You're not a sprinter and you're not a pure distance swimmer. Your 50's & 1500's aren't as great as your 200's, 400's, & 500's. Your 100's aren't shabby. Let the D Divas take those 800's, 1000's, 1500's & 1650's. You're caught in the middle. You've got OK speed, but you can do those longer sets that make pure sprinters ill. You're well conditioned and tend to do well with back to back events. You're in great company, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are middle distance swimmers who have excellent 100's but not so great 50's. Man you can train.
This is the middle distance lane. Don't get lapped.
the breastroke lane
The Middle Distance Lane
The Backstroke Lane
The Butterfly Lane
The SDK Lane
The Taper Lane
The Distance Lane
The IM Lane
The Sprint Free Lane
The Pool Deck
I checked out the fly lane earlier and they swim scary amounts of fly, so am sure I'll be happier here.
Sorry about that, that's my fault (not that I'm going to change anything)... as knelson noted there, you can train for a short course 200 fly with nothing more than 25's... :chillpill:
So what is the difference between 500 SCY and 400 SCM? .....please don't say 4 lengths or 60 yards - is it a truly different race?
Yes, it's a different race. I prefer 400 SCM free to 500 SCY free. And I prefer the 400 LCM to the 400 SCM. And prefer 400 OW over 400 LCM. You get the idea. More time focusing on stroke technique, less time spent turning.
conversions in []
400 (4:29.49) : 104.77 ; 109.09 ; 108.24 ; 107.39
500 (5:02.67) : 56.14 ; 102.17 ; 102.60 ; 102.27 ; 59.49
:bow:
That's made me feel slow - I found some old results online (when I was looking for other stuff) from a 400 LCM I swam in '02 - 5.20, but I have gone 5.15 SCM
But yes - very interesting comparison. I guess I'll work up to some race-pace 500s once I'm back in routine and see how it all feels. I always felt that 400SCM was my best free event, but I would always place better in the 800 due to lack of entrants!
Then I just need to find a meet to try it out at. If not I'll be back on the fly to mix things up a bit.......but only 25s at a time, of course
I'm feeling a bit lonely here, but thought I'd throw this out anyway....
I've been working on my turns and SDKs and have noticed that I come out of my turn rotated to the left, do 3 SDKs on my side, a fourth that kind of straightens me up, then I get into my stroke. Now I come out with left hand over right and my right arm pulls first - ie the one higher in the water. (I still feel slightly rotated when I first pull back)
I have sometimes pulled back with left hand first, and I don't seem to get as strong a pull, plus I have to move my left hand around my right hand as even if I know I'm going to try a left hand pull, the left hand still ends up on top.
I'm just curious as to what the rest of you do? - Or if you even think about it?
I'm just curious as to what the rest of you do? - Or if you even think about it?
It is thoughtless at this point, but here is what I do. Coming out of a turn, my dominate side is down, with my dominate hand in the bottom position of the stream line. The dominate hand takes the first pull off the wall which completes the rotation.
That is also what you want to do. Coming off the wall you are going faster than you can swim, and you want to maintain that speed as long as possible. Pulling with the dominate hand allows you to maintain that speed longer and pulling with the dominate side down with the dominate hand is a natural stroke.
It sounds like your weak side is down off the turn, but you pull with the dominate hand. Try rotating the other way off the turn and leaving everything else the same. The rotation will be awkward, but the pull should feel better. If that is true, just work on your new turning side and eventually it will become comfortable.
Counting SCM 400 Free
Last month I swam a 400 SCM free. The event was seeded fast-to-slow; I was in the first heat. There were 10 lanes in the pool. As we were mounting the blocks, I saw our 10 counters parade onto the bulkhead, carrying their lap counters. Take your marks, and away we go.
I am pretty good at counting, so I asked my buddy to dunk only laps 11, 13, and 15. I was pretty sure I had counted correctly, so I was a little surprised at the end of lap 11 -- no counter in the pool. Ok, maybe I am off, or maybe he just forgot.
End of lap 13 -- still no counter. Something's wrong. Hope my buddy didn't have a heart attack from all the excitement. I will have to count it myself. Hope I did it right! The guy in the next lane is ahead of me, so I'll stop when he does. I hope he's right too! End of lap 15, still no counter, in the middle of the sprint -- I REALLY hope I'm right! I don't have another 50 left in me after this one!
After the race, I asked my buddy what happened. He said an official had marched onto the bulkhead, after the race had already started, and declared it was illegal to count any distance less than 500 yards. So all the counters left, certainly to my surprise, and presumably to the surprise of the other 9 swimmers in the pool.
This rule is news to me. This is the 3rd 400 SCM free I've done, and for the other two (including at this same meet last year), everyone had counters, no problem.
I have two questions:
1. Is this really a rule? Are you allowed to have counters in a 400 SCM freestyle? How about 400 LCM? For safety's sake I like having a counter, but not having one won't be a problem. I'd just like to know the what rule is.
2. Um ... ahem ... what??? If the official was determined to make this call, then it would have been far better to do so before the race started, and then to make sure all swimmers understood that there would be no counters. As it was, all 10 swimmers had arranged to have a counter, so clearly all 10 swimmers thought that having a counter was legal and appropriate. Pulling the counters off the bulkhead after the race had already started is tantamount to changing the rules in the middle of the race :eek: as least as far as the swimmers were concerned. What sayest thou?
Extra for experts -- I have also been told that it's not legal to have a counter dunk some of the laps -- like 11, 13, and 15 only -- it must be all or none. Others have said this is an NCAA rule but not masters. Personally, I don't know. Any clues are welcome. Thanks!
Was that at the St. Nick's meet? I remember you were there, and I was in the same heat as you were for the 400 free.
Yes, it was at the St. Nick's meet, and I was in the next lane. Good to see you again! Unfortunately the 400 was the last event of the day, so I was also kinda sluggish in that race. But I did have a PB earlier in the day!
Except for the curious incident with the counters, the St. Nick's meet was a very good meet -- well done, well run, and lots of fun. I would recommend it to anyone. If they have it again next year, I will certainly go!
after the race had already started, and declared it was illegal to count any distance less than 500 yards. So all the counters left, certainly to my surprise, and presumably to the surprise of the other 9 swimmers in the pool.
This rule is news to me. This is the 3rd 400 SCM free I've done, and for the other two (including at this same meet last year), everyone had counters, no problem.
The official was wrong. This is from the USMS rule book. Last time I checked, the 400 scm free was 16 lengths.
"102.10.6 Counters
A A swimmer in any individual event of 16 lengths or more, except the
individual medley, may appoint one counter to call lengths or indicate
lengths by visual sign"
Counting SCM 400 Free
Last month I swam a 400 SCM free. The event was seeded fast-to-slow; I was in the first heat. There were 10 lanes in the pool. As we were mounting the blocks, I saw our 10 counters parade onto the bulkhead, carrying their lap counters. Take your marks, and away we go.
I am pretty good at counting, so I asked my buddy to dunk only laps 11, 13, and 15. I was pretty sure I had counted correctly, so I was a little surprised at the end of lap 11 -- no counter in the pool. Ok, maybe I am off, or maybe he just forgot.
End of lap 13 -- still no counter. Something's wrong. Hope my buddy didn't have a heart attack from all the excitement. I will have to count it myself. Hope I did it right! The guy in the next lane is ahead of me, so I'll stop when he does. I hope he's right too! End of lap 15, still no counter, in the middle of the sprint -- I REALLY hope I'm right! I don't have another 50 left in me after this one!
After the race, I asked my buddy what happened. He said an official had marched onto the bulkhead, after the race had already started, and declared it was illegal to count any distance less than 500 yards. So all the counters left, certainly to my surprise, and presumably to the surprise of the other 9 swimmers in the pool.
This rule is news to me. This is the 3rd 400 SCM free I've done, and for the other two (including at this same meet last year), everyone had counters, no problem.!
The official was wrong. This is from the USMS rule book. Last time I checked, the 400 scm free was 16 lengths.
"102.10.6 Counters
A A swimmer in any individual event of 16 lengths or more, except the
individual medley, may appoint one counter to call lengths or indicate
lengths by visual sign"
Was that at the St. Nick's meet? I remember you were there, and I was in the same heat as you were for the 400 free. I had just about the same reaction as you -- I really don't need a counter for 16 lengths, but I was expecting one as I like to double check where I am from time to time. It did throw me off a bit, and I was really ticked off at my husband for a minute or two (or five). :) I think that officials are used to the 400 LCM, which doesn't allow counters, and aren't used to officiating SCM meets. I'm just glad I was tired by then and having a mediocre race; if I had been doing well I wouldn't have been happy about the situation!
