6 months to improve 200m time

[Kontusion]

Hi, first of all: I'm from Germany, so please be patient with me and my english

I am swimming for 5-6 times a week with a motivated lifeguard crew but without a professional trainer.
I want to get faster on 50, 100 and 200m free until next februrary (lifesaving competition).
My times are about 27s on 50m and 2,35min on 200m...

My question is how to plan the training for the next 6 months.
Should I split the time and focus on endurance, speed and technique for a time some weeks or should I do everything every week?
And when should I do additional strength training? Same day when I'm doing sprints? Or on the recovery day?

Thanks!

[MAC swimmer]

Great question--difficult answer. My PRs in this event are completely mediocre and I have tried to improve. Alot of advice I get from folks with better times than me are:
1. Lots of broken 200s with a negative split
2. Lots of 100 free intervals (never negative split)
3. Lots and lots of race pace sets--for example, I have heard that not a single day should go by without at elast one race set. (!)
4. Mental toughness work...this race hurts very badly. I have heard race plans that call for 90% effort on the first 50, 90% effort on the second 50, 100% effort on the third 50 and just holding on for the last. (!)

[Kontusion]

Thank you for your answer.

Stupid question: what is a negative split? Something like 100 - 50 - 50?

And should I swim the 100 free intervals and broken 200 on 200 pace or "as fast as possible"?

I hope mental toughness will come with training

[2trax4me]

Thank you for your answer.

Stupid question: what is a negative split? Something like 100 - 50 - 50?

And should I swim the 100 free intervals and broken 200 on 200 pace or "as fast as possible"?

I hope mental toughness will come with training

Negative split means the 2nd 100 faster then the first. So if you swam a 2:40 200 you would have negative split it if you swam the first 100 in 1:22 and the second 100 in 1:18.

Close as you can to race pace.

Mental toughness is just that. It comes from inside, you have probably heard the term "broke the pain barrier". That is something that only mental toughness can push through. You have to be the little engine that could and not tell yourself that you have to take the next one a little easy and do the opposite, go harder.... keep pushing and sooner or later you will be amazed at what your body can do.

[reymartinez]

200 free my favorite event.

I usually do a lot of neg splits 100's( 5 x 100 neg splits or descending)
Descending = slowest time first then keep bettering time thru set. Repeat those 2 or 3 times.

Doing sets of 400m/500m will help also with your endurance. 200 is not a long distance event but you need some endurance to finish strong and don't die in the final 75.

You can also try doing sets of 4 x 50m with 5sec rest between 50 and 1 min. rest between sets. AND IT HAS TO BE JUST 5 secs. Repeat those 4 times and by the middle of the third set you'll be feeling the pain.

As of out of the water training never been a fan, but I usually do a lot of stair climbing, helps some.

Hope this is helpful.

Good Luck