What to do next?

Hello Everyone, Here is some background information before I ask my question: I have been training hard since August. I am trying out a nine (9) month training plan that end with Spring (2016) Nationals. I planned to fully taper and shave for a college invitational (I swim club in college) in mid-November (14th), then get right back into basic training (instead of my usual week break between seasons to keep my feel for the water). After approximately two weeks of basic training (basic endurance, drills, etc.), I get into endurance training. I am currently in the endurance phase of my training and experience minor injuries from time to time. When the pain is too much, I back off and "nurse" (ice, ice baths, ibuprofen, etc.) my body back to health, yet continue my workouts with low attention on the injured area. The point of not taking a break after my complete taper was so that I wouldn't subject my body to the "starting from scratch" phase we all get after a break. I wanted to swim fast for that invite (which I did with all best times), then continue my endurance so that my body would "think" it was all one big season, instead of two smaller ones, and therefore swim even FASTER at Nationals. Does that make sense? I would love any feedback anyone has to contribute. As I mentioned, this is the first time I've done a training cycle (along with a taper in the middle) longer than four months at a time; experience is not on my side. Alex M.
  • If you have your best times, what goals are you setting for spring nationals? It sounds as if you can keep doing what you are doing. IMHO
  • I wanted to swim fast for that invite (which I did with all best times), then continue my endurance so that my body would "think" it was all one big season, instead of two smaller ones, and therefore swim even FASTER at Nationals. Does that make sense? Sort of, but I don't think your body really "thinks" anything. Your body responds to training and it responds to rest. The way it responded to both of these inputs seems to have worked well for your recent taper meet, so no reason to think it won't again in a few months. Just keep doing what you're doing. Be careful about injuries and be careful not to overtrain.
  • How old are you,what events do you swim and what is your training cycle like,how complete was the taper for the Nov meet. These make a difference in evaluating the feasibility of your plan. I typically get right back into training after Spring Nats to get a complete cycle(15 wk for me ideally) for Summer Nats.