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.
I'm with The Fortress. My 100s are close together (and I have been known to put in final 50s that are faster than my first), but that is because I am a wuss, not because I am a secret distance swimmer: my times drop off a lot from short to long and in practice the real distance swimmers take me out. In my mind further evidence includes the fact that my race and practice times are super far apart, likewise rested and unrested.
Wuss pretty much sums it up.
Although I do work hard in practice usually, unless I'm loafing or skipping the 400 frees. Obviously, sprinters can swim distance (and vice versa). We're in the water putting in a boatload of laps. We could if we want to, we just don't. We prefer to take the abuse as in post #2. I didn't get as much abuse when younger because I did swim a lot of middle distance events. In those days, everybody swam everything. Why, I apparently swam a 200 breaststroke I had forgotten about until recently.
As to sprinters taking races out hard, the last time I took out a race fast, somewhat inadvertently (race inexperience), the last length was not a pretty sight. I think I would prefer 75s to 100s.
I'm with The Fortress. My 100s are close together (and I have been known to put in final 50s that are faster than my first), but that is because I am a wuss, not because I am a secret distance swimmer: my times drop off a lot from short to long and in practice the real distance swimmers take me out. In my mind further evidence includes the fact that my race and practice times are super far apart, likewise rested and unrested.
Wuss pretty much sums it up.
Although I do work hard in practice usually, unless I'm loafing or skipping the 400 frees. Obviously, sprinters can swim distance (and vice versa). We're in the water putting in a boatload of laps. We could if we want to, we just don't. We prefer to take the abuse as in post #2. I didn't get as much abuse when younger because I did swim a lot of middle distance events. In those days, everybody swam everything. Why, I apparently swam a 200 breaststroke I had forgotten about until recently.
As to sprinters taking races out hard, the last time I took out a race fast, somewhat inadvertently (race inexperience), the last length was not a pretty sight. I think I would prefer 75s to 100s.
