Thursday, May 17, 2007
Hyack Festival Looming
Tomorrow is my first long course meet since my return to swimming. It’s also my first non-Masters swim meet since my return to swimming and that fact is a little unsettling – not because there will be a bunch a kids running around who could clean my clock in the pool (there will be lots of those) but because right now only my 50 and 100 back times qualify. I’ve entered in three further races where I have to set ‘personal bests’ in order to meet qualifying times, and in long course to boot! Luckily this competition is one of the first in the long course season, a combined AA/AAA swim meet intended to provide an opportunity to move up to the much more plentiful AAA swim meets from the development ranks, and consequently has rather lax time standards (for real competitive swimmers that is). I should achieve the meet standard in my 100 free, but my concerns are with the 200 back and 200 IM. The fact they’re both 200 meter events isn’t coincidental; my endurance needs much more work before it starts coming back (or at least some of it). I can now race a hundred meters and be fairly confident I will finish, but 200 meters is still well beyond my comfort level. How well I do, and what pace I should go out in, are all big question marks for me right now. Now normally I wouldn’t be really concerned about my times because I’m still in ‘pre-race condition mode’ where I discount anything I do in the belief with further training I’m certain to be swimming faster later on. This phase ends with my first full season in March, 2008 (when I either quit or continue on with swimming for swimming’s sake and not for rehabilitation purposes which ostensibly I’m doing now). My problem here is Coach Brad has vouched for me to get me in and I don’t want to embarrass him by blowing up in the pool in front of all the senior coaches. That, unfortunately, is a possibility in my 200 races as I have to swim hard in order to meet the qualifying standards and could flame out before the end. Complicating matters work is still hectic and I've missed many workouts because of it, plus I’m on pretty heavy duty meds now because it's hay fever season. Not the best run up to a swim meet where I need to show significant improvement. My first 200 is the IM this Friday so cross your fingers for me (and Brad).
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4 comments:
Here's wishing you a great meet, one where you are pleased with what happens and still learn useful things. I did a number of kids' meets last year, and I found them very anxiety-producing, because I felt like I had to prove myself over and over. As a result, my performance was often off. Remind yourself of what you have achieved, and what skills you had. Remember that you cannot afford to be your own worst enemy, so only positive self-talk on deck.
Hope it goes well and I can't wait to hear the results.
Well thank you Isis for those kind words, though I'm long past the time when I felt I had to prove myself to anyone (in my family that seems to happen around the age of fourteen). Just between you and me (and the rest of the blogging world - glad my blog isn't well read) I have all the confidence in the world. If this meet was a couple of months hence I wouldn't need to worry about any negative reflection on Coach Brad should I not produce. I'll let my fear of letting Brad down provide all the motivation necessary.
You go Scott!!!
Race smart.
Excellent! I love to read that confidence. You are inspiring, and I am not saying that in the overblown American way.
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