The FAF AFAP Digest
Sprint Classic Results, Oct. 30
by , October 30th, 2011 at 08:59 PM (1579 Views)
The Fortress50 back, 28.23:
My only goal for the meet was to break the national record in the 50 back, which was 28.7. Happy to have that in the bag!
The 28.2 was .1 slower than I swam at this meet last year. I looked back at my comments and see that I swam a near perfect race last year. Today, not so. Flat-ish start (took a few kicks to get up to speed) and two iffy breakouts (confirmed by Speedo & Josh). Definitely felt some racing rust. But this does not bother me unduly because it means I have room for improvement later in the year!
Because my execution was off, I decided to scratch the 50 fly and swim the 50 back again in my 100 ...
Second 50 back, 28.4:
... but when I found myself behind the blocks I was strangely un-excited for a re-do. Subpar breakouts again and I was only under 14 m + 12 m, a bit short for me. Still, this swim was under the NR too.
Battle of the True Drop Dead Sprinters:
Fastest woman and man determined by the aggregate time of the 25s. Using an aggregate is generally advantageous for me because I can hammer out a good 25 back to get a starting edge. After a goodish rest, I actually felt a bit more awake and psyched to race. And I grabbed a nice USMS tech shirt as a prize!
25 back
Last year: 13.3
This year: 13.4
25 breast:
Last year, 16.5.
This year, 15.7.
Boom! This .8 improvement was due completely to the fact that I had a great start -- fast off the blocks, clean entry and great distance. My breakout wasn't the best as I had to jerk up my head to get to the surface.
25 fly::
Last year, 12.6.
This year 13.0 with a long glidey finish. Decent start.
25 free:
Last year: 12.2
This year: 12.2.
My usual shallow start.
Aggregate time:
Last year: 54.6
This year: 54.5
Right on the same time in my dotage.
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Thoughts:
1. Really happy to get the NR right outta the box this season. Mission accomplished and can happily soldier on.
2. I felt slightly discombobulated and choppy in the water. I'm thinking that's due to being sick for a good bit, and out of the water. I basically was forced to do a short drop taper, which would not have been my choice. I also felt slightly "off" racing mid morning. I always swim better in the afternoon, which is when I practice generally.
3. Though I did my usual warm up, I didn't have that "firing on all cylinders" feeling for my first race. I'm wondering if I need to do more speed work in warm up when I race in the am? Jazz mentioned he did a 50 @ 90-95% in warm up. Or, more likely, maybe it's just rare to feel that way.
4. Dropping .8 in the 25 breaststroke by nailing the start really underscored that I am under-performing in my 50 fly and 50 free with subpar forward starts. But the only away to improve starts is by practicing them -- always a thorn in my side.
Definitely going to yoga tomorrow as I'm sure I'll be sore!
Speedo posted some fast times. Jazz threw down a fast 50 free as well. I video'd this with my iPhone. Will upload later.
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