VDAY Swim Meet - 4 Day Countdown!

It's been a busy two weeks, which is why I have disappeared from the blog... But I do have a very good reason - I'm competing in the US Masters - Metro Area Swim Meet on Sunday with my team the AGUA Masters. I am swimming 100 IM and the 50 Freestyle. I honestly didn't think that I would be ready for this having been with masters for a month and a half!

When I swam in the Philippines and in high school competitively, I was simply chosen because I could swim all strokes and was fast. It wasn't a serious, regulated competition like it is here in the USA. Again, my last swim meet was over 20 years ago!!! 
 
I'm not really sure what to expect. All I know is that I have to be at the meet by 8 AM, and it starts at 9 AM and it is being held at Long Island University. I've had two weeks to get ready and I've been focusing on polishing my strokes, various sprinting drills and sets, and lots of endurance work... 

I've been working closely with one of the Masters coaches named Jamie. Jamie is this amazing swimmer who is part of the AGUA National team and is only 22! As one of my team mates describes her "She looks sweet and innocent, but man she kicked my ass!" Simply put - Jamie means BUSINESS!

Ready to Swim!

I spent an hour in private coaching with Jamie this morning, before noon practice. We were working on turns and transitions. I have a pretty decent flip turn, which is used for freestyle and backstroke - I just wasn't aware that there was a side I preferred. Butterfly and breaststroke turns - also known as an Open turn was proving to be problematic. 

Jamie and I worked doggedly trying to get this concept - drilling fly over and over and over and over!!! I did a few things that would apparantly be considered 'disqualifications' and she would make me swim back and re-do the entire set properly! Did I mention this was IM and we were working fly to back transitions - yeah that was a ton of butterfly today!

After this crazy session - I had another hour of practice ahead of me with Jamie at the helm pushing me over and over - clocking in another 2000 yards!

Today all four strokes look good, technique looks fine but the turns are a concern. I really need to get the action off wall correctly - those are crucial transitions that can truly help me be faster. Michael Phelps could easily gain the lead from his wall transitions, even when it looked like he was a bit behind from the first part of a race! I was just watching his 200 IM World Record race and those wall transitions made a ton of difference. I'll be back later tonight to work on the wall... 

Did I mention I don't know how to jump off the block yet? Yeah... I believe we're working on that tomorrow. Stay tuned for my next entry as I count down towards the Sunday meet!