200 Butterfly Strategy advice?

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
    Former Member
    Greg;you will never have to mouth-to-mouth me after a 200 fly. Did my last one ever at Santa Clara. There was another fatality at the Worlds in Montreal, Canada in 1994- a great backstroker ( in my age-group !!!) from T.O.C. named James Bohan (sp. ??) had a coronary during his event. Very sad, but if I have to go, that's as good as it gets.............. No-one ever REALLY negative splits a 200 fly-you just try to come close: eg: 1:06 & 1:10 = 1:16 and a real good swim. My licence plate reads "100 fly" and there is a reason for that. I'm too puny to go a great 50 and way too smart to swim a 200 again. There are no other strokes and so I'm stuck with the 100 !!!! ;)
Reply
  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Greg;you will never have to mouth-to-mouth me after a 200 fly. Did my last one ever at Santa Clara. There was another fatality at the Worlds in Montreal, Canada in 1994- a great backstroker ( in my age-group !!!) from T.O.C. named James Bohan (sp. ??) had a coronary during his event. Very sad, but if I have to go, that's as good as it gets.............. No-one ever REALLY negative splits a 200 fly-you just try to come close: eg: 1:06 & 1:10 = 1:16 and a real good swim. My licence plate reads "100 fly" and there is a reason for that. I'm too puny to go a great 50 and way too smart to swim a 200 again. There are no other strokes and so I'm stuck with the 100 !!!! ;)
Children
No Data