Fast Food Makes for Fast Swimming!

Felt pretty good after the "no cooldown" cooldown from Friday night's distance events. I woke up this morning to start my day at 4:30am. Why? OT work at work of course! I got in a good 5 hours of welding and cutting a bunch of metal on the overhead boxline conveyors for the cherry line.
Finished work at 10:00, and after getting home, realized I had until 4:00pm before I had to be at the pool for my first race. So, I headed over to the YMCA pool about 11:30 for a little workout time.

At the YMCA
Warmup:

5 x 100 Free @ 1:30 (started off 1:05, then held 1:06/1:07s, last one 1:05 again)
5 x 100 Free Pull @ 1:30 (1:05s, last one 1:02)
200 IM

James' favorite fly training set:

2 rounds of:

• 75 (25 Fly, 50 Free) @ 1:00
• 75 (50 Fly, 25 Free) @ 1:10
• 75 Fly @ 1:20 (:50/:49)
• 75 Free EZ @ 1:30

At this point, was sharing with a very pregnant 30-something, and a 60+ lady w/ a kickboard, so went to easy stuff.

I do have to compete still tonight, so I might as well be taking it easy...somewhat.

12 x 50 @ 1:00 Kick w/ board (:45s)
some were 100s @ 2:00 (holding 1:32ish) depending on where the other two swimmers were

12 x 25 @ :40-1:00 EZ to moderate free or fly - mostly depending on lane spacing

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2700 Yards

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Day 2 Meet Results (this was about 3.5 hours after the workout)

No warmup/no cooldowns*

50 Fly - 29.45 (1/2 a second slow) It is an LMSC record
Luckily I placed 11th in this, because it's not deserving of an award.
Took a breath on the 3rd stroke, and then I realized I was doing a 50!
Then my other mistake was at the finish end. I took my final breath approx. 4 strokes from the end...during the breath I decided "I have room for 3 more strokes". Head down and One...Two...T (caught sight of the incoming wall!). Cut my arms very short...was able to recover over the water and touch with two forearms at a spot about 2-3 inches from my elbows! My head did not hit the wall, though I had many concerned folks thinking I drilled into the finish.

***Oh yes...at this point I did have a nice cheeseburger w/ grilled onions and all the fixin's from the concession stand at the meet...good stuff to give me energy for racing!

It started getting cold and windy at this point, and it just kept going downhill throughout the evening, ending below 60 degrees and 15MPH or so steady winds. I didn't have anything warm, but I did my best.

200 Fly - 2:30.24 - 4 seconds slower than last year - it is an LMSC record
30.9/37.1 (1:08.0) exactly where I wanted to be - matched my 400 IM go-out split
40.5/42.3
I was racing right with another boy the whole way, and it wasn't until about the end of the 200 yard mark that I fell apart.
**I actually did cool down about 8 lengths in the deep tank after this one, but that was it for any warmup/cooldown during the day. It wasn't worth getting wet if you didn't have to with the cold out there!

200 Breast - 3:01.42 1 second slower than last year - NO WAY JOSE on the record board.
41.2 / 46.4 / 47.7 / 46.0
I had a great race with a 17 year girl next to me in this one. (yes girl...they combined the 15 & Over Men/Women together for all events 200s and longer, which is actually pretty cool. You get more opportunity to race people your speed in the heat.
Back to the race: My pullouts were by far superior to the girls, and she would swim to catch me by the end of each 50. I was actually swimming this race smart though...started off riding the glide nice 'n long, then slowly building the turnover. My legs didn't fall apart like normal, and on the final length I was able to actually feel that I was shooting my hands forward and driving ahead in the water. The final 20 meters or so my chest and biceps were burning, but I wasn't losing to this girl...no not today!! I could hear the increased cheering from her team's coaching area which was nearest to the finish end. Somehow I was able to pull it off. Heat winner!! I congratulated her for giving me a good race as well.

Went for a hot shower at this point and got dressed into my street clothes, which were shorts and a thin tank top and sandals. At least I didn't have a wet suit on. I had about an hour and a half to wait till my heat of the 400 Free. I put on my backup dry suit a couple heats before my heat, stashed my bag near the locker room entrance, and stood at the ready inside the lockerroom with cap and goggles already on. From inside the doorway I was able to watch the heat before me swimming. When the tail end swimmers were approaching the 375 mark of the 400, I took off in a controlled sprint 1/2way around the pool deck to my lane. Got there literally a couple seconds before the whistle to step us up on the blocks. I actually was warm for the start which was nice. BEEP!

400 Free - 4:45.xx - Best time by 2 seconds, and New LMSC record!
I went really briefly with the coach afterward, but remembered my splits (pretty much)
31.8/36.0 (1:07.8)
36.3/36.5 (1:12.8) (2:20.6)
37.1/36.5 (1:13.6)
36.5/35.2 (1:11.7)
Finished this event about 9:30pm or so, definitely one of my latest races ever...it was dark out, and we raced by the outdoor pool lights. I wasn't sure how I was doing, though I felt like I was moving fast. The timing clock was positioned along one side so I was able to see it strike 4:00 as I was coming in about 10-15 yards toward the 350 turn. That gave me confidence that I was doing well. I hit the wall first in the heat as well. Two heat winners for the day.

Now, off to bed, and I don't have to return until my race at 3:15pm or so on Sunday.