I am just back from the SPMA meet where all the top finisher were wearing the latest generation tech suits,mostly B-70s(or were named Jeff Commings.)I have here to for been in favor of the suits,but now I am not so sure.First,they eliminate the old bench marks.I went my fastest 100m BR in 5 yr in my LZR,but it was only .3 sec faster than I did untapered 5 wk earlier in my first swim in the LZR.So was my swim good or not,I'm not sure.Also,instead of focusing on technique or pace I found myself ruminating over aspects of the suits,how many more swims did the suit have,is it the right size,was the reason I didn't get better results from my B-70 because it was too big?etc.The B-70 has somewhat mitigated the "too expensive,not durable" problem,but for how long.
Lets say a company comes up with a suit that is much faster,say 4 sec/100.Further that it is very expensive(say $1000) lasts 4 swims and is very hard to make so that quantities are always limited and the fastest way to get one is to bid up to $3000 on ebay. Now lets say your nemesis has one,or that getting one is your best chance to get TT or AA or a ZR or WR,or that your child is close to making JO cuts,or finally beating his/her nemesis etc. Is it worth it and where does it stop?
In the Pittsburgh area, which is very big in YMCA masters, and almost nonexistent in USMS swimming, we have Y league masters meets every 2-3 weeks from September to March. These are what I would call "mid season" meets. I always try to swim my best at these things, but cramming four events plus a relay or two into a 3-4 hour meet doesn't always give you optimum rest between events. In a way, they are almost a cross between swimming meets and sprint practices.
As far as body suits go, I recommend you check out swimoutlet.com (one of USMS sponsors, so I am not sure if it is against the rules to recommend them). Anyhow, they often have discontinued speed suits at pretty hefty discounts. They may not be the absolute fastest suits, but they can work really well compared to normal suits. I just got a Tyr kneeskin for $56 and used it, I am hoping, to make the Top 10 (fingers crossed) in a few events for SCM.
The reason I almost always wear some sort of speed suit in meets is because you never know when the stars will align just so to allow you to swim a really good race, especially in the short events. This brings up a slightly different topic, but I will throw it out anyhow. Which is swimming "mid season" meets half-heartedly. I usually really try in every meet I swim in, although maybe in the 500 is at the end, and I am truly exhausted, "really trying" becomes sort of relative. Anyhow, I see guys all the time come to such meets and essentially loaf, swimming slower than they do in practice.
What's up with that?
In the Pittsburgh area, which is very big in YMCA masters, and almost nonexistent in USMS swimming, we have Y league masters meets every 2-3 weeks from September to March. These are what I would call "mid season" meets. I always try to swim my best at these things, but cramming four events plus a relay or two into a 3-4 hour meet doesn't always give you optimum rest between events. In a way, they are almost a cross between swimming meets and sprint practices.
As far as body suits go, I recommend you check out swimoutlet.com (one of USMS sponsors, so I am not sure if it is against the rules to recommend them). Anyhow, they often have discontinued speed suits at pretty hefty discounts. They may not be the absolute fastest suits, but they can work really well compared to normal suits. I just got a Tyr kneeskin for $56 and used it, I am hoping, to make the Top 10 (fingers crossed) in a few events for SCM.
The reason I almost always wear some sort of speed suit in meets is because you never know when the stars will align just so to allow you to swim a really good race, especially in the short events. This brings up a slightly different topic, but I will throw it out anyhow. Which is swimming "mid season" meets half-heartedly. I usually really try in every meet I swim in, although maybe in the 500 is at the end, and I am truly exhausted, "really trying" becomes sort of relative. Anyhow, I see guys all the time come to such meets and essentially loaf, swimming slower than they do in practice.
What's up with that?
