I took my 1500 m time in a 50 m pool 12 weeks before, and it was 31'42". Afterwards the 50 m pool I use closed for annual maintenance.
In these 12 weeks, I joined a squad and did 2 sessions per week, swam open water with a group every weekend, and also swam intervals on my own in a 25 m pool, with about 12 - 15 km total per week.
The 50 m pool I use reopened this week, so the first thing I did while returning was to take my time again, but the result was 31'13" - only 29 seconds improvement over 12 weeks! In contrast, I improved for 45 seconds in the preceding 6 weeks, from 32'27" to 31'42", and those 6 weeks were the weeks I newly joined the squad and I normally did only 1 session per week, and no intervals on my own.
I was targeting 30' and attempted to swim at an aerobic intensity which I thought I could sustain for 30 lengths, but I could only sustain my form for around 400 m. Afterwards, I felt my teres major were so tight that I couldn't perform my stroke well, my arms simply failed to execute my desired stroke even I reduced my stroke rate a bit, and the stiffness even persisted in the cool down after completing the set, and for another few hours.
According to my wearable, I was taking 31 - 32 cycles at the beginning, and 34 - 35 cycles at the end per 50 m length, while my stroke rate remained mostly the same. I was swimming at around 59" / 50 m in the 2nd to 4th lengths, then deteriorated to around 62" / 50 m in the middle, and about 65" / 50 m by the end.
The cumulative time as recorded by my wearable was follows:
250 m: 4'52"
500 m: 9'59"
750 m: 15'19"
1000 m: 20'31"
1250 m: 25'56"
1500 m: 31'14"
I'm very disappointed that, even after a few months of intense training, I still haven't reached 30' / 1500 m in long course yet. I'm taking a very expensive 1-1 professional analysis tomorrow, and hope that afterwards I can know all my technique problems and target them in the coming month in my own training, and get a jump in my speed.
Good that the analysis is completed.
You don't say if the analysis includes a video. If it did, that is good. if it did not, you need to be video taped so you can see what your swimming looks like. Since watching 100s of videos has not helped, a key part of your learning process may be that you need to see what you are doing. Some athletes can pick things up just by watching. Others have to try it. Still others need to see it, try it, and watch themselves do it. And, ultimately, you need to forego conditioning in favor of technical practice sessions that have a skill progression. Lots of 25s and 50s with immediate feedback. At this point, a 50 swim done with good technique is better than 10,000 mtrs of the wrong technique.
The second part you need to get comfortable with is which is more important: technique or conditioning. Although you may have read my analogy in other posts, I come back to this every time. Swimmers with poor technique are like dragsters with slick tires on ice. They will go nowhere regardless of the horsepower (strength) or the amount of gas (aka conditioning) in the tank. Add studs (aka good technique) to the tires and a dragster with a 5 hp engine (just a little strength) and a pint of gas (just a little conditioning) will beat the other dragster every time.
Good Luck...
ps - remember the definition of insanity
Good that the analysis is completed.
You don't say if the analysis includes a video. If it did, that is good. if it did not, you need to be video taped so you can see what your swimming looks like. Since watching 100s of videos has not helped, a key part of your learning process may be that you need to see what you are doing. Some athletes can pick things up just by watching. Others have to try it. Still others need to see it, try it, and watch themselves do it. And, ultimately, you need to forego conditioning in favor of technical practice sessions that have a skill progression. Lots of 25s and 50s with immediate feedback. At this point, a 50 swim done with good technique is better than 10,000 mtrs of the wrong technique.
The second part you need to get comfortable with is which is more important: technique or conditioning. Although you may have read my analogy in other posts, I come back to this every time. Swimmers with poor technique are like dragsters with slick tires on ice. They will go nowhere regardless of the horsepower (strength) or the amount of gas (aka conditioning) in the tank. Add studs (aka good technique) to the tires and a dragster with a 5 hp engine (just a little strength) and a pint of gas (just a little conditioning) will beat the other dragster every time.
Good Luck...
ps - remember the definition of insanity
