Of Swimming Bondage

Work's really been slamming lately, but my training is coming along well, if slowly. I managed to get down to Mesa last Saturday and raced all 5 of the events I had entered. I managed to record the slowest time (by far) I've ever done in a meet since I started Masters ~16 years ago ... and, yet, I was actually encouraged by the day. Very briefly:

• 50 breast
  
  • ​Best time - 33.39 (2013)
  • Previous Worst Time - 36.28 (2012)
  • Entry time - 39.99
  • Meet performance - 38.02
  • Hey! I beat my own (low) expectations
  
  
• 100 IM
  
  • ​Best time - 1:02.91 (2013)
  • Previous Worst Time - 1:06.26 (2015)
  • Entry time - 1:09.99
  • Meet performance - 1:11.89
  • Raced "SwimDogs" Mark Johnston from Montana in the lane next to me and didn't have enough juice to run him down. I first met Mark a few years back when I did his most excellent 1 mile Polson Bay Water Daze race (http://www.mvaquatics.org/mva-events/water-daze/); it was good to catch up with him a bit.
  
  
• 200 IM
  
  • ​Best time - 2:16.10 (2011)
  • Previous Worst Time - 2:20.89 (2006)
  • Entry time - 2:28.99
  • Meet performance - 2:30.61
  • I think this was the race that I pushed the hardest in throughout. I was pretty tentative in everything else. This one hurt so good.
  
  
• 50 free
  
  • ​Best time - 25.79 (2008)
  • Previous Worst Time - 27.70 (2013 @ Altitude!!)
  • Entry time - 29.99
  • Meet performance - 28.23
  • You know you're out of shape when you have to breathe practically every stroke.
  
  
• 400 IM
  
  • ​Best time - 4:46.48 (2013)
  • Previous Worst Time - 5:04.00 (2009)
  • Entry time - 5:19.99
  • Meet performance - 5:20.24
  • It makes sense that I was most accurate in estimating my time for this, the king of events. I love this race, but, whereas the fly is usually a place for me to go out fairly easy, it got hard at about the 35 meter mark. I ended up negative splitting my backstroke primarily because I had to spend the entire first 50 catching my breath.

For this meet, we had a great turnout - almost 100 swimmers - and the meet was run very well. I really enjoyed the chance to race again, even if my times were miserably slow for me. It was a great 'baseline.'

I don't think I'll have any racing opportunities in October, so am looking forward to the Ron Johnson meet. I've probably gone too ambitious on the entry times, but it will be all about racing and (hopefully) raising the baseline:

Event Number	Sex	Distance	Stroke	Time	Date
3	Men	50 SCM	Breast	0:35.77	11/18/2017
5	Men	200 SCM	Free	2:09.88	11/18/2017
9	Men	100 SCM	Breast	1:16.25	11/18/2017
12	Men	200 SCM	IM	2:20.89	11/18/2017
17	Men	100 SCM	IM	1:06.26	11/19/2017
24	Men	400 SCM	IM	5:04.00	11/19/2017
26	Men	200 SCM	Breast	2:44.62	11/19/2017
27	Men	100 SCM	Free	1:05.05	11/19/2017

I will also make a decision after Ron John if life will permit and if my 'in-shape-ness' warrants the investment in a day or two of the SPMA SCM Champs the first weekend in December.