I have been back swimming for several years. In that time I have mostly worked out alone, but sometimes swim with a group of people, one of whom has competed in masters meets on and off for years.
I used to be exclusively a freestyle sprinter, but out of boredom I started swimming IM. Last year swam my first 200 IM in competition, which hurt like hell but I got a bang out of it. Anyway I've been working on my fly on and off, and was stupid enough to mention to one of my workout buddies that I'd considered working up to the 100 fly as my next challenge.
He suggested a 400 yard fly set: 1x100, 2x50, 1x50+2x25, 4x25. I actually managed to do this three times in one week, but sort of crashed the next week--probably pushed it too hard. But for the first time in my life I actually swam 100 fly, and did so legally. (My 50 hovers at 32; I tried to negative split it the first time, and went 45 and 45 plus three seconds hanging on the wall at the 75 for a 1:33!)
Anyway I am swimming in a meet this weekend, and when I sent in my entry I totally chickened out and did not enter the 100 fly, which was right after the 50 free, which I also often swim.
I saw my friend Bill at the pool two days later and he asked about my events for said meet. I told him, and he nodded. "No 100 fly?" he asked. I said nope, maybe next meet. He nodded again and left for the post-workout hot tub. Ten minutes later he came back as I was finishing some 25s of fly at the end of my swim. He smiled and said, "I want you to know that I say this in the best possible way and from the bottom of my heart, but your failure to enter the 100 fly this weekend is the single most cowardly act in the history of competitive swimming."
I laughed, of course. But then I went home and emailed the meet director. I'm in. I sent in a seed time of 1:30 to guarantee that I could avoid a fast heat. God help me.
A diabolical taunt, don't you think?
Congrats, Red! I don't think that coming back in 45 is bad at all... heck, isn't a 36-mid about what you take your 200 IM out in? And for that event you get a nice 50 rest, uh I mean backstroke, after that...
NOW you are ready to take on the 400 IM! :-)
BULLETIN: I did not drown!
In fact, it went pretty well. My 100 IM ten minutes earlier was slow. But I took a lot of the above advice: I breathed more, kept my head down, stayed calm. I was worried at the 75 turn, but in the middle of the last 25 I discovered that I really would make it, and even had something left.
I did not get the split, but I finished in 1:21.66. Probably 38/43. My seed time was 1:30.00, so I was pleased.
I think I'll even do it again, now that I know that I can!
Congratulations!
:applaud:
Nice work. Congrats to beating your seed time. Do you know anyone else that swims the 100fly? if so you should try making goals together. it's been helping me and a friend of mine.
.
I think this is a smart idea. Positive motivation helps me "feel" the stroke better in workouts and drop time.
Well, I did get the splits, and it's ugly. I went out in 36.6, came back in 45.0! Oops, I guess there's work to do on the back half. Gotta get smoother, more efficient. And finally suck it up and start to lift, do dryland core work, and drop some pounds.
But at least I can say that I did it--haven't done anything that scared me like that in a while...
Well, I did get the splits, and it's ugly. I went out in 36.6, came back in 45.0! Oops, I guess there's work to do on the back half. Gotta get smoother, more efficient. And finally suck it up and start to lift, do dryland core work, and drop some pounds.
But at least I can say that I did it--haven't done anything that scared me like that in a while...
That's the tricky part. Your inclination would be to slow down somewhat the first 50 to conserve energy. But there's a certain minimum energy it takes to swim fly efficiently, at least the way I do it. If I slow down past that point, I think it takes as much or more energy to go slower.
I think the best way to train is just do 100 flys in practice. I don't enter the 100 fly unless I've been specifically training for it. We don't do a lot of fly in my group because we'd smack arms constantly. So I wait until people leave towards the end of the workout, and grab a whole lane if available for doing lots of fly.
Great job! For a 50 of 30.94, textbook ideal splitting for the 100 would be something like 31.94 + 33.94 = 1:05.88. So a goal of 1:06 to 1:07 is doable but aggressive. (Almost no one can attain ideal splitting like that; I certainly haven't)
I disagree that a differential of 2.0 sec is ideal in the 100 fly. The first 50 benefits from a start (say 1.5 sec) and the 2nd 50 is disadvantaged because of the open turn (say 1.0 sec from the time your hand hits to when your feet leave the wall).
So even without fatigue you are talking about 2.5 sec difference. Even when I feel pretty strong on the 2nd half I usually have about a 3.0-3.2 sec difference. (Compare this to a typical 1.0-1.5 diff in backstroke for me: less advantage on the start, and a foot touch on the first 50.)
I agree that for the first 50, a well-trained masters swimmer should be about 1.0 sec from his top speed 50 in the 100 fly. The elite swimmers (Phelps et al) will be closer than that.
This is an ancient thread.
An update: I swam the 100 fly SCY last weekend for the second time in my life, three years after the first (which was the subject of this thread at the time). A modest note, to say that in three years, my fly has improved, if not dramatically, substantially.
Last time I swam 1:21.66. This time, I swam a 1:17.81, with splits as follows:
36.19
41.62
which beats the 36/45 I posted three years ago.
My 50 has dropped to 30.94, which suggests I could swim the race more aggressively; I had pledged to do so to myself, but on the block I had to suppress a near panic attack, and got myself to swim the event only by mentally downgrading the experience to a mere workout.
No piano fell. Although I could kick a great deal more, and my SDKs should be more numerous and propel me further, the whole thing was unremarkable. Which is awesome. And which brings the 400 IM into the conversation, for the first time ever.
I write with a ceremonial offering of thanks to the forumites who have built such an excellent library of posts, to which I have referred many times. (Given that 50 time, which I aspire to sneak under 30, does anyone have any insights on a proper goal for a 100? I'm all ears!)
But mostly I'm happy and thankful. :) Great job! For a 50 of 30.94, textbook ideal splitting for the 100 would be something like 31.94 + 33.94 = 1:05.88. So a goal of 1:06 to 1:07 is doable but aggressive. (Almost no one can attain ideal splitting like that; I certainly haven't)
Great job! For a 50 of 30.94, textbook ideal splitting for the 100 would be something like 31.94 + 33.94 = 1:05.88. So a goal of 1:06 to 1:07 is doable but aggressive. (Almost no one can attain ideal splitting like that; I certainly haven't)
Thanks, TG. Getting below 1:10 would be awesome, though I confess that seems like a distant target! I think my age group NQT is 1:07. That's a lot of fly in practice, I'd bet. But I'm motivated.
I got some coaching after my 50; his advice was to sink more effort into the SDK and travel further underwater. Which is tangible, at least...
