Looking for feedback on some time trials so far this week. Since I am fairly new at swimming I have been training for and competing at 200yd and below. But now I am trying to do longer swims and experimenting.
Yesterday I did a good warmup and then a 500yd free near maximum intensity. My time was 8:40. Then I did a cooldown 500 after several minutes recovery and swam a 9:30. This was very relaxed and I was only 50 seconds slower. That to me does not make sense as I would expect the cooldown to be considerably slower. Then today I did a 1000 and I went out very relaxed and swam an 18:10.
My question is shouldn't my high intensity be more like 20-25% faster than low intensity? I would expect to at least be under 8:00 for high intensity....no?
Is techinque rewarded that much over power in distance events?
Parents
Former Member
I am in the same predicament. I did a workout early last week: long warm-up and workout then a timed 500m (8:50) a 4 minute rest and a timed 500m (8:36), then a warm in the combined time of the 500s and swam 950 in in 17:26!
I have found in my sprints that my poor form creates more problems than strength--according to my coach technique not strength or endurance is my problem. Longer swims I can remind myself to use "good" form and stay within my swim ability so I an more efficient and relaxed.
To me this all makes sense. I need to know how it fix it so my fast efforts don't fall apart which should make my times longed swims even better (relatively).
Bill, controlled fast swimming is the objective here. Find out by swimming a lot of repeat 25s and repeat 50s and even repeat 100s when your stroke starts to fall apart. Once that is figured out, you will know where in the stamina portion of swimming that happens and it will help you to determine how lacking or not you are in the conditioning aspect. And it also helps you to get used to controlled sprinting and what it feels like. And let's say for example's sake your swimming on a fast hundred starts getting a bit sloppy at the 75. At that time on the next one you will know it is coming up and you will pay more attention to trying to swim with more technique at that 75 until the finish. When I start getting fatigued, I have to remind myself to maintain technique above all else. I don't really slow down my effort, I am just aware I need to better control it.
donna
I am in the same predicament. I did a workout early last week: long warm-up and workout then a timed 500m (8:50) a 4 minute rest and a timed 500m (8:36), then a warm in the combined time of the 500s and swam 950 in in 17:26!
I have found in my sprints that my poor form creates more problems than strength--according to my coach technique not strength or endurance is my problem. Longer swims I can remind myself to use "good" form and stay within my swim ability so I an more efficient and relaxed.
To me this all makes sense. I need to know how it fix it so my fast efforts don't fall apart which should make my times longed swims even better (relatively).
Bill, controlled fast swimming is the objective here. Find out by swimming a lot of repeat 25s and repeat 50s and even repeat 100s when your stroke starts to fall apart. Once that is figured out, you will know where in the stamina portion of swimming that happens and it will help you to determine how lacking or not you are in the conditioning aspect. And it also helps you to get used to controlled sprinting and what it feels like. And let's say for example's sake your swimming on a fast hundred starts getting a bit sloppy at the 75. At that time on the next one you will know it is coming up and you will pay more attention to trying to swim with more technique at that 75 until the finish. When I start getting fatigued, I have to remind myself to maintain technique above all else. I don't really slow down my effort, I am just aware I need to better control it.
donna
