This past weekend I went to my first LCM meet as a master’s swimmer. I trained consistently up to it (with a mini-taper), knew my times in practice, and figured what I might expect to go swimming LCM. Well, the results were baffling! All my times converted to SCY as a time slower than I have ever gone in a Master’s meet, EVER! Even the one I went to 3 weeks after coming back to swimming to see what I could do! And not by a little, these were 10 second to over one minute additions AFTER being converted to SCY! I will often hit or beat most of these times in a practice coming off the wall. I had a coach watching and my form looked good. On Saturday I was very hungry (I thought being a very large mixed USA/USMS meet there would be concessions & I thought I would treat myself rather than pack a bag. But there were no concessions & It was a good distance to go and find food.), which could account for a lot that day, but on Sunday I felt really good & was well rested. My splits also showed consistency, there was no indication of me dying. In the water (except the 100 ***), I felt right on. I’m in my mid 20’s: far too young for it to be an age thing.
Do others experience these unusually large time drains at their first LCM meet? I’m trying to figure out what went wrong, or if it was just a fluke.
Sorry for the long post but I hope maybe others have experienced this as well and provide advice about what they did to get through it. I’ll post my results below.
Thanks!
Saturday: 100 LCM Breastroke:
Usual time over the past 4 months 1:26 to 1:28. My practice times have shown improvement indicating I might be getting faster.
Result: 1:46.64 LCM Conversion to SCY 1:33
Difference: Same as a fast practice time off the wall. 6-8 seconds slower than usual when converted to SCY.
Saturday: 400 LCM Free:
I finish a 500 free from the wall in practice at about 6:40. This winter I comfortably did a 400 SCM in about 6:05. I’ve swam this event a few times with good results and had a plan. I haven’t swam it in a meet in a while but I have been practicing this event.
Result: 7:06 LCM Conversion to 500 SCY: 7:56.81
Difference: 1:16 SLOWER THAN PRACTICE!!!! 54 seconds slower than my most recent 400 SCM!
Sunday: 200 LCM IM: Result: 3:45 Conversion: 3:17 SCY. Last meet this spring 2:58 SCY.
I do about 3:20 in practice.
Difference: 19 seconds
Sunday: 200 LCM ***:
This was really hard for me to swallow since it was the event I practiced for.
Typical Time in practice: 3:25-3:30 SCM
Average time in meets over past 4 months. 3:09-3:13
Result: 3:55 LCM Conversion: 3:27 SCY. Same as a practice time from wall. 18-24 seconds slower than normal SCY meet times.
LCM vs SCY is apples to oranges....the only thing they really share in common is that water is involved. SCY is starts and turns....LCM is "swimming".
This is especially true in recent years where SDK has so taken over SCY "swimming".....to the point that you quite often see incredible college swimmers never succeed at the same level in International meets.
My own thoughts are toss out any "convertor" you may be using....
Also....Jeff is correct....you can prep for a LCM swimming only SCY as he details.....I tend to do fewer SDK in training and really focus on tempo and lengthing of my stroke.
I did my first LCM meet on Sunday as well. Previously I have done about six SCY meets so this is my first experience LCM.
Two months ago I did a 500 SCY in 7:40. Yesterday I did the 400 LCM in 6:19. So I was 37 sec better than the converter predicted going to LCM. Might make sense since I have poor turns and streamline with no SDK. I did this as a warm up and I'm sure I could have gone under six. The conversion did not work here.
In the 50 free, I was very dissapointed in going 31.5. The conversion had me going a second faster. The conversion failed again, but in the other direction.
I don't understand your results. I don't think an empty stomach is an issue.
Do you feel you went out too slow and left alot on the table? You should feel a bit ill after a strong 400. Was that the case?
The conversion did not work here.
The conversion didn't work because you went much, much faster in your recent 400 swim. Your 7:40 500 free works out to a pace of 1:32 per 100. That converts to about a 1:45/100 long course. Put together four of those and you get 7:00. Since you swam a 6:19 I'd say you blew the doors off your previous 500 free swim!
M2tall2-
Don't take the LCM thing too personal...I haven't had a chance to look at a LCM pool this summer and have been training scy..doing the whole 125 instead of 100 etc....I haven't had a LCM meet in 5yrs prior to the one on June 10th...I try to look at my times as best times for the course rather than converting my times because my scy times were always faster than my converted times.
In masters I look at it as having 3 sets of personal best times and every 5 years I get to have all new personal bests....makes it a lot less irritating when I see a time that I don't like....also I agree with everyone else a breaststroker I have to say that even though I like LCM for distance free, I HATE IT:shakeshead: for breaststroke because I live for my pullouts.
Don't be so hard on yourself...looks to me like you did fine.
I think most folks will tell you LCM is a whole different beast than SCM and SCY. It involves a lot of strategery,
Right on per my first experience with a LC meet last weekend. Swam my first 200 Free at this meet and it took me to school. Anyhow, you just have to keep going back and trying again and again (at least that is what I have been telling myself). Hard work and determination in practice will pay dividends at any meet, LC or otherwise.
I have been training LCM five days/week, but on Saturdays I swim scm. For me the difference between the two is striking. Not only is my pace per 100 at least 4 seconds faster swimming scm, but I also get less fatigued (200 repeats are much easier swimming scm regardless of the interval).
Did you get much LCM lap time in before when you were training?
I wonder this, too. It isn't totally clear from Michelle's post whether she's been training LC or not. If not, that could be a big factor. Even if you feel you're in good shape short course, going to long course is a big transition.
I'm not really being harsh on myself. I'm just baffled! I'm sure the next time I jump in SCY I'll do just fine. 5-6 Seconds on a 100, it's an off day. 20 seconds on a 200? How could my body turn on me when it felt good?
I'm wondering if its some kind of strange LCM initiation.
I might be able to take from this that my pushoffs and pullouts ROCK, though. :)
But it doesn't make me feel more secure for my open water event in two weeks.
I haven't had any access to an LCM pool. So this weekend was the first time out.
Although, I have heard for breaststrokers, that training in SCY is a good thing.
Although, I have heard for breaststrokers, that training in SCY is a good thing.
I think *** is probably affected by long course versus short course the most of any stroke. Short course *** is a lot of underwater swimming. Long course *** is a lot of stroking! Imagine you get 10 yards off each wall on your pullout. In a 100 short course you're swimming on the surface for only 60 yards. For a long course 100 you're on the surface for more than 80 yards!
