Swim! Swim Till It Hurts

Dec. 9—32 push-ups. My best. Weight: 174.

Dec. 24—Pull 440. Kick 440. Swim 440. Christmas Eve. Joy to the world.

Feb. 8—This is the day I was supposed to break 2:00. I didn't, naturally.

April 25—I am gaining weight. 180. I must concentrate on my diet.

June 6—Felt weak. I think I am worrying too much.

June 11—Doc went to Indianapolis. We were supposed to work out. Just played around instead. What a wasted day.

July 3—The good Doctor walked out on us because we were dickering around.

July 10—At Evansville. Doc told me to go all out. To keep my head in position and not drop it. I did, but the last 25 [meters] hurt like hell. I was very tempted to drop my head. Did 2:15.0.

Left unmentioned by Troy: 2:15.0 was a new world's record for the 200 meters, outdoors.

Implicit in much that Troy says, as well as in the comments in the workout log, is his desire for this concentrated effort to end. The newest sign on his bulletin board reads: "Thirty days of pain remain."