One of those swims in a meet whereby you not only exceeded your swim time goal, but it felt better the longer you swam.
I remember one out of 40 years of swimming. Mine was in 1995 at Mt. Hood LC Nationals, the 800 m free. I had overtrained, tapered properly, and felt like a stick of dynamite going off the blocks. Not only did I negative split all the 200s, but I felt like I could have swam forever. I actually didn't want the race to come to an end.
I was spent at the finish, took a minute or two longer than others to get out of the water, but 15 minutes later felt great. I remember seeing the time on the scoreboard and I was in shock. I shaved over a minute off my personal best.
All of these things, to me, make that swim a "power swim." I even scratched all my backstroke events that day because I was so "high." I also remembered how stroke-by-stroke the entire 800 m. felt for several days.
Anyone else have this type of wonderful experience?
Donna
Terry, I'e never thought of keeping track of the count like that. But I would realy have to keep concentrating on my stroke for that to work. I've found that in longer swims, I will get a bit lazy and just let my arms "drift" through the stroke without really grabbing the water and the count will creep up to 19-20. Then when I realize what I'm doing, it will take some effort to get back down to my target rate.
Has anyone else on the Forum done these.
To hijack the thread even further, I did the 6k Saturday and will do the 3k this weekend some time.
The 6k went pretty well, I intentionally held myself back for the first 1500 so I wouldn't blow myself up. Stopped for a sip of drink at 3k and pushed her on out. I felt much better mentally after the break at 3k. But physically for the last 500 I was really wrung out. Couldn't concentrate, couldn't push the pace, just trying to hang in there. I ususally take that to mean that I paced it about right, I had nothing left in the tank at the end.
I ended up taking 5 minutes off of my time from last year. Pretty darn pleased with that. Taking time off of last year's 3k will be much harder, I had a pretty good 3k last year.
It is getting better. When I first started counting a little more than 2 years ago, it was around 20. Now it's usualy 17, sometimes 16 during long swims and when I'm doing 50's and 100's it will be 14-15.
Don't know if this counts as a power swim since it is related to sprinting instead of distance, but in January 2001 I swam a meet where I did the 50 free 4 times (the event, and then the 50 free leg in the mixed free relay, mixed medley relay, and women's free relay) and went faster each time I swam it. By the end of the day, I'd gone 3 personal bests and felt like I could done the 50 free at least another 4 times.
I guess I am a dreamer, don't do too much counting and don't really have to think about my stroke too much. I only think about entry to the catch to the finish then a clean recovery and don't have to think to much about that either. If I do count on occasion it is always the same without trying 12 for 25 meters and that is without trying. I think of other things.
Though I am probably alot slower than some of you my power swim was just 2 weeks ago on a 1000 Free. Having only broken 7 minutes on the 500 once I was shooting for something around 14:10 which would have been a 14 second improvment over my split from my 1650 Free a month earlier. Well as the race went I began with a best time for the first 500 of 5:53 and actually broke 14 minutes (13:56) which I was in absolute shock when I finished.
Donna:groovy:
Donna,
I hope you have many more "Power Swims", I know I expect to several more times this year.
The one I am really hoping for is breaking that big sprint barrier for me of :30 for the 50 Free and :34 for the 50 Fly. The distance swimming seems to be jumping by leaps and bounds but those 50's are the toughest but will be the most satisfying of all.
Power to you Name Sake!
Donne:wiggle:
Don't know if this counts as a power swim since it is related to sprinting instead of distance, but in January 2001 I swam a meet where I did the 50 free 4 times (the event, and then the 50 free leg in the mixed free relay, mixed medley relay, and women's free relay) and went faster each time I swam it. By the end of the day, I'd gone 3 personal bests and felt like I could done the 50 free at least another 4 times.
Now this is my kind of power swim! Way to go. :applaud: I did 3 50s one day and had the same zippy, in the groove, feeling. But you were busier than me pulling that relay duty.
Did the 3000 last year for the first time and basically "swam" it, until the final 500 (the only time I was informed where I was in the swim), and then I pushed a bit. Upon looking at the splits, found that I had negative-split each 500, although not as fast as you (43 min.+ 4th in 60-64). Plan to do it next Sunday, although I will probably do worse than last year, as I will "think" about it and not be as relaxed!
