This topic has come up peripherally in a few different threads recently, but I thought I'd try to revisit it directly. What race strategies are people using in connection with the 200 free (or any 200 for that matter)?
I recently swam in my first meet in 16 years. Historically 200 free was one of my favorite events, and I swam it essentially as a long sprint. That strategy failed miserably in the recent meet, however: my second hundred was six seconds slower than my first (1:03/1:09 SCM) and felt even worse than it sounds -- I was barely able to rotate my arms on the last 25 meters.
The issue for me may simply be conditioning: I've just been back in the water since July, and it's been hard to get as much training in as I'd like. But I'm also wondering if at age 34 my days of treating the 200 like a sprint are over, notwithstanding Henry Clark's experience to the contrary.
It was interesting: after my experience in the 200 I was spooked a bit and ended up taking my 400 out too slow -- unlike in the 200, I had a lot left at the end. My 100 free, an event which historically I wasn't particularly good at, turned out to be my best event (58.3 SCM, felt very good).
The meet was a lot of fun--and, boy, there were some incredibly fast swims--but it did highlight for me how practicing racing is as important as general conditioning.
If anyone is willing to share how they race 200's, I'd be interested.
--Brad
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Former Member
Brad,
Yes, I'm that same Henry Clark but I swam for Foxcatcher back then. Jersey Wahoos trained with us at Dupont's pool in the summers. Your name sounds familiar, did you swim in the mid-atlantic LSC too?
The ability to changes speeds in a race (such as the 200 free) requires strong legs. A great way to improve your leg endurance is to kick a set of 100s, 150s or 200s where you negative split and descend. Do this one or two times each week. Start out easy the first time and as you get stronger start faster each time you attempt the set. Give yourself an accordingly amount of rest between to shake your legs out. When I kick without a board, I do six kicks (on my side) and then a stroke rotating from side to side. This will help your six beat kick and your freestyle roll.
The set that I like for the 200 free is generally this: 100 kick, 150 swim, 50 recovery and doing this 4 to 6 times. The 100 is always a hard kick and the 150 should be negative split or descending 50s. The transitional time between the kick and swim should be short (10-15 seconds) and the recovery 50 should long enough to get your heart rate back down. The kick can be broken down into 25s or 50s and the swim can be broken down into 75s or 50s with short rest. Once you get good at this, you will find yourself descending the 150s as well.
Remember, a good dryland or weight training regiment that builds core body strength is just as important as getting in the pool. Your core is what connects (or transfers the momentum from) your legs to your arms. Oh, and don't forget to stretch!
Henry
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Former Member
Brad,
Yes, I'm that same Henry Clark but I swam for Foxcatcher back then. Jersey Wahoos trained with us at Dupont's pool in the summers. Your name sounds familiar, did you swim in the mid-atlantic LSC too?
The ability to changes speeds in a race (such as the 200 free) requires strong legs. A great way to improve your leg endurance is to kick a set of 100s, 150s or 200s where you negative split and descend. Do this one or two times each week. Start out easy the first time and as you get stronger start faster each time you attempt the set. Give yourself an accordingly amount of rest between to shake your legs out. When I kick without a board, I do six kicks (on my side) and then a stroke rotating from side to side. This will help your six beat kick and your freestyle roll.
The set that I like for the 200 free is generally this: 100 kick, 150 swim, 50 recovery and doing this 4 to 6 times. The 100 is always a hard kick and the 150 should be negative split or descending 50s. The transitional time between the kick and swim should be short (10-15 seconds) and the recovery 50 should long enough to get your heart rate back down. The kick can be broken down into 25s or 50s and the swim can be broken down into 75s or 50s with short rest. Once you get good at this, you will find yourself descending the 150s as well.
Remember, a good dryland or weight training regiment that builds core body strength is just as important as getting in the pool. Your core is what connects (or transfers the momentum from) your legs to your arms. Oh, and don't forget to stretch!
Henry
