I started a similar poll before,but time has changed things and I thought since USMS is going to have to do something definitive so they should have some input from the forumites
Nevertheless I take your meaning: I know you are a proponent of swimming fast in season (which basically means not swimming in meets when too tired, ie not getting too tired in-season). And throwing on a suit is like an instant shave: it is that much easier to get time close to season-ending times.
Of course, if it is that important to you, you can still shave for in-season meets. I've done it before, and I even like the after-effects of being (partially) shaved in practice for the ensuing weeks after the meet. It would be like wearing the suits in practice...but not as hard on the pocketbook.
But I also really like having significant drops at season-ending meets. If I go to the trouble of tapering and travelling to nationals I'd like to have more than a 0.5-1.0 sec drop in time. And maybe I'm too old-school, but I don't share your fondness for swimming too fast in-season. I like training hard during the season; I do this as much for the training as for the competition.
I've done it the other way (ie, fast in-season meets) before and it can come with the price of somewhat slower swimming at the big meet. But that's just me. Even at the elite level you see people all over the board on this: some who do well mostly at the big meets, when rested, and others who swim fast almost all the time.
It's important to me, and much more fun, to swim fast all the time. I did this train, train, train for THE big taper meet all the time when I was a kid. It is old school, and I like doing it completely differently now as a master. I love tinkering with my training periods and training in general; and I can't always get to Nats anyway. (Judging by my family's current tolerance level, I think I'm going to be 0 for 2 next year.) Plus, as a geezer, I'm leery about training for THE meet and then getting sick or injured or have a family issue interfere with the plan.
Now I do own one of those magic suits that does the swimming for me. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd just swim slow all the time in season from lack of training. ;)
Nevertheless I take your meaning: I know you are a proponent of swimming fast in season (which basically means not swimming in meets when too tired, ie not getting too tired in-season). And throwing on a suit is like an instant shave: it is that much easier to get time close to season-ending times.
Of course, if it is that important to you, you can still shave for in-season meets. I've done it before, and I even like the after-effects of being (partially) shaved in practice for the ensuing weeks after the meet. It would be like wearing the suits in practice...but not as hard on the pocketbook.
But I also really like having significant drops at season-ending meets. If I go to the trouble of tapering and travelling to nationals I'd like to have more than a 0.5-1.0 sec drop in time. And maybe I'm too old-school, but I don't share your fondness for swimming too fast in-season. I like training hard during the season; I do this as much for the training as for the competition.
I've done it the other way (ie, fast in-season meets) before and it can come with the price of somewhat slower swimming at the big meet. But that's just me. Even at the elite level you see people all over the board on this: some who do well mostly at the big meets, when rested, and others who swim fast almost all the time.
It's important to me, and much more fun, to swim fast all the time. I did this train, train, train for THE big taper meet all the time when I was a kid. It is old school, and I like doing it completely differently now as a master. I love tinkering with my training periods and training in general; and I can't always get to Nats anyway. (Judging by my family's current tolerance level, I think I'm going to be 0 for 2 next year.) Plus, as a geezer, I'm leery about training for THE meet and then getting sick or injured or have a family issue interfere with the plan.
Now I do own one of those magic suits that does the swimming for me. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd just swim slow all the time in season from lack of training. ;)
