500 free improvement needed

So first results are in from MN state championship SCY meet. Two day meet. Day1: 50free, 100Br, 200free, 100IM, 1650free Day2: 200MRel (fly), 400FRel, 500free, 100back, 50Br, 200FRel 1650 at end of D1, 500 early D2. Honestly I hoped for more improvement, but I worked on changing the 'catch' quite a bit and worked too much last couple of weeks (70+ hours, short sleep) before meet too. Here are graphs of the 1st and 2nd 1650 and 500: 11917 50 free's: from mid 28's last time to mid 27's for all of them this time (sprinting is fun, never really did that much before) 100 free relay split: 1:03.19 200 free splits: 31.62, 36.62, 37.68, 35.23 (happy with these but hadn't swam this before) 500 free: 6:52.74 to 6:48.30 1650 free: 24:14.29 to 23:43:54 non-freestyle swims I was very happy with I'm a little disappointed because I had a great heat to try to go after a 6:30. There were 3 people right around 6:30 and I couldn't keep up with them. I did feel really short of breath again around 200 mark, just like first time. I did get a chance to swim on a couple of relays before the 500 that I needed to sprint in (swam 50 fly and 100 free). Can't really blame that. The 100 free I didn't think I swam wide open and got a 1:03.19 (30.59/32.6) so I was really looking forward to the 500. My coach more than once has told me to not watch everyone around me and swim MY race. I know what a 40 sec 50 feels like now. Got to listen to her like Paul W. told me. (tip of the cap to her: 7/7 first places, 6 state records, even with my bugging her about little things, like where to put my toes on backstroke start, all meet). This is the revised base AM practice I've used for the last month from your input: 500 swim wup 400 pull wup 300 kick 75% 6x50s S/P technique on :60 (stress the new catch, 12 strokes / length swim, 13 strokes / length pull, 3 dolphins off wall EVERY start/turn) 10x100s S on 1:50, 1:16-1:17s 4x50s S/P tech. on :60 (38-40 secs.) 10x50s S on :50, 35-38's 4x50s S/P tech. on :60 (38-40 secs.) 6x100 IMs swim on 1:15(error) 2:15 8x25s no breathers (fly/free/underwater) PM practices starting last week: M/W: 1650 moderate, work technique, turns. 10x50s on :60 (:40s), technique, not speed T/R/F: walk two miles, lift shoulders / back / chest then Torres stomach routine (at meet talked to a hall of fame swimmer in MN that is 70 and went a 22:09.95! 1650 free, really believes in some weight lifting) I will put up video with the NEW catch in a day or two. I'm not faster with it yet, but it does seem like less energy and has reduced the strokes / length when I concentrate on it. Still feels awkward, kind of like I'm slipping. Thanks again.

So first results are in from MN state championship SCY meet. Two day meet. Day1: 50free, 100Br, 200free, 100IM, 1650free Day2: 200MRel (fly), 400FRel, 500free, 100back, 50Br, 200FRel 1650 at end of D1, 500 early D2. Honestly I hoped for more improvement, but I worked on changing the 'catch' quite a bit and worked too much last couple of weeks (70+ hours, short sleep) before meet too. Here are graphs of the 1st and 2nd 1650 and 500: 11917 50 free's: from mid 28's last time to mid 27's for all of them this time (sprinting is fun, never really did that much before) 100 free relay split: 1:03.19 200 free splits: 31.62, 36.62, 37.68, 35.23 (happy with these but hadn't swam this before) 500 free: 6:52.74 to 6:48.30 1650 free: 24:14.29 to 23:43:54 non-freestyle swims I was very happy with I'm a little disappointed because I had a great heat to try to go after a 6:30. There were 3 people right around 6:30 and I couldn't keep up with them. I did feel really short of breath again around 200 mark, just like first time. I did get a chance to swim on a couple of relays before the 500 that I needed to sprint in (swam 50 fly and 100 free). Can't really blame that. The 100 free I didn't think I swam wide open and got a 1:03.19 (30.59/32.6) so I was really looking forward to the 500. My coach more than once has told me to not watch everyone around me and swim MY race. I know what a 40 sec 50 feels like now. Got to listen to her like Paul W. told me. (tip of the cap to her: 7/7 first places, 6 state records, even with my bugging her about little things, like where to put my toes on backstroke start, all meet). This is the revised base AM practice I've used for the last month from your input: 500 swim wup 400 pull wup 300 kick 75% 6x50s S/P technique on :60 (stress the new catch, 12 strokes / length swim, 13 strokes / length pull, 3 dolphins off wall EVERY start/turn) 10x100s S on 1:50, 1:16-1:17s 4x50s S/P tech. on :60 (38-40 secs.) 10x50s S on :50, 35-38's 4x50s S/P tech. on :60 (38-40 secs.) 6x100 IMs swim on 1:15(error) 2:15 8x25s no breathers (fly/free/underwater) PM practices starting last week: M/W: 1650 moderate, work technique, turns. 10x50s on :60 (:40s), technique, not speed T/R/F: walk two miles, lift shoulders / back / chest then Torres stomach routine (at meet talked to a hall of fame swimmer in MN that is 70 and went a 22:09.95! 1650 free, really believes in some weight lifting) I will put up video with the NEW catch in a day or two. I'm not faster with it yet, but it does seem like less energy and has reduced the strokes / length when I concentrate on it. Still feels awkward, kind of like I'm slipping. Thanks again.