What do people think is the ideal number of events to swim per day at a meet? It seems that, for local meets, you're allowed to enter up to 5 events. That is way too many for me. I'm always gassed after 3 or end up scratching an event or relying on caffeine. Yet, I'd like to get more times in different events without traveling the countryside to go to zillions of meets. So, how many is too many if you want to swim fast?
Leslie,
I think you're already on the right track. It totally depends on what you want to get out of the meet - really fast times or some quality work.
If it's a meet where you have shaved and tapered, I don't like to do more than 3 events per day plus relays (usually 2). Of course the shave-and-taper meet around here is Illinois States which is a very well attended meet so you get PLENTY of rest... although you're dead by your last event on the last day.
In-season meets, I sometimes do up to 5 events because:
a. I'm a crappy practice sprinter. Not through lack of trying... I just can't seem to muster the inner-go-fastness at practice I can get at a meet. Even a 'tired' meet race is going to faster than a practice sprint. And that converts into faster times at shave-and-taper meets.
b. Our pools have no blocks. Thus, more events = more starts.
c. I like to swim events at in-season meets where I have no expectations, like 200/400 IM, butterfly, backstroke.
For seed times, I try to make my best guess at what I'll actually go in the race at that particular meet. Sometimes this method works, sometimes I'm way off. But it's always an in-good-faith guess. Last year was tough because I was coming back from a couple years off and a baby and my in-season times were SLOW. So my State and Nationals times looked really padded because by some miracle I dropped a lot of time when I tapered (much more than usual.) Guess I was just really really pooped!:)
Leslie,
I think you're already on the right track. It totally depends on what you want to get out of the meet - really fast times or some quality work.
If it's a meet where you have shaved and tapered, I don't like to do more than 3 events per day plus relays (usually 2). Of course the shave-and-taper meet around here is Illinois States which is a very well attended meet so you get PLENTY of rest... although you're dead by your last event on the last day.
In-season meets, I sometimes do up to 5 events because:
a. I'm a crappy practice sprinter. Not through lack of trying... I just can't seem to muster the inner-go-fastness at practice I can get at a meet. Even a 'tired' meet race is going to faster than a practice sprint. And that converts into faster times at shave-and-taper meets.
b. Our pools have no blocks. Thus, more events = more starts.
c. I like to swim events at in-season meets where I have no expectations, like 200/400 IM, butterfly, backstroke.
For seed times, I try to make my best guess at what I'll actually go in the race at that particular meet. Sometimes this method works, sometimes I'm way off. But it's always an in-good-faith guess. Last year was tough because I was coming back from a couple years off and a baby and my in-season times were SLOW. So my State and Nationals times looked really padded because by some miracle I dropped a lot of time when I tapered (much more than usual.) Guess I was just really really pooped!:)
