Fast swimming in practice/unrested

I personally suck much less rested. I go nowhere near race times in the twenty minutes I spend for a serious workout every day. I am about 40 seconds faster in a 500 and about 20 seconds faster in a 200 when rested (compared to workout fast swim). I have also wondered how people swim so fast in workouts as my daughter swims for a coach that likes a lot of race pace protocol sets and she never is close to making the times and I think it has discouraged her. Your comment about clydesdales possibly is true as I do put the fat in *** (I think I'm about 45 pounds heavier than my college weight).

I chose option three but that's not quite accurate. I swim moderately fast in practice and swim a little faster than that in meets. Don't know how I'll react to a taper as my last taper was over 20 years ago. We'll know after SCY Nats. Paul

When I taper, I'm quite a bit faster. But now that I think about it, I've only tapered fully for 1 masters meet in 5 years. Sheesh. Hate tapering. Makes me jumpy. Usually I just rest a couple of days and I can go pretty fast (for my liking) on that. That's pretty much me too, with less yardage. If I rest a few days, I can swim fairly fast in season. But I did 10-14 day tapers for a couple meets last year, and it seemed to work well. If I did more yardage or my training wasn't constantly interrupted, I'd have more confidence in a longer taper. Hmm .... I think Ian just called John a fitness swimmer.

Generally I am much faster tapered,but occasionally I'll swim a time at a small meet and wonder "where did that come from".I think optimum taper it is probably a function of muscle type as well as size(and psychology.) I suspect fast twitch fibers take longer to recover.

In my case even back in college it was a rare workout that I would go sub 50 in a 100 yd free, dual meets I'd be 45+ and drop about 2 seconds on average for a full taper, up to about 7 seconds in a 200. This has been pretty much the case for me in masters as well. Where JS can go sub 50 in practice I'm usually in the 52/53 range. One of the discussions weve been having over the last couple of years is how far more programs are emphasizing quality training and not breaking people down big time with long tapers....the exception being Eddie at UT and the Michigan folks...Auburn, U of A, etc. seem to swim very fast all season in comparison. Interesting interview with Ian Crocker on the subject of swimming tired...love the comment of how he needs to "steal" his taper from Eddie...sound familiar JS & Mr. Commings?! www.flocasts.org/.../speakers.php

Where JS can go sub 50 in practice I'm usually in the 52/53 range. Are we talking from a dive or from a push here?

Well as a relatively new competitor, I have found I do improve at the meet after some sort of rest/taper plan. I've increased my yardage this year and last weekend went to a meet after swimming for 6 days back to back, I normally swim 3 x a week; I got 2 days rest ahead of the swim. I had also had some sort of flu the week before the intense training. period. At a Zones type facility: My 100FR PB is 1:06:66 (based off of a SCM convert to SCY) My 50FR PB is 28:05 (Converted) Last weekend in a typical Ymca pool: 6 lanes, 10-12ft at the dive, to about 6ft by the turn. I went 1:07:01 and I went a :29.02. I think that considering my PB's came after at least a week or two of lighter swimming as a taper, my times at the meet weren't bad. On my separate sprint workout day I can go just sub 1:10 at my workout pool on a 100FR from a push. So I hope with a good taper and a deeper pool I might do better than my current PB.

I voted for the second option. As a kid, I loafed practices (if I showed up at all) but could hammer out some good times in the sprints. As an adult, my brother tells me I practice fast. When I taper, I'm quite a bit faster. But now that I think about it, I've only tapered fully for 1 masters meet in 5 years. Sheesh. Hate tapering. Makes me jumpy. Usually I just rest a couple of days and I can go pretty fast (for my liking) on that.

Having always been a VERY slow workout swimmer as well as a poor untapered swimmer I'm always amazed at how fast others can go in those situations. But I have noticed that those same swimmers don't necessarilly have big drops for meets they rest and shave for. Hi Paul, If “tapered” includes some sharpening up with very fast, short sprints with long rests, I am exactly the same (at a lower level than you, of course). But I have noticed this phenomenon a lot in masters and always put it down to their never having competed at a high level in their youth and/or their preference for a fitness focus. A very fast ex-competitor up here has told me “they’re fit but they don’t know how to race”. This seems a little glib, however. An unrested meet or two is a good “wake-up call” for the tapered meet. Slow times at those meets bring focus. Still, I’m always nervous my tapered time won’t come down but they usually do – at least, so far. Last year my untapered SCM 50 free was about the same time as my tapered LCM 50 which did OK in the FINA list (faster than the #1 of the age group below mine where everyone seemed to have taken the year off!!! Not tapering???). Not sure about the Clydesdale thing – I’m only 6ft and 165lb but need the tapered rest. Maybe it’s more an age thing – you get tired more easily. Congrats on your SCM season – great times. Ian.

Hmm .... I think Ian just called John a fitness swimmer. Oops.... OK, one hell of a fast fitness swimmer.