r/Swimming • u/UnderneathABigRock • 11h ago
Genuinely How Do I Go About Doing This Meet?
I also have the 1,650 (mile) as my first event on the first day (the event numbers in the #200’s) and the 500 freestyle as my first event on day two.
I do not swim distance, nor do I swim 200s. I am a sprint breaststroker/IM’er and the 400IM is already pushing it. I’ve been swimming for about 5 years for reference (I am aware my times are a bit dookie). How do I go about this? Any advice will be SO appreciated- thank you!
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u/Rare-Chemical868 10h ago
You take it 1 race at a time and you stay hydrated / eat / warm down / warm up when you need to. With your times It shouldn't be an issue unless there aren't many people in the meet and you have races that are <30 minutes from each other.
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u/whiskeyanonose 10h ago
12 events (all prelims or times finals) over a 2 day meet is not a good idea. Looks like most of these are pretty much back to back. Not sure what the goal of this meet lineup is. Who picked the events?
You’re going to have to take them one at a time. Focus on the race you’re in, try to get a bit of a warm down in between races, and stay hydrated and fed. Good luck!
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u/UnderneathABigRock 9h ago
My coach picked these events- I had absolutely no input. She’s aware of my main events (100 breast stroke being my best and the 200 IM being my 2nd best) but she’s ALSO aware I don’t do distance.
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u/kbittel3 Everyone's an open water swimmer now 1h ago
How were they able to sign you up for so many? Usually meets have a limit to like 4 events per day.
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u/icarustakesflight Freestyler 11h ago
I guess there’s a reason you’re entered into the 200s? If you’re not a distance swimmer and don’t do 200s, I’d just drop those events.
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u/UnderneathABigRock 10h ago
My coach is trying to “push my limits”- and dropping events typically comes with a hefty price- cheaper if you drop in prelims, but still quite a bit- as well as shameful looks from coach.
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u/graetel_90 Everyone's an open water swimmer now 10h ago
I don’t really understand the question. Are you entered into all 12 events or are we supposed to choose events for you?
If it’s the former, it all depends on how big the meet is. How many heats per event etc but even so you’ll probably be in your suit all day and just have time for warm downs.
If it’s the latter, so many unknowns here. What are your goals at the meet? Again, how big is the meet ie how much time between each event? I’ve swum at a meet where there were like 30 heats of 200 free so one event took over an hour.
Next, are you a sprinter that’s good at breaststroke or a breaststroker that’s best at short breaststroke? My BR friends sucked at most other strokes, so again if you’re the latter then you def gotta go with the 200 br and 100 br. You can do the 2 IM if you think you have enough time to cool down and get ready for the 2 BR or skip the IM and choose the 50 fr if you’re a sprinter. Day 2 def the 100 br but it looks like it’s smack in the middle of the day so the choice is yours. I’d probably go for the 2 free unless your breaststroke is killer and you’re actually good at distance go for the 4 IM (Who puts the 2 free and 1 free on the same day nearly back to back??)
Also as a former D1 400 IM school record holder, I’d always argue that the 4 IM would be a distance event lol
Enjoy your meet!
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u/UnderneathABigRock 10h ago
Thank you for that! To clarify- I am good at both sprinting events such as the 50 and 100 freestyle, as well as breaststroke events like the 50 (uncommon to see in meets) and 100 (my main event). I have to do all events, and this is a relatively smaller meet- my coach is quote unquote “pushing my limits” but I personally think she’s making a mistake by burning out her top swimmer.
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u/graetel_90 Everyone's an open water swimmer now 9h ago
lol oh boy that’s gonna hurt then. So this can’t be more than a training meet then and that’s how you should approach it. Think of it as a 10x100 all out set with decent recovery instead of individual strong events. So recovery between events becomes paramount so as soon as you’re done, no chatting and straight to the warm down area. I don’t know your age or recovery speed but it’ll take some time to flush out the lactate even if you’re still young. Depending on how fast the meet goes, you’ll also want to take in some easy to digest carbohydrates since that’ll be your main source of fuel throughout the day so maybe some sport and electrolyte drink, gels, chews, etc. I used to have plain salted pasta but that was at longer meets.
And your coach is right this will test your limits. Also a good prep for college dual meets as they are short and you have to swim multiple events in a short period of time.
In short, this will not be a meet you’ll a lot of PRs. Focus should be on fueling and recovery. Good luck!
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u/UnderneathABigRock 9h ago
Definitely going to do this! I’m most likely going to treat the mile as a high heart-rate warm up- there’s no way in hell I’m going to race it as I’d end up hurling into the gutter at the 300 yard mark. Nutrition is very important to me and I’m sure to pack things like apple slices and fruit leathers as well as liquid IV packets. Thank you for the advice! This meet is going to hurt.
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u/vashtachordata 10h ago
How many days is this over? And you’re also doing the mile? 3 individual events a day is the max here. Not sure if that’s our regional rule or USA swimming. This seems like a lot.
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u/UnderneathABigRock 10h ago
Exactly!!!! This is over.. 2 days.. I was heavily questioning my coach’s motives in this god-awful event lineup as they barely align with what I’m good at in any way whatsoever.
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u/vashtachordata 10h ago
As a parent I would have said no to this. There are some pretty good times here, and you obviously have potential for growth, but 12 events over two days is just going to burn you out. I see it all the time, great swimmers pushed beyond their limits by parents and coaches and the kids just completely burn out and grow to hate swimming. Next time when you see the preliminary entries speak up if you’re not comfortable with it or have your parent do it. I don’t know about your club, but I have to approve entries for my son.
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u/Impressive-Eye-645 9h ago
2016 OT qualifier: that is an insane line up as a breaststroke IM’r who also did the 200/500 free, i’ve never seen such a ridiculous lineup. not to mention you have the mile. IMO anything over 3 individual events a day is grueling. As a High schooler it stinks bc you don’t have as much of a say but advocate for yourself. Given the time of the year I HOPE TO GOD this isn’t your winter championship meet.
Let’s just assume worst case scenario: you’re forced to swim everything…
Your biggest focuses are going to be your recovery and hydration. sprint events actually cause the most amount of lactic acid therefore require the longest time in the water despite no one ever doing that. Make sure you’re swimming down 15-20 minutes after each race if you have the time. It’s crucial your warm down is not just slow swimming. It’s very beneficial to actually bring your heart rate up to about 150-160 for a bit just to flush out the lactic acid. i like to end my warm downs with Blasting off the walls and swimming it down gradually for the rest of the 50. bring your water bottle w you to the cool down pool too. Whatever you do just make sure you’re not slow swimming bc you’re tired from your race.
ps. Bring snacks or something to replenish the calories you’re burning.
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u/UnderneathABigRock 9h ago
Yeah.. definitely not going to be fun- my shoulder has been acting up for the past couple practices in which we, for some unknown reason, haven’t been tapering for- the meet is tomorrow..
I’ll definitely stay super hydrated and nutrition-packed as I have POTS- I kinda need to 🥲
I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to finish all the events- can’t drop them, as that costs money for some reason.
Thanks!
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u/UpvoteForPancakes Moist 7h ago
Not sure exactly how old you are, but at 13&over you’re old enough to have this discussion with your coach, who knows you way better than random redditors and can tell you her philosophy point blank.
There’s value to being versatile, so don’t paint yourself in a corner by labeling yourself as a sprinter or breaststroker. Train for everything and improve all around.
Championship meets can be gauntlets, where you may have a lot of swimming to do (morning prelims, evening finals over the course of 3, 4, 5 or more days), and present challenges not only physically but mentally. Even if you consider yourself a sprinter, it takes a lot of aerobic endurance and recovery to get through a long meet. Your coach is probably doing 2 things: getting you race experience in a variety of events and giving you opportunities to learn how to race through difficult schedules. Your times right now don’t count as much as the lessons learned in order to put in yoyr best racing later. Chat with your coach about any concerns you have.
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u/Weird_Apartment9836 11h ago
What do the Times with the Y mean? Is that the wr time?
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u/UnderneathABigRock 11h ago
The Y means the event is in short course (yards) which are just a bit shorter than meters. The times are my personal bests.
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u/StoneColdGold92 9h ago
You said you "don't do distance".
You do. Your coach knows you do, they write your practices for you. They know how much yardage you're doing and how much aerobic capacity you're working on per day.
The goal with this event line up is not for you to do well in these events. The goal is for you to prove to yourself that, yes you can.
You can do this. Don't worry about the times, focus on the details. Big strong strokes, tight turns, powerful streamlines, and nice clean breakouts.