Evening all,
I have a question to pose. Now that I am free of a former job which took me out
of the country 80% of the time (and in places where there ain't exactly a pool
on every corner LOL), I am finally back to a regular training regimen.
One thing I have always lacked however is a good reliable way to test my speed
improvement and know if I am improving at a good pace. I would like at some
point to begin competing in USMS meets. I have never competed as an adult, just
when I was a kid.
Specifically I wonder when and how often and what to expect. In other words, is
it best to time my 50, 100 and 200 free at the start, during or at the end of a
workout? Should I squeeze it in on distance day, tuck it into one of my drill
routines, or do it on sprint days?
Also, how often is optimal to balance the desire to track progress closely yet
also not disrupt the day's routine? Running three little races will surely have
an impact on the rest of the workout if I am supposed to test myself before or
during my routine for that day.
I know it varies by person, but I would be interested to hear feedback on the
progress others have noted, or any good ways to gauge and anticipate what
results I should expect based on my progress in practice.
So far all I know is what it was like when I got back into swimming 5 years ago
for the first time in 10 years. At that time, I could barely make 200m on the
first day- I was hyperventilating. 2 months later I did a 50 free in 31
seconds. About two months after that I managed one in 27 seconds. Soon after
that I graduated college and moved here to Houston where I have not been with a
regular masters program where we checked our times periodically. So no data
since that date.
When I was in Venezuela this past October, after rarely touching a pool in
almost a year, I managed a 50 free in 33 seconds. Have not raced one since.
So based on that, what do you think is realistic to look for in terms of
shaving time? At what point does the fast improvement really begin to taper
off? I am guessing that doing a 50 free in 31 seconds and then at 27 seconds 2
months later does not mean I would be breaking the 23 second barrier two months
after that (though it would be awful nice LOL.)
I know this is a LOT of subjective questions, but any general guidance will
help me a lot to ensure I set reasonable expectations and create a monitoring
program that will be reliable and not disruptive.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I really need to set this up to help keep
me motivated.
Tom.
Parents
Former Member
I am not so sure it matters what you use to gauge your progress, but it would seem most valuable to find some set of benchmarks that are easily and accurately measurable and repeatable.
For me, I frequently do a 1000 yard swim for time, and sometimes a 400 IM kick with a board for time. You may need to find other more appropriate benchmarks that work for you. I like to set my watch to beep on the pace I am trying to go, so I can tell how I am doing along the way.
From the times I do on these, and having done them enough times under similar circumstances, I have a very reliable way of measuring where I am against my personal history. Right now I am in a "don't ask, don't tell" level of conditioning, where I won't even do it, because I know the results will be worse that I want to know.
Beyond that, participating in swim meets can't be beat for providing accurate measures of your progress.
I am not so sure it matters what you use to gauge your progress, but it would seem most valuable to find some set of benchmarks that are easily and accurately measurable and repeatable.
For me, I frequently do a 1000 yard swim for time, and sometimes a 400 IM kick with a board for time. You may need to find other more appropriate benchmarks that work for you. I like to set my watch to beep on the pace I am trying to go, so I can tell how I am doing along the way.
From the times I do on these, and having done them enough times under similar circumstances, I have a very reliable way of measuring where I am against my personal history. Right now I am in a "don't ask, don't tell" level of conditioning, where I won't even do it, because I know the results will be worse that I want to know.
Beyond that, participating in swim meets can't be beat for providing accurate measures of your progress.
