In this episode of Breaking it Down, Olympic gold medalist Clark Smith goes in depth on what it takes to train for and race a fast 500 freestyle. Clark won his Olympic gold as a member of the 4×200 freestyle relay in 2016 and has also held American Records in the 500, 1000, and 1650 yard freestyle events.
Clark also talks with five-time Olympic swimmer and coach Brett Hawke about how he didn’t consider himself a distance swimmer until college, but he used a strong aerobic base and focus on efficient stroke technique to find success in these grueling events.
Timeline
- :48 Introductions
- 3:05 What has attributed to everyone getting faster in the 500 recently?
- 4:02 Why did you end up choosing Texas for college?
- 5:45 Breaking Down the 500: Overview
- 7:20 How many workouts a week did you do in high school and what was the volume?
- 8:08 If you’re 6’9” how did you end up swimming distance?
- 10:41 Breaking Down the 500: Racing
- 10:48 What does “easy speed” mean to you?
- 12:05 Is there a different mindset for the 500 and mile?
- 14:00 Why is technique important in the 500?
- 16:55 Do you do drills at the beginning or end of practice?
- 17:27 Breaking Down the 500: Training
- 19:53 What about Eddie makes him such a good distance coach?
- 22:05 Example 500 training sets
- 24:20 What are you thinking about during your races?
- 29:07 Do you pride yourself on your training?
- 30:05 Breaking Down the 500: Turns/Underwaters/Breathing Patterns
- 32:36 What do you work on your turns to not circle swim in races?
- 35:30 How do you get past nervousness in distance races?
- 36:08 How do you build endurance?
- 37:12 How do you find your swimming identity?
- 39:18 What is the Texas pro group doing to stay fit?
- 40:35 What do you eat before you swim?
Recorded: Tuesday April 21, 2020 @ 5pm EST
Suggested Audience: Swimmers and Coaches
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