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?
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?
This is similar to how I swam a recent 100 back LC and 100 fly SCY. Seemed to work pretty well for me. I was happy with the times. I might have done a tad more "building" on the third length. But that, in a nutshell, is essentially how I swim 100s right now on my limited yardage. No way can I go "all out" on the first 50. That piano is freakin scarey. It hurts like hell anyway, but no need for a hideous piano IMHO.
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?
This is similar to how I swam a recent 100 back LC and 100 fly SCY. Seemed to work pretty well for me. I was happy with the times. I might have done a tad more "building" on the third length. But that, in a nutshell, is essentially how I swim 100s right now on my limited yardage. No way can I go "all out" on the first 50. That piano is freakin scarey. It hurts like hell anyway, but no need for a hideous piano IMHO.
