Hi all,
First off, my 100 free is such that Michael Phelps could do a 200 and towel off before I finshed my 100. And good on him!
But I am planning to swim this event in my local Senior Games meet next week--and just want to break 2 mins. Yes, I can swim long--but not fast. That sub-2 time has been an elusive goal (granted I put more time into running last year than swimming, so got somewhat sidetracked... a running injury, however, has served to refocus my attention on swimming).
Fortunately, my 100 times have started to improve, so that in recent workouts, I have them down to 2:01-2:02. My thought is that with a dive start, I can drop a couple seconds.
My masters' coach said maybe I might even consider aiming for 1:50. But I've been known to over-reach at the start and blow up in the last 25, so I want to be careful about this.
I'll see how I feel on race day, of course, but I welcome any tips you might have.
Again, admittedly, this is modest. Discreet laughter permitted along with tips. ;)
Thanks everyone for the replies!
Ande, as usual, you offer a wealth of info! Thanks for the links!
Rich, my dive is a little rusty. I'm thinking I should get a little practice during the weekend to refresh my "muscle memory"--and my courage. On that block I feel as if I'm fifty feet up--but I worked in late 2007 w/ a very helpful coach who helped me with the dive. Also, just for you, I might add a 50 breaststroke just to get some practice in it, but that won't be beautiful. ;)
Syd, I have a vcr tape of my freestyle, not recent--haven't gotten around to converting it to a dvd so as to put it on the computer. The masters' coach has done a good job in giving me feedback, which has been very helpful in improving my workouts. I'm female, 58, and began masters' swimming in 2005, although I'd been swimming a good part of my life and would do lap swimming when running injuries hobbled me. Getting into a masters' group made a HUGE difference though in improving my stroke, etc. I wasn't consistent the past few years in the group workouts, but I tried to at least keep going on my own when my schedule didn't allow joining a group. Two years ago, I completed a 5.25 mile open water swim across the Great South Bay in NY. That was TRULY exciting for many reasons! But I've been doing shorter workouts now, trying to develop a bit more speed--I hope to return to the long swim again, but this is a nice, fun break.
Eric, I'm ENVIOUS of your times! I figure I'll work my way down in 5-10 second increments per hundred and maybe in another 5-6 years, I'll be at 1:30. Luckily, I'm enjoying the journey--my first swim coach always headed his workout sheets, "Do the best you can do. Don't worry about what others are doing." It's advice that's good for lots of pursuits, not only swimming!
Thanks everyone for the replies!
Ande, as usual, you offer a wealth of info! Thanks for the links!
Rich, my dive is a little rusty. I'm thinking I should get a little practice during the weekend to refresh my "muscle memory"--and my courage. On that block I feel as if I'm fifty feet up--but I worked in late 2007 w/ a very helpful coach who helped me with the dive. Also, just for you, I might add a 50 breaststroke just to get some practice in it, but that won't be beautiful. ;)
Syd, I have a vcr tape of my freestyle, not recent--haven't gotten around to converting it to a dvd so as to put it on the computer. The masters' coach has done a good job in giving me feedback, which has been very helpful in improving my workouts. I'm female, 58, and began masters' swimming in 2005, although I'd been swimming a good part of my life and would do lap swimming when running injuries hobbled me. Getting into a masters' group made a HUGE difference though in improving my stroke, etc. I wasn't consistent the past few years in the group workouts, but I tried to at least keep going on my own when my schedule didn't allow joining a group. Two years ago, I completed a 5.25 mile open water swim across the Great South Bay in NY. That was TRULY exciting for many reasons! But I've been doing shorter workouts now, trying to develop a bit more speed--I hope to return to the long swim again, but this is a nice, fun break.
Eric, I'm ENVIOUS of your times! I figure I'll work my way down in 5-10 second increments per hundred and maybe in another 5-6 years, I'll be at 1:30. Luckily, I'm enjoying the journey--my first swim coach always headed his workout sheets, "Do the best you can do. Don't worry about what others are doing." It's advice that's good for lots of pursuits, not only swimming!
