04/28/09

200 IM K on back
200 IM drill, 25 R/25 L
200 free K
200 pull
4 x 50 build @1:00
8 x 25 fast @45

400 IM from blocks - 4:50.69
33.01, 36.09 [1:09.10]
36.66, 37.63 [1:14.29]
41.00, 38.69 [1:19.69]
1:07.61
(2:23.39, 2:27.30)

400 pull w/ankle strap. Worked on extension.

5 x 50 @2:00 (fly - 31, breast - 36.8, breast, 36.2, back - 31.4, free -27.5)
I was going to do a 6th but my watch came off. I took it as a sign to stop :).

warm down

I was really tempted to do a second 400 IM for time because I wanted to see if I could go under 4:50 but then I thought better of it. That just sounds like a classic taper mistake :0. Besides, I started my watch, then went down and did a start and stopped the watch after I touched the wall on a finish, so I was probably under 4:50 anyhow :).

My backstroke turnover was a tad slow. I usually want to turn the arms over a bit faster. I strolled a little on that leg.

My breaststroke timing was off until after the first turn. I really found the timing on the 2nd 50 of the breaststroke. I need to try to set up that timing and rhythm as soon as possible in that first 25 in order to maximize that.

Breathing rhythm is hugely important too. I didn't really establish my 2 up/1 down on the fly. I might've done it, but I didn't think about it and don't recall what was going on with it. I've gotten better about setting up a rhythm on my backstroke breathing. The breaststroke breathing sets up nicely when I have the timing down. And on the freestyle, it works pretty well if I breathe every other stroke for the first 75. At least at altitude. At sea level, I'll have to start out breathing every other for at least 25 yards and see how my oxygen is doing.

Still spliting the front and back 200 pretty close - 3.91 diff today. Ideally, I'd like to be under 10 seconds in between, so this is great. I was 16 seconds in the CO state meet, which is closer to how I traditionally split the race. When I resume regular training this summer, I'm going to work on pushing the front 200 a little more AND being able to split under 10 seconds difference. Which brings me to strategy.

There's a wildcard here in the altitude difference. I've never swum the 400 IM during season at altitude and then down tapered at sea level. So I keep kicking around whether I want to push the fly a bit and trust that the oxygen difference is going to carry my back 200. I know it will kick in, I just don't know how much I can push that first 100. It's a high risk/reward strategy for me -- either it will set up a perfect 400 IM or I'll feel like shit coming home on the free.

The other way I can swim it is to go out feeling easy. It'll guarantee a very good race and probably close to ideal 200 splitting. This is a low risk strategy that I know will work pretty well, just based on practice times. It'll allow me to really sprint that last 100.

There's also the full body suit. I haven't swum a 400 IM in one ever and I know it will make me feel like going out real fast. Really, what it comes down to is that I'm going to go out pretty fast unless I really program into my head over the next week that I need to really rein in that first 100 fly and commit to that.

Hmmmmmmmmm...