Life In A Speedo...

Holy hot Friday.
I had every intention of making it to the pool today, but the heat is out of control and quite frankly I don't find it enjoyable to basically marinade in my sweaty filth by a pool that now feels like bath water.
I passed.
I opted for some AC and house cleaning.  Control your envy...

So yesterday I mentioned that I'd feature one of our athletes and give you a brief rundown of what's been going on along his journey over the last few months.
Meet Trey...(here with his sister)

With a few major swim meets approaching this summer, we spent the last few months really focusing on finding his 5th gear and maintaining flexibility.
Undoubtedly a hard worker, I noticed he would get stuck in this rhythm when training that was steady, but not the balls-to-the-wall intensity he'd need to improve his sprint times.  It was like having a 100m runner being paced by the milers. 
It just won't work.
And truly, it often happens that way....your personality characteristics will make their way into the gym.  He's laid back, easy going, constant if you will.  Not surprising, he trained that way.
He needed to break out.
That was his comfort zone for sure, but during the 100m fly you have no time to pace, take it easy, or coast.  You haul ass.  Period.
So we had to mimic that kick-into-5th-gear moment in the gym.  He did great and allowed me to pull him out of that comfort zone,...realizing he was definitely capable of going harder when he actively willed himself to do it.
I loved it.
In combination with stretching him like a contortionist (which was a workout for me as well), he made great strides...physically and mentally.

So there he was last week about to face a very important meet in Georgia... "2013 Speedo Champions Series: Eastern Section of the Southern Zone Meet"
As we stretched on Tuesday he said he felt prepared but nervous.  Good/natural combination.  He'd have to swim 10 events, his main one being the 100m fly.

I was sitting on the couch at the beach last weekend when my phone vibrates and I see his name pop up.
Moment of truth.
As I read his text I got chills.
Trey had figured it out at the very moment he needed to figure it out.
Personal best times in ALL events and a Scholastic All-American time of 58:54 in the 100m fly to help the mens team place 2nd overall, and 6th for the men/women combined.
I was blown away, and I cannot describe how excited I was for him.  He needed that weekend to go well,...for more reasons than just the times.
As an athlete you understand you will have ruts and valleys, but mentally clearing space from the noise of doubt and frustration long enough to open yourself up to greater victories is undeniably one of the hardest things to do.  And at 17 years old, you better believe it is hard.
What an awesome weekend,...and certainly bigger things to come for Trey.