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Long Course State Championships @ Savannah
SUNDAY
200 Breast - Brett came into this event, just missing out on the finals. In fact, had this event been at GaTech, he would have made the B final, as he was seeded 18th. He just dropped 10 seconds in the event a few weeks back, so I was hopeful he might drop a bit more and get real close to that 13 year old cut, but I wasn't expecting it. When the race went off, he took it out very conservatively (I think this was a concern about the air quality)...But on the second 50 he kicked it into gear and his split was 1:35.27...his split from his personal best was a 1:35.21. In the next 50 he was still gaining on the field, but coming home he seemed to tire a bit and he fell off the pace. I believe he had to work too hard in the middle 100 to overcome the conservative start, and I do believe he was having a hard time breathing as he was coughing when he finished...final time 3:16.08
400 Free My goal for Bear coming into this one was to get his 12 year old cut. Based on how he finished the 1500 I felt pretty confident he'd get the 5:45.99 time he needed. He started off good, and was moving through the water well. He was sharing a lane with a kid that was much larger than he was, and he was slightly ahead of that kids pace (that kid was 150 meters into the race when Bear started). However, Bear's great pace came to a screeching halt. In the last 130 or so, when he would typically start sprinting, he seemed to hit a wall. His pace fell way off and it was starting to look like he might not get that cut. He gutted it out and finished in 5:45.17, but he was having breathing difficulty when he got out. The bad air had gotten to him and with his asthma symptoms it was causing him to wease a great deal. I had to race to get his inhaler...he was fine and proud of what he accomplished. He's also really looking forward to the 500 and 1650 at short course. He thinks he might be able to medal...
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