400m

[bx]

Did 400m tonight! Four times further than I've ever swum freestyle before!

[terry]

What did you think, do, or feel that was different?

[bx]

Originally Posted by terry

What did you think, do, or feel that was different?

Thanks for the reply

I felt secure in my technique for one length (25m) at a time. In particular I've been finally gaining a little bit of feel for the anchor - just light-to-medium pressure. Plus lots of breathing drills, feeling comfortable both sides.
So what else was there to do other than push myself to swim a bit further and see where my weak areas are?

Suprisingly, my technique didn't collapse, though my arms got tired for the final 4 lengths, which made spearing and anchoring a bit sloppy.

[terry]

If you used only light-to-medium pressure, why do you suppose your arms tired? Could you lighten pressure further?
Because completing 400m with no fatigue is how you progress to 1500 or 3000 or 10,000m.

[bx]

Originally Posted by terry

If you used only light-to-medium pressure, why do you suppose your arms tired? Could you lighten pressure further?
Because completing 400m with no fatigue is how you progress to 1500 or 3000 or 10,000m.

Even spearing deeply enough to counteract my sinky legs takes a suprising amount of effort.

In future I want to put 90% concentration on spearing correctly, and 10% on getting some pressure on the catch.

It was a useful experiment.

[terry]

If you use the weight shift optimally -- relying 90% on gravity and body mass and only 10% on muscle power -- you can do it almost indefinitely without fatigue.
When was the last time you had a tuneup with a TI coach?