2011 Look Back ++ 2012: Look Ahead

2011 Look Back ++ 2012: Look Ahead Now is the perfect time to look back and look ahead It's a bit harder for me since I shave/taper once a year in February (Last year I shaved/tapered for Nationals as well but don't expect to this year). My goals tend to revolve around how I do at that meet. Still, this exercise can't really hurt so... here goes. 2011: Look Back What did you accomplish in 2011? * Swam at my first Nationals * Set personal bests in all of my events except 50 br (my 50 br converted from lcm is probably better than my best 50 br scy but those are hard to compare) * Swam my first 400 IM and 200 Fly in a meet. * Swam about 720 miles on the year (GTD is 690 but that excludes about 30 miles from January) What were some of your best swims? In Meets 200 Br at Nationals - Goal 3:04; Made 2:58.17 This wasn't my best swim (so far) just because of the time. It was on a bigger stage and I had two really good competitors next to me. Just an all around fun race. In Practice 5 x 100 scy on 1:10. Unthinkable a year ago (Meet time last Feb was 5:54). A couple months after Nationals, my freestyle started seeing some significant improvements and I began to think I could maybe make 10 x 100 on 1:10. We've been adding a 100 each week in pursuit of that goal. What were your goals? How'd your results compare with your goals * Make NQT in 50 Br, beat that time at Nationals - Success! * Make NQT in 100 Br, beat that time at Nationals - Missed NQT, Beat it at Nationals. * Make NQT in 200 Br, beat that time at Nationals - Success! * Make NQT in 50 Fr, beat that time at Nationals - Missed both * Make NQT in 100 Fr, beat that time at Nationals - Missed both What did you learn in 2011? Based upon my goals/results, I guess I'm better at breaststroke than free. But I already knew that. Reality is that I wanted the breaststroke times and I trained for them. I substituted IM sets for all breaststroke or breaststroke/free. I learned to turn better and faster. I learned to pull better. I strengthened my kick. I'm not a terribly good freestyle sprinter and I don't train for it. I would have preferred to do the 200 or 400 free but both would have impacted performance for my breaststroke events. So, they were an afterthought more than anything else and I didn't get great results. I do want to improve my 50 free times simply for getting better at relays. Hope that will happen despite my mid-distance geared training. Just didn't happen last year. What else should you ask and answer? Very thankful for a relatively injury free year. 2012: Look Ahead What would you like to accomplish in 2011? * Figure out backstroke * At least one 2+ mile open water swim. Considering a 10 mile swim in October * Swim 750 miles on the year What are your goals? * 10 x 100 - 1:10, hold 1:05s * 1650 in under 20 minutes (for Feb meet) * 500 in under 5:35 (for Feb meet) What are your plans? How are you going to train? What events are you going to race? What meets do you plan to go to? In Feb at the Auburn SCY invitational, I'll be swimming the 1650, 200 Fly (for fun), 100 Br and 200 free on Saturday. On Sunday, I swim the 500, 200 Br, 50 Br, and 200 IM. I'm targeting the 1650 (First time in a meet), 500, and 200 fr for significant improvement. Should see some improvement on breaststroke events. I should also be faster in the 200 fly just from major stroke improvements from last year and this will be my first 200 IM in a meet (no big expectations). For the next month, I'll drop most backstroke from practice and substitue in breaststroke. That might conflict with what I want to accomplish for the year but I had great success with fly after dropping it from practice before Nationals and then picking it back up afterwards. After the Feb meet, I'll begin pushing my backstroke more. Start looking at video and reading whatever tips I can fine. Haven't thought much about how I'm going to train for long distance yet. Not sure I even know where to start. I'll probably plan some postal swims and enter a couple smaller local triathlons (team swim) through the spring/summer. Next fall, I'll begin work on the 10 x 100 on 1:10, hold 1:05. Hopefully by Feb 2013, I'll be looking at 5:00 - 5:10 on my 500. What would you like to learn in 2012? Backstroke - don't need to be great at it... just want to quit giving up 15 yards in my IM events. What else should you ask and answer? Hope to be blessed with another injury free year. Look forward to the encouragement of my teammates, family and other swimmers I meet along the way. Why do you swim? Arthritic back. Swimming helps a lot. Three years ago, picking up my kids was risking a week in bed with severe pain. Not a problem anymore. But I'm a competitive person and it didn't take much to get me to race in a meet.

2011 Look Back ++ 2012: Look Ahead Now is the perfect time to look back and look ahead It's a bit harder for me since I shave/taper once a year in February (Last year I shaved/tapered for Nationals as well but don't expect to this year). My goals tend to revolve around how I do at that meet. Still, this exercise can't really hurt so... here goes. 2011: Look Back What did you accomplish in 2011? * Swam at my first Nationals * Set personal bests in all of my events except 50 br (my 50 br converted from lcm is probably better than my best 50 br scy but those are hard to compare) * Swam my first 400 IM and 200 Fly in a meet. * Swam about 720 miles on the year (GTD is 690 but that excludes about 30 miles from January) What were some of your best swims? In Meets 200 Br at Nationals - Goal 3:04; Made 2:58.17 This wasn't my best swim (so far) just because of the time. It was on a bigger stage and I had two really good competitors next to me. Just an all around fun race. In Practice 5 x 100 scy on 1:10. Unthinkable a year ago (Meet time last Feb was 5:54). A couple months after Nationals, my freestyle started seeing some significant improvements and I began to think I could maybe make 10 x 100 on 1:10. We've been adding a 100 each week in pursuit of that goal. What were your goals? How'd your results compare with your goals * Make NQT in 50 Br, beat that time at Nationals - Success! * Make NQT in 100 Br, beat that time at Nationals - Missed NQT, Beat it at Nationals. * Make NQT in 200 Br, beat that time at Nationals - Success! * Make NQT in 50 Fr, beat that time at Nationals - Missed both * Make NQT in 100 Fr, beat that time at Nationals - Missed both What did you learn in 2011? Based upon my goals/results, I guess I'm better at breaststroke than free. But I already knew that. Reality is that I wanted the breaststroke times and I trained for them. I substituted IM sets for all breaststroke or breaststroke/free. I learned to turn better and faster. I learned to pull better. I strengthened my kick. I'm not a terribly good freestyle sprinter and I don't train for it. I would have preferred to do the 200 or 400 free but both would have impacted performance for my breaststroke events. So, they were an afterthought more than anything else and I didn't get great results. I do want to improve my 50 free times simply for getting better at relays. Hope that will happen despite my mid-distance geared training. Just didn't happen last year. What else should you ask and answer? Very thankful for a relatively injury free year. 2012: Look Ahead What would you like to accomplish in 2011? * Figure out backstroke * At least one 2+ mile open water swim. Considering a 10 mile swim in October * Swim 750 miles on the year What are your goals? * 10 x 100 - 1:10, hold 1:05s * 1650 in under 20 minutes (for Feb meet) * 500 in under 5:35 (for Feb meet) What are your plans? How are you going to train? What events are you going to race? What meets do you plan to go to? In Feb at the Auburn SCY invitational, I'll be swimming the 1650, 200 Fly (for fun), 100 Br and 200 free on Saturday. On Sunday, I swim the 500, 200 Br, 50 Br, and 200 IM. I'm targeting the 1650 (First time in a meet), 500, and 200 fr for significant improvement. Should see some improvement on breaststroke events. I should also be faster in the 200 fly just from major stroke improvements from last year and this will be my first 200 IM in a meet (no big expectations). For the next month, I'll drop most backstroke from practice and substitue in breaststroke. That might conflict with what I want to accomplish for the year but I had great success with fly after dropping it from practice before Nationals and then picking it back up afterwards. After the Feb meet, I'll begin pushing my backstroke more. Start looking at video and reading whatever tips I can fine. Haven't thought much about how I'm going to train for long distance yet. Not sure I even know where to start. I'll probably plan some postal swims and enter a couple smaller local triathlons (team swim) through the spring/summer. Next fall, I'll begin work on the 10 x 100 on 1:10, hold 1:05. Hopefully by Feb 2013, I'll be looking at 5:00 - 5:10 on my 500. What would you like to learn in 2012? Backstroke - don't need to be great at it... just want to quit giving up 15 yards in my IM events. What else should you ask and answer? Hope to be blessed with another injury free year. Look forward to the encouragement of my teammates, family and other swimmers I meet along the way. Why do you swim? Arthritic back. Swimming helps a lot. Three years ago, picking up my kids was risking a week in bed with severe pain. Not a problem anymore. But I'm a competitive person and it didn't take much to get me to race in a meet.