I have read various swimming books that tout even-pacing for 200m as the best way to go. So, using my very modest goals as an example, if I want to swim 3:04, I should aim to do 46sec every 50m. (Diving in would likely make the first 50m faster, but let's assume that I am pushing off for this discussion.)
But I'm beginning to wonder if something like 44.5 - 45.5 - 46.5 - 47.5 = 3:04 is the better way for me to get to 3:04.
In running, the 800m is typically performed in a positive-split fashion, due to energy requirements for the event. A 2:00 runner (hey, that was me!!) would likely do 58.5 - 61.5 halves. Rather than kicking the last 200m, you would basically try to hang on, or minimize the fade.
I sense that the 200m swim should have the same characteristics. At the WR level, the duration is close to 800m running. (I suppose that if I was able to examine the 50m splits on various elite 200m swims, I would have the answer to this, but I haven't been able to dig this information up yet.)
Anyway....I've been stuck at 3:05 for 3 weeks in a row, utilizing quite even splits. On my 3:04 (or 3:03?) attempt tomorrow, I'm aiming to do the positive split. It's not "sexy" to be "just trying to hang on" on the last 50m, but I am wondering if this is the way to a faster 200m.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
So, to expand on what Mr. Windrath is saying, the four fastest SCY 200 freestylers of all time (Farris, Haas, Pieroni, Seliskar) swam very similar races for their best times. Out fast, maintain through 150, hold on for dear life the last 50 to varying degrees of success.
What's interesting is that they are all very different styles of swimmer. Farris is absolutely massive for a swimmer and tends towards sprints now (though he's also a great 200 backstroker). Haas is the other way around - he's a great freestyler from 50-1650 but his next best event is the 500. He's also terrible turns/underwater, and is kind of a string bean compared to the others. Pieroni is your prototypical 200 freestyler, and your prototypical sprint freestyler build. Seliskar is an underwater beast, and is the smallest of the bunch - he tends to longer races too, having done the 400 IM instead of the 200 free at every NCAAs prior to last year. To me, this consistency in tactics despite vast differences in style supports the thought that this is the current consensus of best way to swim the 200 SCY free.
200 LCM free appears to be completely another story, I don't think the swimming world has really figured out the best way to swim that since the supersuits went away - Nobody has come within a second of Biedermann's world record, and I think only Yannick Agnel in 2012 has come within a second of the prior Michael Phelps world record. It's just hard to maintain a full sprint-ish kick for that long in the long course pool.
So, to expand on what Mr. Windrath is saying, the four fastest SCY 200 freestylers of all time (Farris, Haas, Pieroni, Seliskar) swam very similar races for their best times. Out fast, maintain through 150, hold on for dear life the last 50 to varying degrees of success.
What's interesting is that they are all very different styles of swimmer. Farris is absolutely massive for a swimmer and tends towards sprints now (though he's also a great 200 backstroker). Haas is the other way around - he's a great freestyler from 50-1650 but his next best event is the 500. He's also terrible turns/underwater, and is kind of a string bean compared to the others. Pieroni is your prototypical 200 freestyler, and your prototypical sprint freestyler build. Seliskar is an underwater beast, and is the smallest of the bunch - he tends to longer races too, having done the 400 IM instead of the 200 free at every NCAAs prior to last year. To me, this consistency in tactics despite vast differences in style supports the thought that this is the current consensus of best way to swim the 200 SCY free.
200 LCM free appears to be completely another story, I don't think the swimming world has really figured out the best way to swim that since the supersuits went away - Nobody has come within a second of Biedermann's world record, and I think only Yannick Agnel in 2012 has come within a second of the prior Michael Phelps world record. It's just hard to maintain a full sprint-ish kick for that long in the long course pool.
