200 Challenge: Goal time, roadmap and status updates

I'm 52, and starting my second year of training after a 24-year layoff, and the 200 free is starting to emerge as my best event. I have a meet in 3 weeks where I think I can break 2:04 scy. My goal is to try to break 2:00 scy in this next scy season. I'm currently training 14000 yds/wk on 5 days/wk. The workouts I design for the 200 focus (2 to 3 days per week) start with some medium distances (500, or 2 x 300, or 3 x 200, or 300-200-100) focusing on negative splits or descending times per 100. Currently a central part is then 5-6 100's on 1:40 descending with an average around 1:10 maybe 1:09 on a good day - OR - 3-4 100's on 1:30 at 1:10 or under, trying to finish below 1:08. After about 500 of various drills, two minutes rest, and then a fast 100 aiming for 1:04. Some short sets of fast 50's on :50 currently targeting 32 sec. , maybe some 25's as half sprint then cruise, another 2min rest and another fast 100 as fast as I can go. Fill out the workout and cool down. My roadmap is to bring the central 100's interval sets down to the 1:06-1:08 range, eventually on 1:35 or 1:30; the fast 100's after 2min rest down to 1:02; and the fast 50's intervals down to :30, eventually bringing the interval down to :45; and the overall distance per week up to 16000. I think all this is possible, as I am still building strength and have only recently started to be able to truly have a good catch, high elbow, and maintain good form for most of the workout. Trying to focus on good mechanics for these sets is a given. I had to build enough muscle around the shoulder over the past year to be able to put the stress on the shoulders without injury, but I'm there now. For the race, I'm trying to internalize Mike Ross' guide to the 200, found on another thread: " 200 pace feels powerful, but not out of control. Let's start with the first 50. In a good 200, the legs will kick on the first 50, but the kick is not using a lot of energy. It is more to help keep tempo. ... The second 50 is sometimes a challenge. You should feel good on this 50 and that can have one of two effects. You may decide, "I feel too good, I need to slow down". Big mistake. Slowing down on this 50 will let the wave slip past you. You might think "I feel good, I should go faster". This too is a mistake. The wave will certainly crash down on you if you do that. You need to find a zen-like state between these two thoughts. Keep your speed, but don't use up your energy. The split? ... (about 2 seconds slower than the first 50). The third 50 is a build up 50 and in many ways this is a relief. You can begin to let your kick "work" if you have a good kick, without the fear of sapping all of your energy. You should play with building a 50 to get accustomed to bringing the kick into your stroke. If done right, when you hit the final 50, you should have enough energy left to let the kick loose and be able to come home at the same pace as the 3rd 50. If not, you might question why your left arm will not respond to commands anymore. " That's my 200 challenge. We'll see how it goes.

Those are very ambitious split differences as well. If I am 7 seconds apart, that is a good day for me. Unfortunately at Indy, the 100 differences in my 200 LCM fly were 12 seconds apart. Those splits are very realistic provided that I execute properly. If I hadn't lost a second on the last 50, my LCM 200 would have been 4.7 between the 100's instead of the 5.7 that I did.

2:04.9 200 ***. lifetime best from college was a 2:12. however this summer i was 2:28 LCM, which converts to around a 2:07. while conversions are not an exact science, I am fairly certain I can hit my goal time because my pull outs are really good. as for how i plan to get there? well i only do a lot of breaststroke when i do IM sets. I don't like to stress my knees. More than likely I will just keep doing the training I am doing and assume that (like this summer) my breaststroke will "click" only after I have entered the water and started that first stroke of the race.

Month -4 (now): Regaining training consistency and momentum. Yardage goal 15k/week. Dryland emphasis on core and "prehab" of all the hurty body parts. Some swim bench for strength. Cycling cross training for change of scenery - shortish rides with fartlek to get the HR up (as if cycling isn't enough!) Month -3: Increase training intensity. Lots of IM and kicking to supplement free. Coach will keep shouting at me to work on walls and SDKs, and he will be right. Month -2: Begin lactate work. Progressively try to improve training pace. Mini meets to start racing (hope back doesn't play up OTB). Month -1: Give up the booze (OK, maybe only have a drink every other day). Hammer out some lactate killer sets. Try to do some fast 100s and 150s in training. Try to do enough in the first couple of weeks to deserve a taper! If by "lactate work" you mean lactate-tolerance, I would not wait until M-2 to begin, start it as soon as you feel up to it. The sooner the better, without injuring yourself -- though it may reach a crescendo in M-3 and M-2. And while I would certainly continue it in M-1, don't kill yourself. You shouldn't be dead-tired when you hit your taper.

If by "lactate work" you mean lactate-tolerance, I would not wait until M-2 to begin, start it as soon as you feel up to it. The sooner the better, without injuring yourself -- though it may reach a crescendo in M-3 and M-2. And while I would certainly continue it in M-1, don't kill yourself. You shouldn't be dead-tired when you hit your taper. Hey Chris, Thank you for your advice which I will heed. In the past I have used sets like the one on page 215 of the Swim Coaching Bible - Mike Bottom's contribution: 3 x { + 300 easy}. I'd be very grateful if you have suggestions/alternatives to try out.

There are 2 ways to swim this and I try to use both - go 4x200 on every 9 or 10 minutes (this is an all-out effort) - Thanks for the suggestion. Do you do these with gentle active recovery between efforts?

I like to do 100s at second 100 pace.Allow enough rest to repeat at that speed.For 200 BR I think my perfect drop off is 4 sec so to swim 2:28 SCY I want to hold 100s at 1:16,but since I'll be shaved and tapered for the race 1:17 is OK. Yes, this is great advice. I do this myself. (So it has to be great advice then!):D Even if I can only complete two of them. Two is good enough for the 200, anyway. In fact I don't see any point in doing 100's any slower than your slowest 100 in the 200. Unless of course you are warming up or warming down or practicing for the 400. But it is draining physically and psychologically. Sometimes I am just too tired to do it. Then I might just swim a set of 10 X 100's on 1:30, and on the last one, I will give it all I have got and go for that second 100 of the 200 time.

if you are one of those who drops a lot when you taper,or own a Jaked What if he is one of those who just doesn't train?

Glad GDavis brought this thread back to life. My ultimate goal stands at 1:49.99 in March, but I have a short term goal and a new training approach. Goal: 1:58.09scy (USAS A standard) Date: Oct 16, 2009 Training: More sprint training, faster pace on the long stuff. On the endurance stuff my goal is to hold 1:12 or better, on the fast stuff I need to be breaking 1:00 and a one off max effort needs to be :55. I am not there yet. M,W,F: Team workouts, but I have the lane space to follow the workout, but completely rewrite the effort levels to meet my goals. For example, 10x100, descend 1-3 was actually done as ez back, smooth free, fast free. Adequate lane space is great. Tuesday: Solo? Don't have a game plan for this day yet. I will probably do endurance for 3 weeks, sprint for 2 weeks then drill the week before the meet. Saturday: Short Sprints. My solo practices are SCM, so I want to get in a half dozen or more 25 yard max effort sprints, trying to hit 13. Sunday: Day of Recovery. More endurance work initially transitioning to true recovery day focusing on drills. Last year during my hardest training, I was probably doing 20-25k. This next six weeks I am going to see what only ~15k does. I will rest 3 days for the meet. The meet is a 3 day meet, and if they keep the same order of events, I will swim the 200 on day 3, but I will only be swimming 1 event per day.

For you 200 swimmers out there -- one of the best sets to get ready is "broken 200s" at race pace. For short course I would suggest a break at the 100 and at the 150 (every 50 is too much rest) -- or at 75 and 150. There are 2 ways to swim this and I try to use both - go 4x200 on every 9 or 10 minutes (this is an all-out effort) - odds: breaks are 10 sec evens: breaks are as much as needed to swim goal time - this may be 20-30 sec in the beginning of the season, but hopefully it will come down. Do this once a week for about 6-8 weeks starting about 10 weeks out from your main meet. My own target is to go sub 1:50 in December -- I actually have the speed and need to improve endurance while not taking anything away from my speed. Roadmap: Going for an Eric Heiden tribute, hopefully starting with a good 1500 in October and then going down in distances as the main meet gets closer ...