Of Swimming Bondage

I really could not have asked for a better day, a better setup for a meet, a better run meet ...



... nor a cooler 100 foot long pool to do some extra warmup and cool-down in ...



for today's Olympic Club 1500. I guess I could have asked for less shaky hands taking that second photo as I left, but a 1500 takes a lot out of an old man like me!

While my 17:20.94 result today was smack in line with the expectations / goal I had set coming into the meet (e.g., be between my best of 17:10 and where I started last fall's season in late September at 17:26), in my heart I wanted to be closer to 17:10 than 17:26. When I cut myself some slack on the flight home by remembering that slightly more than 4 weeks ago I had been out of the water for almost two weeks between illness and my dislocated pinky, the swim and my perception of it got rosier and rosier. Also, when I considered the excellent week of training I had last week (22K of pretty intense stuff) and the little bit of rest I did between Wednesday and Friday, this looks even better. I am determined to get under 17:00 before 2016 closes out and this race is a good start towards that goal.

Other notes and highlights from the meet:

• Thanks to these here forums, I caught up a bit with Matt Miller and Juliet Cox, with Juliet and I counting for each other and me for Matt. Matt had a great swim - best time - and Juliet's swim looked very good, and well under her entry time.
• I managed to only get myself lapped once by the two young guys who beat me, but couldn't manage to keep up with Heidi George who was 17:06. She was in lane 3 and I in lane 6; while I could see her for some of the race, she got away from me ... and then I got really tired for the last 500-600
• The big race learning for me was that I was too conservative in my stroke rate at the start of the race. I wanted to make sure I didn't try to go out with the young guns in lanes 4 and 5, but was probably too languid right from the start and locked myself right into a 1:09 pace, instead of the 1:08 pace I wanted.
  
  • Given that my workouts of late reinforced that I don't have an easy speed, this was probably a mistake.
  • On the other hand, the broken mile set and the Aussie 400 set I did earlier in the week, where I really struggled to hit 1:01s and had 1:02s in SCY feeling more like a sustainable mile race pace, were both very predictive of my results today. That's actually great news as it means if I can get those sets to be more in the 0:59 to 1:00+ range and feeling smooth, I should be ready to pop off a great mile.
  
  
• My 300 splits were fine enough except the 4th one:
  
  • 3:25.2
  • 3:27.8
  • 3:27.9
  • 3:32.5 (ouch)
  • 3:28.6
  
  
• And my 500s paint the picture of me slowing down, as well:
  
  • 5:44.2
  • 5:47.4
  • 5:49.4
  
  
• I am not sure I can make this event an annual one, but I'd sure like to come back again. The pool is a very good, consistent depth; the lighting is great and it's setup as an actual 25M pool meaning that you're only ever dealing with one cross before each turn.
• My other big learning is that if I ever were to live in downtown San Francisco, I'd want to figure out a way (and the likely high finances) to become a member at this ultra-chic club. I could find happiness swimming in these pools.

Full results and splits are here - http://www.pacificmasters.org/comp/1...00_Splits.html

Pools I've trained and/or competed in since 2007

1. Cactus Aquatic Center (Scottsdale, AZ)
2. Brophy Sports Campus (Phoenix, AZ)
3. Lifetime Fitness (Scottsdale, AZ)
4. Lifetime Fitness (Skokie, IL)
5. Lifetime Fitness (Austin, TX)
6. Somerville YMCA (Somerville, NJ)
7. Raritan Valley Community College (Branchburg, NJ)
8. IUPUI Natatorium (Indianapolis, IN)
9. UT Swim Center (Austin, TX)
10. U of Arizona Hillebrand Swim Center (Tucson, AZ)
11. Talisman Centre Competition Pool (Calgary, Alberta)
12. U of Lethbridge Max Bell Swim Centre (Lethbridge, Alberta)
13. Crystal Pool (Victoria, British Columbia)
14. Oaks Christian School (Westlake Village, CA)
15. Lifetime Fitness (Berkeley Heights, NJ)
16. Jewish Community Center (Scottsdale, AZ)
17. McDowell Mountain Ranch Aquatic Center (Scottsdale, AZ)
18. Desert Breeze Pool (Las Vegas, NV)
19. The Olympic Club - Competition Pool (San Francisco)
20. Janet Evans Sports Complex (Fullerton, CA)
21. Woollett Aquatic Center / Irvine High School (Irvine, CA)
22. Bruce Hazard Pool @ Mission Valley YMCA (San Diego)
23. UCSD Canyonview Pool (San Diego)
24. Villanova University (Philadelphia, PA)
25. Kino Aquatic Center (Mesa, AZ)
26. Hilton Head Island Rec Center (Hilton Head, SC)
27. YMCA Aquatic Center - 25M Diving Tank course (Orlando, FL)
28. Westin Sohna-Gurgaon (India)
29. Reading Central Pool (Reading, England)
30. Optimist Park (Raleigh, NC)
31. Pullen Aquatic Center (Raleigh, NC)
32. NOVA Aquatics Center shallow pool (Richmond, VA)
33. Lifetime Fitness (Cary, NC)
34. Philadelphia Airport Marriott
35. Berkeley Aquatic Club (Berkeley Heights, NJ)
36. Chatham County Aquatic Center (Savannah, GA)
37. Lifetime Fitness (Tempe, AZ)
38. Clarke Swim Center 25 SCY course (Walnut Creek, CA)
39. Holy Names University (Oakland, CA w/Manatee Masters)
40. B.A.D.A.S.S. Pool (Scottsdale, AZ)
41. Summit YMCA (Summit, NJ)
42. George Washington Rec Center (Alexandria, VA)
43. ACAC -- old 50M pool (Midlothian, VA)
44. Centennial Indoor Pool (Cranford, NJ)
45. Mission Viejo Dive Tank pool (Mission Viejo, CA)
46. Mesa Carson Westwood Aquatic Complex (Mesa, AZ)
47. Lifetime Fitness (Goodyear, AZ)
48. Victoria YMCA (Victoria, BC)
49. Issaquah Julius Boehm Pool (Issaquah, WA)
50. Charles Hadley Pool (Miami, FL)
51. Pompano Beach Aquatic Center (FL)
52. Culver City Municipal Plunge (CA)
53. Stanford Avery Aquatic Center - Baker Pool (Palo Alto, CA)
54. Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center (Beaverton, OR)
55. Mt Hood Aquatic Center (Gresham, OR)
56. Juniper Swim & Fitness Center (Bend, Or)
57. George Haines International Swim Center (Santa Clara, CA)
58. Renaissance Club Sport (Aliso Viejo, CA)
59. Rengstorff Pool (Mountain View, CA)
60. Coronado Municipal Pool (Coronado, CA)
61. Eagle Park (Mountain View, CA)
62. James City / Williamsburg Community Center (Williamsburg, VA)
63. NOVA Aquatics Center deep pool (Richmond, VA)
64. Belmont Plaza outdoor pool (Long Beach, CA)
65. Laguna Beach HS Pool (CA)
66. Lifetime Fitness (Florham Park, NJ)
67. USF Koret Aquatic Center (San Fran)
68. Lifetime Athletic (Vernon Hills, IL)
69. Stanford Avery Aquatic Center - Bellardi Pool (Palo Alto, CA)
70. Fremont Hills Country Club (Los Altos Hills, CA)
71. Rinconada Pool (Palo Alto, CA)
72. Burlingame Aquatic Center (Burlingame, CA)
73. Medgar Evers Pool (Seattle, WA)
74. McGill Memorial Pool (Montreal, QC)
75. Montreal Downtown YMCA (Montreal, QC)
76. College of San Mateo (CA)
77. Greensboro Aquatic Center (NC)
78. Josh Davis Natatorium (San Antonio, TX)
79. Bill Walker Pool (San Antonio, TX)
80. JCC of San Diego
81. 2012 Olympic Trials Pool (Omaha)
82. El Pomar Natatorium (University of Denver)
83. Mt Lebanon Swim Center (PA)
84. Fritz Sick Memorial Pool (Lethbridge, Alberta)
85. University of Calgary Aquatic Centre (Alberta)
86. Kinsmen Aquatic Centre (Edmonton, Alberta)
87. Eau Claire YMCA (Calgary, Alberta)
88. Talisman Centre Training Pool (Calgary, Alberta)
89. Burgess Memorial Pool (Menlo Park, CA)
90. Kona Kai Resort (San Diego, CA)
91. Sierra Recreation Center (Mission Viejo, CA)
92. ACAC -- new (2012) 25M pool (Midlothian, VA)
93. Greater Richmond Aquatic Partnership / 2008 Olympic Trials Pool (Richmond, VA)
94. Golden Bear Pool (Berkeley, CA)
95. Cal Lutheran University Community Pool (Thousand Oaks, CA)
96. North Beach Pool (San Francisco, CA)
97. Calgary Winter Club (Calgary, Canada)
98. Orange Memorial Pool (South San Francisco, CA)
99. Hamilton Pool (San Francisco, CA)
100. Jean Brink / Oceana Pool (Pacifica, CA)
101. City of Calabasas Tennis & Swim Center (Calabasas, CA)
102. Oro Valley Aquatic Center (Oro Valley, AZ)
103. Ventura Aquatic Center (CA)
104. Claremont Resort (Berkeley, CA)
105. Plantation Aquatic Center (Plantation, FL)
106. Hyatt Regency Coconut Point (Bonita Springs, FL)
107. Florida Gulf Coast University Aquatic Center (Fort Meyers, FL)
108. Club One Union Square (San Francisco, CA)
109. Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center (Charlotte, NC)
110. Sunset Canyon Recreation Center LCM pool (UCLA)
111. Chickahominy YMCA (Sandston, VA)
112. Soda Aquatic Center (Moraga, CA)
113. Salt Lake City/Steiner Aquatic Center (Utah)
114. Splash Montana "The Lake" Pool (Missoula, MT)
115. Grizzly Pool / U of Montana (Missoula, MT)
116. Daland Swim School (1000 Oaks, CA)
117. Rancho Simi Community Pool (Simi Valley, CA)
118. Brisbane Community Swim Center (Brisbane, CA)
119. Cal Lutheran University Samuelson Aquatic Center (Thousand Oaks, CA)
120. ASU Mona Plummer (Tempe, AZ)
121. Rutger's Sonny Werblin (Piscataway, NJ)
122. Mission Viejo Nadadores (Mission Viejo, CA)
123. Phoenix Swim Club (Phoenix, AZ)
124. Clovis North High School (Fresno, CA)
125. YMCA Aquatic Center (Orlando, FL)
126. Georgia Tech Aquatic Center (Atlanta, GA)
127. Saanich Commonwealth Place (Victoria, BC)
128. Glendale Foothills Aquatic Center (Glendale, AZ)
129. Greensboro Aquatic Center (NC)
130. UC-Irvine Crawford Pool (Irvine, CA)
131. 2012 Olympic Trials Pool (Omaha)
132. Clarke Swim Center 25M pool (Walnut Creek, CA)
133. Santa Clarita Aquatic Center (Santa Clarita, CA)
134. Wall Aquatic Center (Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ)
135. Sedona Community Pool (Sedona, AZ)
136. Chinatown YMCA (New York, NY)
137. Westmoor Giammona Pool (Daly City, CA)
138. El Dorado Aquatic Center (Scottsdale, AZ)
139. Desert Foothills Family YMCA (Carefree/Scottsdale, AZ)
140. UCLA Student Activities Center Pool (Los Angeles, CA)
141. Brenda Villa Aquatic Center (Commerce, CA)
142. Vanderbilt YMCA East Pool (Manhattan)
143. USC Physical Education Department Indoor Pool (Los Angeles, CA)
144. Santa Monica Swim Center (Santa Monica, CA)
145. Los Angeles Swimming Stadium (CA)
146. Thad Terry Pool (Tucson, AZ)
147. U of A Student Recreation Center (Tucson, AZ)
148. Palm Desert Aquatic Center (Palm Desert, CA)
149. Maggie Gilbert Aquatic Center (Pacific Palisades, CA)
150. Verdugo Aquatic Center (Burbank, CA)
151. Concord Community Pool (Concord, CA)
152. YMCA Aquatic Center - 50M course (Orlando, FL)
153. Sand Hollow Aquatic Center (St. George, UT)
154. Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Pool (Sherman Oaks, CA)
155. Spieker Aquatic Center (Cal - Berkeley)
156. Hearst North Pool (Cal-Berkeley)
157. Kitsilano Pool (Vancouver, Canada)
158. UBC Aquatic Centre circa 2014 (Vancouver, Canada)
159. Hillcrest Aquatic Centre (Vancouver, Canada)
160. Canada Games Pool (New Westminster, BC, Canada)
161. Oxnard Aquatic Center (Oxnard, CA)
162. Fortune Select Excalibur Hotel (Gurgaon, India)
163. London Aquatic Centre - Training Pool (London, England)
164. London Aquatic Centre - Competition Pool (London, England
165. Woodbridge Community Center (Woodbridge, NJ)
166. Raritan Bay YMCA (Perth Amboy, NJ)
167. Pleasant Valley Aquatic Center (Camarillo, CA)
168. Phoenix Country Day School Aquatic Center (Phoenix, AZ)
169. Alga Norte Aquatic Center (Carlsbad, CA)
170. East Bank Club (Chicago, IL)
171. Holiday Inn Mart Plaza (Chicago, IL)
172. Belmont Temporary Outdoor Pool 2014 (Long Beach, CA)
173. UIC Natatorium (Chicago, IL)
174. Sunnyvale Swim Complex (Sunnyvale, CA)
175. Nitro Swimming (Cedar Park, TX)
176. Peninsula JCC (Foster City, CA)
177. Norris Aquatic Center (Evanston, IL)
178. Trefethen Aquatic Center (Mills College, Oakland, CA)
179. McKinnon Indoor Pool (University of Victoria, British Columbia)
180. Juan de Fuca Community Pool (Victoria, British Columbia)
181. Esquimalt Recreation Centre (Victoria, British Columbia)
182. Latoff YMCA (Des Plaines, IL)
183. Hotel Intercontinental (Chicago, IL)
184. Marriott Courtyard on E Hubbard (Chicago, IL) ~15 to 17 yards
185. Residence Inn LA Live (Los Angeles, CA) 25 yards
186. Sava Pool (San Francisco, CA) - 04/09/15
187. Evanston High School (Evanston, IL) - 04/14/15
188. Northside ISD Competition Pool (San Antonio, TX) - 04/24/15
189. Northside ISD Indoor Pool (San Antonio, TX) - 04/25/15
190. San Ramon Olympic Pool (San Ramon, CA) - 05/13/15
191. Southwest Valley YMCA (Goodyear, AZ) - 05/24/15
192. Peter Daland Pool @ Uytengsu Aquatic Center (Univ. of Southern California) - 06/28/15
193. Urho Saari Swim Stadium (El Segundo, CA) - 06/29/15
194. Del Norte High School (San Diego, CA) - 07/01/15
195. San Clemente Aquatic Center (San Clemente, CA) - 07/01/15
196. Westwood Community Pool (Los Angeles, CA) - 07/02/15
197. Hawthorne Pool (Hawthorne, CA) - 07/03/15
198. Balboa Park Pool (San Francisco, CA) - 08/13/15
199. King Swim Center (Berkeley, CA) - 09/15/15
200. Highlands Rec Center (San Mateo, CA) - 10/12/15
201. North Toronto Community Centre (Canada) - 10/24/15
202. Toronto Pan Ams Sports Complex - Training Pool - 10/25/15
203. Etobicoke Olympium Warmup Pool (Canada) - 10/26/15
204. Shimon & Sara Birnbaum JCC (Bridgewater, NJ) - 10/27/15
205. LA Fitness Scottsdale - 11/26/15
206. Scottsdale YMCA - 11/27/15
207. Vancouver Aquatic Centre (BC, Canada) - 11/28/15
208. La Mirada Splash (La Mirada, CA) - 12/04/15
209. Santa Clara Marriott (Santa Clara, CA) - 12/15/15
210. Oshman JCC Bill Heller Pool (Palo Alto, CA) - 01/06/16
211. Garfield Pool (San Francisco, CA) - 01/29/16
212. Olympic Club Natatorium Pool (San Francisco, CA) - 01/30/2016

Open water courses trained/competed since 2007

1. Tempe Town Lake (Tempe, AZ)
2. Lake Pend Oreille (Sandpoint, ID)
3. La Jolla Cove / Pacific Ocean (La Jolla, CA)
4. Greenwich Cove (Greenwich, CT)
5. Flathead Lake (Montana), both Somers Bay (training) & Polson Bay (competing)
6. Saguaro Lake (Arizona)
7. Lake Pleasant (Peoria, AZ)
8. Atlantic Ocean - Ft. Lauderdale
9. Elk Lake (Oregon)
10. Canyon Lake (Arizona)
11. Roosevelt Lake (Arizona)
12. Castaic Lake (California)