Thanks for this Subzero, good information there.
To be honest i ususally find that if i have worked very hard in the pool the lactic acid can and will set virtually straight away. In fact one coach actually had what she called 'lactic acid sets' with the intention of building it up and have the swimmers swim throught the pain of it. They were good sets, but my god you needed to be mentally fit in order to complete them!
Sean