Hi, I just joined USMS last month. I swim for fitness, and I have been doing this for a long time. I am working on lowering my time in the 500 free because I would like to swim in meets someday. I train on my own almost exclusively, except for an occasional workout with a masters team. I have 2-3 hours a week to practice except during the summer months when I have a lot more time to train due to having summers off from my job as a teacher. My current time in the 500 free is 8:40. My goals are to bring this time down to under 8 minutes by the end of the year and to under 7 minutes by the end of next year. I am 6'1" and weigh 193 lbs. Any suggestions that will help me reach my goals are appreciated!
I think the 500 is a great race to use USRPT (Ultra Short Race Pace Training) as preparation for. If you want to hold a :51.5 pace per 50, try doing 20 50's holding :51.50 and leaving every 1:10, giving you around :20 rest. If you fail to hold the desired pace of :51.50 after only a few sendoffs, readjust your goal time to something more manageable. Perhaps move to holding :55's with a sendoff of 1:15. If you do a search on here for USRPT you'll find a good amount of information on the subject. I think there might even be a thread specific to USRPT and the 500 Free.
I think the 500 is a great race to use USRPT (Ultra Short Race Pace Training) as preparation for. If you want to hold a :51.5 pace per 50, try doing 20 50's holding :51.50 and leaving every 1:10, giving you around :20 rest. If you fail to hold the desired pace of :51.50 after only a few sendoffs, readjust your goal time to something more manageable. Perhaps move to holding :55's with a sendoff of 1:15. If you do a search on here for USRPT you'll find a good amount of information on the subject. I think there might even be a thread specific to USRPT and the 500 Free.
