This week’s Speedo Tip of the Week comes from National Teamer Teresa Crippen. Crippen offers some advice for pacing in events like the 400m IM, 200m fly and the mile.

The Tip:
Sprinting is an all-out effort. But pacing is key for tough events like the 400 IM, 200 fly and the mile. With practice, you can master good pacing.

• Don’t treat an endurance race like a sprint. Pace yourself and aim for solid splits. The IM is a good example. Your fly split should match your free split, whether it’s a 200 or 400 IM. If the free is slower, you didn’t have enough coming home. You might hear this a lot from your coach, but to have an even (or faster) free split takes practice.
• The third 50 on a 200 (third 25 on a 100, third 100 on a 400, etc.) is crucial. Your split should be your goal pace that you swim in practice during a pace set. Let’s say you swim a set of 8 x 50’s @ 1:30, holding race-pace, which for you is 29 seconds. At a meet, your third 50 split should be 29 seconds. “The third 50 in a 200 is what makes or breaks you,” National Teamer Teresa Crippen said. “It’s where great swimmers get their leads and the not-so-good swimmers fall back.”
• We’ve all seen swimmers that have taken it out too fast and fade coming home, or perhaps have done it ourselves. Then there are those, usually an experienced swimmer who loves to race, who start out blazing and seem to hold on,. It’s a gutsy move, and if you’re not afraid of a little pain, give it a try. Although solid splits and even pacing is the safest bet, it can be fun to see what your body is capable of handling. Try it in practice first before going to a meet where qualifying time standards might be on the line.
• “With my training, I have the ability to go out hard and hang on. I wouldn’t advise that, but it’s just what works for me,” says Crippen. In training, she practices broken 400s at race pace. Then at a meet, her 200 feels easier to hold. She also races 800 IMs in practice for 400 IMs at meets. “I treat my fly and back like it’s a 200 race, then on breaststroke, I just try and hold on. I always take it out hard. Always. To me it doesn’t matter because it’s gonna hurt no matter what I do.”