Wow, I really like swimming

Yeah, I do. I look forward to both masters workouts with Dirk and GISC swims with Michelle. It's better to be able to swim with friends/training partners, but I'm finding a ton of enjoyment in swimming in general. I view it as a sport by itself now, not just a part of a triathlon... I now want to become a good swimmer, not simply a good triathlete. That can only help my triathlon training and racing... respecting each leg as an individual sport, and putting them together on race day.

Past few swim workouts have been indicators of my swimming fitness. At the last masters workout on Monday, Dirk and I without fail broke 1:20/100y pace on every rep. On a set of 10x125s with me leading, we hit 1:18-1:20, with Dirk getting 1:16 and faster on the last couple. When Dirk led a later set with 100s, we again went sub 1:20, with me hitting 1:16s toward the end. To be able to do this consistently is huge. That used to be my fastest pace, 1:20.

That's a sub-22 1500m pace. If I can hit 21:30 or better at Columbia, it'll put me in a great position to keep with the leaders on the bike, setting me up nicely for a run that favors a hill lover like myself. I'm keeping this scenario in mind as I swim. I'd really like to make it happen.

My top-end speed is getting up there too, as I sprinted sub-:35 on a 6x50 set for all 6 (hit :32 on the last one) on Tuesday, 10 hours after the aforementioned Masters swim.

I'm a little surprised at my development, because I stalled for several months in my development over the late spring and summer. Getting one little hint about my form however seemed to make a GIGANTIC difference, as my stroke count has dropped by 4+ strokes per 25y, thanks to Frank with Curl Burke. Since then my times have dropped and swimming suddenly is fun and RELAXING, even when I'm pushing hard.