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Swimming · GautengSwimming training plans in Johannesburg
Johannesburg is 1 753 m above sea level, in Gauteng. For swimmers altitude matters far less than it does on land — the pool paces a plan sets come from your own Critical Swim Speed test, done where you train. What does change with place is the season, the water temperature and whether open-water practice is realistic.
Build my Johannesburg swimming plan — freeTell it where you train and it corrects for the altitude automatically.
| Altitude | 1 753 m |
|---|---|
| Province | Gauteng |
Pool paces
| Critical Swim Speed | 1:59 per 100 m |
|---|---|
| Recovery | 2:09/100 m — Easy enough to think about your stroke rather than your lungs. |
| Endurance | 2:04/100 m — Steady. You could keep going for a long time. |
| CSS | 1:59/100 m — Threshold. Hard but repeatable across a whole set. |
| VO₂max | 1:56/100 m — Faster than threshold, in short reps with real rest. |
| Speed | 1:53/100 m — Short and quick. Technique first, effort second. |
From a 400 m in 7:30 and a 200 m in 3:32, using the two-trial protocol (Wakayoshi et al., 1992). Your own CSS comes from your own two swims.
Training through the year in Johannesburg
Summer rain falls mostly as late-afternoon thunderstorms from roughly October to March, so early mornings are the reliable training window and lightning, not rain, is the reason to cut a session short. Winters are dry and clear, with cold mornings that can sit close to freezing at dawn in June and July.
Dry winter is the easiest season for long, steady aerobic work. Summer rewards getting out early, before the heat and the storms build.
Common questions
When is the best time of year to train in Johannesburg?
Dry winter is the easiest season for long, steady aerobic work. Summer rewards getting out early, before the heat and the storms build.
Where do my paces come from?
From two timed swims, 400 m and 200 m, which set your Critical Swim Speed.