27.0 from a backstroke start

Just last weekend I swam a 28.8 from a push and thought that was pretty spiffy.  To put it in perspective, during my two fastest 100 backstroke LCM races, I took it out in a 27.26.  My fastest 50 backstroke LCM is a 26.6.  Today during a main set, I swam a 28.8, a 27.6 and a 27.0.  The last swim I found myself hitting the wall 1.8 seconds ahead of any other backstroker in the pool.  Today I swam well in relation to my own times as well as versus some other great backstrokers, now thats a training day I can be proud of.

Just yesterday I wrote that I thought it would be possible to swim a 27.xx from a start and today I did it... twice.

Our set today was challenging but manageable.  I've really come to enjoy all the "race pace" type swimming we do.  Both the expectations and the pressure are similar to actual racing.  Today even some theoretical wagers were made on a few races.  The highest profile being that one swimmer would buy breakfast for any teammate that beat him.  The opposite was true as well, if he won, others would have to buy him breakfast. It was a lighthearted moment of smack-talking that offered a few smiles.  The set differed for each stroke but the backstrokers swam:

3 x (50 Max Swim from a dive @ 1:10 + 30 Underwater then sprint to 35 @ 1:10 + 50 Max swim from a push)

The first 50 fast was manageable, I gave it everything I had.  However, you are worn out after 30 seconds of all-out swimming, only to have to get up on the blocks immediately to do an underwater 30 meters on only :30 seconds of rest.  That might have been my toughest underwater swims ever.  At the end of the underwater, you need to surface and swim fast another 5 meters.  Next you have :20 seconds of rest before another 50 meters of fast swimming from a push.  I really only made it to 35 meters before I fell apart and started swimming slower.  I finished in a 29.9 once, but the second swim was a 30.5 and the last was a 31.9... ouch.

I'm really proud of my practice and even more excited about the Canada Cup in just a few weeks!  A 27.0 represents the 3rd fastest time I've ever even swam a 50 Backstroke LCM in my life, and I did it during practice!