Life is good!

This morning was my first workout back in Ann Arbor after the Longhorn Elite Invite in Austin, Texas.  It was a fantastic trip filled with smiles, laughs and one of the greatest swims of my life.  

Although the Olympic Trial sprinters had the morning off, I opted to join the Middle Distance group for an aerobic workout.  I find that I'm infinitely more fulfilled by middle distance workouts.  After a full year with Club Wolverine I feel as if I'm still learning about myself and how I need to train.  I believe that my body might respond differently than other sprinters in the program.  The average sprinter on the team seems to excel doing weights and comparatively low yardage.  These sprinters can get through 100m without a problem.  It's brought me to question whether 100m is a "sprint" both globally and for my own training as well.  My tendency is to think that although many "sprinters" can do just fine in a 100m race doing very little aerobic/threshhold training, I cannot.  More than ever, I see a 100m race a middle distance event for me.  Keep in mind that I might be entirely wrong about this but my own personal experience leads me to believe that I need aerobic training to finish 100m with a respectable stroke rate.

My workout today was fantastic.  We did some short 25m "green" sprints mixed with some 200m aerobic swimming.  I felt exhausted at the end of it, it was exactly what I needed.  I'm wary of changing my training so close to trials but mixing in Middle Distance training is exactly what I want to do right now.  I will keep adding in the aerobic training as much as I feel is needed.  The sprinters will taper for 5 weeks (we/they already started).  I will probably join the Middle Distance taper plan of 2-3 weeks because frankly, a 5-6 week taper scares me.  It just seems like we do so little yardage it makes me wonder: How can you taper down from 3k a practice?

I was congratulated by a few swimmers and coaches today for my 100m butterfly performance which included a "24.91 is blazing fast front end speed".  Although I don't need the recognition, it is really appreciated and I'm always conscious to mention that if/when I hear it.

I'm a 31 year old businessman with a great life, family and friends who has two U.S. Olympic Trial cuts.  Life is good.