Trying to be better about posting race reports. With this post, I'm 1 for 1 on the year...
Yesterday I participated with a friend in a swim meet that included an Ironman pool swim. We were asked to do a writeup for another group so that's included below for your reading pleasure.
The meet was a pentathlon--I chose the longer option (each swimmer does 5 events--100 yard butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 100 freestyle, and a 200 yard individual medley. This was followed by a 2.4 mile swim. Most folks did either the pentathlon or the IM swim. Of course, I did both...
Here's the quick breakdown:
In general, my goal for the pentathlon was, with the execption of the 100 free, just to survive and save my energy for the IM swim.
100 fly: Got assigned to an end lane so this was a rough swim with all the backwash off the wall. Got into a nice groove anyhow, and beat my estimated time by 2 seconds. Happy with 1:08.
100 back: This used to be a pretty decent event for me but I just cruised it to a 1:12 (2 seconds slower than my estimated time) and managed to keep my sinuses clear--a secondary goal.
100 breast: I've never really had a legal breaststroke kick so I've never competed in a breaststroke event without getting disqualified. In preparing for this event over the past few weeks, I've developed a kick that meets the technical requirements, but doesn't really do much to move me forward. Goal was simply to survive without getting DQ'd. Check. 1:24 (6 seconds faster than my estimated time).
100 free: This was the only event I was looking to push--this was one of my signature events back in the day. I got out to a good start and built a good race. Had a sloppy 3rd turn that messed up my timing. Came into the finish on a half-stroke (which rarely happens to me in a freestyle event). Despite that rough last 25, I won the heat going away and finished in a respectable 58.65. Quite a bit off my all-time PR, but I'm an old dude--will never see PR numbers again.
200 IM: Goal was to save energy and survive (and not get DQ'd on my breaststroke kick). Mission accomplished, sort of. Got DQ'd on the back to breaststroke turn. The rules say that you have to turn according to the finish rules for the stroke you just finished. So coming off the backstroke, you can't flip over and do a freestyle flipturn--you have to stay on your back until you hit the wall. I had practiced a "bucket turn" because that's what we used to do back in the day. When I got to the meet and watched the earlier 100 IM, every swimmer grabbed the wall at the end of the backstroke--not one bucket turn. So I decided to go for the wall grab at the last minute-- without ever practicing it. If there's a takeaway from this--it's the simple old rule: never try anything new on race day. In the race, I missed the grab so I couldn't pull my feet into the wall. When I extended, my toes barely touched the wall and I lost all my momentum-- I was basically standing still underwater. Knowing the rules but not being very experienced with breaststroke, I took my one butterfly kick to get moving and then started my stroke. Turns out I didn't get my hands started before I took that kick and that got me DQ'd. (You have to start your pull before you start your kick. The ref said it was close, but no dice.) My time, which didn't count, was 5 seconds under my estimated time so that's nice.
Here's the writeup that Jenny and I did on the IM swim (long, but mildly entertaining perhaps...):
Pool Ironman = 169 laps (168 flip turns)
Jenny Georges & Dave Sheanin took on the 2.4 mile swim at the Inaugural Colorado Swimming Hall of Fame Pentathlon and Ironman Swim fundraiser meet at George Washington High School on January 22. For a couple of triathletes with strong swim backgrounds, much longer swims under our belts, and appropriate yardage in the bank this winter, the challenge of this race had little to do with the distance. Swimming 169 laps in a 25 yard pool is a long way for sure, but the big challenge was mental—could we manage the boredom?
Dave’s plan: Swim the first mile steady but easy. Focus on form to keep my brain occupied (count strokes most laps). If feeling okay, begin to push the second mile. Finish strong.
Jenny's plan: Initial plan? Prevent Dave from trying to talk me into this. Day before race plan? If I'm feeling good, go for the women's win by swimming as strong and steady as I can. If I'm not feeling all that great, do whatever I can to finish and try to keep my brain occupied.
Based on the estimated finish times that we each submitted (separately), we were seeded into the same lane. We usually swim a pretty similar pace so having company felt like a good thing. But with the unknowns of swimming this type of race, before we started, we agreed not to set pace off one another. We would swim our own races. If we ended up together at 4,100 yards, we agreed to shoot it out for the last 100. The lap counters would notify us at 1 mile, 2 miles, 500 yards to go, and 200 yards to go.
Dave’s first mile: We got out a little fast over the first 100, but settled in quickly. I was feeling very comfortable at the pace, but knew I could go faster. I was concerned about pushing early, so kept it consistent until the mile notification. We hit just about every flip turn together. This was both a blessing and a curse. The upside: It actually felt like I was swimming with someone, like I had company in my head. The downside? I rotate off the turn from my right side, Jenny from her left—so we were facing each other off every other turn. I had to close my eyes when we were facing each other so I wouldn't start laughing.
Jenny's first mile: After a funny comment from Dave right before the start (he does this a lot before sets when he's coaching the D3 swim practices), I finally got my breathing under control. We started out strong and I was feeling good. As far as I could tell, we were in the lead and setting the pace for everyone around us. Unlike Dave, I just wanted to hold a steady pace until I knew whether it was going to be a good or mediocre swim for me. I tried to keep my head in the game, so when Dave and I did face each other on those turns, I tried to look away as soon as possible. It's hard to not be a goofball, so to use a favorite statement of my four year-old niece ... Awkward!
At the mile mark, there were four of us who were pretty close together. The women in the lane next to us were slightly ahead, but it was definitely a race among equals.
Dave’s second mile: I was feeling pretty good and, hoping Jenny would come with me, decided to begin to push, according to my race plan. I could see the woman next to Jenny was about half a length ahead and I set out to reel her in. As I reached her, she picked it up to stay ahead, but I pushed the pace and she quickly fell off. At that point, I thought I was leading the race—I hadn’t been able to see the other woman on the far side of the other lane because Jenny and I been side by side at the beginning. I eased back into my new pace, shook off the beginnings of a few calf cramps, and waited for the 2 mile notification.
Jenny's second mile: I was having a hard time keeping anything interesting to think about in my head. Sometimes it's a song, sometimes it's a good memory, but as my confidence slipped, so did my ability to get in the zone. I realized I had over 100 lengths of the pool to go and my thoughts started to go something like this, "Did they really have to have a barbecue lunch for everyone right here on the pool deck? My stomach kind of hurts. Could I just stop the race and walk out of here like I didn't care if I quit? No way. Push through. Well, there goes Dave. Is that nail polish I feel coming off one of my toes? That feels weird. Great Odin's Raven! Is this race ever going to be over?!?"
At this point, Dave was increasing the lead he had on everyone. There was one other woman not far behind him, Jenny behind them, and one other woman stealthily surging to pass each of them.
Dave’s final 0.4: At the 2 mile mark, I started to push even harder. I felt like there wasn’t much to lose so I might as well finish as hard as I could. I hadn’t set a hard time goal, but figured 57 minutes was pretty reasonable. At 500 yards to go, I took a peek at the clock and saw 49:30. At that point I revised my goal to 56 minutes and then set out to get it. I felt surprisingly good picking up the pace and finished at 55:59. Felt good about that time, and thought I had won. Turns out, the woman on the far side of the other lane had been out ahead. I never saw her at any point in the race so I had no idea she was in front (she finished 25 seconds ahead). Bad race management, and something that never would have happened in open water. I don’t know that I could have caught her, but I’m disappointed that I never gave myself the chance to take the shot.
Jenny's final 0.4: Somewhere near the end of mile 2, I actually started to feel a little bit better. My nausea went away and even though I realized I wouldn't be able to catch up to the swimmers ahead of me, I knew that I was going to be able push through to the finish. I really had no idea how much I had left to go because I couldn't see the counter when my timer put it in the water to let me know. I kept steady and when I knew I only had about 100 yards to go, I hunkered down and began to think it wasn't so bad. I finished in 57:28. I didn't have my best day, but the swim reiterated to me the fact that the mental part of racing is just as important as the physical, and that I can't be so hard on myself this early in the year.
A few takeaways:
• This is not something we want to do every weekend, but was a good physical test and a great mental test.
• When you’re swimming this kind of distance in a pool, there are definitely advantages and disadvantages as compared to open water.
o It’s much more interesting to swim in the open water for sure—easier to stay focused, easier to see the race develop, and easier to manage the mental.
o But in the pool, you can focus on your form, consistency of pace, and stroke count much more easily.
• This type of event serves as a reminder to occasionally take on goals that frighten you (for whatever reason).
• If you have the kind of friend who will come to watch and cheer you on during an event like this, the least you can do is buy her lunch and frozen yogurt afterward. (Thanks Lindsey!)
