Gil Young Memorial/NW LCM Zones Gridge Thread

Thanks MJ! Though I think your statement above works better as "That Guy is really dumb" for freezing my feet out there and not even knowing that there was a hot tub until you told me. Being very cold was the reason that my 100 free was slower than my 100 fly - after the 100 free debacle I started using the hot tub in short bursts to warm up, until finally I just gave up on being outside entirely. Inside, where the smarter people were all along, was much warmer. Wait a minute, there is a hot tub at MHCC? Where?

Wait a minute, there is a hot tub at MHCC? Where? One goes as if you are going into the men's locker from the indoor pool and there is a right hand doorway marked Hydrotherapy. It is about 104 and felt wonderful compared to the 73 degree competition pool and the 58 and drizzling with a breeze outside. And the competition pool was warmer than it often is - I've been in it when it's 70. I have to sit in the hot tub after practice if it's that cold - I just freeze. I told everyone who I knew was visiting and might not know about it. Best to jump in, get warm (less than 5 minutes) and get out. If you stay in too long, it drains energy from you, but I like to get warm and stretch a bit in the hot tub after a race cooldown when it's a cold meet. I had a PR in a meet there last summer for a 50 free and I totally had the mindset of ripping through my race as fast as I could so that I could go be in the hot tub and get warm. It was awesome motivation. That Guy, I just assumed you were way tougher than I am. The bummer about being inside is that you don't get to see the races - you have to follow along and then go out to see and cheer for your mates. I almost missed my 400 free due to staying inside too long - I was strolling up and a teammate hollered to me that the heat before mine was finishing - I ran down the side of the pool, shedding clothes and putting on goggles. I thrust my pile of clothes at a friend and stepped up to the blocks. Not the best race prep. --mj

I was really pleased with my meet. I was a bit nervous, this was the first time I swam any distance since Nationals last summer. Since then, I've been suffering from shoulder problems and not working out quite as hard, and just a general lack of motivation. This was a bit of a test to see where I am, and it told me I'm in better shape then I thought :banana: I was 7 seconds off my best time in the 1500 from last summer, I'm perfectly okay with that. Saturday, my 800 free was a thing of beauty :) my splits were perfect and I dropped 22 seconds! Life just doesn't get much better :groovy: Sweet! Congrats on swimming so well. Hope that provides motivation to keep training. --mj

I noticed on the white board next to the indoor pool that the competition pool was 73 or 74 degrees and that was hard for me to believe. It felt cool, but not cold. I would have thought 78 or so. I never got in the indoor pool for comparison, though. I was expecting the weather to be sort of hot Saturday. When I left Seattle at noon it was already getting up around 80, then the temperature actually went down the farther south I got. I think it was only 75 or so in Portland and really cooled off when the sun got low.

One goes as if you are going into the men's locker from the indoor pool and there is a right hand doorway marked Hydrotherapy. It is about 104 and felt wonderful compared to the 73 degree competition pool and the 58 and drizzling with a breeze outside. Darn, all those meets there and I never knew.

I am totally jazzed! The motivation level has definitely increased :banana: Susan Very, very cool. I use meets to check in on how my training is really going and to hang out with my friends. They always motivate me. Hope your shoulders stay happy. --mj

This meet was today (from my perspective). I saw results posted that said that knelson did some fast swimming at the same location yesterday though. Swimmj and AnnG swam great. Allen Stark swam a Zone record in the 200 ***! I botched my chances to draft off him by entering with an unrealistic 2:55, so I ended up in the heat after Allen, and went much slower than him. I went 3:07 which would have made top 10 in my age group last year, but looking at the Nationals psych sheet, I doubt it will this year. For me the day went like this: I did a 200 LCM fly, and then for some reason, I swam 4 more events. The 200 fly went pretty well: 2:25.76 (32.99, 37.04, 37.34, 38.39) for a 5.70 difference between 100's. I was hurting on that last 50, and especially the last 15 meters, but hey it wasn't a piano... I didn't break the PNA record of 2:25.09 though... I have 3 more years to crack that one. Dennis Baker beat me by 18 seconds. I can't help but think that if I had taken a couple more SDK's off the final wall, it might have only been 17.5 :banana: Then I did the 100 free and the 100 fly, and my 100 fly time ended up faster than my 100 free :blush:. Then there was that 200 ***, and honestly I don't know what the hell I was doing; my kick changed every few strokes. Finally there was the pwolf gridge, the 400 free. I cruised the first 200 meters like usual, but then when it came time to turn on the juice, I had nothing in the tank. I usually even- or negative-split freestyle races of 200 or more, but I don't think I did this time (haven't seen the splits yet since it was the last event of the day). I went a 4:56.xx so I was 6 or 7 seconds over my entry time. I'm quite certain that if pwolf could have hauled himself onto the starting blocks, he would have won this gridge easily. Good job on that 200 fly. Way to keep the last 3 50s pretty even. Thank gosh, I am not the only one who can go faster in the 100 fly than my 100 free. My 100 fly this weekend was a 1:09.64 while the first 100 of my 200 free was about a 1:09. yeah, the 200 *** is strange if you don't do it that often. But, I like to do it to help out my 400 IM.

Good job on that 200 fly. Way to keep the last 3 50s pretty even. Thank gosh, I am not the only one who can go faster in the 100 fly than my 100 free. My 100 fly this weekend was a 1:09.64 while the first 100 of my 200 free was about a 1:09. yeah, the 200 *** is strange if you don't do it that often. But, I like to do it to help out my 400 IM. Thanks Tom! One problem I have with breaststroke is that I don't really know how to sprint. I mean, it's even worse than when I try to sprint in the other 3 strokes. I increase my cadence and hope for the best, but my kick starts going haywire. As a result of my cluelessness, I wasn't even tired after the 200!

I was really pleased with my meet. I was a bit nervous, this was the first time I swam any distance since Nationals last summer. Since then, I've been suffering from shoulder problems and not working out quite as hard, and just a general lack of motivation. This was a bit of a test to see where I am, and it told me I'm in better shape then I thought :banana: I was 7 seconds off my best time in the 1500 from last summer, I'm perfectly okay with that. Saturday, my 800 free was a thing of beauty :) my splits were perfect and I dropped 22 seconds! Life just doesn't get much better :groovy:

Sweet! Congrats on swimming so well. Hope that provides motivation to keep training. --mj I am totally jazzed! The motivation level has definitely increased :banana: Susan