the swim workout that broke me @ masters class in the Y last night

critical component #1: the asian college swimmer from Santa Clara showed up[no, not female, but a dude faster than me]
critical component #2: bike commuted that day, and was tired
critical component #3: decided to push it

200/200/200/200/200 warmup: free, kick, pull, IM, free. as always, warmed up too fast

main set: ladder
50/50, 100/100, 150/150, 200/200, 150/150, 100/100, 50/50
intervals on 1:30 100y pace, aimed for coming in around 1:10 pace

Right at somewhere between the first and second 150 I mentally checked out, couldnt hang, and had to start adding time. Settled around 1:40 and was coming in around 1:25 pace each time. I had hit the wall.

My form was all manners of shit by the 2nd 200 even at the reduced pace. I toughed it out. Felt like a bitch. Workout sucked. the end. The 56 year old in the slow lane [also does tris, hates swimming] was beating my ass something serious after I hit the wall. It wasnt helping that he was laughing about it

I think this is what caused my insta-burnout

Depth of Catch
The hands should have a catch depth of 10–16 inches and, in a move similar to rowing, “square their blade” as soon as possible. This is the freestyle equivalent of the Early Vertical Forearm and is of primary importance in effecting backward facing palms and forearms. At entry, swimmers should rotate the hand so that palm faces out, allowing the little finger to enter the water first. The hands must create a leverage point to push against the water, while keeping submerged bubbles to a minimum prior to the pull phase. Following the catch, current trends in backstroke point towards a shallower palm path than in previous years. By maintaining the thumb vertically and the fingertips horizontally for longer durations within a cycle, swimmers maximize propulsive forces opposite their direction of travel.

An overall perspective from a side view gives the hand path the appearance of a shallow square root sign. It begins with a downward entry, followed by a quick upward change of direction, leading to a semi-shallow, straight backward direction. Once submerged, the pitch of the hand remains oriented backward throughout the path of the pull/push motion. Too many novice backstrokers pull with the thumb leading and the little finger trailing too early in the stroke. Care should be given to ensure a vertical palm throughout the propulsive phases of the motion. Throughout the pull and push phases, the elbow should point towards the bottom.

Correction point for elbow leading the pull: “Imagine pushing a stack of books.”