I've been aiming to achieve an NQT for the 1650 this season (20:33). Came up short the first time I raced in in January @ 20:53. Next race, early March, I went out a bit faster, but blew up on the back half and ended up going 20:59. Gonna take one more crack at it the last weekend before the Spring Nationals entry deadline.
Today I was planning to do a fly workout at my normal late-lunch afternoon swim, but then I got a text from my co-worker that he was going to have to go home early, and that I should go to the pool this morning if I wanted to swim. I did so, but I'd already done 30 minutes on the bike trainer earlier in the morning so my legs were a little tired. I didn't have a lot of time, either, so I decided to just jump in cold and do a 1650 TT with a pull buoy (no paddles).
I started watching the clock around the 400 mark, and was holding right around 1:16/100. I had to gradually increase the intensity, but I was able to hold that pace for the next 1000. When I got to the 1400 mark, it dawned on me that if I pushed the last 250 a bit, I might actually finish with a personal best. I did push, and I ended up going 20:51....with no block start, and no ability to 6-beat kick the last 50. So, I was simultaneously happy to go a personal best, but also perturbed that I was faster with a pull buoy than without.
This certainly wouldn't be the case for any distance 500y or shorter. I think even at 800m/1000y, I'd be faster without the pull buoy. But the evidence that I could pull a 1650 faster than I could swim hit me right between the eyes this morning. So the big question is, how unusual or normal is this? What does it all mean? What is the airspeed of an unladen swallow? Should I give up and go back to middle-distance and sprints?
Coaching a Masters swimming team I consider this pretty normal for men. Often women seem to pull slower with pull buoys. I think it has to do with the average body fat percentages being different between men and women. It would be interesting for you to see an underwater video of your body when swimming versus pulling with the pull buoy. I would guess that your legs are much higher in the water (your body being more horizontal) when you have the pull buoy between your legs. I also notice that often people have different arm stroke cadences when just pulling than with kicking. This is probably related to the arms and the 6-beat kick (or 2-beat kick) coordination. Also kicking can take a lot of energy, so by not kicking you might have been able to work faster with just your arms over the total distance. Just my thoughts.
Coaching a Masters swimming team I consider this pretty normal for men. Often women seem to pull slower with pull buoys. I think it has to do with the average body fat percentages being different between men and women. It would be interesting for you to see an underwater video of your body when swimming versus pulling with the pull buoy. I would guess that your legs are much higher in the water (your body being more horizontal) when you have the pull buoy between your legs. I also notice that often people have different arm stroke cadences when just pulling than with kicking. This is probably related to the arms and the 6-beat kick (or 2-beat kick) coordination. Also kicking can take a lot of energy, so by not kicking you might have been able to work faster with just your arms over the total distance. Just my thoughts.
