Problem!!!

[Kaci]

I am so frustrated as my times are getting slower and slower, whereas my training times are getting quicker.

In training I'm fine e.g the other day we were doing 20x100m No1 (back in my case) and I did a P.B on the 20th 100m. Then in the gala 2 weeks later I went 5 seconds slower than I did on that 20th 100. I lead my lane easily, but get beaten by everyone in my lane in usually, my best events.

WHY!! :mad:

[swimusa]

First, I wouldn't look at being able to lead your lane, but lose to them racing as any indication of a problem. Some people, like myself, are great trainers, we can train hard, and feel great in practice, and swim circles around others. But, other people in the lanes, might not, and don't try as hard, so you swim faster than them in practice, but they still swim faster in practice. As to why 5 seconds slower, there could be alot of reasons why. Your fatigue, where in the day (what number event it was for you) the event was (if you raced a 200m fly before the 100m free, you'll be more winded than say 20x100m frees), how dehydrated you were, just to name a few. If this continues to happen often, I would have cause for concern.

[lane4]

Sounds like you didn't do enough warm up at the meet!

If you can PB at the end of a set of 20x100 then you should try doing at least as much warm up at the meet as you did swimming before that PB in training - and do that as close to your race as possible. So try at least 1900 plus however much as came before that 20x100 set and you might then have more chance of swimming better in the race.

Its not guaranteed but its worth a go for sure - unless you did do this much warm-up before the race, in which case its likely to be a psychological issue that you need to overcome, e.g. too nervous, not nervous enough, lacking confidence etc.

[Kaci]

Nearly all my times are between a year and two years old, and I'm only 17.

Going back to Lane 4's comment I always do a long warm up so yes, it must be psycological.

But I do not get too nervous before a race and I do not feel scared. I am usually confident because I know I am better than most of the swimmers around me but I never expect to win by miles. My coach hasn't a clue, apperently my swims make her miserable. My times are now appauling!

(Sorry if I sound a bit wingey! :rolleyes: )

[swimmer]

i had the same problem as you for about 3 years. from the ages of 13-15 i could not do any pbs - my times were about 4 seconds slower than when i was 12. however i realised that the problem must be psycological as i was fastest in trainning by miles. i also realised that i got very very very nervous before races- like very nervous! and i found out that this was what was making me slow. so (its really difficult to do) but try and relax before your race - dont think about it like 2 days before etc becuase this will make you too nervous, also i tried new events that i hadn't done and these took the pressure off, and gradually the excess nerves went away. now at 16 it seems every time i swim a 200 i am knocking off as much as 12 seconds! and it feels really good. You have to belive in yourself - you know you can do it because you did it in training! do not get worried about the races - ignore every one else in your race - don't think omg i am coming last, just concentrate on YOUR swim, do not worry about the out come of the race, eg in the race do not think, o this is going to be a 1.01 or whatever, just concentrate on your technique etc. Concentrate on the things you can change, and do not worry about things you cant - your lane or time etc. And if you do that, the times will come down a lot by themselves. During the time of getting no pbs i hated galas, i hated doing seconds on my entry times, but you hvae to learn to enjoy it. And then after you do so, you will get the greatest feeling, like i did in my 200fly - after 3 years of no improvement, i finished the race, won it by 9 seconds and found out that i had done a 12 sec pb - and since the time has been coming down by at least 6 secs everytime i swim - i kno this will start to level soon becase obviously you can swim it in 60 secs for example!
Also, it may be the fact that you are going so fast in training that is the problem - mayby you are gonig to fast when it is meant to be a medium or slow pace set? just follow EXACTLY the pace your coach tells you, and really work on your technique - every stroke, every turn, every finish and every legnth.

hope my experience helps :)

[lane4]

Originally posted by swimmer
found out that i had done a 12 sec pb

Swimmer - what are your current PB's if you don't mind me asking?

[swimmer]

for 200fly at the moment it is 2.39 yeh i kno its not like really good, but its good for me seeing as i have only been doing the event for about 13 months. a year ago my time was 3.20, that dropped to 3.01 then to 2.58 then to 2.46 then to 2.42 then to 2.39 (the last time i swum it), my goal is sub 2.35 next time i swim, then sub 2.30.

[Aussiebabe]

KC you should have had a moan to me!!

All My S/C best times are from 1999 pretty much (my breaststroke is 1998!!) I could always go so well in training (& like you I have PB'd on a 100Bk in training then in a race gone 1 sec slower than my PB!!) but just stopped improving in a race. Alison would just reel of a list of excuses to cheer me up after a race, but I knew full well that most of them were rubbish, just designed to stop me getting upset (she also has confessed to being upset & frustrated 'cos I have never hit the times she knows I am capable of, just before i left!!). I used to get so mad after a gala and my catch-cry would be 'but it's so unfair, I'm heaps faster than her in training'!!

I had put my trouble down to me being a distance swimmer and so just better at training than most (I also did long warm-ups as a distance swimmer like you are!!) but once over here my coach swore it was a nerves thing, which I just didn't understand as I didn't feel nervous at all but she swore she could see it & I've slowly begun to realise that at home where everyone knows you and all the little swimmers that I was quite worried about being beaten (which ironically increased my chances of it). It was so sub-conscious that like I say I honestly didn't feel nervous, but I was getting desperate to PB and that desperateness was making me so tense.

I still haven't really PB'd over here mind you, but I'm back down to my 1999 times and loving the sport again which is vital!! I have also started setting my aims lower which relieves the pressure I was putting on myself - I have become a lot more complacent with a <i>bad</i> time!!! Sean couldn't believe it when I first said 'oh well eh, it doesn't really matter"after a bad race!! Getting better with every competition and slowly getting better at ignoring who is in my race (& what age - re earlier post!!) & am raring to go for next season!!

[swimusa]

Kaci, if you don't mind me asking, what is your age? The onset of burnout in racing might be a factor. Also, how focused are you at meets? When you do a set of 20x100's, you tend to focus on the task at hand. If you're distracted when it's time to race, you may have a harder time to get your rythm

[swimmer]

to answer your question swimusa

I'm only 17.

that was a quote from Kaci from an earlier post in this forum

:clear:

[swimusa]

Sorry, didn't see that. Thank you for pointing that out.

[swimmer]

thats ok :)

[Bazza]

Kaci - has it got anything to do with being taught to drive by Chris? That could be causing alot of undue stress...:devil:

[Kaci]

I did start liking Chris 2 years ago (I was young and naive) and my times got worse 2 years ago. Coincidence I think not!!!

I believe he is the cause!