Montana Swim Championships Preview

My family and friends enjoyed another fantastic swim meet, we are a lucky group!  The two-day championship was brutal, and we loved it.

Race report to follow

Spring Run Camp

When Peter Pan wanted to fly, where did he have to go?   

*My friend, Evan, gave me these shoes.  They're awesome

Ol’ Petey had to go to his “happy place!”  When Brodacious wants to fly, I go to the “Tri Pad.”  The Tri Pad is a very closely held secret location.  I only tell select people, whom I trust greatly, where and what it is. I allow much fewer to accompany me and experience it.

 The Tri Pad is place where I have made many heart-filling memories with my family and friends.  Simply stated, there are no problems at the Tri Pad. It is a magical, spiritual, motivating yet humbling place.  This is the only place I have ever been in which I wished that time would simply stop.  I have had the most dream-like bike rides while riding the 65 mile lake loop.  

I shared an experience with Kevin in which we swam out into the lake for about 40 minutes in one direction.  When we popped our heads up and looked around we were in the middle lake, in probably 150-200 ft deep water.  We were on our own and we loved it.  We were just two frog-men out in the middle of the flippin’ lake.  Although that was nearly three years ago, I can still tell you the details of the adventure.  For example, we listened to Sir Mix-Alot while suiting up. 

Neither Kevin nor I will ever forget that day.  Kevin can attest that the adventures at the Tri Pad are life memories.  I have hundreds of them. Years back, I sequestered myself at the Tri Pad for three months of triathlon training; at the end of the three months I won my first triathlon.  When I gear up for big races I go to the Tri Pad.  Every time I won Janet’s Tri, I trained and focused myself at the Tri Pad.  It’s a very special place.

*Two Janet Tri medals on display

I was very lucky for this camp because my parents sent some excellent food with me.  My dad smoked a turkey for me to take, and my mom made some healthy potato salad (among other things) so I wouldn't go hungry.  My family knows there is no way I’m leaving the Tri Pad to go to the grocery store.  They can’t let their boy go hungry.

*Porch-sitting, a staple activity at the Tri Pad

Speaking of going hungry, I was able to stop and see Evan (my brother from another mother) and his parents Nikki and Eric (the parents of my brother from another mother).  Wrap your mind around that one.  I was met with a caring reception and a fantastic dinner, fantastic dessert, and then another fantastic dessert.  The heavy cream filled my energy stores for the long run the next day.  It’s always great to spend time with Evan and his family.  I know they care for me a lot.

*Blood red sunset

I have always been guarded in my training for fear that the haters might criticize me for how I train or the race reports I write.  I’m actually quite positive that I have few haters who browse this artistic expression known as my website.  To all the haters, “How’s it going?”  My race reports are stories, they happen and I try and convey them in words with respect to how I perceived the experience.  If my perceptions or actions are crazy, incoherent, or generally confusing, then welcome to my world, you can’t think straight under physical stress.

*Action shots are hard when you're sequestered 

 Anyway, when I geared up for a long run, I was met with an early morning sun, no wind, and a calm lake.  One thing that no one else knows [until now] is I have an MP3 player loaded with 28 “go to songs.”  I never change the songs and I only listen to them at very selective times.  If I am driving and hear one of the “go to songs” on the radio, I turn the station.  If I hear one of the “go to songs” when I am at someone’s house, I leave the room.  Those songs are reserved for crucial times, times like the night before a dream race, or a very key workout for that dream race. 

Those songs are the final element of focus in cementing mental toughness for me.  I chose to listen to the “go to songs” for my early morning lake run at the Tri Pad.  I won’t tell you all the songs on the 2003 MP3 player, but one of them is “My Goddess” by the Exies.  That song plays at about the 42 minute mark of the long run.  In the song, the group repeats the phrase, “I don’t believe in you, I don’t believe in you.”  When the song starts, the run always ratchets up to a race pace for that song.  The song blares at me “I don’t believe in you” while I use it as motivation to train harder and shove the non-belief back in their face. Suckers. 

*Listening to the "go to songs" and plotting the route

 Another song on there is by Audio Slave.  It comes a little later in the program but it’s a crucial part.  The song has a very pronounced bass line that pounds in my ears.  This might sound like I am missing a few screws but when the beat pounds in my ears I match my footstrike tempo to the beat.  In my mind I am imaging bass shockwaves coming out of my feet and dispersing into the ground with each footstrike and associated bass pounding. It’s a trip for sure.

There are not a lot of people close to the Tri Pad, so I can do “crazy things” without people being disturbed.  For example, during times of the long run I will randomly start screaming at myself. Things like “stay in the moment, stay right here” and “give me three minutes of everything you have.”  

One thing I was thinking to myself during the lake run that I find quite interesting and satisfying after the fact, is at the end of the long run I was tired, the tempo was getting really high and I was thinking “ No matter how tough you are, somewhere, someone is training harder, getting faster, and suffering more…Be that somebody!” 

So as I made the final half mile stretch I was yelling at myself “Be that somebody.”  I really hope the neighbors didn’t hear that as I sprinted down the road.  [Old man porch-sitting, points and says to his wife] “Did you see that Margret? That young man is sick in the head, he was screaming at himself.  What have the youth of this country declined to?”

 After the training it’s off to the kitchen to get recovery items.  Shortly after, I go to the “Athlete’s Lounge” aka the living room.  I put on my compression socks and put my feet up and recover.  That point is always pure satisfaction.  I always feel so thankful when I’m at the Tri Pad.  I wouldn't trade spots with anyone else on earth. Being thankful and content with who you are, is a very special thing.  I am so thankful for my family and those people who call me their friend.  I have shared many amazing memories with those people at the Tri Pad.

*Thanks to Hammer for the compression socks

*Zula insists on this napping position

*Deer sausage, pure Montana!

The training was amazing and I have more heart-filling memories.  I was also lucky to have a special lady keeping me company via correspondence :)  Here's a question “When you shut your eyes and you let your mind go to the happy place, where is it?”  You know where I go.  I go to the Trip Pad.  Whether I am physically there, or a hundred miles away, the memories and details of the Tri Pad are only an eye blink away.  I can shut my eyes and be there in half a second.  Where do you go?    

*Happy Camper

Thanks for reading, rock on!

    

Coeur D' Alene Swim Meet

A big thank you to my parents!  My dad took excellent pictures for this race report, and my mother who is always my biggest supporter.  No matter what, she thinks I'm the coolest guy in school. :)

I am a person who believes that you must find satisfaction in the simple, small things in life.  I certainly have had my fair share of adrenaline, epic, dream-come-true moments, but I still find the pleasure in small things.  For example, riding my bike in the sun while wearing my bike kits satisfies me.  Waking up early to go running, swimming, or lift weights in my basement, satisfies me.  Seeing chive cottage cheese on sale at the grocery store is a small adventure for me. :)

It seems that with the more small moments in which I appreciate, I can more easily recognize and make the most of those larger moments that involve all the special people in my life.  The Coeur D’ Alene swim meet was one of those moments.  The day was awesome, I had an entire entourage, or maybe they had me in their entourage (you say tomato, I say potato).  My parents were there, Jess, Cassie, and their coach Kyle, Heather, The Johnson Family, and Ed and Patti.  I also had a bunch of swim friends at the meet.  I had a good time with all of them.

*Jess and her entourage

*My swim friend Patti

*I went with an all-liquid diet for the swim meet and felt great, my sponsors are so good to me.

*Uriah had his energy gel before we went to the meet

*Scott tried a different nutritional approach

*Chug, chug, chug, chug....

*Mmmmm good

Scott had a great meet on limited training and made a successful return to competitive swimming.  It was fun to race him.  He kicked some butt in the 200 free.  Jess, Cassie, and Kyle also swam well in their events.  Jess rocked the 100IM.  Patti, from Montana Masters, had a great meet and inspired us all.  Diana put me to shame in the 50 back by shattering the master’s record, thanks for making me look bad :)  My new swim friend Sammy put in a great race in the 400 IM and 200 fly, both brutal races.  I am really glad Sammy swam the 400IM because not many people chose to. Not swimming, but still appreciated greatly, were my parents, sister, Ed, and my friend Heather who cheered us all on.  We were lucky to share the day together.

*Scott's mixed 200 free final

Okay, so my races.  I started off with the 400 IM, an absolute killer of a race.  I am not sure if I paced it poorly or what, but I really felt after it that I did not swim to my true potential.  I did, however, take 16 seconds off my time from swim championships back in November.  I can’t complain about a 16 second drop, the theme of the 400IM was pain.

I swam well (relatively speaking) in the 200IM and the 100IM.  Despite being locked up big time after the 400IM, I was able to swim-out the fatigue with a lot of cool down and warm up swimming.  I felt strong and set personal bests in both of those events as well as the 400IM.

*Post 100 IM showdown

*Uriah ready to swim

*Jess ready to launch in her 100 IM final

*Chatting with Sister Madonna

*400 IM warm up

*Finishing strong

*Dude! What's my time? 

The 50 back was over before I knew it.  I spent probably 10 minutes warming up for it, and 10 minutes cooling down after.  The interesting thing is the event took less than 40 seconds.  I didn’t swim a personal best in the 50 back but no one noticed.  Diana stole the show when she broke the master’s record with an absurd time of 28 something. 

My last event, one that didn’t work out so well, was the 100 fly.  The main deterrent to a good performance was the fact that I nearly missed the start. Lol.  From the warm up pool, I saw a heat step up to the blocks with lane five empty.  “Ahh crap, that’s me,” I thought to myself. I hopped out of the warm up pool and I had to run to the swim blocks (very poor policy to run on the pool deck) and barely made it.  I didn’t swim well, but still had fun.

*Stretching out for the 100 butterfly

*Dipping into the warm up pool

*Face of fatigue

*My 100 IM mixed final

*50 backstroke start

After the event, we collected all of our winnings, and went out to celebrate.  It really was an epic day to have my family and friends cheering for me and enjoying the adventure.  I hope for many more swim adventures like this.  Thanks for reading.

*One tired man