Ultra Short Training At Race Pace

Comments wanted please! * I went 16 x 25's on the :35 SCM, estimating i'd get about 20 seconds rest * Estimated 100 free: 1:02 so that is on average, 15.5 per 25 * Given the jets or whatever reason, even's are 1 second faster than odds, so I set 15 odds and 16 evens as goal times * I chose 16 reps because at 20 or more, I was thinking i'd let myself give up at #6. But with just 16 to start, i'd try really hard to hold form and speed to #8 and then hang on as long as possible. If I failed after that, I would still try to hang on for as many as possible. Going 20 or 30 just seems absolutely endless, and I am doing these on my own which is really hard for a racer. *Made it to #8, then really tried to stay mentally tough and hung on until #11, skipped #12, and did 4 more and made them. It wasn't easy or comfortable at all. I can see where having both mental toughness and the conditioning come into play. If you pushed me with a pinky finger, I would have absolutely collapsed. Questions: 1. Breathing? That was really hard. I missed #11 because I mentally lapsed and breathed too much! 2. Is my interval correct? If i'm a 1:02 100 freestyler, should I also be working towards 14/15's to go 1:00 and under? 3. Should I increase the reps? Perhaps a realistic way is to do 16 for a defined period of time (say, until Aug 30th) and thereafter always go 20 or more? 4. How do you accommodate strokes - can you do this for fly, back, and ***? Should I be giving myself more than 20 seconds rest? 5. The flip turn issue: starts are pretty straightforward. I can do those separately to fill in the gaps with 12.5 sprints, 4/6/8//10 strokes off the dive, etc. But what about turns? My trouble comes in swimming fast and then coming to the wall and collapsing. Doing turn work is ok, but it only works if i'm already pooped out coming into the wall AND going at race pace SO.....should I do every odd 25 with a turn (and just tumble over, not push off) then look at the clock, adding 1 second for that turn, so going 16/16's for now? Or would that mean i'm not really doing USRPT? 1 - I try to breath like I would when racing the 100. So alot more than during an all out 50, but not every stroke - managed to a specific number (for me, every 4 strokes). Its easy to start out not breathing much and then crash, so I always remind myself to breathe every 4 during the first reps and during reps after sitting out. I also have to remind myself not to breathe more than that once I start getting tired! So pretty much every rep, I think about it. :) 2 - Personally, I just started at the pace where I was making enough, but not too many repetitions. Then Ive been lowering it and/or adding repetitions as I get faster. It sounds like you made enough of your goals times to try lowering it. You might sit out more, but the alternative is to increase reps and it doesnt sound like you are wanting to do that. 3 - When I have limited time I do a fixed number of swims, but I believe per Rushall you are supposed to keep going until either you fail 4 times total, fail 2 times in a row, or hit 30 reps. 4 - Yes. I do a free set, cool down, and then do a fly set (my training partner does ***). I use my free interval +5 seconds even though my fly goal time is only 1 second slower than my free goal time. 5 - You can try a turn USRPT set where you start mid-pool and do race pace turns. Do it a few times, figure out where you start/stop, your goal time and your interval and make it a set. Or I started doing 50s at 200 pace once a week and that works turns well though its not training the 100 speed. I wouldnt try to add flips at the end of your 25s. It seems better to do a complete race-pace turn including breakout, not just the flip.

Comments wanted please! * I went 16 x 25's on the :35 SCM, estimating i'd get about 20 seconds rest * Estimated 100 free: 1:02 so that is on average, 15.5 per 25 * Given the jets or whatever reason, even's are 1 second faster than odds, so I set 15 odds and 16 evens as goal times * I chose 16 reps because at 20 or more, I was thinking i'd let myself give up at #6. But with just 16 to start, i'd try really hard to hold form and speed to #8 and then hang on as long as possible. If I failed after that, I would still try to hang on for as many as possible. Going 20 or 30 just seems absolutely endless, and I am doing these on my own which is really hard for a racer. *Made it to #8, then really tried to stay mentally tough and hung on until #11, skipped #12, and did 4 more and made them. It wasn't easy or comfortable at all. I can see where having both mental toughness and the conditioning come into play. If you pushed me with a pinky finger, I would have absolutely collapsed. Questions: 1. Breathing? That was really hard. I missed #11 because I mentally lapsed and breathed too much! 2. Is my interval correct? If i'm a 1:02 100 freestyler, should I also be working towards 14/15's to go 1:00 and under? 3. Should I increase the reps? Perhaps a realistic way is to do 16 for a defined period of time (say, until Aug 30th) and thereafter always go 20 or more? 4. How do you accommodate strokes - can you do this for fly, back, and ***? Should I be giving myself more than 20 seconds rest? 5. The flip turn issue: starts are pretty straightforward. I can do those separately to fill in the gaps with 12.5 sprints, 4/6/8//10 strokes off the dive, etc. But what about turns? My trouble comes in swimming fast and then coming to the wall and collapsing. Doing turn work is ok, but it only works if i'm already pooped out coming into the wall AND going at race pace SO.....should I do every odd 25 with a turn (and just tumble over, not push off) then look at the clock, adding 1 second for that turn, so going 16/16's for now? Or would that mean i'm not really doing USRPT? 1 - I try to breath like I would when racing the 100. So alot more than during an all out 50, but not every stroke - managed to a specific number (for me, every 4 strokes). Its easy to start out not breathing much and then crash, so I always remind myself to breathe every 4 during the first reps and during reps after sitting out. I also have to remind myself not to breathe more than that once I start getting tired! So pretty much every rep, I think about it. :) 2 - Personally, I just started at the pace where I was making enough, but not too many repetitions. Then Ive been lowering it and/or adding repetitions as I get faster. It sounds like you made enough of your goals times to try lowering it. You might sit out more, but the alternative is to increase reps and it doesnt sound like you are wanting to do that. 3 - When I have limited time I do a fixed number of swims, but I believe per Rushall you are supposed to keep going until either you fail 4 times total, fail 2 times in a row, or hit 30 reps. 4 - Yes. I do a free set, cool down, and then do a fly set (my training partner does ***). I use my free interval +5 seconds even though my fly goal time is only 1 second slower than my free goal time. 5 - You can try a turn USRPT set where you start mid-pool and do race pace turns. Do it a few times, figure out where you start/stop, your goal time and your interval and make it a set. Or I started doing 50s at 200 pace once a week and that works turns well though its not training the 100 speed. I wouldnt try to add flips at the end of your 25s. It seems better to do a complete race-pace turn including breakout, not just the flip.