400 Freestyle advice?

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

Former Member — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:27:35 GMT

Do you think someone with this time distribution should swim the race differently? Like, as a spectator? :bolt:

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

Speedo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:41:02 GMT

Like, as a spectator? :bolt: I'm a neutral party in your gridge with Wolf. Don't make me rethink that :)

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

Speedo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:06:05 GMT

Thanks for all of the advice! In summary, it seems I don't have a key component of the race, which is an idea of proper pace. I'm sure I'll have a better idea of what that should be after the race :) I think I'll just try for what I think is my 200 time +10sec for the first half, since I kind of know what that would feel like, with a weaker 6-beat kick. As Kirk suggested, I may then try to gradually pick up the kick to maintain the pace of the 1st 200. Ande, in the last meet I swam (2mos ago), my 50-100-200 times were 22-high, 50-low, and 1:53-low. I have not done the 400 before so I don't have a time for that. I remember a while back you had posted some criteria to identify if you are a sprinter or distance-oriented (i.e doubling your 100 time and adding >10sec = sprinter). In my case, I need to add 13sec, so it seems I'm leaning more towards sprinting- Do you think someone with this time distribution should swim the race differently?

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

Speedo — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:10:31 GMT

A 500 OK but where will you find a 400 ? Easy to 250 then build up to your fastest speed at the end. Thanks Oz. The Albatross Open (www.pvmasters.org/albatross.htm) is putting on a 400 free this weekend- it's a SCM meet.

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

orca1946 — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:59:13 GMT

A 500 OK but where will you find a 400 ? Easy to 250 then build up to your fastest speed at the end.

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

Glenn — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:57:11 GMT

My best advice on a 400/500 is this.......You can't win a 400 in the first 100, but you can lose it in the first 100. Go easy and build.

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

Michael Blatt — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:27:12 GMT

My best advice on a 400/500 is this.......You can't win a 400 in the first 100, but you can lose it in the first 100. Go easy and build. I'll second Glenn's advice. What worked for me was building the 1st 100, to avoid swimming it too fast while also not going out too slow. Then increase the perceived effort a little bit on each of the following 100's, trying to hold the same pace throughout each 100.

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

ande — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:34:21 GMT

I've written about how to correctly swim 400's / 500's in Swim Faster Faster Tip 106 You Can Fake a 50 but You Can't Fake a 400 Tip 222 The 400 Free is a Sprint Tip 88 Training for 1650 Tip 98 How to Split an 800 What are your current 50 / 100 / 200 / 400 times?

RE: 400 Freestyle advice?

knelson — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:07:37 GMT

Your 200 time +10 seconds probably isn't a bad working assumption. The first 200 should be comfortable, but reasonably fast. Take it easy on the legs unless you think you've got a great kick. Then try to start picking it up. I wouldn't suggest taking it into a different gear, just think about a gradual build and then give it all you've got left for the final 50.