❤️ Red Mist Cycles: The Art of Recovery Between Repeats

Swim for your rest. Beat the beeper. Build confidence.

Hey Swimmers,

We’ve just wrapped up an unforgettable Swim Smooth Experience in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, where 12 dedicated swimmers joined us for a week of world-class coaching in some equally world-class venues.

From the Gruž Olympic Pool in Dubrovnik (long course meters) to the Jadran Aquatic Facility in Herceg Novi (short course yards, pictured above), we had the rare opportunity to coach across different pool formats—perfect for introducing one of Swim Smooth’s most intuitive and effective pacing systems: the Red Mist Cycle.

Given the range of speeds on the camp from a CSS of about 1:26/100m to two swimmers very much at the start of their swimming journey, each swimmer received a personalised session plan from the Swim Smooth GURU, tailored to both the pool length and their current CSS pace.

When you’re deep into a tough endurance set, with oxygen debt clouding your thoughts, having the right pacing and timing info in front of you—and expert coaches guiding you through it—can make all the difference to the flow and effectiveness of the session.

Let’s break down exactly what Red Mist Cycles are, how they work, and why they might just become your new favourite training tool.

---

What Is a Red Mist Cycle (RM Cycle)?

A Red Mist Cycle is a simple but powerful way to structure intervals using a Tempo Trainer in Mode 2. It creates a rhythm based on your own current ability, blending pacing and recovery into a single time cycle.

Here’s how to calculate it:

🧠 Take your CSS time per 100m or 100yd
✂️ Divide it by 2 to get your pace per 50m/50yd
➕ Add a fixed number of seconds (e.g. +5 for RM5, +4 for RM4)
🔁 Enter that number into your Tempo Trainer (Mode 2)
⏫ Always round up to the nearest whole second if needed

---

Example – RM5 Calculation

If your CSS pace is 1:40 / 100m, that’s 50 seconds per 50m.

RM5 = 50 + 5 = 55 seconds per 50m

So, if you’re doing 10 x 200m, you’ll hear the beeper every 55 seconds, and your goal is to beat the beep at the end of each 50. The quicker you swim, the more rest you earn—but push too hard early, and you risk blowing up.

This is the essence of RM training: it demands you to find your repeatable threshold and challenges you to hold it consistently.

---

Why RM Cycles Are Different from CSS Pacing

With CSS training, you’re targeting specific, accurate split times—ideal for developing threshold pace and lactate tolerance with precision.

With RM Cycles, it’s more intuitive. You set a rhythm and aim to stay ahead of the beeper, swimming for your rest. It’s especially useful when:

• You’re tired and need a more forgiving structure

• You’re improving and want to test your limits

• You want to swim more freely but still with structure

• You’re training for open water where conditions and pacing vary

Think of it this way:
CSS = discipline and accuracy
RM = intuition and confidence building

Both are essential. Together, they create a flexible, balanced training approach.

---

Real-World Coaching Tip

During our Montenegro sessions, swimmers remarked how RM Cycles gave them just enough structure to focus—but with room to breathe and adapt.

More importantly, they learned that beating the beeper isn’t about aggression—it’s about holding posture, maintaining rhythm, and finishing stronger than you started.

---

When to Use RM Cycles

🔴 Red Mist endurance sessions (3–5km+ of threshold work)
💪 Confidence-building sets after illness, injury, or time off
🌊 Open water simulation sets with pace variability
🧠 Mental training when fixed CSS targets feel overwhelming

---

Next Up: Open Water Adaptation

Now that you understand how RM Cycles give you structure with flexibility, next week we’ll take that philosophy into the open water. Learn how to carry the structure of pool training into unpredictable environments while building the skills to stay efficient, calm, and race-ready—even without a lane line or pace clock.

Thanks for reading and a big thanks to Swim Smooth Coaches Morgan and Lorna for assisting me on the Montenegro Experience as well as swimmers: Anna, Anja, Anja, Andrea, Jule, Frank, Renata, Remy, Esther, Jane, Hillary and Olga for being so much fun to coach.

Your Coach,

Paul