If you swim a mile...

[MadWorld74]

...how many miles would that equate to in terms of running? Does anyone know the rough guidleines for working out how if you swim a mile in a pool, how many miles would that be on the road?

[david_carnell]

This gives a calorie comparison but it all depends on speed and weight.

Hope it helps though.

[nunheadbelle]

Isn't a mile a mile? It's like that joke: If you have a ton of feathers and a ton of bricks, which one weighs the most?

[MadWorld74]

thanks d_c, that's very interesting.I should have swum more lengths!But i wanted to know how many miles swum = miles run?

I've been told many things....

[MadWorld74]

yes nunheadbelle a mile is a mile, but not in terms of a 'swimming mile' and a 'running mile'. A swum mile = the equvialnt of 5 miles run (thats just an example) That's what I want to know from someone who swims/runs regularly (a triathlete would be good! if there are any knocking about ED?)

[SteveT]

You could try running for one hour, and see how far you get.

[MadWorld74]

I've seen a wedsite that has the info that a mile in the pool is between 4/5 miles running. An hour running SteveT is 7 miles approx, for me.

Thanks All.

[Huguenot]

Well, MW, you can work it out from the site that d_c posted.

Let's say you weigh 130 lbs:

Run for an hour at 6mph (fairly middling jogger pace), and according to these data tables you'd burn up 6 miles/590 calories. This works out at about 98 calories per mile.

Conversely a medium breast stroke is about 1 mph (top speed is around 4mph), and you'd burn up 1 mile & 590 calories in an hour. This is about 590 calories per mile.

Hence you'd need to do 590/98= 6 miles running for every one mile swimming breast stroke to burn up equivalent energy levels.

If we looked at front crawl we'd get a different answer. It's about 20% faster on average and easier on energy usage, so in an hour you'd burn up 1.2miles & 472 calories. This is 394 calories per mile.

Hence you'd need to do 394/98 = 4 miles running for every mile swimming a leisurely front crawl to burn up equivalent energy levels.

The ratios stay pretty much the same regardless of weight.

[Cassius]

Right - back to the pool I must go - 590 calories a mile - mmmmmm that's two glasses of white wine!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I'm a trifle confused - I don't do figures. Is the nub, one burns off more in the pool (say for 15 mins) than if one runs 15 mins?

[SteveT]

If you swim in cold water as in tooting bec lido, you use far more calories than a heated pool.

Haven't a clue how many though.

18 lengths and you have done a mile as it's one hundred yards long.

[teg]

You can't work it out on time alone as it's all dependent upon exertion, surely... Most people won't swim a mile or swim for 30 mins at the same exertion level at which they would run a mile or run for 30 mins. If you have a heart rate monitor, run for half an hour at say 80% WHR and then do the same in the pool and see how far you get in both cases, and you should be able to work it out from there. I'm not sure there's a catch-all rule, and if there is I imagine it'd be VERY vague and unreliable...

[MadWorld74]

All I know is that I ran 9 miles yesterday and it took 1 hour and 15 minutes. I was tired but not falling over tired. I swam for 1 mile in the pool the weekend before and DID nearly fall over afterwards.

Yes! Back to the pool. And the water is very cold in the pool I go to so that should burn off a few more vino calories....(she sighs)

:-$

[Michael Palaeologus]

How many calories does a gentle stroll to the pub burn up?

Followed by a strenuous wander for a curry.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

It's more if you drop your change all over the floor and have to stoop.

[AllforNun]

... remember to use your oyster card both in and out.