment, I run three times a week and cycle twice a week, plus one strength/stretching session.  So I work out 6 times a week, but only 3 are running sessions.

In the winter, when it was too dark to run in the morning before work, I was running at lunchtime and going to the swimming pool close to work twice a week (in the place of the two cycling sessions).

I'm thinking about going back to swimming a couple of times a week (it's logistically easier for getting to work a bit earlier and missing traffic etc.) and running at lunchtimes again.

So - the question I have is in relation to swimming.  The three running sessions I do are based on the Run Less, Run Faster book - so on a very basic level, 1 x speed session, 1 x lactate threshold session and 1 x long run.  All quality workouts.  The cross training is kind of in the place of recovery runs.  I tried a recovery run recently and landed up injuring my leg... so I'm keen to stick to the 3 x per week for now!  So, the question is - what should the effort be like when I'm swimming?  I am currently a very slow swimmer.  I can swim and swim for ages but at a slow pace.  When I was swimming previously, I did introduce some slightly tougher workouts - something like (25m lengths) 1x fast, 1x slow, 2x fast, 1 x slow, 3 x fast, 1 x slow, 4x fast, 1 x slow.  "Fast" for me is still very slow, but it was tough going and meant I was out of breath.  What would be of the most benefit for running?  Just slow and steady for aerobic base building?

Same question really goes for cycling - I now have the benefit of a heart rate monitor I could use when cycling to keep the effort in the right zone if necessary - I generally find cycling pretty easy - I need to be going up a steep hill before I feel any difference in breathing and even then, if I just select a low gear I can cruise up fairly easily.  I think my cycling would almost always be in an "aerobic" zone heart rate wise (although I haven't measured yet).

Tom - did you run the Parkrun today?

Good stuff - you can't be far away from that sub 40 minute 10k now 

Also-ran - would you run a 7 mile threshold run in 10k training ever?  My idea of threshold pace is the pace you can sustain for 1 hour, is that your thinking too?  I think I could just about squeeze in 9 miles to an hour, but it would be pushing it - I could definitely get to 8.5 miles.  7 minutes per mile is probably about my threshold pace.  Would running 7 miles at that pace ever be a good workout for 10k training?  It seems a bit full on for 10k training!