Apologies if this has been asked before, but I can't find it if it has.
I'm trying to create workouts and can't find an answer to this. If you are doing your set of repeat 50's, how does your body determine the difference between swimming at 100, 200, 400? It's all just 50's some of which could be at a 30 sec target time (for 100's) or at 35 sec target time for 400's for example. For instance, am I "detraining" my 100 speed by swimming the same repeat distance at a slower 400m pace?
Thanks.
Ignoring USRPT for a second, I have found this doesn't normally work (and can lead to playing bad mind games with yourself). There isn't necessarily going to be the 1:1 correlation between how you pace in practice and how you swim in the event in a meet. Anecdotally, readers of my USMS blog would probably swear I should have killed it at YMCA Masters Nationals last week. Instead, the meet was a dud. Nowhere near what I might have expected to go given how I was training. Just because you are kicking ass in practice won't necessarily mean you are going to do the same in a meet. However, before you get concerned, also know that swimming terribly in practice and missing pace/goal times is also not an indication that you will swim poorly.
Especially during taper, I liken pace/goal and broken swims to NFL preseason: If your team sucked, it doesn't mean they will be terrible in the regular season (or playoffs). If your team does fantastic, it isn't a guarantee they will be amazing in the regular season (or playoffs).
Obviously most important thing you can do, regardless of how you do it, is to trust your training. If he doesn't mind me saying, I think part of Glenn's success is due not just to doing USRPT, but believing in his training as well.
I would agree with you Calvin regarding the lack of a 1 : 1 correlation. Some days you win and some days the pool wins. However, hitting your repeat times and better in practice, going longer before first fail etc gives you the confidence to make a PB.
I was laser focused on the 400 record. I remember very clearly when I was standing behind the blocks to swim the 400 at Oregon City Oregon in March of 2014. I said to myself..."just do what you do everyday in practice". I broke the record by half a second.
Believing in the training is very important. Thinking about your race strategy is very important. Practicing the race in your head over and over is very important. Occasionally I would visualize the entire race from standing behind the blocks to looking at the scoreboard at the end of the race. I would sometimes start a stop watch, close my eyes and visualize the race and stop the watch when I finished the race in my head. My time on the watch would be very close to what I eventually swam in my races.
Ignoring USRPT for a second, I have found this doesn't normally work (and can lead to playing bad mind games with yourself). There isn't necessarily going to be the 1:1 correlation between how you pace in practice and how you swim in the event in a meet. Anecdotally, readers of my USMS blog would probably swear I should have killed it at YMCA Masters Nationals last week. Instead, the meet was a dud. Nowhere near what I might have expected to go given how I was training. Just because you are kicking ass in practice won't necessarily mean you are going to do the same in a meet. However, before you get concerned, also know that swimming terribly in practice and missing pace/goal times is also not an indication that you will swim poorly.
Especially during taper, I liken pace/goal and broken swims to NFL preseason: If your team sucked, it doesn't mean they will be terrible in the regular season (or playoffs). If your team does fantastic, it isn't a guarantee they will be amazing in the regular season (or playoffs).
Obviously most important thing you can do, regardless of how you do it, is to trust your training. If he doesn't mind me saying, I think part of Glenn's success is due not just to doing USRPT, but believing in his training as well.
I would agree with you Calvin regarding the lack of a 1 : 1 correlation. Some days you win and some days the pool wins. However, hitting your repeat times and better in practice, going longer before first fail etc gives you the confidence to make a PB.
I was laser focused on the 400 record. I remember very clearly when I was standing behind the blocks to swim the 400 at Oregon City Oregon in March of 2014. I said to myself..."just do what you do everyday in practice". I broke the record by half a second.
Believing in the training is very important. Thinking about your race strategy is very important. Practicing the race in your head over and over is very important. Occasionally I would visualize the entire race from standing behind the blocks to looking at the scoreboard at the end of the race. I would sometimes start a stop watch, close my eyes and visualize the race and stop the watch when I finished the race in my head. My time on the watch would be very close to what I eventually swam in my races.
