50 vs 100: Racing and Training Differences

Hey swimmers! This is coach Milo.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"50 vs 100: Racing and Training Differences"

Summary:

Milo breaks down why the 50 and the 100 are fundamentally different races driven by different energy systems. The 50 is pure all-out sprinting, lasting only about 15 to 17 seconds before the body crashes: roughly three seconds of ATP energy followed by ten to fourteen seconds of creatine phosphate. After that window, nobody can rejuvenate energy fast enough to keep going all out. The 100, at about 45 seconds to a minute, falls outside that all-out window, so it becomes a blend of speed, power, and conditioning. He explains how to train each, why training the 200 makes you smarter in the 100, and why the 100 freestyle is the most painful race because of the lactic acid load you must learn to tolerate.

Answer:

Here's the deal. The 50 freestylers are basically the fastest people in the pool, going just one length long course or two lengths short course, while the 100 is two laps long course or four short course. In the 50, you've got about 15 to 17 seconds of all-out energy before your body totally crashes. Everyone has about three seconds of ATP, which is that Hulk-like energy, and then your body taps into creatine phosphate, which buys you another ten to thirteen, maybe fourteen seconds. After about 17 seconds everybody crashes, because you can't rejuvenate energy that quickly. So when you train the 50, you have to move fast to swim fast. In the American system under Ernie Maglischo you're in the SP3 or Sprint 3 zone; in the Michigan color system that's the platinum zone. It's burst energy, full strength, full power, as fast as you can go, because if you don't do it in practice, you won't do it at the meet. The 100 is different. It's about 45 seconds to a minute, around 39 seconds for an elite 100 yard or 46 in the 100 meter, which is well outside those 17 seconds, so you've got to slow it down a touch. The 100 is the perfect combination of speed, power, and conditioning, and to be great at it you've got to train the 200 so you learn to spend your energy smarter. For a great 50, sprint a lot in short bursts of ten to fifteen yards, then swim an easy 50, and rest about four times as long as your effort. For the 100, train around 90 percent speed with front-end speed, but if you go out too hard you won't finish that second 50. It's the most painful race because of the lactic acid, so do a lot of lactic training, embrace the burn, and build a tolerance. Just know that burning feeling stops the moment you stop and rest, and to repeat the effort you'll need one to three times the rest.