Since the first day I met Mike, he has talked about his love/hate for the sport of swimming. He had been on a swim team for as long as he could remember with most of those years practicing twice a day (read: early mornings and late nights). Mike held many school and state records in high school which scored him a scholarship to a Division I university (where the two-a-day practices continued). He says by the time he graduated from college he never wanted to swim another lap in his life.
Throughout the last 10 years Mike has dabbled with the idea of swimming on a local Master's Swim Team. He had many friends and former rivals that swim in the Master's group but for some reason Mike never pulled the trigger. He took up running. Ran the Chicago Marathon in 2005. Retired from running when his back got bad. His surgeon suggested never to run again (the doctor claims running is the absolute worst sport for your back and Mike's training for just the one marathon could easily have done this to his disks). In fact, the doctor said the best form of exercise for Mike would be swimming. Huh. Wouldn't you know? He can do that pretty darn well.
Once the New Year hit Mike confessed that he had been researching the Master's program here in town; where and when practices were held, who else he knows that is doing it, and when future meets would be this year (including last year's qualifying times for Nationals). Oh, and by the way, Nationals would be held in Indy this year, so he thinks he can qualify and is going to attempt to do just that...because he had already signed up and paid his dues. He was ready to get back into the water.
Sometime in November/December Mike started clean eating in anticipation of his upcoming training schedule. He hit the intense practices in January and was serious with his training from the start. The girls and I would join him on Sundays while he swam his laps and we played. We'd snack and watch daddy swim gracefully through the water, back and forth. Flip turns. Intervals. Warm-ups and cool-downs. Watching him made me so proud of him. And also left my heart a little empty, as I'd envision him swimming in college and am sad I never got to see him compete in his prime. Breaking DI records. But I was watching him now, swimming pretty darn close to as fast as he was 20 years ago. And my pride would come washing over me again.
A few weeks ago was the Master's Regional event here in town where Mike swam in several relay events and several individual events (1,650 yard freestyle, 100 yard IM, 200 yard backstroke and the 500 yard freestyle). Mike's most notorious for his distance swimming and his best event was always the 1,650 yard free - A MILE!!! - (second to his 200 backstroke). Of course he swam the former on Saturday when I couldn't be there (I had a marathon relay with my girlfriends in Lafayette and the timing just didn't work out). And let me tell you something, Mikey smoked this heat. He won his age group and came in only second in the entire meet to a 20 year old Purdue (peeeeeyouuuu!) swimmer home on spring break. The bottom line, Mike qualified for Nationals and I'm pretty sure I've told everyone I know, I'm so proud!
Here are a few pictures from Sunday:
Mike says his times are slower than 20 years ago but from the sounds of it, just by a few seconds. Can't be by too much, as he is still able to hang with the younger guys. As I we were waiting for each heat I would ask his dad about swim meets when he was younger and I loved hearing how Bob could still recall his times on each events. Was so glad that the girls and I could watch him in his element. He did great in all events and is swimming a handful of them in May at the National Championship here in town.
Go Daddy Mike!!!!
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