06/27/08 USS meet

400 LCM IM: 5:41.86
Fly: 35.18, 39.84 (1:15.02)
Back: 44.60, 43.28 (1:27.88)
Breast: 48.55, 49.20 (1:37.75)
Free: 40.90, 40.31 (1:21.21)

Ahhh, the 400 IM. It's really my favorite event. I love it and hate it. It is the gauge of what kind of swimming shape I'm in, for me the swimming crucible. 100 of each stroke, and at a pretty good clip. The last time I swam the 400 IM was at our USMS state meet, and that was short course. This was the first 400 IM I've ever swum long course.

My goal on this swim was to try to stay long and work the 2nd 200m. I did that. That first 100 felt pretty good and I was happy with that fly split. My fly has changed recently to where I'm not trying to muscle my arms through the water, but am using my arms more like paddles and pulling through with my shoulders. It feels good, like it uses much less energy.

My backstroke was very reserved, because I wanted to work that 2nd 200. If I get another chance to swim the 4 IM, I'll probably speed up the backstroke more. 1:27.75 is pretty slow, even in LCM. I was 1:22.11 in the 2nd 100 of my 200 back in the USMS meet earlier in the month, and should be closer to that in the 400 IM.

Breast felt ok, I kept pretty linear, I thought. I'd like to get in the lower 1:30s for a good LCM breaststroke split, but I think 1:37.75 shows that my breaststroke work is helping. I was 1:37.25 in the 2nd 100 of my 200 breast earlier in the month, so to get close to that in the 3rd 100 of the 4 IM is pretty decent. Still, it can be faster!

Free was just ok. My turnover was slow. I felt like I didn't really get a good rhythm at the end there. Everyone who finished before me or with approximately the same time had a free split under 1:20. Ideally, I should be closer to 1:15, my fly split. I have to continue to work on swimming fast freestyle in practices. It's coming along, though.

I wasn't too tired at the end, and I would have been able to go under 5:40 with a peppier backstroke and higher turnover through the last 300 meters. I haven't been doing much speed work lately, though, and I'm sure that had something to do with it. My main event for the summer is the Horsetooth 10K, so aerobic work is much more important at this point.

All in all, a pretty decent for this point. It sure felt a lot better than the 400 SCY IM I swam at the state meet. My last 200 was certainly much better. Of course, I'm in much better swimming shape now.