Did you break 1:50 in the 200yd fr as a Master's swimmer?
Former Member
I would really like to hear if you have broken 1:50 for the first time as a USMS swimmer. What level of training got you there?
I certainly want to hear from anyone who is going fast in the 200.
A little background: I only swam club for two years in HS, and outside of masters, only swam competitively for 3 years total. My best 200yd free time was a 1:50.0x. I am in my early 30s so I think setting PRs are still within easy reach. The season leading up to that time, I was averaging 65k/week iirc.
The Master's team I train with works out 3 times a week, 4-5k/workout, the average being closer to 4k. This is the only team that it is realistic for me to train with at this time.
We are getting a new pool in 2012, and until then I do not believe it is realistic to train with the kids.
There are two other pools in the area that do not have teams that train at them that I can workout on my own at.
It is very realistic that I can work with my MS coach to customize my workouts.
I have gone 2:10 from a push in practice, but I certainly couldn't go 3x200 on 2:10 right now. I am afraid my SCM 200 time actually converts slower than that, so I don't have a good recent race pace time to share.
Given that small book of information: Am I getting enough yardage, and I just need to focus my training on my goal, or do I need to increase yardage and workouts? To what level was successful for you?
If the consensus is a need for significantly more yardage and workouts, I will use this season to ramp up and solve logistics.
Hey Jim, Do you remember what kind of workouts you were getting in then (distance/frequency)? I am glad that you agree that there is no biological reason for me not to swim fast.
I think we were doing three official practices a week, only one hour a piece, with monday distance day, wednesday stroke/IM, and Friday sprint. I would try to add one or two extra practices on my own, ususally just doing recovery distance freestyle.
I do remember, however, really working hard in our regular practices, to the point where I would take a nap and drink coffee before out 6:30 p.m. workouts!
On one of the threads here, a rule of thumb for the 200 is to take you best 100 time, double it, and add 8-10 seconds. My 100 at that point was right around 53, which = 1:46 doubled, plus 8-10 = 1:54-1:56, which proved very predictive for what I did. If you are a sprinter, you will probably need to add the 10 seconds; a distance swimmer can add the 8. I am mostly middle distance, so the 9 worked out perfectly.
Reverse engineering this for your swim, you take 1:50, subtract 8-10, and get 1:42 - 1:40. If you are a distance swimmer, this would mean you would need to be able to do a 100 at close to 51.0. If you are a sprinter, you need to do a 50.0.
Which brings us to the next step--how to pace the 200. I did virtually identical 1:55.xx two times, one the hard way, one the easy way.
The hard way was the time I took it out in a 54.5 or so, and came back (dying) in a 1:01.
The easy way was when I went out in 57 and came back in 58. This was actually my fastest all time 200.
The hard way, the differential between the 2 x 100s was 6.5 seconds.
The easy way, the differential was 1 second, essentiallly a negative split because of the dive advantage.
A 1:50 = 2 x 100 at 55.0. So you have options. I would suggest trying to take it out in 53:5 and come back in 56.4, which would give you a 1:49.9.
That would also be about a 3 second differential between the 100s.
The key, I think, is for you to be able to swim a 100 in the mid 53s without getting so much lactate buildup that your stroke breaks down too much to finish strong on the back half.
Keep us posted!
Hey Jim, Do you remember what kind of workouts you were getting in then (distance/frequency)? I am glad that you agree that there is no biological reason for me not to swim fast.
I think we were doing three official practices a week, only one hour a piece, with monday distance day, wednesday stroke/IM, and Friday sprint. I would try to add one or two extra practices on my own, ususally just doing recovery distance freestyle.
I do remember, however, really working hard in our regular practices, to the point where I would take a nap and drink coffee before out 6:30 p.m. workouts!
On one of the threads here, a rule of thumb for the 200 is to take you best 100 time, double it, and add 8-10 seconds. My 100 at that point was right around 53, which = 1:46 doubled, plus 8-10 = 1:54-1:56, which proved very predictive for what I did. If you are a sprinter, you will probably need to add the 10 seconds; a distance swimmer can add the 8. I am mostly middle distance, so the 9 worked out perfectly.
Reverse engineering this for your swim, you take 1:50, subtract 8-10, and get 1:42 - 1:40. If you are a distance swimmer, this would mean you would need to be able to do a 100 at close to 51.0. If you are a sprinter, you need to do a 50.0.
Which brings us to the next step--how to pace the 200. I did virtually identical 1:55.xx two times, one the hard way, one the easy way.
The hard way was the time I took it out in a 54.5 or so, and came back (dying) in a 1:01.
The easy way was when I went out in 57 and came back in 58. This was actually my fastest all time 200.
The hard way, the differential between the 2 x 100s was 6.5 seconds.
The easy way, the differential was 1 second, essentiallly a negative split because of the dive advantage.
A 1:50 = 2 x 100 at 55.0. So you have options. I would suggest trying to take it out in 53:5 and come back in 56.4, which would give you a 1:49.9.
That would also be about a 3 second differential between the 100s.
The key, I think, is for you to be able to swim a 100 in the mid 53s without getting so much lactate buildup that your stroke breaks down too much to finish strong on the back half.
Keep us posted!
