Friday, April 5, 2013

IM Not Very Prepared


Some random thoughts after completing my 400 IM today at the PacMasters Championship:
On its way, after my 400 IM


  • Damn, that's a long way.
  • After completing the 100 butterfly it got much easier, in the same way you feel better when the bull leaves after goring you in Pamplona. 
  • I kept meaning to train for this, but didn't.
  • It's a good thing this keyboard is low and my chair is high, because my arms cannot raise above elbow height for the rest of the evening.
  • When thinking about a seed time, I figured out what was about the most embarrassing and ridiculous four splits a person could do.  And I just about nailed it.
  • After the race I ate a coach's lunch that had been sitting around for at least an hour and was cold and congealed.  It appeared to be pasta in Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, with a can of catfood mixed in.  I scarfed it down like the Grand Champion in a hotdog eating contest on the 4th of July.
  • When you are just resting the entire 100 backstroke leg, you can make out lots of interesting clouds overhead.
  • The suit size I usually buy now leaves marks like I've been tied to a chair and tortured for information.
  • My philosophy in the race was to not get disqualified, and to score points for my team.  Perhaps "race" was too lofty a description of what I did.
  • If the 400 IM is the decathlon of swimming, then I'm someone the next Olympics would pick to do a feature on, since it is evident I come from an underprivileged country with no knowledge of modern training methods, good dietary practices, or competent skin care.
  • I didn't warm up enough, but mainly because the yardage was tiring me out.
  • I didn't warm down enough, mainly because I couldn't swim another stroke.
  • It's amazing how muscle memory just stays with you.  I put on my swim cap exactly the same way I did when I was really fast.
  • I think I made a lot of people feel good about themselves today, especially those people who used to have to step up their game because I was in their heat. 
But mainly I learned that you get what you deserve.  And that even bad swimming is a wonderful thing.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Well said and some really funny observations. Today I learned that breaststroke makes me nauseous and it remains my least favorite stroke as it has been since I was 10.

Amy said...

Oh my God I miss living across the road from you!!!

Amy said...

Oh my God I miss living across the road from you!!!