200 IM and 400 IM

Mark, you are as smart as I think you are! :p

I'm doing a 400 IM for the first time in my life and I need to figure out a seed time. I can do a 100 IM in 1:07, a 200 IM in about 2:30 and was thinking that 5:30 would probably be about right, but I am a little afraid I'll die and end up with more like 6:00. Any suggestions? My race strategy will be: 1. try to relax on the fly. I usually die after 50 fly, so this will be hard. my 100 fly time alone is about 1:15 2. Pace the backstroke. My back is pretty good, so I need to recover from O2 debt in the first 50 and then push the 2nd 50. 100 back is about 1:07. 3. Work *** as best I can. I suck at this stroke, which is why I feel I have to push it hard. (1:22) 4. Finish the 100 free without totally falling apart. (:58) Is that a decent strategy? It looks similar to the one above, but I wasn't sure if that was serious or a joke. If I perform at my individual race best times I'd get 4:42. Accounting for the distance/dying etc. I think 5:30 is probably reasonable, I'm just looking for some guidance from those in the know.

Enter 5:20 and I bet you'll go about 5:16-5:17. Let me know if I should quit my day job and venture into the psychic realm!:p

Last saturday, I was at a meet. they had only one guy do the 400 IM. I loved it but now where I swim the air & water are too hot & I start to wheeze when I try to do it.

Originally posted by Karen Duggan Enter 5:20 and I bet you'll go about 5:16-5:17. Let me know if I should quit my day job and venture into the psychic realm!:p Meet is 3/12. I'll let you know. I think given my endurance (or lack thereof) Its more likely I'll go 5:30, so I'm using 5:30 seed. There will probably only be one heet anyway, so it probably doesn't matter.

Originally posted by Karen Duggan Enter 5:20 and I bet you'll go about 5:16-5:17. Let me know if I should quit my day job and venture into the psychic realm!:p 5:18. You are at least as good as Ms. Cleo! ;)

Originally posted by jbroadri 5:18. You are at least as good as Ms. Cleo! ;) Hey Karen, have any lottery numbers for us?;)

Note to non-breaststrokers: You were born too late! Before they were separate events, one could swim butterfly or breastroke as the first leg of the 150 IM. (See article in new USMS magazine this month.) As a breaststroker, I never liked that event much! (Only swam it several times for an old perpetual trophy at York PA YMCA.) Now IM for me is pretty fast fly, so my hips don't sag, keep a good rhythm and pressure in the back (my worst stroke) and then *** leg depends on what's left at that point. Being more of a distance breaststroker, I can cruise on that leg to catch my breath and still maintain position (or sometimes catchup) with a long smooth stroke. Then, of course, the free is all out. (As all out as a non-sprinter can go and still keep a decent stroke.) Greetings to all my old Masters friends I haven't seen for years! Susi and I are back into it with a new, small team in Eastern NC. Hope to see you at a Nationals soon!

Perhaps I will buy a lottery ticket. :) I haven't been "surfing" much around here as we are doing "March Madness" in Walnut Creek. We are contesting who can do the most yards in March. I'll let you know how I did on April 1st :) I must say the blarney is flying. Nobody will say how much they've done, but they will severely underestimate their current yardage, leaving others to ridicule them as bad liars!!! Off to the pool... :)

I will give my 2 cents worth on the 200 IM only (which probably isn't actually worth the entire 2 cents though).....I am skipping out on the 400 IM this season (not in good enough shape for that one yet....and maybe not in good enough shape for the 200 yet either....I will find out soon enough though)........ I believe IMHO (who am I kidding with the "humble" opinion stuff anyway??) that the primary keys to a successful IM are: (Listed in both a priority type order as well as a "somewhat" chronological order in fact): 1) Getiing out fast enough (but "relaxed enough") on fly and backstroke BUT still somehow saving enough for the back end (i.e. the *** and free).....Here you need really good smooth stroke mechanics (with a great start and turns as well).....also need good rythmic breathing to stay relaxed here! 2) Great Starts and turns (especially the "transition" turns).....I am still looking for the right back to *** turn for me (something I can actually learn to do efficiently enough by Nationals though)??....Streamlining...Streamlining...Streamlining!! (off all turns for maximum distance underwater!).....Also get in and out of each turn very quickly...(staying tight and compact through the actual "turning" parts) 3) Strong Breaststroke Leg: If #1 above is successful enough, you should be able to have a strong breaststroke leg (and still be out fast at the 100 mark).....Wayne McCauley's Website on *** Stroke sounds like an excellent place to start for improving my breaststroke!!...(get plenty of "underwater glide" out of each stroke here!) 4) Strong kick on final freestyle leg....with a strong finish into the wall.....Here's where the training and endurance either pays off (or the lack thereof shows up!). Frankly I'm a little skeptical about my chances of pulling this one off this season??.....I do, however, still have about 8 weeks before Nationals....I better make them very "meaningful" (especially when it comes to #3 and #4 above!!) Newmastersswimmer