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
8 x 50: on 1:00, 2 each stroke, build the odds and make sure the evens are at your target 400 IM race pace
4 x 100: on 1:50, do as 100 IMs, descend to your target race pace divided by 4, ideally starting on #1 no slower than 12 seconds above that
Masters' Two Minutes and an easy 50
2 x 200: on 3:20, build each stroke on #1, try to make #2 at your target 400 IM race pace divided by two
4 x 50: active recovery, on 0:45, 0:50, 0:55, 2:30
1 x 400: IM on 6:00, AFAP, from blocks
Can someone translate that for me? I think this is why I am not solely a dedicated swimmer. "Build each stroke on #1 and try to make #2 at your target IM pace dived by 2" What's all that mean? (rhetorical) I think I'm just lucky to swim 400 meters using all four strokes, properly, without stopping. On the other hand...swimming crawl stroke for 1500m, or 1600m, or a mile (or two or three) in the pool or open water...not a problem.
I relate the effort required for the 400IM to running the 400m hurdles in track. When I was in h.s. I was a distance runner. I could run miles on end. But to run 400 meters with the added task of the hurdles...IMO that is about the toughest race on the track. As long as I've been swimming...to me it seems the general consensus around the pool is that most swimmers "...can swim BF, can make it 100m BF if needed." Beyond that requires a BF specialist. But there are swimmers out there who can just naturally, easily, swim BF for distances well beyond 100m. But for me to swim BF for 100m...AND THEN swim another 300m...it's a task.
Dan
8 x 50: on 1:00, 2 each stroke, build the odds and make sure the evens are at your target 400 IM race pace
4 x 100: on 1:50, do as 100 IMs, descend to your target race pace divided by 4, ideally starting on #1 no slower than 12 seconds above that
Masters' Two Minutes and an easy 50
2 x 200: on 3:20, build each stroke on #1, try to make #2 at your target 400 IM race pace divided by two
4 x 50: active recovery, on 0:45, 0:50, 0:55, 2:30
1 x 400: IM on 6:00, AFAP, from blocks
Can someone translate that for me? I think this is why I am not solely a dedicated swimmer. "Build each stroke on #1 and try to make #2 at your target IM pace dived by 2" What's all that mean? (rhetorical) I think I'm just lucky to swim 400 meters using all four strokes, properly, without stopping. On the other hand...swimming crawl stroke for 1500m, or 1600m, or a mile (or two or three) in the pool or open water...not a problem.
I relate the effort required for the 400IM to running the 400m hurdles in track. When I was in h.s. I was a distance runner. I could run miles on end. But to run 400 meters with the added task of the hurdles...IMO that is about the toughest race on the track. As long as I've been swimming...to me it seems the general consensus around the pool is that most swimmers "...can swim BF, can make it 100m BF if needed." Beyond that requires a BF specialist. But there are swimmers out there who can just naturally, easily, swim BF for distances well beyond 100m. But for me to swim BF for 100m...AND THEN swim another 300m...it's a task.
Dan
