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?
Former Member
Hey SS, where'd you get the splits from? I forgot to write mine down :cry:
Paul
Searched the results database section on USMS.org and it's also posted on a PDF
Although I have always been more of a 50 than a 100 swimmer, from a psychological point of view it always felt better to come from behind and (figuratively speaking) run someone down than to be leading and desperately try to hang on...
Going way be to when I was little (we're talking no older than 14ish), my coach would always give our splits at meets. Our goal was to make them as close as possible or within a second or 2.
Sometimes, mine would be a difference of like 4 seconds. He would say "It looked like you were dragging Yamahas behind you! You know, those big pianos!" Funny how the piano sayings seem universal with some other coaches, according to our stories...
Or, in things like ***/fly, if we pulled ourselves way up out of the water on the turns to get some extra air "you looked like Godzilla!".
Needless to say, going back to topic, your splits should be pretty close. Obviously, that first 50 will ALWAYS be the fastest, espcially with the start, but your other 50's shouldn't be that far. In distance, you should be holding fairly steady 50 to 50 with little fluctuation.
Then there's the 200, the worst distance/sprint known to man. It's in a category of it's own. I hated it with a passion. Talk about dragging Yamahas. That same coach told me to "take it out quick the first 50, cruise that middle 100, then bring it home the final 50. Don't save any for the dance."
He had a lot of sayings...
First 50...one second off your all out time.
Second 50...take that time and add 2 seconds.
The four second differential appears to be consistent between the average bear and the elite swimmers.
I have a quirky formula which has proven to be accurate in guessing at one's 100 time...take the best 50 time (x2)...plus 4 seconds.
It usually comes with half a second of the 100 time.
Leslie asked about other strokes.100 BR should be about 3-3.5 for SCY,4 for LCM.I like to go out 1 sec slower than my best 50 in BR.(Sorry to hijack this to BR,but thats what I know.:banana::banana:)
In September, in one of our little local meets, I swam the 100 SCY in 54.53.
Alas the splits aren't posted, but I am almost certain I went out fast and died,
with the differential being well over two seconds (maybe even 3).
A week ago, I tried it again with an intention of going out slower, taking the
third length smooth, then sprinting all out.
This was a much less agonizing proposition, I must say, and my time did go down slightly.
Splits this time:
54.21 26.17 28.04 (differential 1.87)
For what it's worth, just telling myself to relax slightly kept my arms from prematurely
tightening up.
A friend also told me an interesting strategy for the 500, which I tried at the same meet.
1st 50--just a tiny bit faster than comfort zone (ftcz)
next 100--a little slower than comfort zone (stcz)
next 50--ftcz
next 150--stcz
next 50--ftcz
next 50--stcz
final 50--sprint!
Maybe it was just the mental distraction of trying to remember all this,
but it also worked in helping lower my time from a 5:42 at the September meet to
a 5:37 at this one.
Now, perhaps I should simply concentrate in getting into shape...
