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.
but I need to know if I am better or worse than before after all those squad training!
Swimming success is not a linear graph that keeps going up. It has highs and lows. You may be worse in the short term, but in the long run may be better off. I was training heavily and went slower in my 500 FR in December than I did in November. Does that mean I am worse off? Maybe, but I tend to be a “glass half full” guy. I’ll know in three weeks when I am finished tapering and head to YMCA Nationals if my work I did actually put me in a better place.
Swimming is all about playing the LONG game. And by LONG I don’t mean a few weeks or a few months. I’m talking years.
but I need to know if I am better or worse than before after all those squad training!
Swimming success is not a linear graph that keeps going up. It has highs and lows. You may be worse in the short term, but in the long run may be better off. I was training heavily and went slower in my 500 FR in December than I did in November. Does that mean I am worse off? Maybe, but I tend to be a “glass half full” guy. I’ll know in three weeks when I am finished tapering and head to YMCA Nationals if my work I did actually put me in a better place.
Swimming is all about playing the LONG game. And by LONG I don’t mean a few weeks or a few months. I’m talking years.
