Off to the Races Again!

It is time to race again - this time the meet is on Sunday... As I write this I'm suffering from seasonal allergies that are flaring up my asthma - something that decided to bother me the past 48 hours! It's a bit frustrating knowing that I've been so healthy and primed for the race on Sunday, only to have to battle through a bit of sickness - but I guess that's life! Anything can happen between now and Sunday and my only hope is that I am healthy enough for the meet. 

It's a fun meet, hosted by the NY metro masters, which means that we will be competing with the masters teams in the area. AGUA always does a great job of representing and at times the local rivalries can be a bit "personal" but what I'm most looking forward to is swimming some new events and looking at my progress in some of my signature events.
Since the Ithaca meet, I've had a chance to rehabilitate my shoulder and change-up my workout plan. I've incorporated a robust dry land training program that includes boxing, spinning kettle bells and weight training with my trusted trainer Joe. As for my times in the pool, I know I've dropped a whole 10 seconds, and have been swimming in a faster lane - I know I'm stronger and faster. It also helps that I have dropped some significant weight, which was always the goal for swimming to begin with - weight loss, but being me - it's hard not to get that competitive drive into gear and start adding goals and metrics for achievement. Hey, if I'm doing this - I'm giving it everything I got! 

So I'm registered to swim in 5 events.
The 50 Free, 100 Free and 100 IM are events I have successfully competed in. I placed first in 100 Free at Ithaca and 3rd Place in the 100 IM. I have yet to place in the 50 Free - perhaps this is the meet when I can break into the top 3! I decided to add two new events the 50 Fly and 50 Back. I usually swim the 50 Breast and 200 IM, but given the order of events in this meet I had to drop these two events.

I'm most nervous about the 50 Back, partly because the start is different and for some reason or another that backstroke flip turn and I are not quite friends - I tend to get water coming up my nose all the time!
I'm excited about the 50 fly only because I've spent a lot of time working on that stroke and truly strengthening myself in dry land to add power to the stroke. I feel very comfortable in the water, and just find it such a huge achievement to be able to now have the stamina and endurance to swim consecutive butterfly and IM sets in practice without dying.
Here's hoping that my lungs will cooperate in the upcoming days and that I start to feel better. 

For now, I'm off to practice (inhaler in hand) and will do another count down post as we get closer to the meet.