I have been following a few training logs here and I note a heavy emphasis on "race-pace" training with ample recovery time. I have to assume this works well since the people posting are swimming far faster than I. so here is the question: when performing a high intensity set like that, is the emphasis on maintaining the speed, taking as much recovery time as you need to keep up the speed, or should you maintain the selected turn-over time and struggle to maintain the speed in the face of increasing fatigue? If you are finding a pace too steep to maintain the speed, do you slip to a slower pace, or should you just take a break and restart the set at the same pace after a bit of recovery? I am specifically refering to speed sets done at 90 percent of race-pace or better.
The same question should be applied to stroke technique: as I fatigue my stroke tends to break-up a bit (Ok: a lot). In training should I select paces that allow me to always maintain a "perfect" stroke, or should I push into the "red zone" where I am fatigued enough that my stroke is getting ragged? BTW: my "ragged" stroke is quite a bit faster than my technical stroke, but it really is quite "splashy". My daughter actually calls me "Dr.Splashy" when she teases me.
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Since I am one of the big "race pace" proponents, I am going to add my 2 German cents -
I think it's pretty shocking how few yards many swimmers spend at race pace or faster. All the other yardage is simply done to get ready for these sets. A 100 sprinter needs a base (small base), so he can do more race pace stuff and recover faster.
Just swimming "fast" is not swimming at race pace. Race Pace is just that - you have to maintain the same pace as your goal in your "target race" - same number of strokes per length- same turnover.
You can not do that, if you swim a set in the same distance as your target race. So if you are a 200 swimmer - you can either do broken 200s or swim 100s with tons of rest. 100 swimmers can do broken 100s or just 50s.
Example - 200 swimmer wants to break 2:00. Let's say you swim a set of 100s from a dive, you have to hit your target going pace on every one (add maybe a second for suit / shaving) or at least 59s to the foot !
Or the same swimmer does a set of broken 200s from a push -- all the 50s need to 30.5 or faster with as little rest as possible.
Chris has more of a distance swimmer focus / plan: I could not hold my 200 race pace on 4x100 every 4 minutes -- he seems to be able to do so, each person is different.
I am not really sure I am sold on this concept
You do some base in the beginning of the season, depending on your main event - if you don't do race pace stuff at least 6-8 weeks out from your meet, you are in trouble.
Since I am one of the big "race pace" proponents, I am going to add my 2 German cents -
I think it's pretty shocking how few yards many swimmers spend at race pace or faster. All the other yardage is simply done to get ready for these sets. A 100 sprinter needs a base (small base), so he can do more race pace stuff and recover faster.
Just swimming "fast" is not swimming at race pace. Race Pace is just that - you have to maintain the same pace as your goal in your "target race" - same number of strokes per length- same turnover.
You can not do that, if you swim a set in the same distance as your target race. So if you are a 200 swimmer - you can either do broken 200s or swim 100s with tons of rest. 100 swimmers can do broken 100s or just 50s.
Example - 200 swimmer wants to break 2:00. Let's say you swim a set of 100s from a dive, you have to hit your target going pace on every one (add maybe a second for suit / shaving) or at least 59s to the foot !
Or the same swimmer does a set of broken 200s from a push -- all the 50s need to 30.5 or faster with as little rest as possible.
Chris has more of a distance swimmer focus / plan: I could not hold my 200 race pace on 4x100 every 4 minutes -- he seems to be able to do so, each person is different.
I am not really sure I am sold on this concept
You do some base in the beginning of the season, depending on your main event - if you don't do race pace stuff at least 6-8 weeks out from your meet, you are in trouble.
