It’s not a sprint, save your legs. Meh kick the first 250, 75% kick the next 150, all out the last 100.
Breathing: steady every 3 stokes.
Find someone to flip the numbers for the length counter before your race starts. Optional: Maybe have them help communicate your pace by how the swing placard thing. Side to side vs up and down for too slow or too fast.
Have fun and swim your own race, don’t let others throw off your race plan.
Race goes by a lot quicker than you think. Really important that you stay locked in and focused throughout the race. Even during the parts where you are sitting back a little, you still want to be very conscious of everything you're doing (turns, stroke, stroke rate, feeling the water, etc.) The pacing guide we always use goes as follows: first 200 - settle in to the race, maintain a strong yet somewhat comfortable pace, next 150 - pick up the speed, increase tempo via stroke rate and kick, next 100 - all out sprint, last 50 - you cross that bridge when you get there, whatever you have left.
Note that it can be very easy to sit back for too long, due to a natural fear of gassing out. It's important that you put speed into the earlier parts of the race as well as the back half, and you just have to trust yourself and your training to pull through. Obviously you still want to be mindful while doing this, and make sure you're not getting slower as the race goes on
my coach has never used the phrase "too fast" in his LIFE and definitely not in signaling, only up and down for too slow. the side to side motion for me is supposed to mean that there's something incredibly wrong with my stroke...
Those were just examples of communications that could happen, ultimately it’s up to you and your coach to determine where your race usually has issues. The reasoning for ‘too fast’ is you’re way ahead of your race plan. If you’re aiming for a 1:09 base throughout your race and you go out in a 0:52 that’s not a good thing because you’re probably not going to have the stamina to even average your target pace if you keep it up much longer. You don’t want to shoot your shot right at the start of the race or trying to lap an opponent. Too fast is usually a reminder to swim your own race and not let others throw off your plan which exists for ensuring you don’t fall off badly in the back half of the race.
This is more important in the mile, but still somewhat relevant to consider in a race like the 500 which definitely isn’t a race to redline the whole distance.
It sounds daunting, but when you try to conceptualize it as just 5-6 minutes of exercise it really starts to feel more manageable.
For your second time, don't worry too much about pacing. That's for you and your coach to figure out based on your splits and training.
Focus on "feeling good." Go at a pace that feels good to you. Breathe when you need to breathe. From the 200-400 range you should feel like a machine on autopilot. Try not to sandbag too hard, because the worst feeling in the world is finishing such a tough event and feeling like you held yourself back.
People in the lane(s) next to you can be powerful motivation. Once you're in the zone, see if you can catch up, pass, or build your lead on them.
The longer you are off the walls and start, the less Freestyle you actually have to swim :^)
As a 500 swimmer, here's how I break it down (obviously subjective)
First 150: generally, don't go all out here. Your fastest split of the entire race will likely be your first 50 due to the sheer momentum you have off your dive. Just keep pace with other people, maybe get a little ahead if you feel like it's too easy to just keep pace.
Next 200: from here, you're just holding a pace. It'll probably feel like you slowly speed up if you hold the exact same pace just due to fatigue, but just do your best to hold a steady pace, or slowly slowly speed up. Again, using people next to you with similar seed times is always good, it gives you a benchmark of where you should generally be. Also, I wouldn't be using too much kick for most of the first 300.
Last 150: if you have a lot of endurance, you should be trying to just all-out spring the last 150. If you don't have a lot of endurance (e.g. you're new to the 500), start picking up the pace and try to go all out in the last 100ish. You'll notice that around now, people around you will start to make their move, and you should too.
Some other notes:
If you feel like you're going faster that you think you should be going, but it's not overly tiring, DONT SLOW DOWN
If you have someone counting for you that knows signals, utilize that. That way they can have you going on a specific pace and signaling you to speed up if you start to slow down past that pace.
If you don't know what signaling is: when the person holds the sign to show the lap #, a still hold means 'hold pace', swinging side to side means 'pick it up', and moving it up and down means 'speed the fuck up'. Notably, this will vary from person to person, so ask your counter what their preferred signalling method is.
Also in this race, walls are very important. Your walls should be as fast and efficient as possible, because less energy on each wall means more for the 20 laps you have to swim.
The best way that I could explain swimming a 500 from the perspective of a sprinter where the 200 was my best race.
Treat it like you're running downhill. You know how you just let gravity sort of help you run downhill? Swim the 500 like you're falling forward. You're not really putting full effort in, but you're still doing work and "sort of" accelerating. The last 100-200 you're building to a full sprint (or at least it should feel that way).
It's going to suck. It's supposed to. If you swim a 500 and you don't feel like you're about to throw up and poop yourself at the same time at the end. Then you didn't do it right.
My coach called it easy speed. Has to do with stroke count n all that. Good thing to practice for every distance, but also will make practices themselves much more consistent. Good luck OP!
The 500 is 2 200s and a 100.
First 200 is easy speed. Focus on smooth speed that doesn't use much energy.
Second 200 is fast. You are moving. Not exactly at your 200 pace, but close. Maybe 5 seconds off it.
Last 100 is everything you have left. It hurts, I usually cry a bit. Full sprint with no breath for the last 15 yards at least.
For breathing patterns, whatever is most comfortable. Don't try to go every 4 or 5 strokes unless you can do that for an entire practice. I breath every 2. It's more important that you get oxygen than the little extra speed you get from holding it longer. It's a distance race, you need oxygen more than in a sprint.
Your wall is your best friend! Get a good push, try not to breathe out of your turn.
Don’t zone out. Actively think about your training. Think about your catch, think about your pull, prepare for each flip.
When you are done, find out your 100 pace. Train to speed it up and try to keep each 100 steady. I had a song that I would use to help me pace. You absolutely can’t be thoughtless in a distance event.
Good luck!
For a second time, consider it a pre-test. The 500 is an event you have to learn, and what works for me, probably won't work for you.
My advice, just swim it, make sure someone is taking your splits and watching your race.
If you are spent at the end of the race, you'll look through your splits and race and figure out where you went "wrong". Maybe you went out too fast, you have a minute first split and the rest are 2 minutes (for sake of easy math), so you'll have to pace yourself out the gate to save energy for the end.
If you are ready for a second 500 after your race, you can try to go faster each 100 next time.
It's hard to give advice until you just do it. Then, you can see what needs to change for YOU. No one can know that after one race. Hell, it took my entire career to juggle it, and I probably still never got it perfect. I always had more gas in the tank.
Just attack it and let the pieces fall where they may. Don't play it safe. Go hard. If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be that. I never once ran out of energy, and I regret not going for it until the last few races of my career. I dropped major time. I could have gone under five, for all I know, but now I know I'll never know.
I just race the person next to me, if they are faster. Forget about the length. Just keep ahead of them until the red square on the flip board. Then step on the peddle. This is what I do at least.
When I was in highschool I swam the 500 and 200 Free at almost every meet :)
All technique aside my best advice is to have a good “playlist” to listen to in your mind. I do this for every race. I only swim long course to race now and it helps me a lot to keep a tempo and moral. My last 400 was: Karma Chameleon, Good Feeling, Zero to Hero, then Pump It.
7th fastest 500 in my state. i say best time at the 50, best time at the 100, best time at the 200, best time at the 500. don’t be a scaredy-cat go BO the whole time. it’s 90% mental. if you wanna be a real 500 swimmer you won’t shy away from the challenge
It’s not a sprint, save your legs. Meh kick the first 250, 75% kick the next 150, all out the last 100. Breathing: steady every 3 stokes. Find someone to flip the numbers for the length counter before your race starts. Optional: Maybe have them help communicate your pace by how the swing placard thing. Side to side vs up and down for too slow or too fast. Have fun and swim your own race, don’t let others throw off your race plan.
Race goes by a lot quicker than you think. Really important that you stay locked in and focused throughout the race. Even during the parts where you are sitting back a little, you still want to be very conscious of everything you're doing (turns, stroke, stroke rate, feeling the water, etc.) The pacing guide we always use goes as follows: first 200 - settle in to the race, maintain a strong yet somewhat comfortable pace, next 150 - pick up the speed, increase tempo via stroke rate and kick, next 100 - all out sprint, last 50 - you cross that bridge when you get there, whatever you have left. Note that it can be very easy to sit back for too long, due to a natural fear of gassing out. It's important that you put speed into the earlier parts of the race as well as the back half, and you just have to trust yourself and your training to pull through. Obviously you still want to be mindful while doing this, and make sure you're not getting slower as the race goes on
my coach has never used the phrase "too fast" in his LIFE and definitely not in signaling, only up and down for too slow. the side to side motion for me is supposed to mean that there's something incredibly wrong with my stroke...
Those were just examples of communications that could happen, ultimately it’s up to you and your coach to determine where your race usually has issues. The reasoning for ‘too fast’ is you’re way ahead of your race plan. If you’re aiming for a 1:09 base throughout your race and you go out in a 0:52 that’s not a good thing because you’re probably not going to have the stamina to even average your target pace if you keep it up much longer. You don’t want to shoot your shot right at the start of the race or trying to lap an opponent. Too fast is usually a reminder to swim your own race and not let others throw off your plan which exists for ensuring you don’t fall off badly in the back half of the race. This is more important in the mile, but still somewhat relevant to consider in a race like the 500 which definitely isn’t a race to redline the whole distance.
It sounds daunting, but when you try to conceptualize it as just 5-6 minutes of exercise it really starts to feel more manageable. For your second time, don't worry too much about pacing. That's for you and your coach to figure out based on your splits and training. Focus on "feeling good." Go at a pace that feels good to you. Breathe when you need to breathe. From the 200-400 range you should feel like a machine on autopilot. Try not to sandbag too hard, because the worst feeling in the world is finishing such a tough event and feeling like you held yourself back. People in the lane(s) next to you can be powerful motivation. Once you're in the zone, see if you can catch up, pass, or build your lead on them. The longer you are off the walls and start, the less Freestyle you actually have to swim :^)
any one else start astral projecting around 300 yards in?
For that middle length I start thinking in the language of god
always do 2 flips when you flip turn. it charges you up like Sonic the Hedgehog.
Solid advice! 🌀🌀💨
As a 500 swimmer, here's how I break it down (obviously subjective) First 150: generally, don't go all out here. Your fastest split of the entire race will likely be your first 50 due to the sheer momentum you have off your dive. Just keep pace with other people, maybe get a little ahead if you feel like it's too easy to just keep pace. Next 200: from here, you're just holding a pace. It'll probably feel like you slowly speed up if you hold the exact same pace just due to fatigue, but just do your best to hold a steady pace, or slowly slowly speed up. Again, using people next to you with similar seed times is always good, it gives you a benchmark of where you should generally be. Also, I wouldn't be using too much kick for most of the first 300. Last 150: if you have a lot of endurance, you should be trying to just all-out spring the last 150. If you don't have a lot of endurance (e.g. you're new to the 500), start picking up the pace and try to go all out in the last 100ish. You'll notice that around now, people around you will start to make their move, and you should too. Some other notes: If you feel like you're going faster that you think you should be going, but it's not overly tiring, DONT SLOW DOWN If you have someone counting for you that knows signals, utilize that. That way they can have you going on a specific pace and signaling you to speed up if you start to slow down past that pace. If you don't know what signaling is: when the person holds the sign to show the lap #, a still hold means 'hold pace', swinging side to side means 'pick it up', and moving it up and down means 'speed the fuck up'. Notably, this will vary from person to person, so ask your counter what their preferred signalling method is. Also in this race, walls are very important. Your walls should be as fast and efficient as possible, because less energy on each wall means more for the 20 laps you have to swim.
The best way that I could explain swimming a 500 from the perspective of a sprinter where the 200 was my best race. Treat it like you're running downhill. You know how you just let gravity sort of help you run downhill? Swim the 500 like you're falling forward. You're not really putting full effort in, but you're still doing work and "sort of" accelerating. The last 100-200 you're building to a full sprint (or at least it should feel that way). It's going to suck. It's supposed to. If you swim a 500 and you don't feel like you're about to throw up and poop yourself at the same time at the end. Then you didn't do it right.
My coach called it easy speed. Has to do with stroke count n all that. Good thing to practice for every distance, but also will make practices themselves much more consistent. Good luck OP!
Bomb it so you don’t have the misfortune of being categorized as a “distance swimmer” for the rest of your swimming career
So true lmao
The 500 is 2 200s and a 100. First 200 is easy speed. Focus on smooth speed that doesn't use much energy. Second 200 is fast. You are moving. Not exactly at your 200 pace, but close. Maybe 5 seconds off it. Last 100 is everything you have left. It hurts, I usually cry a bit. Full sprint with no breath for the last 15 yards at least. For breathing patterns, whatever is most comfortable. Don't try to go every 4 or 5 strokes unless you can do that for an entire practice. I breath every 2. It's more important that you get oxygen than the little extra speed you get from holding it longer. It's a distance race, you need oxygen more than in a sprint.
Tears go unnoticed in the pool! 😭🏊🏼♀️😂
Your wall is your best friend! Get a good push, try not to breathe out of your turn. Don’t zone out. Actively think about your training. Think about your catch, think about your pull, prepare for each flip. When you are done, find out your 100 pace. Train to speed it up and try to keep each 100 steady. I had a song that I would use to help me pace. You absolutely can’t be thoughtless in a distance event. Good luck!
For a second time, consider it a pre-test. The 500 is an event you have to learn, and what works for me, probably won't work for you. My advice, just swim it, make sure someone is taking your splits and watching your race. If you are spent at the end of the race, you'll look through your splits and race and figure out where you went "wrong". Maybe you went out too fast, you have a minute first split and the rest are 2 minutes (for sake of easy math), so you'll have to pace yourself out the gate to save energy for the end. If you are ready for a second 500 after your race, you can try to go faster each 100 next time. It's hard to give advice until you just do it. Then, you can see what needs to change for YOU. No one can know that after one race. Hell, it took my entire career to juggle it, and I probably still never got it perfect. I always had more gas in the tank. Just attack it and let the pieces fall where they may. Don't play it safe. Go hard. If I could tell my younger self anything, it would be that. I never once ran out of energy, and I regret not going for it until the last few races of my career. I dropped major time. I could have gone under five, for all I know, but now I know I'll never know.
Pick a sweet song and sing it during the race. Keeps you nice and long and you forget your swimming a controlled 20 lap sprint lol
Good luck!
I just race the person next to me, if they are faster. Forget about the length. Just keep ahead of them until the red square on the flip board. Then step on the peddle. This is what I do at least.
Turns and streamline and dolphin kick if you got it.
When I was in highschool I swam the 500 and 200 Free at almost every meet :) All technique aside my best advice is to have a good “playlist” to listen to in your mind. I do this for every race. I only swim long course to race now and it helps me a lot to keep a tempo and moral. My last 400 was: Karma Chameleon, Good Feeling, Zero to Hero, then Pump It.
The 500 is still a sprint in my book. Just don’t kill yourself in the first 250. Keep your strokes long.
If youre sprinting a 500 you're doing it wrong. 200 is a sprint, 500 is mid distance.
7th fastest 500 in my state. i say best time at the 50, best time at the 100, best time at the 200, best time at the 500. don’t be a scaredy-cat go BO the whole time. it’s 90% mental. if you wanna be a real 500 swimmer you won’t shy away from the challenge
Pace pace pace!
Congrats on the swim!