Hey everyone,
I am freestyle sprinter and recently I've been trying to improve my 100 free time which I've done (dropped about 5 seconds) but I need help with one issue in particular.
When I swim the 100 I like to swim all out from the start instead of pacing myself at the beginning then trying to turn it on near the end. I find myself starting to drag halfway through the 75 so by the time I'm on the last 25 I am extremely exhausted. I still get good times though!
My question and perhaps there are some sprinters here that can help me with this is..
are there any workouts that can help with maintaining the last half of a 100 freestyle?
I really need to build endurance for this. Also, perhaps my breathing is messed up? I prefer to breath no more than two times the first 25, no more than 3 times the 2nd 25 and I use the 3rd 25 as the length to get whatever needed air I need so I can keep my head down the last 25 as much as possible and bring it home.
Any suggestions would be a great help!
And also...sprinting is like dunking a basketball...height matters!
As someone who routinely gets trounced in 50s by both shorter and taller people, I'm inclined to believe that, at least among mortals, height doesn't matter as much as technique. Or strength. Or, probably, twitchiness. And I'm pretty sure everyone can improve those three things.
The 100 free is a really tough event (and not just because of the competition). Unless you can do it in the low 40s (and even then?) fatigue and oxygen are going to play a factor, so you can't go all out for the whole thing. It seems to me like a different kind of "endurance" than in a longer race like a 500 or a 1650 - you're not trying to hold a pace or speed up at the end, you just need to not slow down - so I think training to "hold on" and "bring it home" is probably a good idea.
My personal best 100 time was done just like the OP said - I went all out and held on at the end. I think I got lucky, though, because I've had some very sad third turns (SCY) and death every time I've tried that since then. My times are much more consistent if I pace myself that tiny bit up front.
To the OP, do 100s all-out in practice. Do some shorter distances all-out too so you can focus on the little things, but doing the 100s at max speed is where you're going to get better at that second half. I suggest trying a few where you hold back just a tiny bit on the first 50... you might be surprised. Maybe just try breathing more. And keep track so you can find out what works best.
And also...sprinting is like dunking a basketball...height matters!
As someone who routinely gets trounced in 50s by both shorter and taller people, I'm inclined to believe that, at least among mortals, height doesn't matter as much as technique. Or strength. Or, probably, twitchiness. And I'm pretty sure everyone can improve those three things.
The 100 free is a really tough event (and not just because of the competition). Unless you can do it in the low 40s (and even then?) fatigue and oxygen are going to play a factor, so you can't go all out for the whole thing. It seems to me like a different kind of "endurance" than in a longer race like a 500 or a 1650 - you're not trying to hold a pace or speed up at the end, you just need to not slow down - so I think training to "hold on" and "bring it home" is probably a good idea.
My personal best 100 time was done just like the OP said - I went all out and held on at the end. I think I got lucky, though, because I've had some very sad third turns (SCY) and death every time I've tried that since then. My times are much more consistent if I pace myself that tiny bit up front.
To the OP, do 100s all-out in practice. Do some shorter distances all-out too so you can focus on the little things, but doing the 100s at max speed is where you're going to get better at that second half. I suggest trying a few where you hold back just a tiny bit on the first 50... you might be surprised. Maybe just try breathing more. And keep track so you can find out what works best.
