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 guess my goal when coaching was to make the swimmers feel what a :30 or a :59 felt like. And to know what one felt like when you are sucking wind at the end of 10x100 on 2:00. You can’t tell me you want to break 5:00 in the 500 but not tell me you know what it feels like to string together 5 100s that are 59.99 or faster...
Can't argue that.
More anecdotally, from this year I think the best I averaged was 58.9-59.1 or somewhere in that range. Went 4:58 in the 500 at mid season when I rested, and I was :55 followed by 4 1:00s. Certainly helps me know what my speed equates to in time. And now that I think about it, my better training came in the second half of the SCY season. I think the two times I remember doing 10x100 my average was actually closer to :59+ (which brings it more in line with how I performed when I rested)....
...The other girls I trained,... for the most part what they held on average ended up coming close to what they held and went in their best 500s.
Interesting, that's pretty consistent data. Now I'm wondering if a lot of the difference I perceive is the difference between 50s and 100s. 10x100@P500 on a 1:1 work:rest ratio is likely a lot more difficult than 20x50@P500 on a 1:1 work:rest ratio.
.... Afraid of pain.
Guilty as charged, but I've endured some pretty mind-bending 200s bk and 400s IM.
I guess my goal when coaching was to make the swimmers feel what a :30 or a :59 felt like. And to know what one felt like when you are sucking wind at the end of 10x100 on 2:00. You can’t tell me you want to break 5:00 in the 500 but not tell me you know what it feels like to string together 5 100s that are 59.99 or faster...
Can't argue that.
More anecdotally, from this year I think the best I averaged was 58.9-59.1 or somewhere in that range. Went 4:58 in the 500 at mid season when I rested, and I was :55 followed by 4 1:00s. Certainly helps me know what my speed equates to in time. And now that I think about it, my better training came in the second half of the SCY season. I think the two times I remember doing 10x100 my average was actually closer to :59+ (which brings it more in line with how I performed when I rested)....
...The other girls I trained,... for the most part what they held on average ended up coming close to what they held and went in their best 500s.
Interesting, that's pretty consistent data. Now I'm wondering if a lot of the difference I perceive is the difference between 50s and 100s. 10x100@P500 on a 1:1 work:rest ratio is likely a lot more difficult than 20x50@P500 on a 1:1 work:rest ratio.
.... Afraid of pain.
Guilty as charged, but I've endured some pretty mind-bending 200s bk and 400s IM.
