I hate that I never can get over the anxiety of will my taper work!!!
I've always had great tapers, but every time I wonder if I'm doing it right.....
This time is a little different because of the long layoff since my last season of competition (20 years), but I remember always having these same concerns.
Does anyone else have these same fears??
Do you think its better to do pace work (during taper) with less rest or more i.e. 8 X 50 on :40 or 1:00 holding 1000 or 500 pace?
In preparation for 1000, 400 IM, and 200 fly, I tend to do pretty much nothing. For 2-3 weeks I do a lot of easy swimming. My taper tends to be what the coach wants the first week, but I roll my own the last 10 days out of the meet. This is my usual routine:
400-800 easy
8x75 kick/drill/swim by 25 with about :30 between, but it can be whatever.... no rush.
100-200 easy
either get out now, or one of these:
1) 4-8x50's on :45, 1000 race pace
2) a broken 200 at 90% (short of 100%, anyway), :10 at each 50 (IM or free)
3) guess your time 50's at 500 race pace until you get it right two times in a row with coach assistance (prefered choice)
... then 100-200 easy and get out.
For guessing your time set, it works like this... lets say your goal 500 pace is 30.0. You swim the first 50... it feels good, you guess 29.3. Coach says it was 28.7... obviously you are not in control and are a bit excited with all the rest... still too fast on both accounts. Take about 60 seconds and try again. Next one slower and better controlled. You guess 29.7 this time and coach says it was 29.3. Close, but still needs a little work. Third one you guess 29.5 and coach says 29.6. Better... at least you are actually in tune with your effort, but faster than your pace of 30.0. Fourth one, guess 29.8 and coach says 29.9. Good enough... go ahead and swim it off and get out.
Sometimes the first two are perfect. I usually don't need more than four 50s to get dialed in. I've seen others need up to eight 50s to get it down.
Do you think its better to do pace work (during taper) with less rest or more i.e. 8 X 50 on :40 or 1:00 holding 1000 or 500 pace?
In preparation for 1000, 400 IM, and 200 fly, I tend to do pretty much nothing. For 2-3 weeks I do a lot of easy swimming. My taper tends to be what the coach wants the first week, but I roll my own the last 10 days out of the meet. This is my usual routine:
400-800 easy
8x75 kick/drill/swim by 25 with about :30 between, but it can be whatever.... no rush.
100-200 easy
either get out now, or one of these:
1) 4-8x50's on :45, 1000 race pace
2) a broken 200 at 90% (short of 100%, anyway), :10 at each 50 (IM or free)
3) guess your time 50's at 500 race pace until you get it right two times in a row with coach assistance (prefered choice)
... then 100-200 easy and get out.
For guessing your time set, it works like this... lets say your goal 500 pace is 30.0. You swim the first 50... it feels good, you guess 29.3. Coach says it was 28.7... obviously you are not in control and are a bit excited with all the rest... still too fast on both accounts. Take about 60 seconds and try again. Next one slower and better controlled. You guess 29.7 this time and coach says it was 29.3. Close, but still needs a little work. Third one you guess 29.5 and coach says 29.6. Better... at least you are actually in tune with your effort, but faster than your pace of 30.0. Fourth one, guess 29.8 and coach says 29.9. Good enough... go ahead and swim it off and get out.
Sometimes the first two are perfect. I usually don't need more than four 50s to get dialed in. I've seen others need up to eight 50s to get it down.
