I was excited to participate in the USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet this year! I had been training consistently for the 1500 meters. Training is relative, I did almost no intervals or “speedwork” but I got into the pool a few times a week for anywhere from 3000-5000ish meters (or 60-90 minutes).
In college, the 1000 yards was typically my favorite event. The 500 yards felt too short and while I did enjoy swimming the 1650 yards, there wasn’t as many opportunities to swim it. I appreciate in the few swim meets I’ve done over the last few years, there are some opportunities to swim the 1500/1650.
About the USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet
The 2024 U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) Summer Nationals was hosted in Mission Viejo, California. It was great, because it was just a short 2 hour drive for me. Most years I would have to fly, and I’m not sure I would for a 20 minute event. I would want to do it with friends and do more events to make it “worth it”.
The USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet took place from August 21-25 at the Marguerite Aquatics Complex, with nearly 1,300 swimmers. Swimmers had to qualify in at least one event to compete in multiple races. However, to compete in the 1500 meters, you specifically needed to meet the qualifying standard. It makes sense, the 1500 meters was literally the only race swam on day 1.
The meet was held in a long-course meters pool, which is twice the length of a standard pool. I was relieved because fewer flip turns are always better for me—my flip turns leave much to be desired. To a normal person, they look “good” but to a competitive swimmer, they are not.
Before the USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet
Leading up to the event, I was in Colorado the week prior and only managed to swim twice. Ideally, I would’ve liked to get in four sessions, but sometimes you just have to work with what you’ve got. My last swim before the meet was in a stunning pool in Ouray, Colorado, so I really can’t complain about that!
Fortunately, my husband had the day off and was able to come down with me the night before. The 1500 meters was the first event of the meet, scheduled all day Wednesday, with about 150 swimmers registered. We left on Tuesday after work and arrived around 7 p.m. I was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately—getting a solid 10 hours of rest was exactly what I needed after a long few days before! My race was set to start around 10 a.m., which felt strange because I’m used to getting up and being active earlier. It was a bit odd just hanging around until we left for the meet at 8 a.m.
Once at the USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet pool, I did a 1500-meter warm-up, changed into my competition suit, and then swam another 300 meters. The Arena suit felt fast (and at over $400, it better be!). I was as ready as I could be.
In college, we swam anywhere from 7-9 2-hour practices a week (with one day off). There is zero chance I’m doing that these days, so I don’t expect to PR or even come close to that. For me now, swimming is just a fun thing to do. I don’t really enjoy swimming fast unless I’m racing, so I don’t do a ton of intervals by myself.
USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet Race Recap: 1500 Meters
As mentioned, the 1500 meters was the only race I was really interested in. If the meet had been a single-day event, I might’ve also done the 500. If I could’ve competed in both the 1500 and 800 meters, I might have added that as well. But you could only do either the 800 or 1500 meters. Distance events are long, and there’s only so much time to fit them in.
The last time I swam the 1500 meters was just over a year ago in Santa Barbara, where I swam a 24:08—definitely slower than I’d hoped. I knew just on a good day, I could be faster. But I also trained a bit more since then.
My dive into the water marked my first dive since that Santa Barbara meet. LOL, because the pools I swim at don’t allow dives, I hadn’t even done any dives since (on or off the block). Thankfully, it went smoothly—my goggles stayed on, and I felt strong off the blocks. At the USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet, I was in heat 5 of 9, swimming in lane 8. Being in lane 8 meant I was the slowest seeded swimmer in the heat. I wasn’t thrilled at the idea of finishing last, but most swimmers in my heat had times 15-30 seconds faster than mine. Really, I just didn’t want to swim alone for over 20 minutes.
My husband counted my laps for me. When I started, I quickly noticed that I was keeping pace with another swimmer, which gave me a mental boost. The first 500 meters felt like it was dragging, even though I felt fast. As swimmers know, feeling fast doesn’t always mean you’re swimming fast! The swimmer I was keeping up with started to pull away, so I found myself sandwiched by about 10 seconds between two swimmers.
The second 500 meters felt a bit more sluggish, even though the time seemed to fly by. By the time I reached length 20, I knew I only had 500 meters left. At 25 lengths, I realized I was closing in on the swimmer I’d been pacing with earlier, so I gave it everything I had to try to catch her. Unfortunately, just as I was closing the gap, she kicked it into high gear, and I couldn’t quite catch her.
When I touched the wall and looked up, I was pleasantly surprised to see 23:01 on the clock—a full minute faster than my previous race! It’s funny how, during a race, you really have no idea what pace you’re actually going until you finish. It’s a big difference between running and swimming. I could have finished anywhere between 23 and 25 minutes and I would have not been surprised.
Looking back at my splits, they were pretty even (which is crazy with no way to pace except yourself).
Final Thoughts on the USMS Summer Nationals Swim Meet
Overall, I’m really happy with my 23:01—it’s the fastest I’ve swum in a couple of years. Considering I don’t do structured sets and usually stick to relaxed swims because that’s what I enjoy, I’m pleased with the result. I believe I’m capable of getting into the low 21s with focused training, but we’ll see. I’m not sure when I’ll do my next swim meet—probably within the next year since I average about one per year.
You can see more race recaps here and Strava here.
Questions for you:
Have you done a swim meet?
Have you ever come back to a sport after years off?