Flashes of Panic

The funny thing about relays at Masters meets is that nobody wants to do them. The really good swimmers sign up for a full slate of individual events without considering the relays, and those more my speed figure we won’t be asked. So when it comes to meet day, nobody is ready to race, unless something was organized in advance. What’s more, with the relays usually coming at the end of the meet, a lot of swimmers just want to get dry and go home.

For me, the 400m free relay was all I was swimming today. I orbited the warmup pool while all three of my teammates did the 400m IM. They were plenty happy to have me, for two reasons: one, everyone on the “other” relay our team entered had opted out, so we were the only team entered. Two, the average age for the four of us put us in an age group where there is no club record for the event. As long as we got around without a DQ, we’d set the record, and next year this particular team will be too old to break it anyway.

They figured on going slowest to fastest. This also meant that IM swimmers got the most rest, since it meant I started. (My payoff was that I got a “legit” 100m time, since my split would be the only one from a legal start.) I got a fair start (i.e. my goggles stayed on) and pretty much just sprinted. I don’t remember feeling like the (meters) pool was any longer than the (yards) pool here at the University. Turns weren’t pretty, but I really did feel like I was moving quickly.

When I tapped the wall, I had to look up and figure out if leg two had actually left. He had. The others were telling me “1:14” before I could even get out of the pool. Leg two was swimming with a broken ankle; a 1:10 for him, I think, then 1:09 for leg 3 and 1:02 for the anchor, my brother. So we went about 4:35 (the results aren’t posted yet.)

I swam 1:14 last year, too, with (I think) better training. The calculator on the Great Bay Masters site suggests that’s worth a 1:06 in yards, which is about two seconds off my best.

They tell me they’re putting me on two relays tomorrow. There are 200m and 800m free relays and a 400m MR, so I assume they mean the 400m MR and the 200m free, but I’m swimming the open 400m and 200m so I may be a little wobbly when the second relay rolls around.