After a rough week, today was just about the perfect day. It was the first US Masters Swimming meet of the season at the South Davis Rec Center (SDRC). First of all this building is amazing. They have 4 pools, an ice skating rink, basketball, and rock climbing wall. I’ve never seen anything like it. The Rec Centers, libraries and parks in Utah are without compare to any other region in the country (and all for one of the lowest per capita spending in country…hmmm). Anyway, they are fabulous and I’m grateful for them.
I’m also grateful for all the people who volunteer their time to make Utah Masters a great organization and who put in so much effort to making the meet a success. It was a great day of swimming! It actually started Friday for the 1650 swimmers (Go Etsuko!) but I didn’t participate until today. I must admit that I felt wholly unprepared for the meet. While I’ve kept my exercise up I haven’t gotten to the pool as much as I’d like since my surgery in September. Still, I signed up for 4 races (I was thinking I’d only done 3 but then it turns out there were 4).
I ended up with the 50 free, 50 fly, 500 free and 200 free. Each one was hard in their own way and I am completely exhausted. I don’t know if I will be able to move tomorrow but it was worth it (things are going to be rough during the primary program tomorrow…).
All in all I had a great meet, much better than I anticipated! I bettered or came close to all of my times last year. My 500 was nearly 6 seconds better than last year!
50 free- Time 50.05. Would have been better but my goggles came off and were hanging around my neck. This meant I was swimming without great visibility and couldn’t flip turn. (I hate flip turns). They are new goggles and I guess I hadn’t gotten them quite tight enough. For once Michael Phelps and I have something in common 😉
50 fly- Time 1:01.9. This was a hair under what I’d done at QUAC in February but I have literally swam butterfly about 3 times since so I was thrilled with that time. All of my races including this one gave me a lot of encouragement to rock it at QUAC this year (that’s the next meet).
500 free- Time 12:54.7. I think my last time was 12:59. Especially after just doing a 50 fly I was thrilled with this time. My cap came off about half way through and I couldn’t see the lap counter until Josh stepped in and saved the day. My plan was to just swim until someone told me to stop! It was exhausting but I finished and I’m super happy! My head felt like it was going to explode after but considering my lack of distance swimming lately I think it was a great to even make the attempt, let alone finish. It’s funny- you would think if I can do a 5k, a 500 would be no sweat but I’m telling you the flipturns zap energy. In some ways a day of swimming at the meet feels harder than the 5k!
200 free- Time 4:33.8. I don’t remember what my last time for this was. You have to go way back to JCC meet last September and I don’t have it written down. Still, it felt fast especially considering how exhausted I was. Its only my darn stubbornness that made me swim it. I just can’t sign up for something and back down without some major fighting (all the trauma over Slam the Dam proved that…).
Mostly it was great to just be there swimming with my friends. Everyone was so encouraging and as I was always the last to finish the entire room was usually cheering me on. Who cannot be pumped up by that? I love my swim friends. Makes me very happy!
Etsuko and I went to Village Inn afterwards and enjoyed some yummy carbs. It was great to spend time together and reward ourselves for a meet well swam!
Rachel's Musings 
Congrats on a fantastic meet!!!
Thanks! It was so much fun. Do you masters swim or just triathlons?
I only swim for fun now – I swam competitively through college. Everyonce in awhile I’ll swim with masters or pop in and do a 50 free at a meet, but it’s been a little while. Mostly I just swim on my own. What about you? How did you get into swimming?
I swam in high school and really enjoyed it but for some reason I never heard of adult swim programs like Masters. Last year I wanted to make a fitness goal and I envied my friends training for a marathon (I hate to run!) and I wished there could be something like that for swimming, so I looked up Marathon Swimming and stumbled upon Utah Open Water. Everyone there was so encouraging and lovely that I completed my first OW 1 mile swim last August.
Open water has become my true passion (5k finished this August!) partly because I love swimming in nature but also the great friends it has given me. Now most of us are involved in Masters just to keep us in shape for the OW season. It’s a great sport. I only wish I had found out about it sooner.
That’s fantastic! I’m so glad you found the OW group!!! Do you compete in the Great Salt Lake? I think my favorite part of the years I spent in the pool was the people I met. I totally get it. Well, I loved everything else about it too 😉 Do you ever travel outside of Utah for your races? How many races do you do in a season?
I do compete in the Great Salt Lake. We practice there a lot and have an official sanctioned swim in June. They have 1 mile and 10 mile. I stick with 1 mile! I have done a race in Vegas last year and that was fun. I was going to go to it this year but life got in the way. I would love to travel to other places for other swims, meet groups of swimmers. This summer I did 2 races because that’s all we have (1 mile in GSL, 5k in Deer Creek), Last year did Deer Creek and Slam the Dam. I would like to do 3 races in a season but you never know.
Finding open water swimming has been such a great thing for me both physically and socially. Utah Open Water is a great group of friends and I rely on them for so much more than just swimming support.
My dream is to go to Hawaii and swim in the North Shore Surf n Sea Series. That would be amazing because I love the North Shore and I’d love to do an OW in the ocean.
That’s really neat! I am surprised they only offer 1 and 10 mile races – there should be something in the middle, like a 3 or 5. I would do the 1 mile too!
How did you hear about the North Shore races? My teammate (and fellow blogger) does open water swims there. I believe she has a big one in December. I hope you are able to make it happen!
I’m glad to have found your blog post, your enthusiasm for swimming is contagious!
Thanks. Please keep in touch. Swimming long distances in Great Salt Lake is not for the faint of heart. Your body gets all swollen from the salt and your tongue gets puffy (even from 1 mile). This last year it was really choppy. They almost had to cancel it but we pushed on through and it was so thrilling to finish! Can’t wait for next year.
You know how everyone has those special places that they go to when they are feeling sad or depressed? That’s the North Shore for me. I love all of Oahu but my grandparents have a house on the North Shore that is now owned as sort of a time share by their company. I have been 4 times and it is my version of heaven. I LOVE the ocean. I could swim and then read with the sun in my skin and the sand in my toes all day! (and have on many occasions). It really is like going home when I’m there and I need to get back!
I can’t remember how I found out about the Surf N Sea series but I’ve been following it for some time on facebook and the pictures always make me so envious.
Have you ever done an open water swim aside from the triathlons? It really is addicting. I have a friend on twitter who I encouraged to do a race. She loved it so much her Mother started training for next year. They might even do a race in Utah next year. So fun to spread the swim love!
I will! I love the North Shore too, but its been a bit too long since my last visit so I need to go back! I love snorkeling and attempting to surf (very poorly). Even though I’m not good at surfing I love trying (in the off season when the waves aren’t too big).
Anything open water I’ve done has been for fun. Maybe one day I’ll try a sanctioned open water swim – who knows?
Thanks for the fun swimpost. ttys
I went surfing for the first time 2 summers ago and it was one of the best experiences of my life. https://smilingldsgirl.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/i-surf/
You should totally do an open water swim. It will change your life.