optimal split differential between 50s in 100

This is something I'm interested in, I have some relevant pictures from an SCM meet last weekend. I didn't quite go all out on the first 50 (my 50 free event time the next day was 28.34), but even still I slowed way down and got passed by 2 people on the 2nd 50. I was pretty much out of steam on the last 25.

Everybody is different... so you have to find what works for you and your body type. (fast twitch or slow twitch muscles) If I go ALL OUT on the first 50, I DIE A PAINFUL, "PIANO ON THE BACK" DEATH! :violin: I have to hold a little back on the first 50. The times that I have gone all out, I have not swam well. The last 25 is in slow motion....like swimming in jello and much slower.

Jim, If I am correct, you are more of a distance guy. As others have said, each person is different. Many people have told me to swim the 100 all out. It doesn't work for me. My best 100 swim in several years was at Federal Way. 1st 50 - 27.12 2nd 50 - 27.19 I held back on the first 50 and had enough left to not have to contend with the piano! It worked for me.:groovy:

Hi Paul, Having seen that your swimming career is newly resurrected...I understand where you're coming from. In my first year back...at age 41...the piano drop on the 3rd turn was inevitable. It was like swimming through concrete. Four years later, the stamina has returned...and I can nearly even split the 100. In due time your dead squirrel feeling will be a distant memory... Until you start doing 200's. :D "It doesn't work for me either. Way off. I'm thinking it's not accurate for yardage slacker masters? Could just be a real underachiever, I guess." At some point the body adjusts to whatever work load you're giving it. Training at a harder interval for a longer duration is tough. But everyone can learn how to adjust as long as the change isn't radical. Sooner or later the interval which seemed impossible gets easier to swim through. That's when the times start dropping. In a way a more challenging workout forces you to swim with economy and effectiveness. ...tighter streamlines, better body posture...more dolphin kicks...Anything that will assist you in picking up a second here and there will have a positive effect.

I really think you should go out as fast as you possibly can. Usually this means you'll be at least a couple tenths off your best 50 (which makes sense because you're slower touching to your feet rather than your hands). Then just try to hold on for the second 50. That said, I've never split a 100 like that in my life, but I still think it's the way to go for the fastest possible time. If you can pull it off you'll have an incredible time. If not, you could die like a dog on that second 50, but at least you went for it and maybe it will inspire you to train harder and actually be able to do it next time. Ack. I could never do this. As Rob points out, I think this method works better for people who train a lot or are more geared toward 100-200. However, that said, I should definitely take my next 100 free out faster than my last one. But the prospect of "dying like a dog" is so unappealing ...

SS: where'd you get the splits from? I forgot to write mine down :cry: Fort: Dying like a dog huh? Yep, I'm still having that problem. We'll see if I can keep the splits within a second or 2 at Zones. Shooting for 30,32 at Zones and I have been trying to train 100s that way. Paul

Ah, the one's posted on the Patriot Masters site did not have splits.

Instead of talking about the number of seconds for the differential, why doesn't it make more sense to calculate the percentile differential based on your best time? The NCAA men (all in incredible condition and way beyond what masters might hope hope to achieve) average a 4.85 percent differential using Rob's figures from last year's NCAA's (2.11 seconds divided by 43.5 seconds). So if your best 100 is one minute, and you were in fantastic shape, the differential should be more like 2.91 seconds. 3.4 seconds if your 100 is a 1:10 Personally, I'm more of a 50 swimmer. When going all out (due to the pain, once or twice a year is sufficient) I try to be within 1 second of my 50 time at that meet and usually average in the high 2 seconds differential (2.7 seconds when I went a 49.1 a couple of years ago). That year my training was really focused on tolerating those lactates. You've got to pay the price for a fast 100. Rich

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?

Ah, the one's posted on the Patriot Masters site did not have splits. Official results and splits are up now. They were unofficial before. I am a whimpy sprinter, scared to die like a dog. So my one and only 100 free, my splits were 1.3 seconds apart and I went out much slower than my 50 free PR. So I'm going to attempt to go out somewhat faster next time. But I won't try this tactic for a 100 fly. Too ouchie.