The Lowdown on My UCLA Swim Meet (Video Too)

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments and positive vibes yesterday!  I am so lucky to have such fantastic, supportive friends and family. It means so much me and gives me so much extra strength and confidence having such love behind me. Thank you!
 
And speaking of support, I need to send a huge round of love and thanks to my Steve. He is so supportive of this little swimming adventure I have been embarking on this year. He goes to all of my meets and helps me tremendously; not only with keeping my hydrated, warm, and happy in between races ... but just by always being there with a smile and a hug throughout the day. I know that US Masters swim meets can get tedious and long at times when you are a spectator, but he never lets on and truly is my rock and best friend throughout it all. I love him so much and am so grateful to have him by my side. He probably will never know how important he is in the scope of all I do (or try to do)... but he is simply THE BEST!!
 
So, we made our way down to the Spieker Aquatic Center yesterday morning. This pool is on the UCLA campus where the Bruins swim and it's a gorgeous complex. It was a nice, sunny day - probably the warmest of all the meets I have been to throughout the season. We found where the CVMM team was set up and my friend Becky and I headed off to wriggle into our new Blueseventy Nero techsuits. I was lucky enough to borrow a TS from my coach, Ahelee, at the last meet, but this was my first time wearing my own BS, and despite giving it two test-run try-ons before the meet, it's still quite an event getting that sucker on. I'm sure that Becky and I were a funny sight to behold squeezing into them, but once they were zipped up, we were good to go.
 
So today was an adventure of sorts with the events I chose to swam. Of the four races, I had only swam one of them before and had sort of been "putting off" giving the others a try. But it was time to put them to the test and I sure am glad that I did.
 
My first event was the 50 Backstroke, the only event I had swam previously (at a 34.47). Yesterday's swim was much better though, as I came in at a 32.48, taking two seconds off my previous best. This was despite a horrible flip turn. I began the flip process WAY too close to the wall and when I realized where I was, I was, like "HELLO WALL" - pretty much face-to-face with the dang thing (ha ha).
 
Next up was the 200 Freestyle. I really just wanted to swim a smooth, strong race on this one. I came in at a 2:08.66, a personal best, simply because I hadn't attempted it yet, but went faster than the little goal in my head was set for, so that was a pleasant surprise. My coach, Nancy, was really pleased with my splits, and after seeing them, I felt great about them too; as they were pretty consistent throughout at:

• 30.40
• 32.10
• 33.03
• 33.13

**these are splits at each 50 yard point

I have entered to swim the 200 Free at the USMS Nationals meet in May, so I feel a lot less apprehensive at giving it a whirl now that I have one under my belt.

Thanks to the wonderful team over at LiveSwim.net, you can watch my 200 Freestyle race below. The announcer is fantastic, giving commentary throughout. I am in Lane 5 (fourth from the top of the screen).

The 100 Butterfly was next and despite a great first 50, the piano hit me hard on my way back and I ended up swimming a 1:08.41. Ugh! I mean, it's not a terribly bad time... but woah, that last 50 knocked me over. It was so easy to swim when I was a kid...what happened? (LOL)
 
So despite an ok 100 Fly and swimming in my 2nd relay just minute after that event (relays were SO much fun, btw. I hadn't been a part of one since college and it was a great experience with amazing teammates) - I didn't know what I had left for my last event (100 Backstroke) and flirted with the idea of scratching it. But my coach, Ahelee, quickly turned me around and gave me great reasons as to why I should go for it, and so I did.

As a younger swimmer, I was never much of a backstroker. I did it when I had to and survived through it in the IM events, but it was never my forte and I didn't really give much thought to it one way or another. But a funny thing happened a few weekends ago, when I went to a backstroke clinic that my coaches offered up in Simi Valley. Coach Ahelee told a story about how she had never been a backstroker until an influential swim coach told her that she looked like one and from that point on, her perspective changed. Now, I by NO MEANS consider myself a backstroker, but I have to say that this story changed the way I looked at it and after learning some very helpful tips that day, I headed back to practices to dedicate a lot more to my stroke and really tried work on the little things I had learned at the clinic. Of course, I still have a LONG ways to go, but I was stoked with the time I squeaked out yesterday at a 1:08.67 in the 100 Backstroke (almost as fast as I swam the 100 Fly) - and hope that someday, maybe I can call myself a backstroker too. Because odd thing, I actually really love swimming it. Who would've thunk it? =)

After the meet, Steve and I hit up The Native for a delicious vegan dinner before heading home. It was such a great day with awesome teammates and coaches, and I was so happy to get to be a part of all the fun too.

And so the swimming adventure continues...