Saul Constitoosh wrote:
[quote]runnerswimmer wrote:
[quote]Saul Constitoosh wrote:
lol, that's like calling a 26-36 min 5k runner a decent runner. Oh the hypocrisy of letsrun.[quote]
No, I think you're way off base with that statement because you're so proud of your swimming ability and want to feel superior.
There is a wide variation in swimming ability among people. Many people can barely thrash their way across a pool. So, a "decent" swimmer means someone who can swim reasonably well. It doesn't mean a competitive swimmer or anyone who used to compete or, in fact, anyone who fancies themselves a hotshot in the pool, as you obviously do.
Not really. The short course (25m lengths) WR for the 800m freestyle is 7:23. This would equate to somewhere in the 9:15-9:20 range if the 1000m were contested in swimming.
20 min for 1000m is approximately 2.15 times slower than this and 30 min is around 3.25 times slower. If you calculate times that are 2.15-3.25 times slower than Bekele's WR, you get a time range of 27:08-41:00 for 5k running. Perhaps I was actually too generous with my time comparisons. I get that there's a greater standard deviation in swimming times compared to running times among the general population as running is more accessible and less dependent on technique but, regardless, 20-30 minutes for 1000m is mediocre. Most people suck at swimming just as most people suck at running; I'm just calling a spade a spade. Any able-bodied person who trained remotely seriously and worked on their technique would absolutely demolish 20 min.
Believe me, I don't feel particularly proud or superior of my swimming abilities. I have a pretty good idea of where I stack up against elite swimmers, just as the 17:30 5k runner knows where he stacks up in the running hierarchy. I just find it amusing that, on a site where anybody who doesn't run sub-15 min for 5k is considered a hobby-jogger, somebody is calling a 20-30 min 1000m swim decent.
I can just imagine the uproar on this site if some 30 min 5k runner was called "decent". It would probably have a thread 10 pages long with people stalking the runner on Facebook and mocking every facet of their lives.