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Of Swimming Bondage

2 outta 3 ain't bad ...

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11 Comments
by
pwb
, July 26th, 2014 at 07:19 PM (112 Views)
... but I would trade the combined two seconds I lopped off in my 200 free and 50 back in favor of having cut those from my 400 free. Here's how the meet went down in Tucson today:


  • 200 free
    • Master's Best - 2:07.88 (AZ State Meet, Kino, August 2012)
    • Result - 2:06.75
    • Reactions
      • I guess I am mildly pleased with this, but, like most of my lifetime efforts in the 200 free, this felt both too long to sprint and too short to pace and so I felt more like I flailed than I swam it.
      • Absolutely no sense of "easy speed" as it took a lot of effort to get out at the 100 at 1:01.1, which didn't leave me with as much back-half speed and power as I wanted.
      • Still, it's a best time and so I have chosen to be happy with it.

  • 400 free
    • Master's Best - 4:27.99 (Omaha Nationals, 2012)
    • Result - 4:30.13
    • Reaction
      • After doing the 2:06 in the 200 and knowing that I had done a 2:08/4:28 combo at a taper meet in 2011, I was really psyched for this.
      • In addition, I really thought that, after my 4:31.1 a couple of weeks ago, something in the 4:25/4:26 range was a "given" and that I had the possibility to bust out a 4:23 something.
      • Nothing about this race felt bad, but, then again, nothing felt particularly fast. It truly felt like a solid "in-season" swim.
      • I'm still pretty disappointed in this, but also not sure there was a better swim in my body today ... and I don't know why that is.

  • 50 back
    • Master's Best - 32.98 (Brute Squad 2009 in TYR leggings)
    • Result - 31.91
    • Reactions -
      • I finally had a not-sucky start. It was not a great start, mind you, but I didn't submarine and weakly dolphin myself to the surface.
      • My previous best time wasn't anything spectacular, but it's still nice to get under 0:32.


Overall reaction


  • I need to re-think my taper plan. I have used pretty much the same approach this year at both Nationals and this meet as I had used back in 2012 when I swam great at Greensboro and Omaha. The big difference this year is that I never felt good or, to be honest, swam fast in the week or so leading up to these taper meets.
  • Even this morning in the SCM warmup pool, it was hard for me to get to a 0:31 hand-touch pace on 50s free.
  • I feel like my training, particularly for this summer, had been solid and, in some cases, pretty darn good. I am wondering if I need to contemplate a longer taper or, if not longer, a different approach to resting.
  • On the positive side, I am VERY happy with the training I put in this summer and the physical shape I am in. I think this base will be helpful for the fall and something I can build on as I look towards a longer training cycle oriented towards San Antonio Nationals next spring.

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Categories
Masters Swim Meets / Events

Comments

  1. aztimm's Avatar
    You forgot to include the video:



    I don't see how you could be upset with 2 best times, and one just 2.14 seconds off--and for a 400, that really isn't much. Plus it is just impossible to get the same experience at a local meet as at a nationals. You didn't mention what lane you were in, if you had someone to pace, nor water temp, but those are definitely big factors for something like the 400 (not to mention swimming in an outside pool -v- indoors).

    Was there a masters LCM state meet at Kino in 2012, or was that a kid's meet? I didn't think Mesa Masters had hosted a state LCM meet yet, just smaller team/invitational-type meets.

    Jim always puts on great meets and somehow rallies his team to swim. I first started masters swimming with his team back in the late 1990s when I lived in Tucson, and I was shocked how nearly everyone did meets--heck he got me to also. There are just so few masters meets in town, maybe 2 a year, so they take advantage of them.

    Oh, and where was your 4th event?
  2. pwb's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    I don't see how you could be upset with 2 best times, and one just 2.14 seconds off--and for a 400, that really isn't much. Plus it is just impossible to get the same experience at a local meet as at a nationals.
    I know, I know. I just wanted more!

    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    You didn't mention what lane you were in, if you had someone to pace, nor water temp, but those are definitely big factors for something like the 400 (not to mention swimming in an outside pool -v- indoors).
    The meet had decent turnout, all things considered, in terms of numbers, but it was really just Kurt and I in both the 200 and the 400. It would've been nice to have had someone who went out faster on the 400 to push the pace, but that's not really an excuse for me as I have swum fast in the past without someone pushing me. The water temperature in the racing pool was great - probably 80/81 - and the water clarity was high. I'm still not a fan of the pool and, you are correct, that the atmosphere at Nationals would've been better than this. But, there are other advantages to a small meet - most particularly, having PLENTY of warmup space.

    Quote Originally Posted by aztimm
    Was there a masters LCM state meet at Kino in 2012, or was that a kid's meet? I didn't think Mesa Masters had hosted a state LCM meet yet, just smaller team/invitational-type meets.
    In my records, the 2012 meet at Kino was the State meet (http://forums.usms.org/entry.php?24034-AZ-State-Meet).
  3. Water Rat's Avatar
    First, congrats on 2 best times. That's better than "ain't bad". Second, I agree with Tim about meet atmosphere. The adrenaline factor is not there and it's akin to swimming fast in practice IMHO. Enjoy the rest of your weekend
  4. StewartACarroll's Avatar
    I would take 2 best times as well. As you know there are a number of big differences between a meet like this and Nationals including only likely swimming one race per day or at worst two with a huge gap between events. Your in great shape and i suspect between now and nationals you will be in even better shape. I know San Antonio is going to be a lot of fast fun.
  5. pwb's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Water Rat
    First, congrats on 2 best times. That's better than "ain't bad". Second, I agree with Tim about meet atmosphere. The adrenaline factor is not there and it's akin to swimming fast in practice IMHO. Enjoy the rest of your weekend
    Thanks, Mark. As often happens, I'm already happier about this swims now today, Sunday, after a good night of sleep and a dose of "realism" from my family. One of my family members, who shall rename nameless to protect the innocent, had the unmitigated gall to remind me that I am getting older and that, in reality, I should be getting slower, not faster. I'm still not ready to fully accept that, but it does help me put these swims into better perspective.
  6. pwb's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by StewartACarroll
    I would take 2 best times as well. As you know there are a number of big differences between a meet like this and Nationals including only likely swimming one race per day or at worst two with a huge gap between events.
    You are right. While I did have almost an hour between the end of my 200 and start of my 400, that's still not the same as I'd have at a Nationals where I'd swim those events on different days/

    Quote Originally Posted by StewartACarroll
    I know San Antonio is going to be a lot of fast fun.
    For sure ... now I want to see the order of events so I can start imagining what I will swim beyond the 400 IM and 500 free
  7. Karl_S's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by pwb
    ... One of my family members, who shall rename nameless to protect the innocent, had the unmitigated gall to remind me that I am getting older and that, in reality, I should be getting slower, not faster. I'm still not ready to fully accept that,...
    Ditto.
    I suspect that this aging thing is not a smooth function anyway. I think that without health disruptions and/or training breaks, one can maintain at least somewhat constant performance during mid life, but that after such a disruption it becomes nearly impossible to return to the same spot. Since the mean time between illnesses and injuries appears to decrease with age, and the recovery time increases, performance with aging is a step function and the downward steps are more frequent and have larger risers as we age. Between steps, however, it seems possible to maintain relatively constant performance level, i.e. the treads of the steps are relatively flat. At some point the treads themselves start to slope downward. That's scary.
    Updated July 27th, 2014 at 03:49 PM by Karl_S
  8. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by pwb
    You are right. While I did have almost an hour between the end of my 200 and start of my 400, that's still not the same as I'd have at a Nationals where I'd swim those events on different days/
    An hour is nothing. Tapering for a local meet is tough, just not the same vibe as nationals. I would still count it as a solid success with two PRs.

    Karl's point is valid. However, you're not 50 yet!
  9. Kurt Dickson's Avatar
    Perhaps some solace in another perspective: 3 out 3 if you are counting kicking my ass--ha. See you in the fall.
  10. pwb's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Karl_S
    Ditto.
    I suspect that this aging thing is not a smooth function anyway. I think that without health disruptions and/or training breaks, one can maintain at least somewhat constant performance during mid life, but that after such a disruption it becomes nearly impossible to return to the same spot. Since the mean time between illnesses and injuries appears to decrease with age, and the recovery time increases, performance with aging is a step function and the downward steps are more frequent and have larger risers as we age. Between steps, however, it seems possible to maintain relatively constant performance level, i.e. the treads of the steps are relatively flat. At some point the treads themselves start to slope downward. That's scary.
    Your very true comments are both uplifting ("maintain at least somewhat constant performance during mid life") and depressing ("start to slope downward")!

    My new plan is to start adding training modalities to combat those downward treads. We'll see how this works out.
  11. pwb's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kurt Dickson
    Perhaps some solace in another perspective: 3 out 3 if you are counting kicking my ass--ha. See you in the fall.
    Kurt, I am fully confident that, between your swims at Montreal (are you still going?) and Maryland, the end result from the summer will be 3 out of 3 in your favor. Have fun and represent our desert state well on the international and national stages!