One of those swims in a meet whereby you not only exceeded your swim time goal, but it felt better the longer you swam.
I remember one out of 40 years of swimming. Mine was in 1995 at Mt. Hood LC Nationals, the 800 m free. I had overtrained, tapered properly, and felt like a stick of dynamite going off the blocks. Not only did I negative split all the 200s, but I felt like I could have swam forever. I actually didn't want the race to come to an end.
I was spent at the finish, took a minute or two longer than others to get out of the water, but 15 minutes later felt great. I remember seeing the time on the scoreboard and I was in shock. I shaved over a minute off my personal best.
All of these things, to me, make that swim a "power swim." I even scratched all my backstroke events that day because I was so "high." I also remembered how stroke-by-stroke the entire 800 m. felt for several days.
Anyone else have this type of wonderful experience?
Donna
I did the postal 3k a few weeks ago and it was one of my best swims ever so I guess that would count as a "power swim". It was one of those swims where the longer I was in the water the better I felt and the faster I swam. I finished about 2 minutes faster than last year and each 500 split was faster than the previous one. Started out doing 1:27/100 and finished doing 1:23/100. Since I don't consider myself a distance swimmer and only do these long swims as a part of my training I was very pleased.
Two really stand out for me. The first was at that same 1995 Nationals in the 50m ***. I swam my fastest time in 13 yr.and couldn't believe it. I just stared at the timing board for a while in disbelief and then started jumping up and down. The second was this year at Worlds in the 100M ***.I swam my best time in 8 yr. The interesting thing is I have really no memory for the first 80 M. I was in some zone beyond thought.
I swam my fastest time in 13 yr.and couldn't believe it... I swam my best time in 8 yr.
Now, this is amazing and inspiring. :applaud: I wasn't sure this could really be done. 13 years ?! Terry will have to make you the subject of his study on "aging well."
I guess I really like George's answer and Donna's answer the most. George's for the humor, and Donna's because she "got it." What I was asking.
Donna; Cudos to you my friend, for I think your times are not slow at all, they are pretty darn good as a matter of fact. Exceed this humble woman's times.
I guess I may not have made myself clear in the thread. I didn't mean a "comfortable swim" and analyzing it to death split by split, stroke by stroke. I meant one where you went all out all the way through it and exceeded expectations and were so thrilled with it you could hardly contain yourself. This is why after 40 years of swimming that my swim in Oregon "registered." I have had swims that I "won", but the swim itself didn't "register."
But that's okay because experience and feedback in any form are always entertaining. I wish everyone a power swim---there is absolutely nothing like it on earth. I miss having another power swim. Maybe the Roatan to Utila island swim will do it for me if I complete it.
Happy Swimming!!!
Donna
We had a flood in our basement in 1973, some kids put a hose in our basement window and turned it on. The fool that I was swam underwater and swam over to the power breaker and turned off the power. It was foolish but that is my power swim.
My apologies to aquafeisty. I should have included the power swim sets described in the reply. Ooops, forgive me!!! Thanks Fortress for mentioning this.
Power swim are something a person will never, ever, ever, forget. Look at me, 11 years later and I remember that one swim out of 40 years of swimming. It is an incredible experience. :groovy::woot::applaud:
Donna
I guess I may not have made myself clear in the thread. I didn't mean a "comfortable swim" and analyzing it to death split by split, stroke by stroke. I meant one where you went all out all the way through it and exceeded expectations and were so thrilled with it you could hardly contain yourself. This is why after 40 years of swimming that my swim in Oregon "registered." I have had swims that I "won", but the swim itself didn't "register."
Hi Donna
My recent postal 3000 was by no means a "comfort" swim and the analysis came after. And, since my swimming background is limited (I swam my 1st race ever at 49) it is my most memorable swim. I was setting PB's at every distance from 1000 yards on. There may be a swim in my future that 20 years from now will qualify as "the swim of a lifetime" but for now this one was it.
Last year I have been slowly converting over to the distance free events and learning how to swim them. I rarely swam distance in my youngers years and from what I remember, back in 1985 my senior year in high school I did a 4:59 in in the 500 free.
Last year at my big mid season meet that I was shaved and tapered for my goal was to to break 5:00 in the 500 free. I told my counter to keep the number still if at every hundred I was under minute pace per hundred. If I was above the pace, he was to swing the counter back and forth. During the race the counter remained motionless until 6 laps to go when he started swinging it from side to side. Thinking I was off pace, I picked up the pace and when I hit the wall and looked up at timerboard I saw a 4:55. I could not believe it and was really excited about the swim. I remember my coach and the other USS coaches yelling. I could see them all waving their arms forward urging me on as I breathed because they knew what my goal time I wanted to do was. I felt awesome in the water and just had that pace where I could go on and on. Only thing I wish is that my counter started swinging the counter earlier because I had plenty left in the tank. That was the 2nd time I had swum the 500 that year and I think with a little more distance training and swimming distance events in meets, I can get faster.
greg
