Olympic Trials Are On The Horizon!
We are now just a few short weeks away from Olympic Trials! I haven’t tapered for a meet since the Pan American Games in October, so I have been appreciative of the lessened workload and focus on quality in this final training block. Eight months between taper meets is an eternity in swimming, but it went by quick. This extended time period has allowed me to hone in on my technique and not sacrifice any aerobic capacity.
In the absence of high pressure meets these last months, I have found some other ways to train my mind. Last summer, prior to the World University Games, the team going to that held a couple virtual calls to break the ice. During one of these, we were all asked to say a fun fact about ourselves. When my turn came around, I told the team that I played guitar and played the intro to one of the songs I’ve learned (Over and Out by the Foo Fighters, if you are curious). Before this, the only people who heard me perform were close friends/family and the family dogs. One thing I noticed before and while I was playing was that I felt the same butterflies in my stomach that I usually felt before a big race. Recently, I have been leaning into that and performing in front of people whenever I can to better control the nerves.
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What’s Happening?
While Audrey and I were picking up Violet from Minnesota, I stopped by the Aquajets to sign some autographs. I swam there when I was younger and always love coming back. When I was eight years old, Jason Lezak signed autographs at our pool and I still have that signature to this day!
I am pleased to welcome Glen Lake Family Dentistry as my official partner for a gold medal smile. My family has been going to this dentist's office for three generations, dating back to when my grandmother first started going here in the 1960s! There is no doubt that Glen Lake is a "Family Dentistry" and I couldn't be more happy to add a local business with such a personal connection to my list of supporters. Catch me on the podium with the best smile, thanks to Dr. Scott, Dr. Olson, and their phenomenal team!
From May 16th to the 18th, I raced at the Atlanta Classic. I had some great swims throughout the meet. I went a 1:58.19 in the 200 fly to get third (and miss out on prize money by 0.02, argh!!). In the 200 free, I swam a season best 1:48.56 in prelims and got 8th in finals with a 1:49.05. After my core events were finished, I swam the 200 IM in a 2:04.29. This fell short of the Olympic Trials time standard and was also a few tenths shy of my season and personal best.
I decided to scratch the 200 IM for finals and time trial the 50 free to try and get the OT cut. This payed off as I dropped a tenth from my best time and swam a 22.71. That swim marks my seventh Olympic Trial cut and moves me into a tie for third for most cuts out of the men!
Looking Ahead
I have met the time standard for Olympic Trials in the 50/100/200 free, 100/200 fly and 100/200 back. Unfortunately, the 100 free and both backstroke races conflict with my best events, so I most likely won’t be able to swim those. As it stands, here is how my Olympic Trials line up will look:
June 15 – Off
June 16 – 200 free prelims/semis
June 17 – 200 free finals
June 18 – 200 fly prelims/semis
June 19 – 200 fly finals
June 20 – 50 free prelims/semis
June 21 – 100 fly prelims/semis, 50 free finals
June 22 – 100 fly finals
June 23 – Off
That’ll be a busy week! I’m looking forward to participating in the big show. Watch the evening sessions on NBC or Peacock at 8pm ET. Morning sessions will be on Peacock starting at 11am ET.
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