800m Swim Time Trial — Mid-Season Benchmark Test

Session Overview

This 800m swim time trial gives you a precise mid-season snapshot of your aerobic swim fitness. Longer than the 400m CSS test but shorter than the 2km, the 800m distance reveals how well you hold pace under sustained aerobic stress — a practical benchmark for sprint and Olympic distance triathletes.

What You’ll Need

• 25m or 50m pool
• Pace clock or lap counter watch
• Swim cap and goggles
• Lap counting wristband (optional but helpful in a 25m pool)

Warm-Up (15 minutes)

Swim 400m easy freestyle at conversational pace, mixing in two lengths of catch-up drill and two lengths of fingertip drag. Rest 60 seconds, then swim 4 × 50m at your target 800m pace with 20 seconds rest. Rest 3 minutes before the TT.

Main Set

Complete one 800m time trial at maximum sustainable effort. Record your total time and your 200m splits to analyse your pacing pattern.

• 800m TT: All-out from the push-off. Target even or negative splits — going out too fast in the first 200m is the most common mistake.
• Record: Total time and 200m splits (laps 1–4 in a 50m pool; every 8 lengths in a 25m pool).
• After TT: Rest 5 minutes, then swim 4 × 100m very easy as active recovery.

Cool-Down (10 minutes)

Swim 200–300m with long, deliberate strokes and bilateral breathing. Rest 30 seconds on the wall after the final length before getting out.

Coaching Notes

• In a 25m pool, 800m = 32 lengths. Use a counting wristband to avoid mistakes mid-effort.
• Go through 400m feeling controlled — if you’re struggling at halfway, you went off too fast.
• Use your CSS pace as a baseline and aim to hold slightly faster for the 800m.
• To make easier: reduce to 600m or split into 2 × 400m with 90 seconds rest.
• Repeat every 4–6 weeks to track progression through the race season.