2011 Look Back ++ 2012: Look Ahead

2011: Look Back What did you accomplish in 2011? I swam my first masters meets here in the US and realised that I'm not as slow as I thought I was. Best swim was the 400 SCM in November - went 5.21.x which annihilated my goal of sub-5.30 and my hopeful time of sub-5.25 Another good one was my 1500 LCM this summer. First time I have swum it LC and made number 4 in the TT What did you learn in 2011? I find it very hard to compete in yards. The 500 stinks. Although I started out 18 months ago swimming yards in the summer TAAF events and thought it was OK - put me back on metres and I'm right at home! I have been swimming under a "glass ceiling" for most of my life, and intend to shatter that next year. Just because I never swam at a high level as a kid, or at all in college does not mean that I can't compete with people who once did. I need to stop talking myself down. Yoga is really helping my swimming, flexibility, core strength and particularly streamlining. I hate lifting, and have let it slide in favour of more swimming and yoga classes. I did do a circuit round the gym a couple of weeks back immediately after yoga and found it a lot easier than the previous time I did it (like 4 weeks earlier). Based on that I'm sticking with the yoga that I actually enjoy. I'm still struggling to commit to my fly. Perhaps its time to admit that I am no longer feeling the racing love for the 100 and 200. Just like I don't really feel the love for 1500s. I do enjoy swimming fly though and I think it helps on the mid-d freestyle. 2012: Look Ahead So for 2012 I want to get TT in the 400 free SCM. Based on this year that means a 5.10. So that is one tall order - an 11 sec drop from this year and 4 seconds under my lifetime best of 5.14 done in 2005. Sub 30 on 50 yd fly would be cool too, but that's secondary. And I will be swimming a 400 IM in February to check off my pre-40 bucket list! GTD goal for 2012 is 500 miles on the basis that I can easily put in 16-18k LCM per week. And you know what - the more I swim the faster I'm getting, and so can swim further in my 90 min window. Meets in 2012 (well the first few months anyway): Jan 15 Winter Games of Texas. Entered this yesterday, to get benchmark times in 100 free, 50 fly and 200 free. They only offer limited events, but its a chance to see where I'm at now. Feb DAMM SCY meet - 400IM plus other events TBD. Maybe more IMs, maybe try the 500 again. Southlake Zones Wavering over Omaha - if I'm swimming Nationals, this is the one for me. Why do you swim? Because it is the only exercise I enjoy and I've caught the competition bug.

2011: Look Back What did you accomplish in 2011? I swam my first masters meets here in the US and realised that I'm not as slow as I thought I was. Best swim was the 400 SCM in November - went 5.21.x which annihilated my goal of sub-5.30 and my hopeful time of sub-5.25 Another good one was my 1500 LCM this summer. First time I have swum it LC and made number 4 in the TT What did you learn in 2011? I find it very hard to compete in yards. The 500 stinks. Although I started out 18 months ago swimming yards in the summer TAAF events and thought it was OK - put me back on metres and I'm right at home! I have been swimming under a "glass ceiling" for most of my life, and intend to shatter that next year. Just because I never swam at a high level as a kid, or at all in college does not mean that I can't compete with people who once did. I need to stop talking myself down. Yoga is really helping my swimming, flexibility, core strength and particularly streamlining. I hate lifting, and have let it slide in favour of more swimming and yoga classes. I did do a circuit round the gym a couple of weeks back immediately after yoga and found it a lot easier than the previous time I did it (like 4 weeks earlier). Based on that I'm sticking with the yoga that I actually enjoy. I'm still struggling to commit to my fly. Perhaps its time to admit that I am no longer feeling the racing love for the 100 and 200. Just like I don't really feel the love for 1500s. I do enjoy swimming fly though and I think it helps on the mid-d freestyle. 2012: Look Ahead So for 2012 I want to get TT in the 400 free SCM. Based on this year that means a 5.10. So that is one tall order - an 11 sec drop from this year and 4 seconds under my lifetime best of 5.14 done in 2005. Sub 30 on 50 yd fly would be cool too, but that's secondary. And I will be swimming a 400 IM in February to check off my pre-40 bucket list! GTD goal for 2012 is 500 miles on the basis that I can easily put in 16-18k LCM per week. And you know what - the more I swim the faster I'm getting, and so can swim further in my 90 min window. Meets in 2012 (well the first few months anyway): Jan 15 Winter Games of Texas. Entered this yesterday, to get benchmark times in 100 free, 50 fly and 200 free. They only offer limited events, but its a chance to see where I'm at now. Feb DAMM SCY meet - 400IM plus other events TBD. Maybe more IMs, maybe try the 500 again. Southlake Zones Wavering over Omaha - if I'm swimming Nationals, this is the one for me. Why do you swim? Because it is the only exercise I enjoy and I've caught the competition bug.