How do you determine whether you would be better off training and racing sprints or distance events?
I'm back into competitive training this winter after ~2 decades since high school. I used to coach age group, and I've been hitting some master's practices, so I'm not without direction for what I should be doing to get back in shape. I am, however, clueless about distance swimming.
I have no exposure to distance racing or training so I am starting to read up on it (Maglischo). In high school, with the longest event being the 500 free, everyone was a "sprinter" whether they were suited to it or not.
Since I'm basically rebuilding myself from the ground up, I am wondering whether I might give distance a try? What sorts of physiology, technique or psychology lend themselves to doing distance as opposed to sprinting? Or does this not really matter for a nearly 40-year-old masters swimmer that's been out of the pool for nearly forever?
Former Member
There's some robust formula that allows to get an individual sprint/distance index (which I can not reveal at this time, but certainly later I will).
Is this some sort of secret or a joke ?
Former Member
I'm not sure I agree with this. A former swimmer with reasonable technique can probably swim a fast 50 or 100 much easier with little training than a fast 200 or 500.
Hey Dan,
I am assuming Jeff just started back. First six months back, my 50 times dropped from really unimpressive to just unimpressive. But my endurance went from not being able to swim anything to being able to swim a 5k practice, and my repeats times dropped from 100s on 2:00 to 100s on 1:25. Those improvements made me feel great, but my 50 off the blocks time made me feel horrible. The ability to practice better let me get to a point where training for competition made sense again.
Now if Jeff knew he just wanted to swim sprints, he could probably skip straight to fast training with lots of rest, and see some impressive improvement, but since he is undetermined, I think middle distance or distance training will make him happier. Once he has an aerobic base, he can go in any direction.
At the end of a workout , do you feel like you could go further or faster? That will tell you.
Former Member
Michael - I don't mean to be argumentative at all. I guess my experience was different. I think ALL of my times were unimpressive in the beginning! But the sprint times became less disgusting quicker than longer swims. I'll admit too that I have no interest in swimming 5K practices. I am firmly in the quality over quantity camp.
In any case - I don't think blood tests or muscle fiber analysis is required to determine sprinter vs. distance.
I suggest though that if the OP thinks he might want to sprint well - include some fast swimming weekly regardless of what he does for aerobic work.
Former Member
To ask a slightly different question, can anyone be successful at distance, provided they train for it?
Depends on how you define success, but yes. You can even be successful at it without training specifically for it.
Former Member
It is pretty easy, actually. I've been swimming competitively for almost 40 years and have come up with a pretty foolproof detection system. Forget about fast-twitch, slow-twitch or any of that; it is all about attitude.
Do you preen? When you drop a measly 0.1 sec from a swim, do you carry on like you just won Olympic gold? Do you go easy throughout an entire set only to come roaring back on the last rep, passing (and pissing off) everyone in your lane? Do you use a lot of equipment? Are you high maintenance? Then you're a sprinter.
Are you a plodder? Do you look down your nose at swimmers who spend less than 120 min (and 7K) in the water for one workout? Does your taper last only 3 days? Is your reaction time off the blocks measured in seconds, rather than tenths? Do you have just one speed? Are your legs little toothpicks and your kick nonexistent? Do you have permanent racoon eyes due to your goggles? Then you're a distance swimmer.
Do you have perspective in life? Can you swim any and all events and distances? Can you relate to a sprinter's eccentricities but still hang with distance swimmers occasionally on one of their godawful mega-workouts? Are you a man that other men want to be and that other women want to be with? Are you a swimming god? Then you're a middle-distance swimmer.
brilliant..... though i would add:
if you hate swimming; you might be a sprinter.
Former Member
Except for Chris claiming that mid distance folks are "swimming gods." That seemed rather diva-ish. I would substitute the words "tools who always follow the written workout without complaint."
He convinced me to stand firmly in the middle distance camp :)
And if you think I follow more than 20% of written workouts...
If my 25M push speed is almost twice that for my 500M (barely over 1 meter/sec), does that mean I might be better at sprinting events?
My form still seems to fall apart after about 300M.
Former Member
I got all these "personalities" and battles going on in my head each season ... This year, I trained 3 weeks as a 1500 swimmer / 3 weeks as an 800 swimmer / 3 weeks as a 400 swimmer and so on.
I did race an 800 and a 1500 this year - so that automatically disqaulifies me from being a sprinter and makes me a "dog" for the year.
