Anybody have advice on how to swim the 1000 free when you are in less than optimum shape?
In past years, I worked out enough to feel I could just swim it by feel--i.e., go as fast as I could without bumping up against the lactic acid tipping point.
I also swam the hour swim and a 1650, so I had some sense of how to pace the 1000.
This year, my weekly workouts have been down by about 30 percent in total yards, and probably a similar amount in intensity. I have, in short, no idea how to make the best of a bad situation and am hoping somebody out there can advise!
thanks in advance...
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Former Member
Jim,
I would suggest to you that you already know about what a 1000 should "feel" like. The difference between this season and when you are fully prepared is that you will be a few seconds slower to reach the same "feel."
I had a coach in college whose gave the same advice for every freestyle event from the 200 (which was right at the edge for me of a long sprint versus a short distance event) to the 1650:
1st quarter: take it out feeling strong, but not in any pain; just swim for fun,
2nd quarter: focus on your arm stroke, nice and long. Try to extend your stroke length,
3rd quarter: get your kick going,
4th quarter: build some more and use whatever you have left.
Same advice for any race that is too long to be a sprint. Therefore, my conclusion is that the feel is exactly the same, and that I should use the four focal points above to measure where I'm at. I don't think there is anything magical to focusing on my arms the 2nd quarter, and my legs the 3rd. I believe it is simply a tool to help me focus on something other than the general nature and quality of the PAIN I am experiencing at any point in the race.
Note: the jaw-dropping breakthrough swims, so fast I must have been unconscious, all felt the same to me. The first half of the race felt like I was hardly working (even though my out was blazingly fast for me), and the second half felt like I settled down and went to work.
Hope that helps,
Matt
Jim,
I would suggest to you that you already know about what a 1000 should "feel" like. The difference between this season and when you are fully prepared is that you will be a few seconds slower to reach the same "feel."
I had a coach in college whose gave the same advice for every freestyle event from the 200 (which was right at the edge for me of a long sprint versus a short distance event) to the 1650:
1st quarter: take it out feeling strong, but not in any pain; just swim for fun,
2nd quarter: focus on your arm stroke, nice and long. Try to extend your stroke length,
3rd quarter: get your kick going,
4th quarter: build some more and use whatever you have left.
Same advice for any race that is too long to be a sprint. Therefore, my conclusion is that the feel is exactly the same, and that I should use the four focal points above to measure where I'm at. I don't think there is anything magical to focusing on my arms the 2nd quarter, and my legs the 3rd. I believe it is simply a tool to help me focus on something other than the general nature and quality of the PAIN I am experiencing at any point in the race.
Note: the jaw-dropping breakthrough swims, so fast I must have been unconscious, all felt the same to me. The first half of the race felt like I was hardly working (even though my out was blazingly fast for me), and the second half felt like I settled down and went to work.
Hope that helps,
Matt
