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.
Parents
Former Member
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.
But you should be well w/in 1/2 second of your top 25 fly.
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.
Maybe. But with regards to being competitive, a 1:40 200 free = 1:50 200 IM, more or less. You're now well over half a minute longer than the 100 IM of the OP. That makes a major difference.
There really isn't any "pace" involved in the 100IM when you're going btw 14-20 seconds per lap.
If the OP works on breaking down the race in practice and strengthening those weaknesses, plus incorporates TRUE speed work (i.e. repeat 25's on the 30 ain't speed work), he can blow the lid off his times. He's already in that point of no-return zone where he's closer physiologically to the big guns.
And that means taking a 100 out in .75-1.0 of a 50 fly/back. (If he were a little bit faster I'd recommend .5-.8 seconds slower than a 50 fly/back.)
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.
But you should be well w/in 1/2 second of your top 25 fly.
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.
Maybe. But with regards to being competitive, a 1:40 200 free = 1:50 200 IM, more or less. You're now well over half a minute longer than the 100 IM of the OP. That makes a major difference.
There really isn't any "pace" involved in the 100IM when you're going btw 14-20 seconds per lap.
If the OP works on breaking down the race in practice and strengthening those weaknesses, plus incorporates TRUE speed work (i.e. repeat 25's on the 30 ain't speed work), he can blow the lid off his times. He's already in that point of no-return zone where he's closer physiologically to the big guns.
And that means taking a 100 out in .75-1.0 of a 50 fly/back. (If he were a little bit faster I'd recommend .5-.8 seconds slower than a 50 fly/back.)
