Last 150 of my 500 falls off

Here is Ande's "Swimming Faster Faster" thread: Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster - U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums Perhaps something there will help. Here is a thread specifically on racing the 500 free: forums.usms.org/showthread.php I am very slow myself, but the current thinking on acquiring speed is to focus on short, high-intensity intervals, and make sure the kick is helping you. I would also point you to the blogs, which show how dryland, weights, and other nonaquatic as well as aquatic work can build speed.

You are averaging 1:13s for the last 3 hundreds, which is 10 seconds slower than your first 100. Try pacing it a little more even. Even the 5 second drop-off from your first to second 100 is a bit large. (You can look up swims in your age group at Nationals to see how other people paced their swims.) Let's say you want to do a 5:45 for your next swim, which is a 1:09 average. You could try 1:06 / 1:09 (2:15) / 1:10 / 1:10 / 1:10. Feel comfortable the first 200, even if it feels too slow, so you have energy to be aggressive on the back half.

Thank you so much for your responses! This is encouraging. I'll read up on the links. I do plan on going to nationals next month, so I'll experiment with timed 500's on each of the next 4 saturdays. I want to get this pace down. Any workout suggestions for the 500? For reference, my meet times are: 26.7 - 50 free, 57.4 - 100 free and 2:07.2 in the 200 free. These are also all of the events I plan on swimming at nationals. The 500 is the event I'm most interested in doing well with.

I agree with muppet, pace is all important.

Fifty 500 swimmers will probably give you 50 different ways to swim a 500. As a mid-distance freestyler myself, in general, my advice for someone swimming a 400/500 is: the pace you set in the first 100 will dictate the rest of the race. If it is too fast, you die at the end; if you start out too slow, you'll finish slow. Unfortunately, there is a fine line for the perfect first 100 that changes every time you dive in. I think it is important to take advantage of the momentum and speed from your dive and I like that you're aggressive going out, but as has been alluded to already, that is not the best race strategery for us adults to adopt. What things do you notice falling apart during that last 150-200y of the 500? Work on the small things like keeping turns fast, not breathing in/out of walls on turns, tight streamlines, SDK on your streamlines, breathing patterns, perfect technique, kicking. FYI, my pacing for a good 500 is first 100 - set the pace second, third - build turnover at the 250, really start putting the legs into it 4th 100 - 98% effort 5th 100 - go for broke!

These are great suggestions and just what I'm looking for. I did go into the last meet without tapering since I really am aiming for nationals. I'm wearing a jammer. Are the body suits really a big advantage? Do I need the most expensive one to be effective? I can have no problem upping the yardage, but at what point do I ease up for nationals. I'm really stoked about swimming and can't wait for my first national experience! Unfortunately I swim on my own. We don't have a competitive master program in Sioux City and no one I swim with can push me. You guys are now my coach. I want to thank Jeff for recommending a place to swim while I'm in DC. I got in some yardage and felt great. I did a broken 500 for the first time and thought it was a great set. Thanks again everyone! Scott 712-253-9701 cell

If you can't hold on to your pace after 350, it's because you haven't trained to the point to make it possible. You're working out 5 days a week, doing 3000 yards, 4000 Once a week Most of your workouts are 250 - 500 yard swims, with some 100's on 1:30. you can go 6:10 in the middle of practice without killing yourself. you asked Why can't I do better in a meet? i suggest you 1) train 5 to 6 times a week, 4,000 to 5,000 per practice, get a coach, swim with a team 2) include speed work ie fast 50's on 1:00 to 1:30 & fast 100's on 2:00 - 3:00 3) swim a fast 500 for time once or twice a week focusing on proper splitting the right way to split a 500 is: 1st 50 should be easy speed & comfortable, breathe every stroke 2nd through 9th 50's should be very close to each other 10th 50 should be about as fast as your first work your turns & streamlines, breathe every stroke 4) are you lifting weights? if not start 5) are you over weight? if so, lose some pounds 6) Which suit did you wear in your race? Tech suits can make a HUGE difference. Did you shave? 7) Did you rest for the meet? 8) How psyched & focused were you before & during the races? How mentally tough were you in your race? In meets my first 100 is 1:03 and at 200 at 2:11. Why the fall off? so you're 2:11 at the 200 & 5:50 at the 500, meaning you're 3:40 on the last 300, which is 1:13 per 100 pace. The real issue is, you're attempting to hold a pace you think you can, but you really can't. EASE UP a bit on the front end & you'll have more on the back end. do your 100's like this: 1:06 1:09 1:09 1:09 1:07 or do your 50's like this: 1) 32 2) 34 3) 34 4) 34 5) 34 6) 34 7) 34 8) 34 9) 34 10) 32 when you compare your first 250 with your last 250, they should be pretty close. At least within 5 seconds, preferably 0 to 2. Any meet nutruition ideas? probably won't make much diff, don't get food poisoning Workout ideas? train smarter, further, harder, more times a week, under a coach with a group Pacing ideas? learn to properly pace your 500, it's all about correct effort READ SWIM FASTER FASTER Hope this helps you Swim Faster Faster, Ande I'm new to masters this year and have had two meets since January. The first 500 was 5:50 and the second one was 5:51. I can't hold on to my pace after 350. I'm 49 and am working out 5 days a week. Most days are 3000 yards. Once a week I go 4000 yards. Most of my workouts are 250-500 yard swims, with some 100's on 1:30. I can go 6:10 in the middle of practice without killing myself. Why can't I do better in a meet? In meets my first 100 is 1:03 and at 200 at 2:11. Why the fall off? Any meet nutruition ideas? Workout ideas? Pacing ideas?

a full body suit will make a big difference. so will shaving if you don't want to spend the money. In my experience with body suits and shaving you can expect to drop about 3 seconds per 100 in your 500. this is a bit of speculation but it is also based on observation and experience over many years. i would approach a taper for the 500 by making sure all the muscle soreness is gone going into the meet. You should feel fresh and powerful. Also, realize that during the last two or three weeks you are not going to get into better shape (assuming you've been training for several months). what you can do is focus on speed and details. focus on your race strategy. learn the pace of your race. do a couple of turns at the end of practice and some starts. Practice the turns you want to race with during your training sessions. I have always found that an increase in detail focus the last couple of weeks produces results in the big meet. if you are dying at the end of your race you are going out too fast. it is that simple. often we try to complicate it, but in my mind it is that simple. pace your race better. don't go out slow but just back off your first 100 a bit. if you want to swim a 5:30 in the 500 but never swim at that speed in practice, chances are you won't be able to hit that pace in a meet. i don't mean swimming a set of 500s holding that pace, but rather, swim a set of 100s holding that pace on an interval that allows you to maintain that pace. the way to get faster is to change something. you know the saying "if nothing changes then nothing changes". i am not a person whose first response is "i have to train harder". I usually go for "I have to change something in my training." sometimes its train more intensely, sometimes its training less or more, sometimes i have to change something technical, sometimes i have to change my mindset. but something has to change if I want to keep getting faster. I have heard a Eddie Reese (maybe the world's best coach) say that there are only four ways to get faster 1. improve technique 2. get stronger 3. harder workouts 4. if the workouts can't get any harder then swim the same workouts faster i particularly like number four. often we get into our comfort zone. viewed this way it is easier to just swim more yards in our comfort zone. what is better in my view is to do the same workouts just swim them faster. so, if you normally hold 1:15/100 in workout start holding 1:13. we can all do this. it comes down to "are you willing to hurt like this"? sometimes the answer is no. and that is alright. I know I don't always want to make swimming a process of agonizing training sessions. but i also realize i have to be satisfied with the results that moderate levels of pain produce. i hope this helps and i didn't ramble too much. good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Thanks coaches! I'm really suprised about the performance of the full body suit! 3 seconds per 100? Can I get by with a suit for $250? I will get one, but how durable is it? I assume it would be for meets and time trials only, but I would think that I should practice in it to get used to it and try to determine new pace splits. The two meets that I've been in, I had the lap counter person signal me as far as my pace. Do you agree with this? Very exciting information gentlemen!

Hey Scott, I can have no problem upping the yardage, but at what point do I ease up for nationals train hard then rest a week for nats Are the body suits really a big advantage? YES Do I need the most expensive one to be effective? NO There's many changes in suit rules to come. Read Tip 201 Which Suit Suits you? More On Racing Suits Tip 214 Even More On Racing Suits FINA Releases Information on FINA Bureau Meeting, Approves Speedsuit Restriction Proposal U.S. Masters Swimming’s official interpretation of Swimwear rule 102.14 Bottomline is 03/31/09 was the deadline for manufacturers to submit suits for phase 1 testing, soon FINA will issue a list of APPROVED SUITS, I have no clue what will and what won't be approved. I hope Blue Seventy Nero Comps & Speedo PROs will. effective Jan. 1, 2010 FINA requires a "permeability value" test The non-permeable material can only be used for a maximum 50% of the total surface of the swimsuit for full-body models. For these models, the maximum surface of non-permeable material to be used on the upper and lower part of the swimsuit shall be respectively 25% on each part. Non-permeable material shall be distinguishable. this language in the U.S. Masters Swimming’s official interpretation of Swimwear rule 102.14 suits introduced prior to September 30, 2007, are legal for U.S.M.S. competition leads me to believe the Speedo FAST SKIN II will be safe, not sure when Speedo PROs were released but it think it was after that date. Your best bet could be a hineck speedo pro, I hope blue the blue seventy nero comp makes the phase 1 list but it won't pass the 50% non permeability value test. for training ideas consider following these blogs: Pat Brundage Chris Stevenson My current blog, Ande's Swimming Blog, just know that I'm focusing on 50's & 100's for Nats My My Old swimming blog with workouts from Mar 2005 - Sep 2008 Swim Faster Faster, Ande These are great suggestions and just what I'm looking for. I did go into the last meet without tapering since I really am aiming for nationals. I'm wearing a jammer. Are the body suits really a big advantage? Do I need the most expensive one to be effective? I can have no problem upping the yardage, but at what point do I ease up for nationals. I'm really stoked about swimming and can't wait for my first national experience! Unfortunately I swim on my own. We don't have a competitive master program in Sioux City and no one I swim with can push me. You guys are now my coach. I want to thank Jeff for recommending a place to swim while I'm in DC. I got in some yardage and felt great. I did a broken 500 for the first time and thought it was a great set. Thanks again everyone! Scott 712-253-9701 cell