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
The legendary Laura Val wrote me a direct e-mail regarding splits in the 100, and when I asked her if I could post it, she said yes. In light of what my colleague Bill White has to say about my 50-54 age group, I think Laura's comments are particuarly apropos. Here's our conversation:
Laura--
can i post what you wrote me about the splits? it's very interesting and adds great info to the discussion, coming as it does from a certifiable living swimming legend!
This is the part I'd like to post:
I enjoyed your postings on the 100 free-in fact I ALMOST responded. I even did some calculations on my last good 100 free swims. It is, in fact, my favorite event and I think that's because I have fun playing with the splits (and it rarely hurts). My last SC fast swim was 53.27 and I split 26.17 and 27.10 (diff. 0.93). LC was 1:01.13 splitting 29.83 and 31.30 (diff. 1.47).
Essentially, I think those are both pretty close to negative or even splitting with the dive. Anyhow, keep up the interesting posts.
--Laura
I then asked her this directly:
Have you ever tried going all out on the first 50 and seeing if you can hold on to the second? That's what I did (not on purpose) at Nationals in Cleveland--
28.59
32.26 (dif 3.67--true death!)
1:00.85
Jim
To which Laura responded:
Hardly a legend-but some may say I'm certifiable. Sure go ahead and post. Yes, as matter of fact I did swim that way for years. When I was younger I had a coach that thought the only way to swim 100 was to go all out. I never broke: 56-and it hurt like heck! I've become a real weenie in my old age and in looking for ways to hurt less, I've also found a way to go faster. Although I thought this was my secret way to swim the 100, it seems from your research that the faster swimmers do not go all out on the first 50. Oh, one other thing, I breathe every stroke on the first 50. I've found it doesn't slow me down too much and it helps avoid the 02 debt on the second. Talk to you later!
Laura
The legendary Laura Val wrote me a direct e-mail regarding splits in the 100, and when I asked her if I could post it, she said yes. In light of what my colleague Bill White has to say about my 50-54 age group, I think Laura's comments are particuarly apropos. Here's our conversation:
Laura--
can i post what you wrote me about the splits? it's very interesting and adds great info to the discussion, coming as it does from a certifiable living swimming legend!
This is the part I'd like to post:
I enjoyed your postings on the 100 free-in fact I ALMOST responded. I even did some calculations on my last good 100 free swims. It is, in fact, my favorite event and I think that's because I have fun playing with the splits (and it rarely hurts). My last SC fast swim was 53.27 and I split 26.17 and 27.10 (diff. 0.93). LC was 1:01.13 splitting 29.83 and 31.30 (diff. 1.47).
Essentially, I think those are both pretty close to negative or even splitting with the dive. Anyhow, keep up the interesting posts.
--Laura
I then asked her this directly:
Have you ever tried going all out on the first 50 and seeing if you can hold on to the second? That's what I did (not on purpose) at Nationals in Cleveland--
28.59
32.26 (dif 3.67--true death!)
1:00.85
Jim
To which Laura responded:
Hardly a legend-but some may say I'm certifiable. Sure go ahead and post. Yes, as matter of fact I did swim that way for years. When I was younger I had a coach that thought the only way to swim 100 was to go all out. I never broke: 56-and it hurt like heck! I've become a real weenie in my old age and in looking for ways to hurt less, I've also found a way to go faster. Although I thought this was my secret way to swim the 100, it seems from your research that the faster swimmers do not go all out on the first 50. Oh, one other thing, I breathe every stroke on the first 50. I've found it doesn't slow me down too much and it helps avoid the 02 debt on the second. Talk to you later!
Laura
