I'm not much of a stroke swimmer...that is to say my workouts are generally pretty much just various sets of crawl stroke...at which I'm very strong...for longer open water swims. Now and then I'd throw in a set of other strokes just to break up the monotony. I can swim the other strokes good enough...endurance-wise...except for BF. It was, and is, always difficult for me to make it just 50m BF. I'd have to rest at each wall. And it seemed that I couldn't just "slow down" to pace myself. It was like I'd have to swim the BF all-out or drown. But a year or so ago, for some reason, I began ending all my workouts with a 400 IM (scm). Slowly but surely my BF got better. I started to notice that I could actually slow down some. Still, I'd usually have to rest on one wall, or go into the modified BF with a breaststroke kick in the last 50. But finally...yesterday I did the whole 100 using the correct BF kick without resting at the wall, and was able to swim the entire 400 IM without stopping. We won't discuss time.
Dan
Nice. I just signed up for my first ever 400 IM (in any course) and am praying I make it. I think I will try your method for the next 8 weeks and see what happens.
To quote a triathlon acquaintance of mine, "Take the first half easy, then go easy on the second half to make up for going too hard in the first half"
:banana:
When I recover from my injuries, that will be my new mantra for ALL races! :chug: My "racing" days are over. :sad:
The 400 IM is the world's greatest and most fun event with a simple race strategy:
On all strokes, aim to feel like you are negative splitting each 100 - always use the first 50 as an opportunity to 'get into' your stroke and then build the last 50
I saw a quote from an Olympic 200 butterflyer once (can't recall the name, but my recollection is that he competed in the Spitz era) who said that he always wanted the first 100 of his 200 fly to feel like he was 'sleeping' through it. I try to apply that concept in my 400 IM. The quickest road to pain and a bad 400 IM is to blast the fly.
Other than that, just enjoy it. No race comes close to the beauty or high that a well-executed 400 IM can produce.
The 400 IM is the world's greatest and most fun event with a simple race strategy...
To quote a triathlon acquaintance of mine, "Take the first half easy, then go easy on the second half to make up for going too hard in the first half"
:banana:
In other news, getting a colonoscopy is the greatest and most fun way to spend a day.
I've only had one so far...at my 50th b-day. It wasn't a day at the park, but I didn't think it was all that bad. The day/night before prep is the only bad part. The Dr. gave me such a clean bill of (colon) health that I was put on the ten year plan. Still another four years until my next one.
Dan
I like the above triathlete strategy. Though I was a fly specialist and sometime 400 IM swimmer in my youth, in my aging, I only have one speed for fly, and it's not sustainable for more than 100 meters. My loss of core and shoulder flexibility as I age means that if I try to go any slower I'll either go too vertical and stall or fail to make arm recovery and stall. So I'll stick to my distance open water and work in fly for fun during workouts.
No race comes close to the beauty or high that a well-executed 400 IM can produce.
It starts out beautiful, but then adds three other strokes.
For me, a well executed 200 fly is the cat's meow.
For me, a well executed 200 fly is the cat's meow.Yup. That's a close second in my books in terms of fun. And, while a 400 IM always hurts, I have done some near-perfectly executed 200 flys where I got into the right rhythm and felt smooth the whole way. Of course, I've also had most of my 200 flys where the piano and monkey jump on my back right around the 160 yard/meter mark.
In other news, getting a colonoscopy is the greatest and most fun way to spend a day.
I haven't had a colonoscopy but have done the 400 Individual Massacre. I think I would try a colonoscopy before doing another 400 IM
