The FAF AFAP Digest

Very fun meet with a great turnout! Results are at: http://www.patriotmasters.org/Sprint...ialResults.htm

Swam the 50 fly, 100 fly, 50 free and all the 25s. Felt pretty sluggish in warmup. Needed an event to get the cobwebs out.

First event: 100 fly

This was a show down with my coach, who was right next to me. We swam neck and neck most of the way. She was out in 30.0; I was out in 30.1. I was behind at the third turn, pulled even with about 10-15 yards to go and we swam stroke for stroke to the wall. She glided in and I took another short stroke. According to meet watchers, I "Phelpsed" her at the finish, outtouching her by .1. I finished in 1:04.4. Faster than I thought I'd go based on warm up. I am apparently still overkicking. Chris S. noted I was kicking air and making a big "booming" noise with my kick. Gotta work on that. My turnover was also pretty slow. This arises from being paranoid about the piano, I think. One day I'll just take it out fast like Hulk and see what happens.

50 fly:

Another close race. Last year at the Sprint Classic, I swam a 28.80 (in a Pro). I was hoping to go around a 28.0 this year. I swam a 27.5 at the NC meet a month ago, but had great walls there. Surprised myself and went a 27.39, just out touching 2 fast chicks at the finish after trailing slightly at the turn. I only breathed twice (I think). I took 4 breaths in NC. I was thrilled with the time, a new PB! Definitely my best race of the meet.

I won my 50 fly gridge with Stevenson, who, refusing to believe that my fly has just improved in the last year, is still accusing me of sandbagging. If I hadn't gone a PB, Paul Wolf-Girl would still be a manly man, not a girlie man.

50 free:

I haven't been having the best luck with the 50 free in SCY lately. Swam a 26.4 at Zones last April and a 25.99 in Austin. I haven't hit my turns on the bulk head. Yesterday was no exception: god awful turtling, side-winding turn and bad breakout. Nonetheless, had a good rhythm and hit the wall at 25.51, which is my best time. I swam a 25.57 at SCY Zones in 2007 (in a pool with a wall, not a bulkhead).

Battle of the Drop Dead Sprinters:

Last year my 25 times were:

12.25 free
16.49 breast
13.01 fly
14.41 back

(I really had no idea, had to look them up.)

This year, I went:

12.01 free
15.95 breast
12.71 fly
13.96 back

Cumulative total: 54.63 -- if only I was even remotely near that in the 100 IM. lol I was definitely start challenged. Literally belly flopped in fly, and was too shallow in backstroke. But I had a good start in breaststroke! lol

There was a 3 way tie for Fastest Woman between Yana Park (my speedy teammate), Sara Fisher (from NC) and me. My rousing 3rd place overall in the 25 breast kept me in the game!

Really happy with the meet results. No idea when my next meet is going to be though ... Back and shoulder muscles were pretty sore after the meet. Went to ART this am. Should be brand new in a couple days, although I plan to kick a lot the next few weeks.