You get to dive on the fly only, just like a real 200IM. Presume this is SCM, and what age group you in??

You can go off the blocks for fly. push start on everything else...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Hi Monty - okay so dive for the IM only. Makes sense. I am 52, if I am not mistaken I met you back in New Zealand in the winter of 1991/92 somewhere around Christchurch - you were still racing as a pro and were maybe doing the Coast to Coast race or lifegaurding at it? Good to see you can still swim fast!!!

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Michael Hay - helped on the journey by the great folks at ZiZU Optics, (for the custom fit), and Bialkowlski's TRYSPORT

Trip back in to the way back machine. Ya, I decided one summer(yours) to come down there to NZ and race for 2 months of the season. I bought an old beater car, and I had some old contacts from when I rode around both islands in 1978/79, so had places to stay. It was super fun, I really missed that place from my 2 previous adventures there in the 70's, but for the life of me, I cannot recall any races I did!! Maybe you remember, it was at the very end of my pro career. I had one more good year in 93, one of my best actually. I do remember running into Cameron Brown as a teenager I think, and Rick Wells, who I had raced here in the states a few times. We had a pretty fun sprint finish in the San Diego International race( he won).

All right, glad you are still at it too, so put up some down under splits!!

Lol. Me too.
I'll be joining in a few swim sessions. I'm slowly giving my body a beating with a few short distance, fast swim sessions first, so I don't end up with some shoulder injury :-p.
Tried butterfly yesterday for a few half lenghts, ooooo my...
I'm happy to read I'm not the only one hating the back stroke. Brings back nightmares from my childhood...

QUESTION: I guess you guys only read the colored arrows on the big clock, and we only read seconds, not fractions, right ?

Louis :-)

If I'm self-timing, then I'll be able to get splits to the half-second off the wall clock. I might be able to get someone to time me with a watch though...

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

QUESTION: I guess you guys only read the colored arrows on the big clock, and we only read seconds, not fractions, right ? //

Those pace clocks with the arrows are pretty useless for getting decent times for 50's. If there is a digital clock, you can get within .5 as Jason says, or do what I do when there is no one to time you, use your digital watch on your wrist. Same thing, gets you within .5, unless you have perfected starting and stopping it without losing/gaining time..


And all you guys training for this, that's fine, but put up some initial times, you know, the ones you know you will beat next time, a baseline so to speak. It gets you in the game, and then chip away at it whenever.

Did mine tonight, took an empty lane for the last 25 mins of practice or so and did:

4x(4x50. 3 easy 1 fast all on 6 mins. Easy as choice, fast 50's in IM order.

Coach got me at 31flat, 34 flat, 44mid, 29 mid (off the wall clock, so no precise splits) for a 2:19 total. All from a push.

I might give the breaststroke another shot, that’s by far my weakest stroke but I’m doubtful that I can get any faster.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Nice Job son, I presume SCM? So a dive and a little on the breast, and we are neck and neck! Of course I swimming in a short pool, but sure some others will give you a run in those funny sized Canadian pools.. (-;

I was planning on lowering my breast today, but got too knackered from another 1000tt I did. I think I have some room there, but like you said, probably close to my wall, especially from a push off..

Yup, SCM.

Coach got some of them on video, (I told him not to bother with the breaststroke). I'm gonna ask him to email the videos to me so I can break them down.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I spent the last two days feeling like death from a bad headcold and fever...first time being sick all year.

So I did an easy swim and as part of it a stead 200IM continuous (48+59+62+47)` 3:46. I did not want to go really hard yet. So that's the number starting off. Once I do it with rest and go hard from a hard wall push off, it should get better in the 4 individual 50's.

Dev

Did my IM challenge yesterday. SCY age 62.

Fly 34.2
BK 37.7
BR 40.9
FR 32.5
2:25.3

Be generous on the “age adjusted” handicap.

leaderboard updated.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I just noticed your times, pretty good! I need to suck a lot less at back if I'm going to catch you! Also, for the leaderboard I am 44.

you get same as monty - SCY times are ranked with SCM for the folks around my age. the young bucks will get 10% added on, if any join in.

The age cutoffs are solely at my discretion.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

My first set of times eyeballing the wall clock so they may be a touch quicker, but this is what I saw

50 fly 42
50 back 49
50 breast 60
50 free 42

Total 3:13 SCM

Age almost 54 (a few days away).

All from wall push off, no dive. 2nd day after being sick, so I think there is up side by end of month. I was happy with the fly, dissappointed with the free, and I know the back and breast will get faster by end of month as those were literally my first attempts and going faster in those in months. I think this exercise is what I need to go through.

By the way, I hope everyone is posting completely legal turns and legal dolphin kicking (15m).

Of course legal turns. I don't go to 15m anyway, even on backstroke off the start I'll pop up at 10-11m, maybe 8m off the turn.

I kinda gave it another shot at masters last night, but we had a tough sprint set before we got to the set of 50's. I was a couple of seconds slower across the board.

Main set #1 was a ladder: Started dying when we got to the 100. These were all theoretically on 15s rest, but I was a lot faster than my lanemates, so I was getting up to 30 sec rest after the hard efforts.
25 mod
25 fast
50 mod
50 fast (31.5)
75 mod
75 fast (50)
100 mod
100 fast (1:08)
75 mod
75 fast (50)
50 mod
50 fast (32)
25 mod
25 fast fly

then we did main set #2
4 rounds in IM order of: {
100 drill/swim moderate by 25 on 2:00
50 moderate on 1:00
50 flat out on 1:00
}

These 50's were all a couple of seconds slower than on Sunday.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

By the way, I hope everyone is posting completely legal turns and legal dolphin kicking (15m). //

You have to understand Dev, that real swimmers are a lot like golfers, we are self policing and do not fudge. Now a triathlete turned swimmer or AOS, that is different. Look at all the cheaters we have uncovered over the years, nary a swimmer. No one is using floaty pants, or snorkels, or fins. I would say about the only thing that is going to happen to push the times down, is that some will suit up so to speak. But a legal and approved FINA suit, either jammers, or full for women. We're ethical, but not stoopid.... (-;

Yeah, I haven't suited up yet. That might be coming at the end of the week. I have a brand new dome cap that I haven't tried yet either.

I still have a shot to take down your times ;-) Maybe Thursday night after practice - I think I can go from a dive start. I'll take in an old tech suit, some Gatorade, and my gopro.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Interestingly us real track guys (not runners. they are not track guys...I'm talking real track guys) are very very much like swimmers. We want to know if the times were done from the blocks, from a stand still, flying start, hand timed by someone else or by yourself, spikes or no spikes, legal wind or wind aided. This is actually what appeals to me about pool swimming. Its almost exactly like running track (sprint events). You get your lane and you do your thing and the time is the time in the rules. There is no BS....so I am finding it easy to relate to the pool swimmer mentality....but in intervals I do see many real swimmers doing illegal backstroke to backstroke turns or back to breast.

In any case todays workout was 10x(50fly hard+ 50 free easy) on "lots of rest". I don't know exactly how much rest as it depended on who was in the lane and I wanted to start the 50 fly so I don't get in anyone's way, but I was well rested. I think I can take the 50 fly down to sub 40 seconds SCM this year with a dive.

On turns there are exceptions under certain scenarios in training, like sometimes guys will do flip turns on fly sets, because it's faster and there's a training benefit. Also if you're wearing fins, open turns just feel awful. and if I'm feeling lazy I'll do a one handed touch on fly, things like that.

but if it's a competition where it's a "put up your time" thing, then you do legal turns.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

OK just confirming that when challenges like these go up, just like us former track guys would expect peers to follow honour rules on IAAF framework we use FINA framework.

I'll pull out a faster suit by end of month which should take me from slower than Molasses to less slow!

Dev

Had a pretty good day today, body overall feeling is coming back, and it actually seems like workouts are making me faster! And I get to update my 200IM, only one more low hanging piece of fruit now, the free. And then it is suiting up!

5x100@1;40(1;22 to 1;20's)
5x100IM kick@2;00(1;50 to 1;46)
2x(100IM @2;00/3x100p@1;30/100IM kick@3;00) IM's 1;21/1;17 pulls-1;13/11/09-1;16/14/11 kicks-1;50/49
100 easy
50 breast 38.66
4x50 buoy@1;00(37's)
100 dolphin(1;54) 100 buoy(1;24)
2550. SCY

My new virtual IM SCY-- 30.36/35.87/38.66/31--- 2;15.69 SCM. 2;30.74 converted

Monty!

Getting faster! I had an "emergency trip" to New Mexico to accompany a friend of mine on some mountain biking rides... ha

Im back to bean town tomorrow after 4 days at altitude riding my legs off... so the breathing should be good just hope the legs dont cramp too badly.

More to come. Ill be in the pool friday for some speed.

daved

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http://www.theundergroundcoach.com

Did a short sprint workout today. Near the end, I took a good rest, and banged out a 50 free (SCY) @ :29.40

That gives me a provisional back half of 1:09.56.

Will take another stab at the backstroke leg on Thursday.

BTW, my age is 51

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"