2011 SCY Nats in Mesa, AZ

It was fantastic seeing old friends and meeting new ones last weekend. Chris Stevenson was extremely happy that he swam faster than me in the 100 back. I saw his time go on the board about five minutes before my swim, and I thought "Well, it would be nice to go 51.5." Given our extreme differences in the way we swim the 100 back, it would be interesting to have us side by side for contrast. If I had known he was looking for a grudge match, my motivation to swim fast would not have been limited to only those in my heat. To respond to the comments about swimming outdoors: I love swimming outdoors ... when backstroke is not involved. I was very fortunate to stay away from the lane ropes in all my backstroke races, but that is not always the case. I know a lot of people who swim indoors were affected by the constant sun beating on them. I went through about 64 ounces of Gatorade each day. This was my best Masters meet ever, and one of the best meets of my life. There were too many factors that contributed to it to list here, but I will note that I was not nervous for any of my races. (I was hyperventilating a little bit before my 100 ***, though.) Usually, I'm close to vomiting at championship meets, but I was surprisingly calm and "zen" all weekend. My best swim of the meet was the mixed medley relay. We broke the national record by more than a second! Our flat-start splits were about .7 slower than the record, so we all stepped up for this once-in-a-lifetime achievement. I was shocked that I split 24.96 on the breaststroke. Have fun in Auburn, everyone! I hope to see you in Omaha. Great swimming Jeff! Were you calmer because it was a "home" meet? And I am planning to be there in Omaha. :agree:

It was fantastic seeing old friends and meeting new ones last weekend. Chris Stevenson was extremely happy that he swam faster than me in the 100 back. I saw his time go on the board about five minutes before my swim, and I thought "Well, it would be nice to go 51.5." Given our extreme differences in the way we swim the 100 back, it would be interesting to have us side by side for contrast. If I had known he was looking for a grudge match, my motivation to swim fast would not have been limited to only those in my heat. To respond to the comments about swimming outdoors: I love swimming outdoors ... when backstroke is not involved. I was very fortunate to stay away from the lane ropes in all my backstroke races, but that is not always the case. I know a lot of people who swim indoors were affected by the constant sun beating on them. I went through about 64 ounces of Gatorade each day. This was my best Masters meet ever, and one of the best meets of my life. There were too many factors that contributed to it to list here, but I will note that I was not nervous for any of my races. (I was hyperventilating a little bit before my 100 ***, though.) Usually, I'm close to vomiting at championship meets, but I was surprisingly calm and "zen" all weekend. My best swim of the meet was the mixed medley relay. We broke the national record by more than a second! Our flat-start splits were about .7 slower than the record, so we all stepped up for this once-in-a-lifetime achievement. I was shocked that I split 24.96 on the breaststroke. Have fun in Auburn, everyone! I hope to see you in Omaha. Great swimming Jeff! Were you calmer because it was a "home" meet? And I am planning to be there in Omaha. :agree: