Virtual Race
By Jay Unver
(Lehrton, MS) Randy Beets threw down the gauntlet to Zane Hodge early this week challenging him to a 500 short course virtual race. Hodge took the challenge which was set for Friday.
Being in the Eastern Time Zone, Beets did his 500 first and recorded a time of 7:19. I was present when Hodge got the news of Beets' time. He was stunned, looked worried, and became withdrawn.
When I queried him about his response, Hodge admitted his concern. "That's a good time. A durn good time," he said tersely.
"But you swam 7:08 at the swim meet in Biloxi," I reminded him.
"Yes, but that was in an actual meet where I was racing other people. It is much more difficult to swim a fast time alone. It's like running. You train at one pace and race at another. The event brings a lot out of you."
"But in Biloxi you were lapping the other contestants. They were not pushing you."
"Even though I was lapping them, I still swam much faster because of them. In training, the fastest I swam before Biloxi was 7:28. And I swam a lot of 500s for time."
"Oh, I see."
"So I know I am capable of beating 7:19, but can I do it alone? I don't know the answer to that question. I'll have to swim alone faster than I ever have."
We then traveled to the pool, went inside, and Hodge began to set up. I was there to witness, time, and report.
"Besides," Hodge said, "I have not been doing any quality swimming. Or very little of it. I have been doing a lot of volume lately, but none of the tough sets needed to swim fast over a distance. I've just been going up and down the pool."
Gee, I thought, this guy really is worried.
"Not only that," he added, "but I'm not a morning person."
At this point, I was sure Hodge had surrendered in his mind. I then watched him warm up, and I timed him while he did. He swam 1,100 yards at a pace just barely faster than 2:00 per hundred. I have been around him long enough to know that that is a very slow pace for him. It was only a warmup, but it did not portend well for his 500. I was sure he was beaten already.
He then did a 50 build. At the wall he put on his cap and said the next thing was the 500. He looked anything but confident. He seemed to stall, stretching, drinking water, just standing there.
Then he went.
He swam hard doing the first 100 in 1:27. That's the exact pace he would need to win. Could he hold it? I could hear him sucking air every time he was on my end of the pool. He was breathing on one side only after the first 50, which meant he was working hard. I lost track of the exact splits, although I have them in the watch; I was just watching. He seemed to slow a bit after 200. He's losing it, I thought. Then he came back. The tempo picked back up, and the air sucking was audible from anywhere in the building.
When he touched the wall at 500, I hit stop and looked down: 7:16.81.
"You did it!" I yelled. "7:16!"
He didn't react that I could see. He put on his small paddles and swam and easy 600. "I'm done," he said when he stopped.
When I asked him how he felt, he answered, "Relieved." Then he added, "I guess I was wrong."
"Wrong about what?" I asked.
"Wrong about Randy Beets."
"Yeah, how's that?"
"He is good for something after all. He got the best solo 500 I ever swam out of me."
"But you swam 7:08 at the swim meet in Biloxi," I reminded him.
"Yes, but that was in an actual meet where I was racing other people. It is much more difficult to swim a fast time alone. It's like running. You train at one pace and race at another. The event brings a lot out of you."
"But in Biloxi you were lapping the other contestants. They were not pushing you."
"Even though I was lapping them, I still swam much faster because of them. In training, the fastest I swam before Biloxi was 7:28. And I swam a lot of 500s for time."
"Oh, I see."
"So I know I am capable of beating 7:19, but can I do it alone? I don't know the answer to that question. I'll have to swim alone faster than I ever have."
We then traveled to the pool, went inside, and Hodge began to set up. I was there to witness, time, and report.
"Besides," Hodge said, "I have not been doing any quality swimming. Or very little of it. I have been doing a lot of volume lately, but none of the tough sets needed to swim fast over a distance. I've just been going up and down the pool."
Gee, I thought, this guy really is worried.
"Not only that," he added, "but I'm not a morning person."
At this point, I was sure Hodge had surrendered in his mind. I then watched him warm up, and I timed him while he did. He swam 1,100 yards at a pace just barely faster than 2:00 per hundred. I have been around him long enough to know that that is a very slow pace for him. It was only a warmup, but it did not portend well for his 500. I was sure he was beaten already.
He then did a 50 build. At the wall he put on his cap and said the next thing was the 500. He looked anything but confident. He seemed to stall, stretching, drinking water, just standing there.
Then he went.
He swam hard doing the first 100 in 1:27. That's the exact pace he would need to win. Could he hold it? I could hear him sucking air every time he was on my end of the pool. He was breathing on one side only after the first 50, which meant he was working hard. I lost track of the exact splits, although I have them in the watch; I was just watching. He seemed to slow a bit after 200. He's losing it, I thought. Then he came back. The tempo picked back up, and the air sucking was audible from anywhere in the building.
When he touched the wall at 500, I hit stop and looked down: 7:16.81.
"You did it!" I yelled. "7:16!"
He didn't react that I could see. He put on his small paddles and swam and easy 600. "I'm done," he said when he stopped.
When I asked him how he felt, he answered, "Relieved." Then he added, "I guess I was wrong."
"Wrong about what?" I asked.
"Wrong about Randy Beets."
"Yeah, how's that?"
"He is good for something after all. He got the best solo 500 I ever swam out of me."
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