I signed up for the 200 fly next Sunday and am wondering if anyone has some advice on how to swim this. My twin brother told me he swam it in college, and by the last length, he felt he was actually moving backwards. I'd like to avoid that if at all possible.
To get into shape for this, I've been doing a lot of 25's fly with 10-15 seconds rest. I started doing 8 at a time and have worked my way up to 40. Yesterday, I did 20 x 25s then 10 x 50 on a minute.
Questions:
Pacing--reason would say to go out slow so you have something left for the second hundred, but I wonder if this is right. After all, you get tired either way, so maybe going out reasonably fast means you will end up with a better time (albeit a greater feeling of misery on the last length or two.) I'm not talking a sprint pace, but a reasonably fast clip. Or is this a recipe for disaster?
Stroke mechanics--does the fly need to be modified for a 200--i.e., not pulling all the way through, gliding longer, hand entry a bit wider than usual, etc. I've read that some people can swim a continuous mile butterfly, and I wonder if they are swimming the same stroke I do. It's hard to imagine...
I have only swum the 200 fly once--last year--and got a 2:30 on it. My 100 fly has improved this year (a 59.59 , the first time I've broken a minute since high school 31 years ago), and I am in better overall shape this year, so I am hoping to lower the 2:30 to at least a 2:25 (which would give me the Y age group record in our league.) Any advice from 200 flier veterans would be truly appeciated.
Thanks in advance for your words of wisdom.
Parents
Former Member
Finally a topic I know something about ! The dreaded 200 fly. By the way, I swam my last 200 fly at s/c Nationals last spring. At least, the last one in this galaxy and this lifetime. I say this to underscore that I will tell you the truth. 200 fly races are punishment for the unwary that have decided to try the finest stroke in swimming at an un-natural distance. O.K., enough editorializing; here's the skinny. First consideration - level of fitness and age. When I was 16 and in awesome shape, I swam it any darn way I wanted to. Totally fearless, since I knew I could always finish with style. That changes with advancing age and the sometimes spotty training regimens of adulthood. So-let's assume that you have a nagging distrust of that final 50 due to age or incomplete training. Fly requires a horizontal body position. Once that is lost, you are swimming up-hill. Gravity is a formidable enemy. Through the natural arrangement of our organs, the heart and lungs are located closer to the shoulder girdle and arms than the legs. It should come as no surprise that the first things to tire are the quads. This results in a dropping of the hips and tremendous extra pressure on the arms, shoulders and legs as well. Gravity always wins. Once that happens and you start swimming more vertically, all is lost. This is no fun, honestly, no fun at all. How to combat this ? Simple-save your legs for the end, when you will really need them. You must learn to kick what I call " fast and easy ". No-not a contradiction; fast is the turnover rate, easy is the amount of muscle power applied. A 200 fly is not normally swum with a negative split, but you can approach that goal by saving your legs on the first 100. Start to build the kick on the 3rd 50 and kick your brains out going home. Works for me......... wrong ! Worked for me. Stroke rate, breathing patterns, style - these are different from 50 to 100 to 200....But now I begin to write a book, rather than a reply ! Truly I do wish you luck and good times. Just don't look for me in your 200 heat. ;) Bert
Finally a topic I know something about ! The dreaded 200 fly. By the way, I swam my last 200 fly at s/c Nationals last spring. At least, the last one in this galaxy and this lifetime. I say this to underscore that I will tell you the truth. 200 fly races are punishment for the unwary that have decided to try the finest stroke in swimming at an un-natural distance. O.K., enough editorializing; here's the skinny. First consideration - level of fitness and age. When I was 16 and in awesome shape, I swam it any darn way I wanted to. Totally fearless, since I knew I could always finish with style. That changes with advancing age and the sometimes spotty training regimens of adulthood. So-let's assume that you have a nagging distrust of that final 50 due to age or incomplete training. Fly requires a horizontal body position. Once that is lost, you are swimming up-hill. Gravity is a formidable enemy. Through the natural arrangement of our organs, the heart and lungs are located closer to the shoulder girdle and arms than the legs. It should come as no surprise that the first things to tire are the quads. This results in a dropping of the hips and tremendous extra pressure on the arms, shoulders and legs as well. Gravity always wins. Once that happens and you start swimming more vertically, all is lost. This is no fun, honestly, no fun at all. How to combat this ? Simple-save your legs for the end, when you will really need them. You must learn to kick what I call " fast and easy ". No-not a contradiction; fast is the turnover rate, easy is the amount of muscle power applied. A 200 fly is not normally swum with a negative split, but you can approach that goal by saving your legs on the first 100. Start to build the kick on the 3rd 50 and kick your brains out going home. Works for me......... wrong ! Worked for me. Stroke rate, breathing patterns, style - these are different from 50 to 100 to 200....But now I begin to write a book, rather than a reply ! Truly I do wish you luck and good times. Just don't look for me in your 200 heat. ;) Bert
