2007-05-14
Fast Twitch -- Week 10 (Monday, May 14
Monday p.m. long course
Meet warmup (about 1600 meters)
Put on Speedo brief and waited 20 minutes until the lane with the starting block was available.
100 back for time, broken at the 50 with :15 rest
(1:00)
500 easy
----------------------
I wasn't too happy about doing long course, but by the time I got to the pool, it was too late to go to a city pool because they close at 7 p.m.
My body certainly was taking its time adjusting. I tried to take it real easy for most of the warmup, but I think my body was rebelling somewhat.
The broken 100 felt a little sluggish, but I didn't feel as tired as I thought I would near the end. My final sprint burst at the 85-meter mark stayed with me pretty much to the wall.
When I did the broken 100, and I did a flip turn at the 50, which most people don't do for back or free. then I based my 15 seconds rest on the time I saw on the clock when my feet finished the somersault. I don't know many people who do these broken swims correctly. They touch the wall with their hand, then push off right at their rest interval. That is the wrong way to do it. You are cheating.
By not doing a flip turn, you cut a second off your time every time you stop. So if you're doing a broken 200, resting after each 50, you'll probably be ecstatic that you went a lot faster than you expected. But add three seconds (one for each time you touched with your hand, except for the finish) and you'll get the real time. Plus, you are not working on your turns, which are crucial to a race, correct?
You can also cheat on fly and breast. When you touch the wall each time and stop, you are also slicing a second off your time. If you touch the wall at the :00 on the clock and push off at the :15, you didn't factor in the second or so it takes for your body to rotate from going in one direction to another. If you are being hand timed on your broken swim, ask your coach to start the rest interval when your feet touch the wall no matter what stroke you are doing.
I'm ranting because the Ford team did broken swims yesterday, and all the freestylers touched with their hands. But I'm not the coach, and they probably didn't care too much about the two or three seconds they were slicing off their times.
When I coached age-group kids, I had them do some broken swims their way (touching the wall with their hand). Then I asked them to flip turn before they stopped, or touch the wall and do a turn for fly and breast, planting their feet on the wall. It's harder, but more accurate. Doing the turns expend energy in a broken swim just as they would in a race. Don't leave them out.
And with that, I bid you good night. I need nine hours of sleep when I taper. Ten if I'm lucky.
Meet warmup (about 1600 meters)
Put on Speedo brief and waited 20 minutes until the lane with the starting block was available.
100 back for time, broken at the 50 with :15 rest
(1:00)
500 easy
----------------------
I wasn't too happy about doing long course, but by the time I got to the pool, it was too late to go to a city pool because they close at 7 p.m.
My body certainly was taking its time adjusting. I tried to take it real easy for most of the warmup, but I think my body was rebelling somewhat.
The broken 100 felt a little sluggish, but I didn't feel as tired as I thought I would near the end. My final sprint burst at the 85-meter mark stayed with me pretty much to the wall.
When I did the broken 100, and I did a flip turn at the 50, which most people don't do for back or free. then I based my 15 seconds rest on the time I saw on the clock when my feet finished the somersault. I don't know many people who do these broken swims correctly. They touch the wall with their hand, then push off right at their rest interval. That is the wrong way to do it. You are cheating.
By not doing a flip turn, you cut a second off your time every time you stop. So if you're doing a broken 200, resting after each 50, you'll probably be ecstatic that you went a lot faster than you expected. But add three seconds (one for each time you touched with your hand, except for the finish) and you'll get the real time. Plus, you are not working on your turns, which are crucial to a race, correct?
You can also cheat on fly and breast. When you touch the wall each time and stop, you are also slicing a second off your time. If you touch the wall at the :00 on the clock and push off at the :15, you didn't factor in the second or so it takes for your body to rotate from going in one direction to another. If you are being hand timed on your broken swim, ask your coach to start the rest interval when your feet touch the wall no matter what stroke you are doing.
I'm ranting because the Ford team did broken swims yesterday, and all the freestylers touched with their hands. But I'm not the coach, and they probably didn't care too much about the two or three seconds they were slicing off their times.
When I coached age-group kids, I had them do some broken swims their way (touching the wall with their hand). Then I asked them to flip turn before they stopped, or touch the wall and do a turn for fly and breast, planting their feet on the wall. It's harder, but more accurate. Doing the turns expend energy in a broken swim just as they would in a race. Don't leave them out.
And with that, I bid you good night. I need nine hours of sleep when I taper. Ten if I'm lucky.
