| | Tags: | swim meet | | Current Music: | Phil Vasser | | Time: | 11:01 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/smile.gif) peaceful |
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| 737,021 yds
1,360 days left got time for a swim update before i crash. i NEED to start this week off right. the last few have been too erratic to make any real progress ... SMART Time Trial 100 back - 57.22
100 IM - 57.18
50 free - 23.10 considering there were no blocks .. i'm very pleased. my backstroke should be well under 55 by the end of the season. the 100 IM as well :-D GCSU Swim Meet It wasn't stellar or surprising, but it was good to go out and swim for real. none of the times made me feel like i've got a fast season on the horizon, but i can't let this one carry too much weight.
let's see 1:52 in my 200 free isn't what i was looking for. it's faster than the masters meet, but not good enough. i'm swimming it again at UGA.
i need to go sub 1:50 just once ... so i know it's working. 22.30 in my 50 free
and 24.50 in my 50 fly
aren't bad this early in the season. i'm still slipping ... back to work there. i think i just need to focus more and work harder when i'm sprinting. it feels like, for all my endurance work, i'm not gaining any real strength/stamina in my sprints ... and that's unacceptable.
as for the meet. lots of fun, loads of lactic acid, back to work. i'll do a personal update some time soon.
for now, i'll just say that i think watching House makes me think too much ... lol | comments: Leave a comment   |
| | Current Music: | Theory of a Deadman - No Sacrifice | | Time: | 11:24 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/shocked.gif) anxious |
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| 651,821yds
1387 days left ... As you can see above, tonight not only marks the closing of the 2008 olympics; but the start of my countdown to 2012 Trials. It's time to get serious about all this. My good friend did make me think about the manner in which i work towards this (internally). I'm can be as noncholant as i please in conversation, but the truth is i don't have time to put off necessary changes. Like the saying goes, "dress like the man you want to be." I'm going to train like the olympian I want to be. BAM! , lol
The Bejing games were amazing, the swimming was brilliant, but I'm exhausted from late nights and early mornings.
Now I'm just very ready to train ... hard. | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| 535,421yds (now, the yardage count just keeps me honest, lol)
well, the summer season is slowly winding down now and i figured it was about time for an update. a lot has been happening around here, but most of it is only exciting to me because i really don't need much to keep entertained.
personally, life in snapshots has been fantastic, but the movie has been rather stagnant. i've been lucky enough to hang out with most of my friends at one time or another over the last few months, though it's been sporadic at best. i miss being involved, but i know it'll be all right in the end. on the other end, i've almost accomplished my goal of paying off my college debt. i intended on getting rid of it by the end of 2008, but i knew i could do it by august if i was disciplined over the summer. i only have $2,000 more to go and should be completely free of it after my july paychecks arrive. this summer has taught me a lot about budgeting and forecasting expenses (personally and professionally). i think i'm going to be able to manage things much better from here on out.
professionally, things are running wonderfully. the business is doing well and we've brought on another full-time staff member (she starts next week). we've been slowly but surely getting our ducks in a row. i'm confident that our goals of getting into (or breaking ground on) a full-scale location by 2012 are more than feasible. now to just get things done!
swimmingly, (brace yourself for a long read) it's been a story of battling to stay afloat, training-wise. summer season is always this way. i easily work 50+ hour weeks, leaving mornings as my only real time to swim. this year, i managed to wiggle out of any lessons before 10am so i'd always have an opportunity to go. truthfully, those morning swims are keeping me sane. the county pool has been long course (which i've never actually trained full-time in before), so i've been building my legs and lungs in preparation for the 2008-2009 season. my coach and i sat down at the end of june and discussed macro and microcycle plans. what follows is what we've arrived at...
Progression: 2008 > 2009 > 2010 > 2011 > 2012
100 free: 47 > 46 > 45 > 44 > 43
200 free: 1:46 > 1:44 > 1:42 > 1:38 > 1:36
100 back: 54 > 53 > 51 > 50 > 49
200 IM: 2:02 > 1:59 > 1:56 > 1:52 > 1:49
it's probably not reasonable to make linear decreases in my times ... specially in all events simultaneously. however, competing at the olympic level will take more than i'm currently doing. the timeline above is more about checkpoints than expectations.
i've focused my training to these four events and, honestly, i don't really have the time to train all four. the thing is ... i don't know which event(s) i'll end up being good at. besides, i'd go insane only training for the 50 free day in and day out.
i won't be able to practice with GTSC consistently and, (with the exception of a select few), it's not in my best interest to do sets at the level they're comfortable with- i need more.
my coach and i developed at training "menu" for this year. it's a paper with 24 specific, focused sets (3 training zones, 8 apiece) that i can select from and know i'm getting something done by completing them. the plan is; i'm required to do 4 sets from each column every week. everything outside of those is free for me to choose. obviously, time will tell if this is a good approach ... i have a good feeling, though.
outside the pool, i've added a dryland/weight circuit to the week routine to complement my water work. every exercise is aimed improving at least one aspect of my races. i only make it through the circuit once, but each exercise is 50 reps (the # i found most accurately represents the 'reps' in most swim races). i'm just finishing my first microcycle and have met or exceeded all the weight increases (except one). while i'm starting to see my original long-term goals were a bit ambitious, i can feel the strength work paying off in the water ... particularly in breaststroke and my underwater kick.
i'm excited and nervous. i'll be watching the olympics in august (just as i did with the trials in july), wondering if i have what it takes to swim with 'those guys'.
well, the power just came back on ... time for bed. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 272,600yds
Well, the big meet is done did and I'm exhausted. Three long days, 23 races, 2300yds and 12 bottles of gatorade later, I'm as happy as a 5 year old at chuck-e-cheese. A lot of good swims, a couple great ones. Here's how it played out:
400 IM (4:33.16) I really wanted to go under 4:30, but I could instantly tell I hadn't trained enough (five yards after the fly leg).
200 Free (1:48.36) New best time by a couple tenths (which isn't much). It felt really easy and I didn't expect to go sub 1:50, so the endurance work is paying off. Since it was a relay lead off ... it counts, lol.
100 Free(s) (49.12, 49.39, 49.01) The only truly disappointing aspect of the meet were these three swims. If I had gone 48.50, I'd have been fine, but I didn't go anything close ... ah well, back to the sprint endurance work, lol
50 Fly (24.17) A new guy from UT broke my record and went 23mid. It was a clean swim, I'm just still at this stupid plateau ...
100 Back (55.58) I'd have to say this was my favorite race of the meet. Gibson was a shoe-in, but the battle between Brewer, Zack, and me was epic. I almost split it 27/27 ... very cool.
200 IM (2:06.02) Haha ... new best by about a second. I didn't go anywhere near fast enough to reach the goal, but my splits were encouraging. 26 / 31 / 38 / 29 ... by next year, I want 25 / 29 / 36 / 27 (which IS within reach).
50 Breast (28.98) Yes, it was a relay. BUT, I did a non-relay start. It should count ... lol
100 IM (55.28) Ok, before this race, my best was 56.54. I went 56.10 in prelims (got to pick the walk-out song!), and finals felt even better. The winner went 53ish, so I've got my work cut out for me, but no complaints- Exciting Swim!
Basic summary. We weren't the champions we were last year. IU and UF brought some seriously fast guys (and girls), so we didn't rock the house like we had hoped. In fact, I didn't leave with a single Blue ribbon! Ah well ... I'll take my SIX new best times and get back to training. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 209,450yds
Life after College...
Yeah, there's really nothing too shnazzy to report here. Very glad to be out, but now I'm seeing how boring regular life can be. If I weren't training, I'd need some serious hobbies to keep me busy. I'm loving the swim business and we're making headway on the path to the commercial location. I'm definately figuring out how to deal with the same people in varying facets (roles) they play depending on the situation. This has been interesting.
My sister got into the college she wanted!!! We're so proud Onion, lol. She actually got into the very competitive specific program there and was given a scholarship. She's making me look bad ... and i love it! Training...
January was excellent, but February (with sickness & such) wasn't as productive as I had hoped it'd be. Fortunately, March is ooking to be a solid month. Tomorow the swim club heads down to Florida for the spring break training trip. I put a lot of thought and work into the workouts this year, basically took me a week to get everything just right. It'll all be worth it a ECCs (last weekend in march), when my body recovers, builds back stronger and I get to race. Here's the meet plan: 400 IM
It's never going to be 'my event' but I want to see how my endurance work is going (and this is the best event to see...) I'm looking to go as close to 4:20 as possible. I'll be happy with anything under 4:30 for now, but sub 4:25 would be awesome. 100 free
All I expect from myself is the second 50 in 24 seconds. 50 fly
If I couldn't place in this event, I wouldn't be swimming it this year. I'm frustrated with the stagnation of my fly training and don't want another reminder that I haven't passed the 24 barrier comfortably yet. Team points, that's all ... 100 back
Surprisingly, I'm not as anxious about this as I thought I'd be. I'm looking to swim it in anything under 56, but I leave the door open for whatever happens. Should be fun to race Zack though ... 200 IM
Speaking of racing Zack, GTSC is going to kill the 200IM at this year's meet. I think we've got 3 guys under 2:10 planning on swimming it. I think this is the race I'm most excited about. I worked out the splits that I know are feasible ... I want this race. 25 / 30 / 36 / 28
I know it's possible ... 100 IM
haha, this is my only real event on Sunday, so I'm going on a tear. I plan on having no recollection of it when I'm done. If I don't black out on the second 50, I didn't go fast enough ... lol I'm hoping for solid swims and good times, but I won't be disappointed if nothing happens. I've been doing dryland, doubles, and a lot of swimming ... if my body doesn't recover in time for the meet, I'll know better for next time.
Tomorrow will be long one, so I better close up shop ... RIPPA! | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| 1,112,678yds Yeah, I'm still counting that stuff. Well folks, it's finally over. Georgia Tech and I no longer compare schedules & fight over the few free hours I get each day. I'm now an Alum. (hahaha) Graduating is an interesting process. I say process because I can recall all the moments over the past year that have led up to Saturday. I noticed how things cycled between celebration & indifference, worry & disbelief. Some moments were relieving while others were a bit sad. I felt so relaxed going into finals and so complacent leaving them. I didn't even get it until I was walking into the stadium ... I don't think I'll ever forget the reflection I caught off a car as I walked by in the cap & gown ... weird feeling. So the ceremony itself was much smoother and quicker than I expected. The speeches were a bit cliche, so I didn't pay much attention (I soaked in the moment instead). Receiving the 'diploma' felt a lot like a six flags ride (wait, wait, wait, quick grab something, smile, and you're done), but it hit me on the walk back to my chair when I saw the 'rents, my sis, and Christy in the stands. Very cool memory.
Since things wrapped up much sooner than expected, we headed back to the house and watched a movie before heading to Carrabbas for Dinner. That chicken marsala was just about perfect! The meal, the company (Chris & Ian joined us), the day was complete for me at 3pm. I know most people do the big celebration, and I can handle the social scene, but when it comes to my special moments- I like it a little smaller. I've got much more that needs to be put down, but the sis and I are headin' to the stores for a little xmas shopping in the morning, so imma bounce Manny Frizzle
Georgia Institute of Technology
BS, Management 2007
| | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| 1,032,178yds
It feels as if I've been living life like a sprint set on a very fast interval.
This semester has been the day to day version of 20x 50s @ :35. Honestly, I woke up this morning in the same manner I fell asleep; nervously anticipating the next jolt to my system. Whether it's a homework assignment I've forgotten about, a task at work I knew I should have been working on, or a friend who I've unwittingly cast aside, I'm constantly becoming aware of my oversights ... just like a kid finding dirty laundry all over their room when they're searching for a toy.
I wish I was naturally better with money. I've realized that I didn't grow up in a house of naturally gifted businesspeople, but I was hoping I'd have the genes to skate by in life without much work (sad, but truth). I'm slowly realizing that if I want to be financially independent in the coming years (and successful in the years that follow), it's going to take a lot of the same discipline I've needed in the pool. Unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble finding the same joy out of the ol' greenbacks as I do from chlorine intake AND I'm really underperforming my expectations at every opportunity. I've actually lost money on the fantasy stock exchange and our business is operating on a very thin line in the capstone simulation in class. What's frustrating is that I'm honestly trying to be good at these things. Obviously, I'm not losing out on any real money or success, but it's times like these I simply hate being reminded of my mediocrity. Every time something fails, I get so damn frustrated and revisit the times in high school where I was "good" at most everything, but not "great" at anything. If I've never actually said it, I've thought it a million times, "I'm a Jack of All Trades, looking to be a Master of Some." If I want something, I need to be specific about it ... a singular, tangible goal makes the work required blur away into the means to get what I want. So here it goes (again):
[1] I want to make the 2012 Olympic Trials. Period. Whatever sacrifice is necessary in my personal life, I'm going to go until I know in my heart I've left nothing on the table. Most people wait until it's too late ... I refuse to let that happen.
[2] I want to be financially self-sufficient by the time I'm 25 years old. Late, I know, but completely feasible. I've been developmentally independent for quite some time now, but I know it'll take some work to make the number work in my favor. I won't move back in b/c of some stupid oversight ... I just won't.
That's it for right now. The yellow side of me (which is, in this case, the
majority) wants to throw down the five other ideas I've always got floating
around in my head, but I'm learning to keep that side of me in 'chill mode' when I actually start implementing ideas. It's important to improve this. Period.
Elon Invitational
Swim meets really are the best part of the year for me. I get to escape life and be the best version of myself (or at least the most accomplished) in my most complete comfort zone around people I feel at ease with. This competition was good for the team (people got to know each other) and for me (a great mid-season check on progress). The team placed 3rd out of 21 schools and Ron Burgandy ended up being the male high-point winner for the meet. Cool stuff.
100 Free (49.65)
Definately the "worst" swim of the meet for me. The night before was not good preparation for racing, and I made the mistake of letting the guy next to me have too much room at the half-point. I don't like to lead in a race like that, but I sat at his waist instead of his shoulders ... it ended up being just too much to wind up in a hundred.
50 Fly (25.20)
I wasn't signed up for it, but one of the guys didn't feel up to it, so I did it for him. Not a good time, but it gave the team some points.
200 IM (2:06.97)
Haha ... I was worried the 50fly might have taken too much out of me going into this race, but I felt fantastic. I can feel the difference in my aerobic endurance when I swim something like this. I probably split 28 in the last 50. Good stuff (and a new best time)!
200 Free (1:51.28)
Definately a great start to the second day of swimmage. After talking with my dad, I decided to give costello's strategy of 75easy/125fast a try. I was seated second to a guy who was supposed to go 1:48mid. I figured if I could stay with him for the first 75 without overexerting myself, I'd be set to take over the race. It ended up being just that. I didn't see anyone after the third flip turn. If someone had been on my the whole way, I probably would have gone sub 1:50, because I didn't feel all that tired at the end. Times aside, this race made up for my mistakes in the 100.
100 Fly (56.85)
A decent time, but I went out much too slowly. Again, I faulted and lost out on a potentially good race (and, for the record, place). Pshh ... back to fly training, lol.
100 IM (57.72)
Raced this for another guy and ended up getting him first place, lol. Glad I raced it though, I needed to know that the UGA swim wasn't a total fluke. I'm past the old plateau in this race ... thank goodness.
400 Free Relay (3:33.90)
Ok, so I typically don't care how relay times end up, but this one is just so cool. In typical swim club fashion, we threw on female suits and raced the girls before swimming in our heat. This time we actually raced in them as well. I led off in one girl's very uncomfortable (size 28) suit and gave us a good lead, stripped it off while the second & third legs swam, jumped back on the blocks and held off the other team's anchor to seal the deal. someone said I split 52 in the latter swim, which makes me feel really confident I can manage 51/53 for a 1:45 by ECCs.
Damn, it's already 12:30am ... In the next episode I want to vent out about some family stuff (mostly good things) ... see what I mean about time?! I"ll be waking in 4 hours and 15 minutes, lol. Ahhhh ... what a life!!!
R I P P A !!! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 980,678yds
Swim School Conference
Well, we just got back from conference in St. Petersburg. I love going to these things ... an entire week immersed in a group of people who share your passion for swimming and teaching. Awesome! I made it my goal this time to really get to know the people I meet. For the last couple years, I've been so shallow with my conversations and relationships (for simplicity-sake), and i'm seeing where that leaves me- I want more. I read a great old quote by Dale Carnegie and it rung very clear for me.
Also, I know that It's expected to leave with new ideas and everything, but I'm walking away from this so focused and energized. I want to graduate already! lol, If it weren't for swim club, I wouldn't have much to "look forward" to aside from the thought of getting out.
I haven't planned out any specifics yet, but in January, I'll be spending three weeks working with a swim school out in Phoenix. I'm actually really excited about it. It'll be a nice break from life and a great work opportunity at the same time. Mom and I were talking on the drive back, and we have no interest in copying them; but Bob and Kathy are extremely good businesspeople who have made the transition from teaching to corporation very smoothly. I've got a lot of respect for them and I'm so thankful for the chance to work with them.
Elon Swim Meet
So I don't care much for this pool, but it's always the best mid-season meet to attend b/c of the teams that attend. I'll deal with it. lol. Thankfully, this is a real meet with real events I can push for.
The agenda is short & sweet:
Saturday
Relay
100 free
200 IM
Relay
Sunday
Relay
200 free
100 fly
Relay
I'd normally sign up for the maximum number of events, but since I'm really more interested in times than points, I'm just swimming the four. I'm not taking any prisoners this time around ... Dad and I talked about trying a different strategy in the 100s, so we're gonna see what going out as fast as possible does to my times. I always hold back and never try balls to the walls ... we'll see what happens!
I'd keep writing, but it's time to unpack and reorganize. The fancy hotel didn't give internet access for free (like every cheap hotel in america), so I'm crazy behind on school work.
Back to the Grind ... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 923,790yds
I've come to the conclusion that additional yardage is not the progress criteria I need to use. Beginning in 2008, I'll return to the 1 million yard pace to keep me honest and focused on a regimented swim program. Outside of that, I'll worry about the kind of yardage I'm doing, not the amount.
GCSU Swim Meet
100 IM - 58.21
A time like this when I'm really starting to wear myself down is really encouraging.
100 free - 50.36
I was really hoping for sub-50, but the last 50 felt really smooth, which is a good sign. I could have done another 50 at that pace.
100 breast - 1:10
I did not expect the 100 breast to feel as good as that one did. I couldn't go any faster, but I didn't feel myself fading. good stuff ...
50 free - 22.41
Truthfully, I didn't put everything I had into it. The guys next to me were all I was focused on. If I can go 22mid this early, I'm definitely hopeful for 21 by ECCs
50 breast - 30.13
Not too shabby. There is a point where I just can't push faster during breaststroke sprinting.
25 free - 10.31
eh ... I'm not putting any weight on this (hand stopwatch and all)
Overall, it was a great meet to take the weight off my shoulders. I've been worried ever since the masters meet that I've been slipping backwards. Haven't loss anything (in the shorter distances, at least) yet!
UGA Swim Meet
although i was disappointed with the event selection (all 25s and 50s), i did have a good time at this meet. drove up on friday to chill with Emily at her varsity spot. I'm proud of that girl, she's really taking that place by storm. I'm calling it right now ... her junior year, she'll break 23s in the 50 free. Woke up the next morning and headed across the street (yeah, she gets to walk to the pool every morning - lucky) and to the meet. Monty stayed for most and pointed out some stuff for me to work on (apparently, i'm training like a girl and need to step it up, lol).
100 IM - 56.54 !!!
haha ... i did not know i was going that fast. emily told me that some semi-sorta-almost-varsity guy was on the club team (and in the race), so i just swam to beat him. When i turned from breast to free, i didn't see him, so i assumed he was ahead of me. I think he finished in 58 something... Anyhoo, the whole race felt really good. Breast is still the weak spot, but i can feel where I need to improve my strength if i want to have any real power in the third leg. New best time, no complaints!
50 back - 26.42
Truthfully, i'm only 40% happy with this swim. my start felt awkward, my turn felt sloppy, and my underwater felt rough. Other than that, i loved being comfortable pushing the 10m underwater on both lengths of the swim- can't wait to go 25 in that race.
25 free - 12.03
yeah, i swam that from the bulkhead with a long-sleeve shirt on. Whatev
50 breast - 30.18
It's all coming back. I felt like an age-group swimmer in the water. Ya know when you see those little kid churning their arms and legs 'round & 'round without getting anything from it. Thank god for short course & the pullout.
50 fly - 24.70
If this had been my only swim of the morning, i'd have been pissed off. I felt so out of control throughout the race. I lost my count, I long-glided to the wall, and short-stroked the end. Blah, still a good start to the season.
200 free - 1:53.12
let me just warn any Y-chromosome individual reading this ... NEVER wear an unused woman's suit that's 3 sizes too small for you to swim a 200 free. Your boys will never forgive you! That was a painful lesson, but a fun race against the girls relays.
GTSC = Awesome
We all chilled afterwards at Annie's friend Elizabeth's place to watch the UGA v UT game. Good times, good people, and a great drive home. Sun Down + Frank Sinatra + Windows Down + Wendy's Frosty = Happy Mannfred
Last Semester at GT
Just finished my first round of tests and I'm anxious to see how it plays out. Both exams scared me into studying more than usual (and sleeping much less than necessary), but I left both feeling really good about my chances. Next week is my strategic MGT Midterm. Closed-book, closed-notes ... yeah, I've started studying already. There's always this little light of hope that I'll get a 4.0 my last round here, but I know for a fact it won't come easily with these classes.
Life in General
Everything's going well at the moment. My weekly routine has been a perpetual cycle of moments in the water relieving me from a barrage of responsibilities and commitments (that i always seem to be running late for). This is the first time that the commute to-and-from campus is actually hurting my rhythm. I would almost bet that having a place by campus would almost cost the same as the pattern i have now. Ah well, 3 months left. I can't wait.
Totally Dude ... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 748,100yds
well, it's August now and the summer is coming to a close ...
I've got two more full weeks of teaching and then classes start up.
My last semester at Georgia Tech.
In five short months, I'll be done with college and moving on with life.
It's always funny to me that things come to an end just as you get comfortable with them. Ah well, no real reservations about this change ... I've been ready for this semester for about a year now.
Lots of big questions on the horizon, but none that scare me.
schedule should go like this:
M W
swim till 9am
class till 11am
work till 8pm
T R
class 8am - 430pm (or 730pm)
swim club till 10pm
F
swim till 9am
work till 6pm
Weekends
tension over the last couple years has always arisen when my weekend swim meets conflicted with class schedules. this semester, I'm not going to put myself in that position. If I work, I work ... I don't want to HAVE to be there (specially if i'm going to be missing MW of swim club already)
I'm really looking forward to this schedule. It's all in the same building and every class is one that i WANT to take (not some stupid pre-req). The real estate class will be either life-changing or a waste, but I think it's worth the try.
I'm typing this on my new Mac laptop, which will be attached to me all semester. It's quickly becoming my lifeline and I'm loving all the things I'm able to do on it.
Still having truck problems, but I've decided to run her until I can't anymore.
I'm frequenting the Toyota Tacoma ads for my next baby, but I'm too picky to be in a hurry
so if you know anyone selling their 2002-2004 6-cyl manual TRD tacoma, give them my cell #
Nothing noteworthy on the girl scene. I'm fine regardless ... there's so much to do, I'll be lucky to even date over the next few years.
I'll do a swimming update some other time ... y'all don't really have a reason to be excited until i make some big time cuts or whatev ...
enough for now
MF | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now | | Time: | 10:34 pm | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/blank.gif) blank |
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| 660,000yds (over 100k behind pace)
Like woah ...
This summer has been running in high gear since the middle of May and I'm starting to feel it. Online registration for my last semester at Tech begins in three days ... yeah, it's coming soon.
Recap:
Heather came out for two weeks in June. I'd have felt horrible having her out with us so busy if I hadn't paid for her ticket. Even though we only had nights and a few afternoons together, it was great seeing her. Every time we catch up, I get a glimpse of who I am and how I've changed (relative to us, but still...). I'm not the same person I was a year ago, let alone in high school. I was worried the whole visit would be scenes from that movie "Just Friends," but It ended up being a big-picture reality check that put most, if not all of my questions, to rest. We're good, I'm good, and that's good.
Work has eaten every waking moment of my life. June was 226 in-water hours (well over 250hrs total time). It's been fun. We're getting very good at teaching the personality colors and it's paying off in the long run. The teaching manual is getting closer and closer to completion. Unfortunately, at the same time I'm making progress, we find new things to add. At some point, we'll have to call done, done and start training teachers. Growth is going to be daunting, but exciting as well.
My swimming has almost come to a standstill. If I have time to get in the water, I don't have the energy to do real sets. It hasn't been ideal, but I have had time to get in the water and stay clean. My technique is solid, but I can feel the fatigue after a couple hard 100s. The local pool has been set up LCM, so that's been fun. Having the long course set up makes me feel a whole lot better for my first LC meet at the end of this month. Dynamo masters is hosting a Nationals tune-up meet.
The event list is as follows:
50 Free (hoping for 26.50ish)
50 Fly (anything under 29.0)
100 Free (please be under :59)
200 IM (i doubt i'll do it, but anything under 2:30 would be amazing)
lol ... and that's about as much as i can handle at the moment
i don't think the 100 free or 200 IM will be worth anything, but i'm determined to break off the last walls the way phelps does in every one of his races.
don't know that i'll get really good at it by the 22nd, but it's worth trying.
that's about all i have energy for at the moment ... i'll throw more up later | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 580,000yds ... now i'm over 40k behind pace (the same thing happened may of last year, blah)
but i can kick breaststroke now!
that's right, manny frizzle's back in the pizzle with his whip kizzle
... ya dizzle?
the time out of the pool helped and the glucosamine/chondritin dosage seems to be paying off. i'm keeping my breast yardage to a minimum, only doing it during IM sets.
more to come there ...
swimming for myself has been (and is going to be) a lot a frustration
i'm going to be working 60hrs+ weekly, so by the time i get to workout, i'm exhausted.
i talked to the tara tarpons coach and the coach for scat to work out mornings
with their teams. i don't NEED to swim with others, but it can't hurt.
- my big reservation is still the desire to stay under the radar. i don't want to do anything that's going to get me noticed until i'm ready to be seen.
at this point in my timeline, i'm beyond anyone expecting anything from me (swim-wise) ... it's for me alone.
still working on spanish ... es muy dificil pero es diversion
my end goal is to be able to teach an entire lesson without speaking english by the end of summer, but any level of comprehension will be good enough for now.
boot camp was awesome. i'm still spiraling with all the ideas it gave me, but going to events like that always bring my priorities back into gear. met a lot of fascinating people and am starting to feel older. still awkward being the only person under 28 there. good things in store.
so its looking like the summer will be just about 300k of morning swims and core exercise (18k pace/wk) followed by about 10hr workdays, leading into my 1.5 days of 'free' time to do with as i please. gotta get with people during my few free moments. heather's coming out for a couple weeks in june. going to be a lot of fun, i'm sure she's looking forward to the break. see if we can get a couple trips to six flags, aquarium, etc in at some point. if nothing else, a night up in atlanta will be just what the doctor ordered.
melora is leaving for GHP in next weekend. i'll miss having her around, but it sounds like she's gonna have a great time. we get a brother-sister date sometime sunday (depending on swim clubbage and if she wants to join in)
more later, time for bed | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 525,210yds
my first day back into regular workouts in the pool ... very, very ouch! lol
work is going well. next week we're out of the water, then the madre and i are going to 'business boot camp' (i'm strangely excited about that, btw)
i passed all my classes (big sigh of relief)
now my last semester can be relaxing and enjoyable
looks like i'm going to have to be creative if i want some time off this summer
it'll be tough enough to get my own swimming done.
i'll figure that out lates
Your results:
You are The Flash
| The Flash |
| 75% |
| Superman |
| 65% |
| Spider-Man |
| 60% |
| Supergirl |
| 55% |
| Robin |
| 55% |
| Iron Man |
| 55% |
| Green Lantern |
| 45% |
| Wonder Woman |
| 40% |
| Catwoman |
| 40% |
| Hulk |
| 35% |
| Batman |
| 30% |
|
" Fast, athletic and flirtatious."
 |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
| | comments: Leave a comment |
| 515,510yds ... i'm 7,000yds behind pace ... if i was doing last year's goal again, i'd be 175k ahead of pace. haha
another semester has come to close.
4 tests, 2 tax returns, and one very long week ... now it's time for summer.
i'm not looking forward to tuesday at noon when i find out how things went, but it's out of my hands now.
lessons learned and all that jazz - time to put this one behind me and get into the summer routine fast.
If all goes to plan, the summer will be crazy.
We're down to 2 teachers, so I'll be putting in over 70hrs/wk in the water ... If I'm too tired to play, now you know why.
If I can get the teacher's manual finished, then we can start training some of our potential part-timers ... a big To-Do for me.
i might make a road trip from TX to CO at the end of june ... more to come if that ends up happening.
also planning a LCM meet the first weekend of june if i can get off work. it'd be awesome to go
brent and alex are engaged ... patrick and alex have graduated ... nick's managing a hotel in billoxi ... life is changing all around. very excited for them.
... very anxious for december.
i'm not sure what to think of the fall, swim-club-wise. i have a feeling i'll end up practicing alone a lot. hopefully i can practice with costello so i'll have someone to push me. i need to go faster; and after this summer i should be in perfect shape ot do just that.
speaking of which, here are the...
2007 - 2008 Season Goals
Best - Event - Goal
22.06 - 50 free - 21.64
48.21 - 100 free - 46.34
1:48.71 - 200 free - 1:43.84
5:08 - 500 free - 4:52
26.22 - 50 back - 25.68
57.05 - 100 back - 54.84
2:08.68 - 200 back - 2:02.02
23.88 - 50 fly - 23.26
55.12 - 100 fly - 53.86
2:08.97 - 200 IM - 2:02.02
i have so much to say but my brain just hit a wall.
more to come later (probably after grades come out)
beunos tardes mis amigos. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 436,303yds
Nationals was interesting ... a mix of good swims, bad swims, fun swims, sad swims, dumb meet officials, and swim clubbers being awesome!
The meet people were ridiculous. If I have any say, we won't be doing anything with ASA again. I understand what they're trying to accomplish, but they're really missing the point.
500 free - 5:08
- new best time by a few seconds. i'm happy with it for now, but it really made me hungry for endurance work. i went out quickly, but couldn't hold sub-minute pace after 300yds. I went 2:08 in my last 200 ... not good!
25 free - 10.31
- such a tough event to pace. i hate when i go out too fast, lol
100 back - 57.05
- i split 27.77 / 29.28, so definately an improvement. i'm in a rut when it comes to the 100 fly and 100 back. time to start doing repeats of 100s instead of 50s. room to grow. definately.
100 free - 48.52
- i only got to swim it in prelims and nobody was there to push me, so i'm actually very pleased. I think I've moved beyond 49s now ... which feels really, really good. it's not a junior national time, but it'll do.
25 fly - 10.99
- the only reason i even mention it is b/c it's under 11s. i've got to find some way to keep the tempo and power up through the whole 50 so i can go 23 low (or possibly 22 high!) next season.
200 free - 1:50.36
- i'm not pleased, but i was well ahead in my heat so i thought i was sub 1:50. i split 54/56 ... ah well. next year will be the year of a fast 200 free.
The relays were awesome. Four of our guys swam both the A and B relays in the same heat! it was quite possibly the coolest thing i've seen all season - specially b/c they beat out several teams (before the losers DQ'd us, lol)
On a sad note, it was Alex's last meet with swim club. Nobody got all teary about it, but you could definately tell people were thinkin about it. It got me wondering how next year will go. After Fall graduation, things will change for me. I don't expect to stop swim clubbing, but I can only guarantee myself one more season of GTSC. Sad. More later... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 380,150yds
well, i think we can put this meet in the "win" category.
very proud of our guys relays, we pulled some great swims
when the team really needed it.
melora swam with us this year
it was so cool having her as one of the group!
we've never swam together at a meet ... a definate repeat.
Friday:
800 Free Relay - new club record, i went 1:51. decent start
200 Back - i hit a wall on this one. 2:08 (best, but not what i could go)
400 Medley Relay - new club record. my first 100 fly under 55sec
Saturday:
200 Free Relay - new club record.1:29.64!!!
100 Free - what a damn good race! 48.21 the best part is that i split 23/24 for the first time! good stuff!
50 Fly - 23.99 in prelims. i know my count for it now, more to come there.
50 Free - 22.18ish in prelims and finals. i won't get 21 for awhile, but that's okay.
400 Free Relay - new club record. 48.82 leadoff split. happy :-D
Sunday:
200 Medley Relay - new club 1:39.37!!! we beat Indiana, lol
200 Free - another great race 1:48.71. I want 1:46 by UVA.
100 Fly - glad i swam it. 55.12. i finally came home under 30sec
100 Free Relay - new club record. still jealous of the B relay, lol
i'm happy with my progress so far.
my knees were not happy by finals on sunday,
but i was able to push through and still hit solid times.
now to focus my efforts for Nationals ...
if i can go 47 and 1:46 in my freestyle's this year will end perfectly.
got a drunk dial from Aaron the other night, lol
definately miss hanging with all those guys
i missed a big chill time with Amin last week
and i'll feel terrible about that until i make it up to him.
this life-balance thing ain't as easy as i'd like it to be ... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| 290,300yds as of this morning.
I'm planning on swimming 50k this week, so I'll be well on my way to 400k before March is even done!
I did a T30 swim on Tuesday (where you see how far you can go in 30min) I was at ...
500yds @ 5:37
1,000yds @ 11:47
1,650yds @ 19:03
...
2,500yds @ 29:45 (I stopped there)
not bad considering I was several hundred shy of that last year.
luckily, i've been training right at the levels, this pace suggests I should.
Now to just get my racing in order before the big meets ...
GTSC Training Trip starts Saturday. We'll be swimming mornings and afternoons Sat-Wed!
DK and I just finished putting all 9 workouts together ... no jokes, this is gonna be a tough week!
All goes to plan, I might average almost 15k per day (YIKES!)
the MRI came back "clean" (not normal, but nothing worth examining further), so i'm going to proceed carefully.
this is the last week of training before ECCs, so i can't wear myself down too much.
i've already semi-planned how i'm going to take care of my body through the work,
so we'll just keep our prayers on health & happiness!
I'm excited about this trip ... it's really my last escape from reality until (i don't know when)
A preview of the meets to come, here are the meets/events/expected times on the horizon:
ECCs
I've got a great feeling about this meet ... :-D
Friday:
800 Free Relay (I'm going to lead off, hopefully it'll be fast ...)
200 Back (anything under 2:05 will be wonderful)
400 Medley Relay (if I'm swimming in it)
Saturday:
200 Free Relay (if everyone's on, it should be close...)
100 Free (under 49 ... for crying out loud!)
50 Fly (eh, I always go the same time)
50 Free (not sure why i'm swimming this ... maybe it's hope)
400 Free Relay (i love swimming this relay ...)
Sunday:
200 Medley Relay (we should nail it this time)
200 Free (smooth, controlled, strong ...)
100 Fly (not sure why i'm swimming this either)
100 Free Relay (another year of being jealous of the B relay, haha)
Nationals (they screwed this meet up by only allowing 2 events per day ... blah!)
Saturday:
200 Medley Relay
500 Free (i would LOVE to hold 30s the whole way)
25 Free (I vunder vut I'll go)
100 Back (it's about time I swam this thing for real)
400 Free Relay
Sunday:
400 Medley Relay (we should nail it this time)
100 Free (last chance to get the time this season)
25 Fly (whatev)
200 Free (truthfully, if i swim well at ECCs, I won't care, lol)
200 Free Relay (another year of being jealous of the B relay, haha)
School isn't going well. I'll be very lucky to make it out of this semester with all my credit hours counting. That's why all this journal's reader(s) ever get is Swimming Updates- nothing else is flattering! lol
I'll be in the hotel room studying for Financial R&P and Business Taxation for a solid portion of my training trip.
Not how I'd like it to be, but necessary as hell! | | comments: Leave a comment |
| as of tonight, i'm at 220,500yds for the year (compared to 139k in 2006)
Mardi Gras invitational was this weekend. It ended up being a one-day, timed finals thing, but here are the times from it...
100 back: 1:00.32
50 free: 22.28
50 back: 26.44
200 free: 1:50.37
100 free: 49.06
50 fly: 24.41
Fantastic meet and a great way to break from life for a couple days. Everybody seemed to have a great time and i can see the team evolving and everybody is finding a group they can fit with... the rest of the semester is looking great!
Happy with the times considering how short the rests were and the fact that we did the whole meet in one day (instead of two like i thought when i signed up for my events!)
I've mentioned it before, but i can feel the endurance work working, because i was able to swim well in all of my events (the 100back i swam at a 200 pace from a push to see what i'd go) and post solid times in the process. Going these times gives me a good feeling for ECCs and Nats ... we shall see
I've got a lot to get off my shoulders on here someday,
but for now i'll just leave it as ...
... if only the rest of my life was going so smoothly!
i just realized i have 4 tests before thursday, lmao | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Coldplay - Trouble | | Time: | 12:44 am | | Current Mood: | ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/growf/dwaggins/annoyed.gif) discontent |
|
| how am i doing? well, that depends ... lol
on the surface, everything seems fine
but i can feel myself getting overwhelmed.
191,600yds
It seems the only thing that swimming is the only thing i'm not drowning at right now.
through a rather strange turn of events, i've discovered that 'sloth' (or the non-christian equivalent)
is my biggest problem. in the past, i had a much more external view of this problem.
i realize now that it's entirely based on my self-control (or lack thereof),
so it's something i'm going to work on.
the strange thing is that last semester it was so easy. now it's like i'm running through sand ...
...i can't seem to get my momentum going. | | comments: Leave a comment |
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