I didn’t like my starting position that much. I was really far to the right, and once I started, I saw the left-hand side of the group go way out, so I had to try to catch back up to that top group. Leah and I were leading around the second turn for most of the first lap until the first turn of the second lap when we got trampled by the other girls and pushed underwater. Both of our left goggles got kicked up, so we both had to roll over and fix it. By that time we were pretty far back in the front pack. We spent most of the rest of the time playing catch-up. I mainly tried to catch up on the third buoy on the third lap because that was when the current was with us. I tried to catch a wave and move up in the pack, but I didn’t have enough time to. I finished okay – towards the front of the group – but I didn’t get all the way to the front as I had hoped.
From this race, I learned that I need to be a little quicker off the start. I need to get ahead as soon as possible because once you get behind, there’s nothing you can do about it. Also, I need to stay away from people … not try to retaliate or hit people, just try to stay as far away from everyone else as you can. I went into this race thinking that it was a warm-up for the 10K. That’s the whole reason I entered it, so I want to try and recuperate and learn as much as I can so I’ll be strong for the 10K.
Nationals and Pan Pacs seemed like dual meets compared to this. It was a lot more physical, a lot faster, everyone was speeding up and slowing down at different times. It was very unpredictable. Sometimes, you’d put your head down and start swimming, and the next time you put your head up, you’d moved up or moved down. I definitely felt like a rookie when I was swimming it, but it does give me some more experience under my belt, and I’ll be more confident next time I swim.
Leah Gingrich
Going off the block, I expected people to be out a lot faster than they were, which is why I was in first place for the first lap. I was expecting a lot of elbows, and I didn’t get that. I got drowned a couple of times instead.
I’m happy with the race, considering it was my first time. I can’t really be upset with anything. I wish I could have stayed farther ahead longer than I did or not gone off course, which was one reason I got pushed back.
I think I learned the importance of dragging off people more instead of being out front. Stay back a little more so you don’t get tired out right away.
Scott Kaufmann
I’m a little disappointed with this race. You always like to be a little closer to the front, but we have two more races coming up this week, so hopefully we can improve upon that.
The strategy at the beginning of the race was to be pretty close to the front, hopefully top five after the first lap. I think I was a little further back than that, so I’m going to need to talk with the coaches and see if they have any opinions as to what I can do better.
I think the 10K is probably going to be a very similar race. I’m not sure that the pace is going to be quite as quick on the first quarter as it was today, but it’s going to be four laps just like this one was. Probably the same number of people, and the same group of people as this race. We’ll see the same guys up front. The strategy will be the same; try to be up in front, then build toward a strong finish.
Mark Warkentin
That wasn’t a swim race, that was a wrestling match. I’ve been in rough races before where people have bumped each other around a turn, but in this race, I got an elbow to the mouth that felt like it jarred my teeth loose. I got punched in the back a couple of times. It was like a water polo game. As I was going around the first turn, I was thinking I might need a mouth guard. I was in this middle spot where I wasn’t out in front enough, so I had people knocking my legs, my midsection and my arms. I was right in the mix of it on the first two turns. Trying to fight my way out of that really took a lot out of me, both physically and emotionally. I don’t think I was prepared for that physical of a competition.
I think for the 10K, I’m just going to need to take it out too fast, faster than I really want to. Basically, the only real was I’m going to get past this thing is – to equate it to the mile – to take it out at a 400 pace and try not to build up too much lactic acid. That’s the only way is to get out in front of the field. In this race, the guys who were just in front of me around those first two turns, they ended up winning. The group I was in that sustained so much contact early on had a hard time making a move on the second half of the race. In the 10K, I’m going to take it out a lot faster. I was a little too conservative, trying not to lead because we had talked so much previously about not leading the race early on and how that can be a problem for you to try and bring it home if you lead early. But at the same time, if you’ve got 40 guys, and every coach is telling their guys to be second and none of them to be first, then you’ve got a problem. So I’m going to take it out much more aggressively and not worry whether I’m second, third or fourth. Just definitely get out past the first turn, then adjust it from there.
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