One of the big questions I suspect a lot of us have is how to best split the 50s on the 100 as we get a bit older. Youngsters may be able to more or less all-out sprint the whole thing, but I find that if I go too fast upfront, I die so horribly on the second half, that it proves self-defeating. But if I go too slow at the outset, I can't make up the hole I've dug for myself.
I have a teammate named Ronald, and we both swam last April at Y Masters Nationals. In a sense, we each adopted opposite strategies, and in this one race, at least, it seemed that the "don't go out too fast" strategy prevailed.
If anyone is interested, please take a look at the following "analysis" of our respective races and let me know what your opinions are about how we might each go faster:
100 Freestyle analysis from Ft. Lauderdale
7 Jacobs, Ronald 38 South Hills-PA vs. 7 Thornton, James 49 South Hills-PA
(For some reason, I can't get the following to break out in a table format, but the numbers are for Ronald first then Jim then the Difference in Ronald & Jim's 50 splits in parentheses. The difference for each swimmer's own first and second 50s are in brackets.)
Ron Jim Difference between Ron and Jim
25.69 24.89 (-.80) 1st 50
26.38 27.57 (+1.19) 2nd 50
52.07 52.46 (+.39) total time
* difference between 1st & 2nd 50 splits
Possible conclusion: Jim went out too fast and could have done a better overall time by easing up slightly on the first half; the 2.68 second differential indicates some heavy duty dying went on in the second half
Possible alternative conclusion: Ronald went out too slow and could have broken 52 with more upfront effort; a .69 second differential indicates he essentially negative split this 100, given that there is no dive for the second 50
I'm curious to know what breathing patterns you guys are following, if any. I usually only have the piano fall on me when I don't breathe enough ... but then again, I am pretty much a negative splitter.
- Maria
50 specialists are as unique as 200 fly specialists, those at the top rarely are as good at other distances. These folks are truly genetically gifted with an enourmous amount of fast twitch fibers and a mental focus that is incredible.
I rarely see much emphasis on "specialty training" in masters programs, quite often the workouts are based on mid-distance aerobic conditioning. If you truly want to excel in the sprints you need to train very differently. To increase your lactic threshold you'll need to get on the blocks 2-3 days per week (never back to back) and train at "race" speed.
As for breathing patterns, I think its a pretty individual thing (although breathing only once the first 50 is far to little for a 100, one per lap in a 50 is pretty common).
The split issue is more related to what our training has developed and how we are genetically predisposed. The Ervins and Halls of the world are usually going to have much slower 2nd halfs. However Ian Thorpe (who's working on his 100) has much closer splits.
Using the 2002 NCAA men 100yd free results:
The average for the top 8 finishers is 1.91 seconds difference between first and second 50.
Smallest difference 1.27 secs (5th place), largest difference 2.75 secs (3rd place)
The average for the top 3 finishers is 2.36 seconds difference between first and second 50 (including Anthony Ervin's American Record swim).
It would seem then that an aproximate 2-2.5 seconds would be the most appropriate time difference for the 2 splits.
I wonder to what extent the piano-dropping-on-your-back phenomenon is a function of lack of strength (which could be rectified via dips, etc.) vs. an accumulation of lactic acid. My understanding was that it is the latter... which is bad news, I think, as I believe it's a problem that can't be easily solved in the weight room.
I hope someone who understands this issue will weigh in. As I get back into swimming after many years away I'm struck by how little I understand the science of swimming; I enjoy opportunities to get more educated. This particular issue has become near and dear to me after the piano landed squarely on me in the last 50 of a 200 free in a time trial we did recently...
--Brad
I was always under the impression that the 2/3 second rule was pretty right on in the 100. Ie..the 2nd 50 was never be more then 2/3 seconds slower then the first 50. The first is full out with just a very slight bit held back, the second 50 is full all out go for it and leave NOTHING IN THE POOL. NOTHING!
Conditioning should prevail with prior arm strength and LEG strength. The legs were always taught to be the key or main difference in the 50's/100's ---different then the 200's and on up. Let's face it. the legs have to be there in the 100 and they use a lot more of the stuff then it takes to hammer a 100. Hey, I am not a swim coach. But, this is how I was always taught and watched the greats do it.
At least, I thought that’s what my stop watch told me…
Tom
Bill White's 100 split differential analysis of elite swimmers (a couple posts ago) found:
The average for the top 8 finishers is 1.91 seconds difference between first and second 50.
Smallest difference 1.27 secs (5th place), largest difference 2.75 secs (3rd place)
Dirf, on the other hand, made an excellent point:
Another difference is more individual. aptitude toward sprinting, middle distance or endurance (and overall conditioning) impacts how long someone can hold a steady pace.
I would like to propose a couple other items to consider:
1) the world's fastest swimmers don't actually spend nearly as much total time doing a 100 free as we lumpenproletarians. The record is around 43, right? My best time is a low 52, which means I have 9 more seconds of effort at the end of a race than Anthony Ervin. As all of us have experienced, the piano hits towards the end, so being able to get the race over with quickly, it would seem to me, would have a huge benefit vis a vis the time spent in The Death Zone.
2) I am personally in the best distance shape of my life right now, and I can hold (for me at least) a brisk aerobic pace in the 500. However, when I up the speed to depend more on my sprinting "fast twitch" muscles, the aerobic conditioning doesn't seem to make all that much difference. At Nationals in Cleveland, for instance, I placed 3rd in the 200 and 400 m freestyles in my age group. After these swims, I was tired but hardly exhausted. In the 50, I got 4th place, and in the 100 I got 5th place. After both these relatively short races, I was totally spent to the point of having trouble exiting the pool! My suspicion is that the fast twitch and slow twitch energy systems are entirely different, and it's possible to train one better than the other. Being "in shape", in other words, is not an all-encompassing term. You can be in distance shape, and you can be in sprinting shape, and--conceivably--in both types of shape, though I find it difficult to achieve this myself.
There is also ones genetic predisposition, of course, to being more sprint or distance oriented. When all this is factored in, I would hypothesize that distance swimmers will have a better 100 time by keeping the first and second 50s closer in time; and that sprinters will do better by going all out and trying to hold on.
Perhaps this might make for an interesting poll topic to test it out amongst our ranks?
Something like this:
first identify yourself as a distance swimmer or a sprinter
then there would be two polls--one for each of the above--saying something like:
in my best 100 time recently, the split difference between my first and second 50 was:
A) less than 1 second
B) between 1 and 2 seconds
C) between 2 and 3 seconds
D) over 3 seconds
Then we could look at the respective graphs to see if, in fact, there's any rhyme or reason to any differences.
What do you think, Jim M?
One difference between the 1st & 2nd 50's is that the 1st is from a dive, the second is from a push - that should produce a difference if you hold a steady pace.
Another difference is more individual. aptitude toward sprinting, middle distance or endurance (and overall conditioning) impacts how long someone can hold a steady pace. Pure sprinters (like 50 specialists) or those like me with poor conditioning will slow down sooner and have larger split differences.
Back in the day, I tried to get my split differences between 1.5 to 2 seconds. A difference of 2.5-3.5 showed I was tired or out of shape. Now I'm happy with anything under 3.5 - but hope to improve that.
When meets get closer, practicing at race pace helps you pinpoint how quick to go out so you can hang on and finish with your best time. Depending on your conditioning, sprinting aptitude and quickness of starts and turns will dictate how fast you can go out and still finish fast. The only way to know is to try out different paces for the first 50 and see what you can put into the second.
Altho' somewhat "dated" now, I always liked E W Maglisho's
book "Swimming Even Faster". He used tons of data to
support his positions.
Maglisho lumps 100's & 200's together as more similar
races than the 50 & 100. He blames fatigue in the 50
due to depletion of CP (creatine phosphate) supply and an inability to operate anaerobic metabolism fast enough. He says the piano in the
100/200 is due to acidosis (low muscle pH) and pain tolerance (or lack thereof!).
