**Full results have been posted here as well as to the USMS database viewable via your MyUSMS account

Finished up the Wisconsin State Masters Meet today and had a ton of fun! I swam 3 events plus an exhibition relay with my fellow Californians and had some pretty good times in the process. I’d like to start off by pointing out that yours truly is the 25-29 State Champion in 5 different events… in the amount of context I’ve given you that should be fantastically impressed… I’d like to leave out that in a few of those races I was first and last in my age group.

my winnings from the weekend!

I started today with the 50 fly. I had a pretty decent race but it wasn’t great. I guess I was a little groggy still. I swam a mid 26 which is about par for the course for me this season. I’m still hoping to break into the 25s this year.

Not too long after I was back up on the blocks for the 100 freestyle. I was a little tired still when I got up on the blocks but I really wanted to get out a good race. I tried to work my start as much as possible and dolphin kicked out pretty far. By the time I got to the 3rd turn I was feeling pretty rough. I kicked out everything I had left in the last 25 and came in at a 56.13. I really wanted a 55 but I guess that’s close enough. If nothing else it’s a best time! I’ve got a few more shots at it in yards before the season’s over.

My last individual event was the 200 fly. After unsuccessfully trying to find an excuse to not swim it I gave up and just did it! I was seeded right next to Mike from Mission Viejo and my major goal was to stay ahead of him. Our 100 times are pretty close together and I know he has a pretty good 200.  I took out my first 100 at as mellow of a pace as I could so I wouldn’t die on the second one. Mike started pulling up on me during that 3rd 50. I tried to pick it up as much as I could but I was running out of steam. I managed to hold him off but he got pretty close! I swam a 2:22 which is a best time by default since I’ve never swam it before in short course yards.

Mike and David before the Californian Medley Relay

Pretty soon after that I was behind the blocks for my last race of the day, the 200 medley relay. Since we were an exhibition relay (4 swimmers from 4 different teams, same LMSC though) we decided to modify the medley format a bit… our relay was all butterfly! Me, Mike and Julie are all butterflyers so instead of finding a backstroker and breaststroker we just went all fly :) Our relay actually turned out pretty solid despite the 3 of us just having done the 200 fly. We swam like 1:58ish. Everyone was pretty happy with their swims and David, our only non-flyer, swam a pretty hot time as well and was pretty stoked that he could do that in a fly event.

Afterwards me and Mike and Julie hit Culver’s one more time just to make sure we got our fill of the local fatty goodness. I followed that up with some time visiting family. Tomorrow I’ll be up early swimming with a local masters team and then flying back to California!

**Full results have been posted here as well as to the USMS database viewable via your MyUSMS account

Schroeder Aquatics Center (click for a bigger version)

I swam day one of the Wisconsin Masters State Meet at the Schroeder Aquatic Center today and had a really good time. As you would expect the meet was no where near as big as what we have in California, but there were still around 150 swimmers entered and the meet had a really good vibe. I swam here as a kid and I was really excited to take another crack at this pool as an adult.

I got in right as warm up opened just to wake myself up and get loose. I had a looooong 48 hours preceding the meet and really needed to get wet to regain my bearings. My friends Mike and Julie from Pasadena were at the pool today as well which was pretty cool. Along with us 3 Californians the meet had visitors from Illinois and Iowa.

Random action!

My first race and the first event of the day was the 50 freestyle. I went into this one without much expectation since I wasn’t sure what my body felt like doing today. Even though the official was very fast through the starting process (I never really got all the way set), I did get a really good start. The blocks at this pool are really nice! I charged pretty hard on the first 25 and probably took one more breath than I should have. On the way  back I definitely took too many breaths but I was kicking like a mad man! When I hit the wall I had no idea what my time was. The pool has a really great digital scoreboard but at the angle I was at and the lack of glasses on my head I couldn’t read anything. Eventually when the results were posted I found out that I swam a new best time! I trimmed about 8 100ths off my previous best!

At this point I thought I had a while until my next race. As luck would have it I had a surprise relay to attend to! Between me, Mike, Julie and David (who is registered with SPMA but lives in Wisconsin) we had a full SoCal exhibition relay! Only problem was nobody really knew it was going to happen. We’d talked about it but never finalized any plans. So when they announced the California relay over the loud speaker we all scrambled behind the blocks! I swam the anchor spot and swam this 50 free really relaxed. I swam it even faster than I had earlier as an individual event. This time I swam more like 25.2. I realize relay starts will do that, but I was still stoked about it!

My big event of the day was the 100 fly. I was in the second to last heat in lane 4. I had a really good start and underwater. After the race the guy in the lane next to me complimented me on my underwaters and said it encouraged him to go faster (which was good for him but bad for me seeing as he beat me!). I tried to take the first 50 out fast but relaxed. I came in around 27 seconds. The second 50 went pretty smoothly I thought. I came in at 59.30 which isn’t a best time but it’s in the neighborhood. I was hoping to dip under 59 but apparently I’m saving that for another meet. My friend Lindsay who I swam with in Oconomowoc the last time I was in Wisconsin caught the whole thing on tape for me. Check it out…

I finished up with the 50 breaststroke probably no more than 10 minutes after the fly. I was hurting a little bit but not too bad. I went really deep on my start and I’m not sure if that was a bad thing or not. I tried to focus on having fast hands and getting to the wall as fast as I could! I’m honestly not sure what my time was because I couldn’t read the board. I’ll find out tomorrow. Regardless it was good practice for next weekend when I swim the 5o and the 100 breast in Pleasanton. I need to bring my breaststroke A game for that one since my friend Sarah has already started trash talking me about it :)

After the racing was done for the day I hung out a little bit and talked to some people for a while, then me and Mike and Julie ran across the street for a local delicacy, Culver’s. Mmmmm butter burgers…. Hamburgers and ice cream are pretty much the best answer to any post-meet hunger!

delicious!

Tomorrow I’m swimming 3 events and probably a relay. I have the 50 fly, 100 free and the 200 fly to contend with. With that said, it’s almost 8pm here and I’m probably on the verge of falling asleep… I might succumb to that urge… or find more junk food to ensure I can repeat tomorrow with some good swims!

made sure to buy a souvenir!