what is the optimal differential between the first and second 50 on a 100 yard short course freestyle? The first 50 benefits from the dive and the relative freshness of the swimmer; the second 50 requires two turns and contending with lactate and fatigue.
Is it better to go all out and try to hold on, or save a little for the end?
Say you can swim an all-out 50 by itself at 25 seconds. How would you ideally swim the 100?
Example: 25.5 then 28.5 for 3 second differential and a 54.0
or 26.0 and 28 for a 2 second differential and a 54.
Which method do you think is best?
Thanks to everyone for excellent advice. I am swimming in a little meet on Sunday and may try an experiment: go out slightly slower on the first 50 than I did at the last little meet we had, and see if I can postpone death long enough to recoup the difference.
It's funny because the same basic idea sort of applies to the 200, I think, and I did almost identical best times trying the two different stategies.
One time I went out in 57 and came back in 58, for a 1:55.+
The other time I went out in 55 and came back in 1:00, for a 1:55.+
The second race was much more agonizing than the first, though neither one was much of a picnic.
Obviously, if the race is a 50, you can't exactly go out a little slow on the first 25 to save up for the second!
One final thought-question: a friend from yesteryear gave me a race strategy that seemed to work pretty well for the 100 when you aren't in peak shape. It was this:
Go out the first 50 as fast as you can while staying smooth--no thrashing
The third length, concentrate on stretching out your stroke till you reach the far flags. At this point, begin a dead sprint. Do the turn as fast as possible and give it all you have left on the final length.
This sometimes works for me because concentrating on smoothness the first 50 keeps you fast but not dead all out fast; then you have the psychic rest of the third length just trying to keep your stroke long and fluid.
Then the true miserable hog-wimpering death march only lasts 25 yards, and we should be able to endure that, right, no matter how wimpy and--in Leslie's words--ouchee-avoidant we may be.
But, having said this, I have never done my best times using this strategy.
Anybody else have a solution?
Thanks to everyone for excellent advice. I am swimming in a little meet on Sunday and may try an experiment: go out slightly slower on the first 50 than I did at the last little meet we had, and see if I can postpone death long enough to recoup the difference.
It's funny because the same basic idea sort of applies to the 200, I think, and I did almost identical best times trying the two different stategies.
One time I went out in 57 and came back in 58, for a 1:55.+
The other time I went out in 55 and came back in 1:00, for a 1:55.+
The second race was much more agonizing than the first, though neither one was much of a picnic.
Obviously, if the race is a 50, you can't exactly go out a little slow on the first 25 to save up for the second!
One final thought-question: a friend from yesteryear gave me a race strategy that seemed to work pretty well for the 100 when you aren't in peak shape. It was this:
Go out the first 50 as fast as you can while staying smooth--no thrashing
The third length, concentrate on stretching out your stroke till you reach the far flags. At this point, begin a dead sprint. Do the turn as fast as possible and give it all you have left on the final length.
This sometimes works for me because concentrating on smoothness the first 50 keeps you fast but not dead all out fast; then you have the psychic rest of the third length just trying to keep your stroke long and fluid.
Then the true miserable hog-wimpering death march only lasts 25 yards, and we should be able to endure that, right, no matter how wimpy and--in Leslie's words--ouchee-avoidant we may be.
But, having said this, I have never done my best times using this strategy.
Anybody else have a solution?
