Meet's on Friday, I think. I just started swimming on a team in January and I've done nothing longer than 100 at the four meets I've been to so far. I looked at the events board and turned to my coaches and said, "There must have been some kind of mistake..." Recently, in my "I'm new" thread, I said I wanted to up the ante. Apparently, some divine power was listening.
What strategies do you all have for me? Please give me something, Masters forum, because I'm CLUELESS! Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope. //Leia
I feel like Indiana Jones after he's picked off a bazillion baddies and then finally the real big, tough baddy appears onscreen and Indy just kind of looks up like, "Awww, come on... let's just go have a beer, man..." while slowly putting up his fists for what he knows will be a very painful thrashing.
For your first 500:
1) Take the first 100 out relaxed then try to build by 100s.
2) Tight streamlines off each wall
3) Kick for the first 5 yards off each wall then ease off the legs
4) Breathe, breathe, breathe. Every cycle (2 strokes) if you can, or at least every three strokes if you can bi-lateral breathe effectively
5) Long, strong strokes.
6) At the 450 mark start to bring the legs in
Relax and have fun
You still have 2 days - if you can, try to work in a couple of timed 500s in practice, so you can taste the pain of a longer distance swim. If you take it out too hard, you will choke at the end. You need to know what the right pace to start out with feels like (it will feel slow compared to that 100 pace) such that you can sustain it through the entire race.
Good luck!
Look at it as a new adventure. You may end up liking the challenge of the "middle-distance" events.
Good luck, stay relaxed, and don't worry about swimming fast, just swim your best.
That's one thing I liked about the broken 500s I swam over the past couple weeks. I split them up as 200, 150, 100, 50 with a fixed rest between (10s, typically). Since each
successive segment is shorter I should, in theory, be able to swim it at a bit faster pace. Still, time will tell. I've never done a 500 in competition before.
Couroboros (sp? I can't see the top post anymore) thanks for asking this question! I'm also swimming my first 500 this weekend and I'm digging all this advice you got. I've done a ton of 1/2 mile and mile + open water swims but never a 500, so I'm glad to have this advice.
Good luck to you
and good luck to me
Thanks for the advice everybody
Sprint ALL OUT on the first 50 and then try to finish the race :)
Promise, it will be a learning experience. One you will never forget.
-- real advice starts here --
Paul's advice is pretty good unless you are not a good kicker. If you are not a good kicker, don't kick any more than you would in warm up until the end of the race. If you think your kick is decent, then it is safe to follow Paul's kicking advice.
Definitely breath as often as you would like.
For your first 500:
1) Take the first 100 out relaxed then try to build by 100s.
2) Tight streamlines off each wall
3) Kick for the first 5 yards off each wall then ease off the legs
4) Breathe, breathe, breathe. Every cycle (2 strokes) if you can, or at least every three strokes if you can bi-lateral breathe effectively
5) Long, strong strokes.
6) At the 450 mark start to bring the legs in
Relax and have fun
Although I don't swim the 500 these days, this would be a great place to start I think. As a lurker, I listened to pwolf's advice this last weekend for the 200, specifically; "Use the free speed off the turns" and will employ that in the future. I think that's what #2 above addresses.
What strategies do you all have for me?
a 500 is just ten 50's, not a big deal, it's a 5 - 6 minute race
you're hairy,
shave your arms, legs, chest, & back
wear a tech suit, at least pro legs, preferably a full body
Breathe often
Take long smooth strokes
Fast turns
Push off hard & glide far
Correctly split your race / proper pace.
First 50 easy, breathe often, save your legs
hold your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th 7th & 8th 50's even
keep them with in 0.4 of each other
pick up your 9th 50
sprint your 10th 50
when you slice and dice your times
your 100's should be close to each other
your 250's should be close to each other 4 seconds or less
the biggest mistake novices make is
they swim too hard on the front end of their race and get too tired.
They go out fast and dies
Proper pacing is critical.
Have fun.
Settle into a sustainable pace.
