New to Swimming, looking for some structure to my workouts.

Hello r/swimming!

I'm new(ish) to swimming - i've been lap swimming for about 3 years, but really only in the summer time, and maybe once/week. When I would go, I would do 20-25 mins of laps, not counting distance, alternating between crawl and breast stroke. I was doing it mainly as as cross-training for running.

I still am very much running focused, and swimming is still a cross training activity for me, but recently joined a gym and have regular access to a pool, so i've been much more regular than I have been in the past and am really, really starting to love the sport.

Over the past few months i've worked up to going 1-2 times/week, and usually do anywhere between 30-50 mins of swimming. I'm up to being able to do a mile pretty comfortably at 2:20/100yd average pace. This morning I did my first "workout" which was a 500 yd work out, 4x100m... sprints? At a 1:40/100yd pace. I was gassed.

So I guess my question is how to proceed? Is swimming similar to running in that, generally speaking, you want to focus on distance and endurance first, and speed will follow naturally? If i'm in the pool 3x/week, what's a good way to structure what i'm doing?

In running, I'm a firm believer of no speed work until you're running at least 25-30 miles/week -- is there a similar milestone for swimming?

If the once a week or bi-weekly interval work out is recommended, what are good workouts? 100yd sprints? 400yds? Certain amount of laps? Recommend warm-up/cool-down routines?

I respond very well to well-structured programs for running, and am looking for something similar to swimming. I think, on top of my running, I could handle a swim 3x/week of an hour or more if needed, so that's kind of what I'm working with in my schedule.

I have no real goals other than continue to enjoy the sport and get a little better in the water. I also do understand that it's tough to progress in a sport that you're not focusing on.

And of course, any other beginner tips would be appreciated?

Thank you!

(fwiw I did look through previous posts to get a sense for some of the questions I asked, but I like to ask myself sometimes and be engaged in conversations - that's how I learn best!)

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