I wonder who from the people I talked to in competitions, shows up in three weeks for the Short Course Nationals in Tempe, Arizona.
Jim Thornton, maybe? After good training, maybe?
(I follow Jim's posts in this forum, even when I don't post).
Or Ian Smith? After training to the tune of 10,000 meters a week, for sprints only?
(Ian is maybe a long shot to come to Arizona, since he came to the 2002 Long Course Nationals in Cleveland because of the proximity to Montreal).
Fritz Lehman? Who trains backstroke, and tries to remember freestyle when getting on the blocks for a freestyle race?
Gail Roper? Who was having surgery after the Long Course Nationals in August 2002?
Paul Smith?
The Winner of many sprints and middle distance drop-dead races?
Laura Val? Who was saying in August 2002 "I will look forward to seeing it." regarding a promised interview of me by a magazine, interview that never materialized because I didn't hear again about it?
I will be in the 2003 Short Course Nationals in Tempe, Arizona, for the 1000 free, 100 free, 200 free and relays.
I trained for these races since last August, and I hope I will do well.
In the 1000 free, I went a slow for me 12:42, as opposed to a faster 12:25 two weeks ago in the La Jolla meet.
It could be that eleven days of taper is too much for me, or that I was a nervous wreck before the race, or something else that I don't know.
For the 200 free, I was scratched because when I did check-in I didn't circle something in the sheet, even though I did check-in in the same manner the day before -for the 1000 free- and they didn't scratch me then or tell me anything.
The third day, in a relay a had a fast for me 50 free in 26.8.
To me it could be as good as an individual 50 free, since in the relays I take slow starts in order to not risk to disqualify three teammates.
The fourth day, in the 100 free I swam 58.40, my fastest time since 1994, and a lifetime second fastest time behind a 58.11 from 1994.
(For example, it is faster than 58.50 from 1996, when I considered myself in good shape).
In a relay, I had a fast for me 50 free in 26.6.
Outside my races, I watched Laura Smith swim 1000 free then got paid with a well written beatiful post card from Laura for this, I learned that in the La Jolla meet when Laura did lap me in the 1000 free it was only due to the fact that Laura did false start the 1000 free -Ha! Ha! Good Joke! Ha! Ha! -, I did watch Fritz Lehman battling -with unusually long underwater turns- Clay Britt and Jay Yarid in backstroke (Fritz won the 100 back by only .9 seconds off his lifetime best from twenty years ago), 'Tall Paul' battling John Smith in drop-dead sprints of the strongest, Bill Specht swimming 200 fly, Adam Conway winning sprint races, Graham Johnston winning 500 free, Jim McConica winning 500 free, Adrienne Waterson missing her heat in 100 I.M. but doing well in 100 breastroke, Gail Roper winning the 400 I.M., Tom McCabe sprinting 50 free, and much more.
I thank the volunteers in the meet for dedicating energy to make the meet run very well.
In the 1000 free, I went a slow for me 12:42, as opposed to a faster 12:25 two weeks ago in the La Jolla meet.
It could be that eleven days of taper is too much for me, or that I was a nervous wreck before the race, or something else that I don't know.
For the 200 free, I was scratched because when I did check-in I didn't circle something in the sheet, even though I did check-in in the same manner the day before -for the 1000 free- and they didn't scratch me then or tell me anything.
The third day, in a relay a had a fast for me 50 free in 26.8.
To me it could be as good as an individual 50 free, since in the relays I take slow starts in order to not risk to disqualify three teammates.
The fourth day, in the 100 free I swam 58.40, my fastest time since 1994, and a lifetime second fastest time behind a 58.11 from 1994.
(For example, it is faster than 58.50 from 1996, when I considered myself in good shape).
In a relay, I had a fast for me 50 free in 26.6.
Outside my races, I watched Laura Smith swim 1000 free then got paid with a well written beatiful post card from Laura for this, I learned that in the La Jolla meet when Laura did lap me in the 1000 free it was only due to the fact that Laura did false start the 1000 free -Ha! Ha! Good Joke! Ha! Ha! -, I did watch Fritz Lehman battling -with unusually long underwater turns- Clay Britt and Jay Yarid in backstroke (Fritz won the 100 back by only .9 seconds off his lifetime best from twenty years ago), 'Tall Paul' battling John Smith in drop-dead sprints of the strongest, Bill Specht swimming 200 fly, Adam Conway winning sprint races, Graham Johnston winning 500 free, Jim McConica winning 500 free, Adrienne Waterson missing her heat in 100 I.M. but doing well in 100 breastroke, Gail Roper winning the 400 I.M., Tom McCabe sprinting 50 free, and much more.
I thank the volunteers in the meet for dedicating energy to make the meet run very well.
