has anyone gotten under 60 sec (100yd) as a new swimmer?

lightning: Looks like I'm late to the thread, but I started masters and competitive swimming at age 41 and am now 44. As I got better, I started eye-ing the 1:00 min 100Yd Free but have yet to swim it; However, I am taking it on this coming weekend so wish for the best. my 50 is a 26.8, and my 200 is a painful 2:30, obviously I die down the stretch; so I have no idea how I'll do on a 100. With that 50 time you can do it!!!!!!!! Kurt: I started swimming at 45.5 yrs of age (now I am 49.5 yrs) with zero swimming background. Could not swim one legth of the pool without stopping and could not side breath or flip turn. But I took this sport ULTRA seriously and read and watched everything I could swimming related. In 2006 at World Master at Stanford I did a 108.7 100m free which converts to a 59 high in short course yards. Prior to that, my best 100 yard free was 60.30 (I'm just 5'10" / 155 lbs). That's awesome. Quicksilver: I said to myself I have to at least get close to your 200 back split! I'm not sure I even did that!

I started swimming at 45.5 yrs of age (now I am 49.5 yrs) with zero swimming background. Could not swim one legth of the pool without stopping and could not side breath or flip turn. But I took this sport ULTRA seriously and read and watched everything I could swimming related. In 2006 at World Master at Stanford I did a 108.7 100m free which converts to a 59 high in short course yards. Prior to that, my best 100 yard free was 60.30 (I'm just 5'10" / 155 lbs). Here is are some of my thoughts, at least the ones which helped me: 1. Must have a VERY fast first 50 to go under 60 seconds so your first 50 should only be about 1 to 1.5 seconds slower than your fastest 50 race. Then your lactate/threshold training needs to be sufficient to allow you to finish strong on the back 50. 2. Breath EVERY stroke! Yes I said every stroke. Most of the elite swimmers breath every stroke as they know they will need the oxygen and lactate removal on the back 50 (don't breath last 5-10 yards if possible). 3. For kicking, if it is weak or drains your energy too much, then go easier on the kicking for the first 50. Also, legs need to be trained "aerobically" as well so try some 500yrd flutter kick sets to augment your sprint kicking. This will help your legs finish stronger on the last 25. 4. For turns, if your dolphins are not propulsive, then don't do them and just go direct from your glide to flutter kick and break-out (like Dara Torres). 5. Stroke-Rate/Stroke-Length are difficult for me personally to get correct in the 100yrd free as it is such a different race compared to long course meters. If it is difficult for you as well, and you feel your stroke gets too "frantic" and "short" after your break-out, then use the first 3 strokes off the blocks as a very fast "build" keeping your stroke longer and in-the-groove" while quickly increasing stroke rate (this one really helped me because there is a point where the frantic sprint mind-set of the 100yrd short course race will sometimes jack-up your stroke-rate to stroke-length ratio and you will see dinishing returns). 6. Finally, you will need to do some specific race training which is difficult to come by at your local masters workout which will be mostly focused on threshold-type workouts. My suggestion is to get in some "sprint" training which is faster than race pace (12.5 yards to 25yrds off a dive from the deck if blocks not available, and with full rest recovery) and some lactate or "goal sets" of 50's and 100's with full recovery at near race pace. Note: If you train too much threshold (fast aerobic pace with less than full recovery (like 10 x 100yrd on the 1:30 or 10 x 200yrd on the 3:00, you will likely lose that 100 sprint feeling, sprint stroke, and sprint ability. Good luck! Kurt

Looks like I'm late to the thread, but I started masters and competitive swimming at age 41 and am now 44. As I got better, I started eye-ing the 1:00 min 100Yd Free but have yet to swim it; However, I am taking it on this coming weekend so wish for the best. my 50 is a 26.8, and my 200 is a painful 2:30, obviously I die down the stretch; so I have no idea how I'll do on a 100.

I watched with great interest as Rob swam. It made my day when I saw the board. I'd say a :57 is very much in the cards. It looked really good. Awesome job.

Thanks Val, You had quite a meet too and tell Steve he is ready to go under 2:00. He looked real good! Next meet my focus will be the 100IM.

Hey Rob, If you can get under a minute, a 200 in the teens is very likely. You're in excellent shape, and have a long stroke. That's why I think you could easily go a :57. But the 200 is a different kind of race. It's more stamina than it is sprint. That's how all the college swimmers attack it. But back to the 100...after watching that race again... Your turns were sharp and you had good strong push offs. Just keep working on a tight hand-over-hand ear squeezing streamline. That's where you'll beat the clock down a little more.

Congrats on your 1st 59 100y free. That is an accomplishment to be proud of. As I mentioned in an earlier post I reached that milestone 3 years ago at age 53, having started swimming when I was 48. I have been trying to improve on that mark ever since but haven't yet. There have been countless times since that I look up at the clock only to see 1:00.xx. But I'm sure that breakthrough will come again. It's only a matter of time.

Brad, I did not swim the 50, but I went 26.6 in the spring. The results were not posted yet, but I think I split 28 something. The 100 was a focus for the meet. I swam the 200IM earlier in the meet but I had plenty of time before the 100. It is important to get the "first" thing right in a race so I mentally went through the first 50. Good reaction time, go in tight and streamlined, don't go too deep, get to the surface quickly. Break out no breathing and go long strong easy speed with a strong kick. Poolrat, awesome accomplishment. Did you ever swim when yong?

Poolrat, awesome accomplishment. Did you ever swim when yong? Thanks Rob. I never swam competitively before. I knew how to swim from Red Cross lessons as a kid and Boy Scouts. But my first swim meet ever was as a 49 year old.

Poolrat, That is truly impressive and it shows a tremendous untapped potential since you are new to swimming. Has your focus changed to other strokes and distances? I'm sure you could get back under 60 with the right training. Breakthroughs are subtle. You think you are not getting anywhere and then they happen. We are both "new" to this. We still have engines to build and efficiency to find. I am guessing that it takes 6-8 years of dedicated training to level off. That gives us quite a bit more time to get to where we want to be.