In swimming, how is it that one can excel in both sprints and long distance? Is it because the distance games in swimming are only "relatively" distance games but are not really distance games from a physiologic perspective?
In the world of tracks, for example, an athlete cannot excel at both sprints and distance. Even the athletes from the two areas look different - much leaner for the distance runners and muscular for the sprinters.
I am wondering about this because whether I should focus on either the sprint or the distance as I plan to participate in the masters meet, or whether I don't have to sacrifice one for the other.
A girl after my own heart....."Just say no to breastroke" (or go back to gymanstics)! :banana:
PS: You don't "pick" your events.....if your smart they choose you....in other words be self aware and understand what your physiological make up is....just because I "want" to be a drop dead 50 freestyler doesn't mean its what I'm "built" for (guess that explains my even splitting my 100 and negative splitting the 200/500).
Oh...and by the way....people forget that "drop dead" sprinter Gary hall jr. also went 1:33 in the 200 free as a freshman in college, Phelps may be our best 100 freestyler in Beijing but also can throw down a pretty impressive 400....and KPN now owns every freestyle record from 50-1650 except the 100/500.....which she will get next month.......
Paul, I agree! I think you can do both with lots of training. And believe me...I know about KPN...she's almost exactly the same age as me...when I age up so does she! She is amazing at all lengths and all strokes!
I agree with thewookie. You should train both sprint and distance of all stokes. You have to have endurance to swim a 100 and/or a 200. A distance swimmer needs speed work also. I do think that as Masters we often don't have the time to train a lot and you may be more successful if you stress one or the other due to time constraints.
A girl after my own heart....."Just say no to breastroke" (or go back to gymanstics)! :banana:
PS: You don't "pick" your events.....if your smart they choose you....in other words be self aware and understand what your physiological make up is....just because I "want" to be a drop dead 50 freestyler doesn't mean its what I'm "built" for (guess that explains my even splitting my 100 and negative splitting the 200/500).
Oh...and by the way....people forget that "drop dead" sprinter Gary hall jr. also went 1:33 in the 200 free as a freshman in college, Phelps may be our best 100 freestyler in Beijing but also can throw down a pretty impressive 400....and KPN now owns every freestyle record from 50-1650 except the 100/500.....which she will get next month.......
Paul, I agree! I think you can do both with lots of training. And believe me...I know about KPN...she's almost exactly the same age as me...when I age up so does she! She is amazing at all lengths and all strokes!
I agree with thewookie. You should train both sprint and distance of all stokes. You have to have endurance to swim a 100 and/or a 200. A distance swimmer needs speed work also. I do think that as Masters we often don't have the time to train a lot and you may be more successful if you stress one or the other due to time constraints.
