I've been getting back to a style of training set I haven't used much since 2009. The type of set, which I'll call: a "recycled speed" set, goes something like this:
3x:
200 Free (230)
150 Free (2) *Fast, descend
100 Free (120)
75 Free (110) **Fast, descend
3x25 easy (40)
I had a few athletes do this set a few weeks ago, and I thought they performed it well. The 150s should be descended (say, from 126 to 123); and the 75s should be descended as well -- but with a higher velocity (say, from 39.5 to 38.6, to 38.0).
I don't really care about the 75 repeat times on this set. 75s are so short, it's easy to get 200 pace out of the athletes. I can do ask for that any day, any time. What I do care about is the combination of the two repeats: strong 150s, AND strong 75s (add them up for a 225 yard free, or a 200M free!). And what I really like about this recycling of repeats is the ease in which athletes tend to atttain the pace on the higher volume repeats (in this case the 75s). It makes for a strong overall set.
Today we did a similar type set...it was a short pulling set to set up the main series. It went like this:
4x:
150 pull (155) breathe 3.5.7
100 pull (115) Negative Split
50 pull (45) Fast
The athletes were able to go fast on the 50s, and they did the 100s negative split well also -- but the notable thing about the set was the 150s: they were able to swim them strong as well, within the breathing pattern -- and they went pretty quick on them with little effort.
On of my top female athletes did something like this: 150s (at 133avg); 100s from 58 to 55 (all negative), and 50s from 26 to 25+. The 50 speed she was able to get was fueled by a quick tempo, which she relaxed during the breath control 150s.....but was "revved" enough to continue swimming pretty well -- but easily. The set could have been written like this:
4x:
50 pull (45) Fast
150 pull (155) breathe 3.5.7
100 pull (115) Negative Split
It might make more sense that way!
Tomorrow, I plan to build off the set I mentioned at the top of the post. Here are the two sets:
Free Set
mid September:
4x:
1x200 Free IM (240)
1x150 Free (2) *Fast descend
1x100 Free IM (130)
1x75 Free (110) *Fast descend
3x25 easy (40)
Free Set
October 30:
First, the warmup:
3x:
1x100 Free IM (130)
2x50 Free (40)*Fast, descend 1-2 and descend rounds
1x50 Free (50)
1x50 Free (40)**Fast, descend rounds
4x25 easy (40)
...followed by the main series:
3x:
1x200 Free IM (240)
2x75 Free (1)*Fast, descend 1-2 and descend rounds
1x100 Free IM (130)
1x75 Free (110)*Fast, descend rounds
3x25 easy (40)
In this set (and warmup set), I'm attempting to warm the athletes with some 50s (which has a high level of expectation, but not as high as the next set). The 50s warmup is a "set up". Next, I'm asking for 2x75 in a row, followed by a single 75. The expectation is for the athletes to swim their 75s at 200 pace. If the 2x75 are just above the athlete's 200 pace, that is ok too. The single 75 should be right on the pace. I don't really care about the total time....the last 50 has to be done right! There is a big difference between a 39.4 (12.6 + 13.5 + 13.3) and a 39.4 (13.2 + 13.6 + 12.6). The final 50 of the first 39.4 is a 26.8, while the final 50 of the second 39.4 is a 26.2 -- quite a big difference when thinking about the final 50 of a SCY 200 free!
Once the athlete is "AT" their 200 pace on the single 75, the goal is not to go faster, but to make the pair of 75s a stronger pair. Ideally, the athletes can swim just about their 200 pace (maybe two 40 flats in this scenario), and follow it with a single 75 right on 200 pace. I'd prefer it be done this way, rather than see a 38.2 which is preceeded by a 41.5 and a 41.1.
I know I have been rambling during this post....I hope to convey a little bit regarding my mindset toward certain types of training sets. Certainly "figuring out" how to get athletes to do great things in practice isn't easy, and in my opinion to get high levels of "easy speed" from athletes, "set arrangement" can have a lot to do with it -- It's not just the effort of the athletes we need to depend upon! I think the recycling of distances with a consistently varying level of speed expectation can aid a focused athlete who is seeking great practice performances.
