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.
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Can you please help me with an even more basic question.
What if I am not good enough to be a sprinter nor a distance swimmer. And as it is less tiring to do short distance, I could be attempted to mistakenly think that I am more of a sprinter?
I am 44, swimming 4 styles but mostly Free, Back, decent fly and rarely ***. On short distance (25 - 50m), my time is comparable, sometimes better, than that of a "model" swimmer (in my modest scale, this model swimmer does 1'15 to 1'20'' for 100m free). When the distance increases, my times become worst. On kick sets longer than 100m, my times are really bad.
Ultimately, I prefer swimming distance and conclude that I must improve my endurance. But how can one tell if he/she is truely a sprinter?
Sorry for hijacking the original intent of this post. Thanks in advance for any help.
Can you please help me with an even more basic question.
What if I am not good enough to be a sprinter nor a distance swimmer. And as it is less tiring to do short distance, I could be attempted to mistakenly think that I am more of a sprinter?
I am 44, swimming 4 styles but mostly Free, Back, decent fly and rarely ***. On short distance (25 - 50m), my time is comparable, sometimes better, than that of a "model" swimmer (in my modest scale, this model swimmer does 1'15 to 1'20'' for 100m free). When the distance increases, my times become worst. On kick sets longer than 100m, my times are really bad.
Ultimately, I prefer swimming distance and conclude that I must improve my endurance. But how can one tell if he/she is truely a sprinter?
Sorry for hijacking the original intent of this post. Thanks in advance for any help.
