Second Day in Mesa
Day 2 in Mesa has proven to be just as exciting as the first day. With these meets that extend for multiple days I have always found it nice to settle in from the initial shock of the atmosphere of such a big meet. After being pleased with how I swam yesterday I was pretty excited to swim my 100 backstroke this morning. This being probably my strongest event I was eager to see what I could go. Even though backstroke has been at the center of my focus these past few months I know that currently I definitely take advantage of my underwaters in a short course pool so long course swimming is something that I am still getting used to and learning how to utilize my strengths and identify aspects of my race that can be improved. With that said I actually went an all-time best time of 59.48! I dropped about a half second from a tapered swim I did in college in an indoor pool (no sun issues or running into the lane line). Swimming a best time was definitely exciting but I must say the golf cart shuttle in the parking lot to our car is a close second. What swimmer wants to walk to their car after a tough race? The people at the Pro Series meets really take care of us.
Coming back to finals was a pretty cool experience. Having tied in prelims for 24th there was a potential swim-off for a spot in the C final however if Ryan Lochte (who was also swimming the 400) decided to scratch his 100 back for finals it would allow us both to swim in the C. The fact that Ryan Lochte’s scratch effects where I swim in finals is pretty cool to think about. He did scratch and I was able to swim in the Bonus final at night. Having swam a best time earlier in the day Casey and I talked about swimming this event totally differently and trying something new. We decided that I was going to go out super fast and try to hold on as best as I could. My first 50 split was a 27.76. To put that split into perspective 4 out of the 8 guys in the A final were 27s, and I was faster than two of them. I had the 9th fastest first 50 in the entire event. Although my second 50 was nothing spectacular the fact that I had that front end speed and could compare and even beat some of the fastest guys out there is pretty amazing. To be honest I still am having trouble making sense of it, especially because I know I can be out even faster. My overall time in finals was nothing special, but I was happy to put myself out there and try something completely different, even if afterwards I couldn’t walk straight and saw two Caseys.
Tomorrow is the 100 freestyle and I am looking forward to just seeing what happens. This event is a fun one for me and it’ll be nice to see where I’m at with it. Today was a day that put things into perspective. I went a best time and know that these next few months of training and then eventually rest are going to yield some big things. It’s hard to stay completely present at this meet, as I am very eager to take what I’ve learned and start training with a new breath of inspiration and thirst for excellence. I want to emphasize just how much your continued support means to me. Whether you check meet mobile, look on the website, or even watch the livestream from a bathroom stall your cheering and positive energy is reaching me all the way in Mesa. I’m looking forward to one more race tomorrow morning, and even more excited to come back to Lyons and share this excitement and experience
with everyone. Thanks again for your support and you will hear from me again tomorrow morning.
