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.