I always have good intentions, but often do not follow through on them.
THUS: I have signed up for the 400 IM in 2.5 weeks (the 0.5 being critical) without really having trained for it.
To put it politely.
My team mostly trains freestyle, so I have a good freestyle base. In the last 4 weeks I have gone to the pool twice (woo hoo) on my own and done sets of 50s of stroke on 1:00. 8 x 50 to be exact, twice through, both times. Twice at practice in the last month I have made myself do fly instead of free for warmup, and once I made myself do stroke (IM) (100s) instead of free on the free interval.
Yesterday we had a heavy stroke workout, rare.
After yesterday's practice I did my second 400 IM in 7 years, with a wonderful time of 7:10.
SO: What's the reality of any time dropped in the next 1.5 weeks? What tack would people in my position take (please be kind).
I signed up as a dare. I *had* thought I would be *self-disciplined* and train on my own but *I have learned I am not.*
Input appreciated!
P.S. For those of you with kids struggling with college entrance essays, I think this would be a great essay if you changed all the "I didn't do it even though I planned to" to "I am so proud of my self-discipline," etc., etc., "my ability to motivate myself for my own high challenges," etc. etc. etc., "I pushed myself without outside coercion," etc., etc.,
"This is a trait I was surprised to see that I have, and I have become much more confident in this, my senior year, in my ability to meet challenges head-on." "Swimming has made me a better person." "I am a good person." "I am just who you want in your freshman class."
Swimming has made ME a better person too but apparently I am still lagging in the self-motivation arena.
I would like to break 7 minutes in the 400 IM. I would mostly like not to die in the fly, which is my fastest, after free, but in which I die after a nice brisk 50.
Fast is relative. Please also keep that in mind with any comments.
izzzzzzzzy
P.P.S. I now know that real men swimmers and all men moisturize and use lip balm because they are now doing it on the T here in Boston. So the stigma is gone, dudes. You can lather up on public transportation.
Swim on, excellent forumites!!!!!
you asked
"Is it too late . . ."
NO it is not too late, pick up your training for the 2 weeks
train 4, 5, or 6 x per week, mostly freestyle but throw in some strokes.
Then rest half a week.
I wrote a Swim Faster Faster Tip called:
400 IM: How to Prepare for one and Race It
What suit are you going to wear?
I suggest you wear a new FINA Approved Speedy Suit
*Slight* problem. The second of these two weeks precedes distance day (the 1000 free is probably my best event). So somewhere in that second of these two weeks I will need to rest.
So maybe crank it up until a week from Wednesday? That will give me 10 days of cranking? Then rest Thursday and Friday and do the 1000 on Saturday, then maybe crank it up another two days and then rest? Since the rest of this (I wonder which one) meet continues on Friday-Sunday of the next weekend, and I'm swimming all of those days too.
Tomorrow I plan to do drills and maybe a few 100s of fly and then another full-out 400 IM just to continue to remind myself of what I have dared myself to do. I feel like I need to get my endurance up for fly specifically. I really wish I had thought about this training a little earlier . . .
I am wearing a regular suit due to financial constraints but it is very tight. :)
Still, I like your optimism, Ande. I'm going to internalize it. This can't be as bad as deciding to do all the postal swims and having our long course changed to short course 3 weeks earlier than I anticipated, such that I had to swim the 10K with no training. I didn't die. That's the point. And I got such a nice badge! It's on my kitchen wall. It takes up the whole kitchen wall! Way cool.
you asked
"Is it too late . . ."
NO it is not too late, pick up your training for the 2 weeks
train 4, 5, or 6 x per week, mostly freestyle but throw in some strokes.
Then rest half a week.
I wrote a Swim Faster Faster Tip called:
400 IM: How to Prepare for one and Race It
What suit are you going to wear?
I suggest you wear a new FINA Approved Speedy Suit
*Slight* problem. The second of these two weeks precedes distance day (the 1000 free is probably my best event). So somewhere in that second of these two weeks I will need to rest.
So maybe crank it up until a week from Wednesday? That will give me 10 days of cranking? Then rest Thursday and Friday and do the 1000 on Saturday, then maybe crank it up another two days and then rest? Since the rest of this (I wonder which one) meet continues on Friday-Sunday of the next weekend, and I'm swimming all of those days too.
Tomorrow I plan to do drills and maybe a few 100s of fly and then another full-out 400 IM just to continue to remind myself of what I have dared myself to do. I feel like I need to get my endurance up for fly specifically. I really wish I had thought about this training a little earlier . . .
I am wearing a regular suit due to financial constraints but it is very tight. :)
Still, I like your optimism, Ande. I'm going to internalize it. This can't be as bad as deciding to do all the postal swims and having our long course changed to short course 3 weeks earlier than I anticipated, such that I had to swim the 10K with no training. I didn't die. That's the point. And I got such a nice badge! It's on my kitchen wall. It takes up the whole kitchen wall! Way cool.
