will opening a meet with a 200 kill my other events?

In my humble opinion, it depends on your conditioning. If you're in shape, and maybe rested(?), then I think you'll be great. Be sure to warm down after your races, stay hydrated, and stay off your feet. All preceded by a healthy breakfast that won't upset your stomach. I've been swimming meets since I was 10. After all of these years, I've come to the conclusion that more of performances in meets are mental. So psych yourself up! Again, only my opinion. There are millions out there. And good luck :)

That's kinda what I was thinking. Maybe the rest would be a bit more, but I think this meet will go fast. The 50 should be a good wake up for the 100. This is my last chance to get under 1:00 for a while so I want to make it count.

I hear you on that. Warming up is an art, maybe even a science. If you save yourself, you will be too tight and not swim relaxed. I remember I used to run a good 4x200 after I ran the 400. It loosened me up and took away the antagonistic muscles (the fighting of the muscle against it's own movement, usually not warmed up). I never hear swimmers talk about antagonistic muscles....do they?

The thing that will kill your 100 more than anything else is not warming down properly no matter what you swim before it. You should warm down (and I mean active warm down not talking to your buddy while standing in the shallow end) for at least 10 minutes. If you do the events you asked about and your time estimate is correct, I would warm down until you felt you needed to go swim the 50. That would give you about 15 minutes of warm down. Then repeat 10 to 15 minutes after the 50. This need not be hard swimming but just moving around to clear the lactic acid from your muscles. Leo

depends on a lot of things. are you tempted to go after your 200 free too? you may want to swim it long and strong and not go balls to the wall on the first 50 like I would do. A 50 won't kill you. I love 50s and how they get me revved up for other events. Use it to get the blood flowing and set a tone for your 100; folks are correct to mention warmdowns. with little rest, i'd personally do a 2x{4x50 on ~15sec rest warmdown, 1st 50 like 80% and work your way slower to #4, then do it again. or something where I am working turns, or 1/2 build 25s.

If I was going for a PB in the 100 I would not open with a 200 Free...especially with such little time between events.

I am not sure about the sprints after 200 but I had different experiences. Most of my events are opened up with either a 400IM or 200Fly (followed by either a 200 fly or 400 IM depending which opens the first with just one vent in between). My experience is that even though I got pretty tired after my first event, and my mind says that how on earth I could do the second, but once I jumped into the water, my strokes were actually more relaxed than I thought and I always ended up with pretty good times for those second events.

I agree with Allen. Back in a SCM meet in early December, I swam the following: 100 *** 200 Free 50 Free 50 *** 100 Free My conditioning was weak because our pool had been closed for 6 weeks, re-opening mid-October if I remember correctly. The 200 free was my focus event, and I went after it hard. After a couple of prior 200's with splits all over the map, my goal was to evenly split the last 3 50's. I split the last three x.36, x.49, and x.78, and it hurt like nothing I'd ever done before. This was a very small meet, with 83 swimmers and 301 entries, so it went by very quickly. I swam the 50 free 6 heats later, and my time was off by about .5. I got some rest before the 50 ***, and that time was only off by about .1. But I was exhausted by the time the 100 free rolled around, and that time was off by 1.2. I really felt it on the back 50 in that race. I am swimming the 200 first at our Association meet this Saturday, and it is one of my focus events. I expect it will take its toll on my other times for the day. If you do decide to swim the 50, with that much time between events I'd probably swim it as long and easy as possible (I realize that's difficult in a 50 -- maybe think of taking it out at your 1st 50 pace for the 100) and really work your start and turn to keep you warmed up and to get you ready for the 100. My 200 turns feel a little, well, shall we say less urgent than my 50/100 turns. If you go hard in the 50, I think you'll be pretty baked by the time the 100 rolls around. Whether it's due to lactic acid or whether it's just because a 50 is all out, I don't know, but they definitely take their toll.

Personally, I'd use the 200 as warm-up event and skip the 50. But then again, I don't like anything below 200 anyway. Warming down and warming up are essetial, like the others have said. Alison

It seems like the distance swimmers have been saying skip the 50 and the sprinters have been saying skip the 200. I'm a sprinter, and I recommended that he skip the 50. Given the time constraints, it's the logical choice. I am wondering why the meet director put two sprint freestyle events so close together.