What is a fast set?

When you have a tighter interval, you tend to get into a tunnel vision sort of rhythm and once your get to 8, it is all downhill. Mind games. For me, on a set of ten, downhill starts at six, saving somthing for number ten, always trying to make it the fastest. The all out puke sets I read here aren't my cup of tea. However, I am pretty sure that is an effective way to swim faster. I just don't enjoy that type of exercise.

I have dim memories in my AAU days of doing 20-30 100s on a daily basis but cannot recall the interval. I just remember I was young and dumb and did them without asking why. They really hurt and seemed endless. I confess that I am an idiot when we start mixing intervals within a set i.e. drop 5 seconds every 100. Let's just say you do not want me to be leading the lane. We did that a few weeks ago and started at 2:00 and did a few and I thought it was pretty easy. Sure enough, we somehow stuck at 1:50 for the rest of them. The faster lane had the same problem. We were all laughing about it and joked about how age can affect your brain. All I know is if I can make 10 100s LCM on the 1:25, I will feel a sense of accomplishment. (A year ago, I could barely make 4 100s LCM on the 1:50 and literally beached myself on the deck in agony) Perhaps it will mean nothing, but I would like to be able to do that when I turn 50 next April. Just something to shoot for...... Rob

George, You are wise, much wiser than I. I am still getting comfortable with the freedom that comes with Masters. Rob

2 definitions: What WAS fast and What IS NOW fast What WAS fast was 20-30 x 100 on :60, or 10 x 100 on :55 SCY. Something like that back in the day. What IS NOW fast....any 100's on 1:20 or under! Kinda sad!

A fast set is relative only to the speed of the swimmer. What is a fast set for you will not be the same as what is fast for me. We can only swim within our capabilities. What was fast for me when I was kinda fast has no bearing on today. 2 definitions: What WAS fast and What IS NOW fast What WAS fast was 20-30 x 100 on :60, or 10 x 100 on :55 SCY. Something like that back in the day. What IS NOW fast....any 100's on 1:20 or under! Kinda sad!

The fastest you'd ever see people swimming on our team would be 10 x 100 LCM @ 1:20. It's not a kind of set we do very often. Depending on the focus of the set, you'd probably see us doing 10 x 100 LCM @ 1:25, trying to hold sub 1:15, or 10 @ 1:30, trying to hold even faster. 10 @ 1:20 would be probably 1:15's at the beginning, and turning into touch-and-go before too long. Remember... while yes, I'd call that a "fast set", it is by no means a "sprint set". If you're a sprinter, that's a deadly set. It's an aerobic threshold set that distance swimmers will do better at. The sprint set version would be 10 x 100 @ 2:00-or-so, holding 1:10. -Rick

I am afraid that I am now a leisurely swimmer who now watches the clock not to do a fast set but swim it not too fast. My sets are now designed so I can finish a set in comfort.