Neat article -- www.nytimes.com/.../20best.html -- and something I imagine we've all experienced as competitors -- racing makes us faster.
I guess the trick is to get seeded next to someone who you don't believe is actually too much faster than you, but who has strategically sandbagged their time by about 2%.
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In swimming, I notice a pretty loose correlation between effort and speed. There's a HUGE correlation between speed and a well-matched pacing buddy, even on a recovery set at masters.
I hope that as I mature as a swimmer, I'll learn to get better at pacing myself on my own, but right now the difference is dramatic. About 0:07/100 yards with the same perceived effort.
It would be interesting to compare my heart rate for the two different scenarios to see if my effort is actually greater with a pace buddy, even though I don't feel it. I suspect the difference has a lot to do with form--I can literally *see* how well I'm stroking when I'm swimming with someone else.
In swimming, I notice a pretty loose correlation between effort and speed. There's a HUGE correlation between speed and a well-matched pacing buddy, even on a recovery set at masters.
I hope that as I mature as a swimmer, I'll learn to get better at pacing myself on my own, but right now the difference is dramatic. About 0:07/100 yards with the same perceived effort.
It would be interesting to compare my heart rate for the two different scenarios to see if my effort is actually greater with a pace buddy, even though I don't feel it. I suspect the difference has a lot to do with form--I can literally *see* how well I'm stroking when I'm swimming with someone else.
