Saturday Swimming Review

Saturday morning I wake up a bit after 6am put my swim stuff together for two days as I logged on my computer and reserved a hotel room for the weekend in Long Beach.  After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and a banana I hit the 405 to Long Beach.  Arriving just before warmup at 8am I was able to get in the water right away.  During meets the warm up lanes fill up pretty quick and get way to crazy for me.  My first reaction once I hit the water was “ewww!”.  The water was very very cloudy.  With people swimming and kicking the murkiness of the water made it impossible to see anything in front of you including the wall.  I stopped and talked to a few team mates and everyone was panicking. 

After a warm up of a 400 mixed free and backstroke, 100 drill and four 100’s pace I was ready to get out.  Once I got out I begun to feel itchy.  Damn pool chemicals.  When the opened lane for starts and sprints I jumped in to work on my backstroke start.  Even though my backstroke was Sunday I wanted the extra practice. 

As the meet went on the pool became less murky but still it was pretty bad for a competition pool, never mind this being regionals.  By the end of the day myself and others had red blotches all over in reaction to the chemicals in the pool.  It was pretty bad.  I was soo itchy.  I went and bought some anti-cholrine shower gel which I had to use twice that night.  Once at the pool and then once at the hotel. 

My first event was the 200 Freestyle.  I like the 200 Freestyle.  It’s sorta a sprint but sorta a baby distance event.  At Gay Games I did a 2:12.23 so I was hoping to be somewhat close to that.  Let’s face it at a big meet like the Games the energy is so high you just do your ultimate best.  That and all your focus is right there.  So if I came close I’d be happy.  I ended up with a 2:15.29.  Ugh!  So not happy!  I did better last year at the same pool!  I’m blaming the murkiness of the water.  Yeah, that’s it. 

Next was the 50 butterfly which for some reason I never had done in a Meter pool.  Interesting.  Since I had nothing to go on I have to guess my time was great.  I’m happy with it since my teammates thought it was pretty damn good.  I did a 30.88.

Then came the relay. Blah Blah Blah.  It was just a 50 Freestyle of each and I did it in 28.18.  Which is now my fastest 50 Short Course Meters freestyle time.  Wahoo!  I didn’t realize that to just now.  Now I’m feeling better.  Of course swimming six events in one day is a tough thing to do so I’m happy I finished all my events.

Then after a few hours of sitting, drinking water and Gatorade, peeing a lot and cheering fellow team mates on it was time for my next event.  The event I do just cause no one else does, the 200 Butterfly.  I felt really good during the 1st 100 and even better the last 50.  I kicked like hell and ended up with a time of 2:30.63.  That was my second best time next to the Gay Games time of 2:29.98.  So not so bad after all.

The next two events were relays.  In the medly I did the 50 butterfly with a time of 30.89.  I did a 30.88 a few hours before so I need to work on getting past the 30.8whatever!  Last but not least was the 4 by 100 Freestyle Relay.  I did a time of 1:00.99.  Still fighting to break the one double O.

After swimming a bunch of us all went to the Long Beach Brewery for dinner.  After one cup of the LB Crude Ale I was soo tipsy!  I crashed in my hotel room and was asleep by 9pm.  I was beat!

Comments

[Joe]

30.88 for 50 meter fly? Awesome! You've retaken the lead by a tenth of a second. I've gotta train harder now!

28.18 for freestyle! Wow! Another triumph!

You did 200 fly? You're sick!

Great job!