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!
Maybe I could try 5x100 on an interval of 2:00? My pace per 100 right now is about 1:44, so this would allow for about 15 seconds rest before the next sendoff.
If you can make this you should definitely be able to hold faster than a 1:44 pace in a race. That's really not much rest. Personally I think 10x50 is a better set for pacing a 500. If your goal is 8:00 then try something like 10x50 on 1:15 holding under :48.
Maybe I could try 5x100 on an interval of 2:00? My pace per 100 right now is about 1:44, so this would allow for about 15 seconds rest before the next sendoff.
If you can make this you should definitely be able to hold faster than a 1:44 pace in a race. That's really not much rest. Personally I think 10x50 is a better set for pacing a 500. If your goal is 8:00 then try something like 10x50 on 1:15 holding under :48.
