To convert times in a long course (50-meter) pool to an equivalent time for short course yards, follow these simple steps:

1. Change the metric time into seconds.
2. Multiply the time in seconds by the appropriate conversion factor (see below).
3. Drop all units smaller than a hundredth of a second.
4. Transform the result back into minutes and seconds.

For example: Let's say you are a woman who has swum 2:04.55 for 200 meters freestyle.
1. Change 2:04.55 to 124.55 seconds.
2. Multiply by .885. That gives you 110.22675
3. Drop all units smaller than a hundredth of a second. That gives you 110.22
4. Transform back to minutes and seconds. That gives you 1:50.22.

NOTE: If you want to transform short course yards to long course meters, simply divide by the same conversion factor (rather than multiply).
For example, let's say you are a man who has swum 3:48.70 for 400 yards I.M. To convert to meters:
1. Change 3:48.70 to 228.70 seconds.
2. Divide by .880. That gives 259.88636
3. Drop the units smaller than hundredths. That gives 259.88.
4. Convert to minutes and seconds. That gives 4:19.88.

Conversion Factors