Journey to Olympic Trials: Break on Through (To the Other Side)

Commentary by Jeff Commings, SwimmingWorld.TV associate producer

PHOENIX, Arizona, October 28. THIS week was marked by an illness that had me down for the count Sunday and Monday, and some revelations about my swimming that should mean good things in the eight months leading to the 100 breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

As you can read on my blog, I felt like a sluggish slug on Sunday, unable to complete the sprint workout I planned for the day. I woke up Monday with a fever that mercifully went away that afternoon. I can handle colds, headaches, body aches and nausea. Having a fever is the worst feeling ever. You're hot and cold at the same time! What's up with that?

By Tuesday morning I felt better, but not great. I suffered through workout, regretting the decision to wake up at 5 a.m., but ultimately glad I made an effort in the pool. It's not always good to swim when you're sick, but sometimes it helps with recovery. I think Tuesday's workout did that.

By Friday, I was feeling my oats again — literally. I hadn't been eating my breakfast of oatmeal all week, mostly because my appetite had been affected by the fever. I tested my sprint speed with three 50s breaststroke from a push, and did two of them under 29 seconds. My focus on the fast swims was advice given to me by Coach Takahisa Ide, or Tako for short. He's a great stroke technician, and obviously watches lots of footage of great swimmers. He suggested some changes to my breaststroke kick that would get more power from it.

The kick is not the focus of my breaststroke. I've always been an upper-body swimmer, using my arms and core to provide the bulk of my propulsion. I understood the concept of the kick Tako was trying to teach me, and while it will take some time to incorporate easily into my stroke, I believe it already is paying off. On my third 50 fast, I took seven strokes on my last 25, instead of my usual eight!

I'm six weeks away from my taper meet, and looking forward to continuing my speed work!

Jeff Commings will be the second-oldest man to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials next summer. He also holds Masters world records in the 50 and 100 breaststrokes.

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