I've been working really hard on my 100 IM. I'm a relatively new swimmer and want to improve my times as much as possible before my first ever swim meet this February.
My (perceived) biggest problem in the 100 IM is getting comfortable on the breaststroke leg. After two SDK to start the fly and back I do feel i get my breath under control by the end of the backstroke, but really struggle to get a nice pull out. Sometimes, I even abandoned the pull out and surface straight into the stroke. Then, once I get into the stroke, I feel like I am breathing too often, but not getting any air - almost like hyperventilating.
Does this mean I am going out too hard on fly and/or back. Any drills, sets, focuses to work on to help this? Thanks for any suggestions.
I've been working really hard on my 100 IM. I'm a relatively new swimmer and want to improve my times as much as possible before my first ever swim meet this February.
My (perceived) biggest problem in the 100 IM is getting comfortable on the breaststroke leg. After two SDK to start the fly and back I do feel i get my breath under control by the end of the backstroke, but really struggle to get a nice pull out. Sometimes, I even abandoned the pull out and surface straight into the stroke.
I sometimes encounter a similar problem on the last turn of a 200 back - I feel so much pressure to breathe that I don't finish a proper kickout before the breakout. One thing I have found that really helps is to breathe rythmically for most of the 7th length, then take two quick breaths followed by a huge lung-filling gulp of air going into the final turn. Of course it is sometimes difficult to remember to do this during a race when every muscle is screaming for me to stop and I'm trying to time my turn just right etc... but as hinted at by many others here, (See kirk's comment below.) finding a good breathing strategy helps a lot.
Is it possible your problem is breathing on backstroke? Since your face is out of the water you might be tempted to not breathe rhythmically, but you still should. Concentrate on breathing in whenever your left arm comes out of the water or something along those lines.
One great thing about backstroke is that breathing does not slow you down! Ande has a SFF tip on backstroke breathing:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
and big breaths: Tip 187 Biggest Breath:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
You can't take a 100 IM out too fast. It's a sprint.
Kirk is a terrific swimmer, way out of my league, but I'd like to qualify his final comment a little. A 100 is a sprint, but there is some degree of "pacing" even in short sprints. For example , consider this comment from Ande's SFF tip #24:
"Yesterday I spoke with Shaun Jordan (Shaun swam for the US in the '88 and '92 Olympics.) we were talking about the 50 free and he was telling me how Matt Biondi and Tom Jager taught him to build his 50 meter free race, that he needed to relax on the first 10 strokes and build into the wall. Rather than going all out from the start. This allowed him to swim much faster on the second 25."
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
Here are some other SFF tips with related info:
Tip 71 Sprint Training:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
Tip 145 Be well Prepared for the Most Difficult Part of your Races:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
Tip 248 Hit Your Targett Splits:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
In short, you certainly can kill yourself by going out too hard, even in a 100 IM. Should you go out hard. For certain. But the goal is to swim a 100 IM AFAP. It is not to swim a 25 fly AFAP and then figure out what to do next.
I suspect that there may be an improtant physiological difference between a 100 swum by someone "fast" and a 100 swum by you or I. A fast swimmer might finish a 100 in :50 or less. That's actually closer to a 50 time for us than it is to our 1:20 for a 100 IM. That fast swimmer will probably take out a 100 the way we would take out a 50. In other words, a 100 is much closer to a flat-out effort for a fast swimmer than it is for us mortals. A fast swimmer can do a 200 in sub 1:40. That's a better approximation of our 100 time. Look how the best pace a 200 IM. That might be a good strategy for the 100 IM for us slower folks.
...workout deleted... After all of that I did a smooth 100 IM in 1:25. Obviously slower than my PR, but only a few seconds off a sprint earlier this week and way less effort.
I'm pretty sure I can get sub 1:20 off the blocks now, hoping to shoot for sub 1:15 by end of February.
If you are going an "easy-speed" 100 IM from a push in practice and getting 1:25, then a 1:15 in February rested and tapered sounds like a reasonable goal it me. Good luck. Keep us posted.
I've been working really hard on my 100 IM. I'm a relatively new swimmer and want to improve my times as much as possible before my first ever swim meet this February.
My (perceived) biggest problem in the 100 IM is getting comfortable on the breaststroke leg. After two SDK to start the fly and back I do feel i get my breath under control by the end of the backstroke, but really struggle to get a nice pull out. Sometimes, I even abandoned the pull out and surface straight into the stroke.
I sometimes encounter a similar problem on the last turn of a 200 back - I feel so much pressure to breathe that I don't finish a proper kickout before the breakout. One thing I have found that really helps is to breathe rythmically for most of the 7th length, then take two quick breaths followed by a huge lung-filling gulp of air going into the final turn. Of course it is sometimes difficult to remember to do this during a race when every muscle is screaming for me to stop and I'm trying to time my turn just right etc... but as hinted at by many others here, (See kirk's comment below.) finding a good breathing strategy helps a lot.
Is it possible your problem is breathing on backstroke? Since your face is out of the water you might be tempted to not breathe rhythmically, but you still should. Concentrate on breathing in whenever your left arm comes out of the water or something along those lines.
One great thing about backstroke is that breathing does not slow you down! Ande has a SFF tip on backstroke breathing:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
and big breaths: Tip 187 Biggest Breath:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
You can't take a 100 IM out too fast. It's a sprint.
Kirk is a terrific swimmer, way out of my league, but I'd like to qualify his final comment a little. A 100 is a sprint, but there is some degree of "pacing" even in short sprints. For example , consider this comment from Ande's SFF tip #24:
"Yesterday I spoke with Shaun Jordan (Shaun swam for the US in the '88 and '92 Olympics.) we were talking about the 50 free and he was telling me how Matt Biondi and Tom Jager taught him to build his 50 meter free race, that he needed to relax on the first 10 strokes and build into the wall. Rather than going all out from the start. This allowed him to swim much faster on the second 25."
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
Here are some other SFF tips with related info:
Tip 71 Sprint Training:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
Tip 145 Be well Prepared for the Most Difficult Part of your Races:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
Tip 248 Hit Your Targett Splits:
U.S. Masters Swimming Discussion Forums - View Single Post - Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster
In short, you certainly can kill yourself by going out too hard, even in a 100 IM. Should you go out hard. For certain. But the goal is to swim a 100 IM AFAP. It is not to swim a 25 fly AFAP and then figure out what to do next.
I suspect that there may be an improtant physiological difference between a 100 swum by someone "fast" and a 100 swum by you or I. A fast swimmer might finish a 100 in :50 or less. That's actually closer to a 50 time for us than it is to our 1:20 for a 100 IM. That fast swimmer will probably take out a 100 the way we would take out a 50. In other words, a 100 is much closer to a flat-out effort for a fast swimmer than it is for us mortals. A fast swimmer can do a 200 in sub 1:40. That's a better approximation of our 100 time. Look how the best pace a 200 IM. That might be a good strategy for the 100 IM for us slower folks.
...workout deleted... After all of that I did a smooth 100 IM in 1:25. Obviously slower than my PR, but only a few seconds off a sprint earlier this week and way less effort.
I'm pretty sure I can get sub 1:20 off the blocks now, hoping to shoot for sub 1:15 by end of February.
If you are going an "easy-speed" 100 IM from a push in practice and getting 1:25, then a 1:15 in February rested and tapered sounds like a reasonable goal it me. Good luck. Keep us posted.
