I've looked around at various other forums / websites. I have come to the conclusion that I must be a bit of a freak when it comes to turning, as my current 400m 25m pool time (6:10) is 40 seconds faster than my current 400 50m pool time (06:50).
This means for the 8 extra turns, on average, I gain 5 seconds per turn.
Apparently for most other people the difference isn't nearly as big.
It's not as if I'm some highly-tuned swimmer who does butterfly kicks for 15m under water. I just turn around, push over, and start swimming again.
Can anyone come up with a good explanation - or do most other people (of a similar standard) get similar gains??
Comments
Interesting, I'm the other way around, I turn REALLY slowly.
dustboy, you're actually faster in a 50m pool??
Excuse me for asking, but do you have 2 legs??
I think I would be faster in a 50m pool as to turn I have to slow down, turn round and push off again
you might be really good at pushing off the end of the wall
You have a strong push off (if anything like me). I have massive power in my upper legs (genetics, nothing to do with tri training) and make up loads of time pushing off. I can keep up with swimmers who are faster than me because the beginning 5m of each length I'm flying!
Admittedley I've not timed myself over 50m compared to 2 x 25m but I've trained with faster types. Coaches have tried to get better swimmers to copy me
I also have an immense leg kick - presume they are linked?
Sadly I never do pool based tri's. Wasting my talent *cough*
Oh and I was a swimmer as a teen but I can't be bothered with butterfly kicking malarky anymore. My thinking being that building on my push off is not going to make me a better triathlete and will waste valuable 25m swimming time!
How fast are you going?! If I stop swimming for half a second I'd sink - no slowing down time required
I am faster in a 50m pool as i also slow down to turn.........I also do not push off hard as I have had achillies problems in the past and nothing irritates iot more than puching off hard at the side of the pool
I'm faster in a 25m pool as well, I have a lot of strength in my push off so gain time that way not that it helps when you're training to swim for open water or for distance.
I have two legs, and, bizarrely, partially webbed fingers and toes. Am still a carp swimmer though. Am not a hard pusher offer either. Get cramp in calves bit too easily on a hard push off.
medicgirl - I don't swim fast, but do slow down to turn. I am good at pushing off, though, someone once called it my 'secret talent', not sure what that says about the rest of my swimming but I do slow down after my good push off when I start swimming
Does that mean you swim like a carp? Lol
I'm also faster in a 50m pool ... I'm also crap at turning ... but since there are not realy any turns OW it does not bother me
I deliberately don't push off hard as WW says above there are no walls to push off in IM
I agree about pools not imitating open water but if I don't push off hard my stroke suffers, in a lake there's no interruption of stroke - well not until race day anyway