2011 Look Back ++ 2012: Look Ahead

I learned you can't slack off and expect to swim fast. For the first five months of 2011 I averaged around 35 miles per month. I was swimming mostly one hour workouts, and although it seemed like I was working hard, in retrospect I really wasn't working nearly as hard as I needed to. I paid the price at Short Course Nationals. Although I placed pretty well (was third in both the 1650 and the 400 IM, placed top ten in five of my six events) my age group was really wide open. If I had swam well I may have even won an event or two. It really felt like a missed opportunity. This really told me I needed to step it up and that's why I joined an age group team in June. My summer season was definitely better. I won the Fat Salmon OW swim. I swam well at the Gil Young Meet and placed top ten at Big Shoulders in a strong field. After being way off my GTD pace (500 miles for the year) at the end of May, I'm going to end up with close to 550 miles. I know I'm doing the things I need to now that will enable me to swim fast in 2012.

2011 totally changed my expectations.I always considered the 100 M BR my best event ,but that I was versatile enough to swim the 50 and 200 BR well. I had been very happy with 2:52s in the 200 LCM BR for several years, being quite proud of myself for not slowing down.I thought if I swam a perfect race I could break 2:52,maybe even swim a 2:51.5. I went 2:50.44 at Auburn.Suddenly the 200 BR is my best event(at least that was my best swim) and I am re-evaluating my limits.It also has caused my to ask "what is my goal now that I have exceeded my goal." 2012 will have the answer to that question. I plan to work harder,get my head position better,get stronger ,get more streamlined and have another breakthrough.

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.

Stuck with my new 2/3 freestyle breathing pattern Does that mean what I think it means? Breath 2 then 3 then 2, etc?

I'll look forward to seeing you and the Daves at Auburn and :cheerleader: you on! Good luck with your goals this year!We will be there! Don't forget Roger. He ages up for SCY this year and should be a lot of fun to watch. Looks like we will bring at least 5 this year.

What did you accomplish in 2011? Getting back in shape, only to fall back out again, and then get back in shape better than ever. (Maybe to slip a bit b/c of my winter vaca but who cares) What were some of your best swims? The 2nd week of Dec I really felt like I was in the grove of things What were your goals? To get myself swimming 4-5k/day again, and I met that goal. What did you learn in 2011? It's never too late to start again 2012: Look Ahead What would you like to accomplish in 2011? Continue swimming 4-5k yards per day, I don't have time to do more Join a Masters Team in Boston What are your goals? Break a 23.1 50 Free, my HS record What are your plans? Just keep doing what I'm doing How are you going to train? Work on sprints What events are you going to race? Anything at this point! What meets do you plan to go to? Idk, 1 would be nice What would you like to learn in 2012? Anything, every day is a learning experience

Does that mean what I think it means? Breath 2 then 3 then 2, etc? No, it means 2 breaths on the right, then 2 on the left, etc. Bilateral breathing by doing extra breaths, instead of by taking less breaths.

We will be there! Don't forget Roger. He ages up for SCY this year and should be a lot of fun to watch. Looks like we will bring at least 5 this year. Ohhh yeah, Roger! Glad he'll be there, too! What age group will he be in? I can't remember... I age up, too (50), so we'll have to have an age-up celebration!

Ohhh yeah, Roger! Glad he'll be there, too! What age group will he be in? I can't remember... I age up, too (50), so we'll have to have an age-up celebration! Roger and Dave M age up to 50. Dave B made it there last year. Just glad I don't have to swim against them.

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.