Updated in post 7
I recently started timing my 1650 SCY time trial. I have no background in competitive swimming and am wondering if my pacing is off. Thoughts on pacing for 1650? When I finish on these its all I can do not to vomit into the pool as I’ve heard this is frown’d upon.
Not a bad 1650 for someone with no swimming background. There are many different pacing strategies for distance events. When I was in school I was always told the first 500 and the last 500 should be the fastest. In other words, go out strong, settle into a comfortable pace in the middle and then bring it home. Same thing for the 500, except first and last 100 should be the fastest.
Looks like good pacing to me. You might want to start off with the first 200 stronger. I don’t know why but that always seems to set up the rest of the swim tempo to me.
jaretj
You’re speeding up 3-4 sec/100 between 1:st and 3:rd “section”.
In my book, at threshold+, that’s huge.
I think you have too much in the tank at 1200.
Someone is timing you, right? Have that person pace you from the deck through the first five hundreds (1:32?). After that it’s hammer time…
That is great pacing, but now time to take a chance and see what happens. Go out in 1;32 pace for the 1st 1000, then see if you can descend from there. If you look at the splits for the top guys, they do every 50 within a couple tenths of a second of each other. 1st one fast because of the dive, and last one faster for the sprint and no turn, but everything else almost exactly the same… So that is the goal, just need to find what it is you can hold. I think low 46’s is where you should start.
Here is friend of mines 1000 this year at nationals. He is a classic example of distance pacing, does this for 1k, or a 1 hour swim, just 1/10’s of a gap at every 50…
Men 45-49 1000 Yard Freestyle =========================================================================== USMS Record (N): 9:43.93 5/20/2010 Switzer, Keith M Pl Name Age Club Seed Time Final Time Points =========================================================================== 1 Erwin, Jeff T 46 SAWS 9:48.64 1 27.50 57.11(29.61) 1:26.81(29.70) 1:56.62(29.81) 2:26.48(29.86) 2:56.49(30.01) 3:26.26(29.77) 3:56.05(29.79) 4:25.90(29.85) 4:55.78(29.88) 5:25.77(29.99) 5:55.22(29.45) 6:24.28(29.06) 6:53.19(28.91) 7:22.28(29.09) 7:51.72(29.44) 8:21.16(29.44) 8:50.56(29.40) 9:20.02(29.46) 9:48.64(28.62)
Thanks for the input everyone. Took the advice and tried to go out at 1:32/100 from the gun. Went a bit too fast and was hurting in the 3rd 500. However, somehow still had something left to pick it up in the final 150. My key takeaway:
I think I still need to learn how to “hurt” in the swim. I’m used to this running and biking but not swimming. Good lord that was the hardest swim ever. 3rd 500 could have been faster.My fitness may have improved in 2 weeks but not 23 seconds worth. Clearly this was successful, thanks. Hopefully if I get the pacing a bit better there’s still some free time there =]
http://i41.tinypic.com/2s7jue1.jpg
Hey nice job there, looks like you did give up a little on that 3rd 500 though. You are right, it is about managing the hurt feeling for a lot of it, and sometimes you just plain go out too hard and your body bows up. Looking at your final 150 it looks like you just have to get used to the hurt locker for a swim of that speed. So a 1;32 even paced would have been a tad better, but you were so close that only the pro guys really get those right on splits. I would say keep training and next time go for 1;30+, visualize yourself breaking through the 3rd 500 pain ahead of time, and start rockin sub 24 minute miles…
I was a miler, and coached college swimmers for a dozen years. There are important keys: one in how you practice and then closely related, how you swim the race.
The first part is not unlike the stuff you are used to with running and cycling. Mix up longer intervals with speed work. For speed work, do repeats near your pace for 50s, 75s (there are 22 in a 1650), etc. You may want to do some with little rest above your pace, and some at or faster than your pace on longer rest. Practice turns, also. .2 per turn x 65 turns is 13 seconds. Practice pace with nailing your turns. Do kick sets after pace sets to simulate sprint finish. It’s all about raising your anaerobic threshold.
In a mile, go out smooth and strong, realizing it’s a long race. If you get too excited early, you’ll be hurting. Instead, find that knife edge of control you practiced on, where your stroke is intact and your speed is good. Realize you will have to feel like you are building the whole way just to stay at pace. Don’t make any sudden rallies until the last 200 our 150 or you’ll fall apart. Nail your turns.
I hope this helps, and let us know how it works.
Nail your turns.
Perhaps I should finally learn to flip turn.
Hey man - nice swim though as Monty pointed out you may have gotten a bit soft there in the latter 3rd. My favourite approach to the race, especially when a person is still in the “pre-mastery” phase is to descend 3x500 and then sprint the last 150. You can both practice that and execute your race like that. Obviously there can not be huge time gaps in the descend, but smallish differences in pace will, I believe, not result in any penalty to your overall time.
Regards,
r.b.