Phelps in the early stages of respectable fitness.

Phelps & Bowman: The Last Push - by Craig Lord. Oct 24, 2011

The smile broadened on Bob Bowman's face as the question drew to a close: where are we in terms of Michael Phelps and his last Olympic campaign? The laughter followed the answer: "We are in the very early stages of regaining a respectable fitness level."

Respectable was a good word, apt and apt to make mortals groan ever so slightly. Bowman was talking the morning after watching Phelps win two races on day 1 of the world cup in Berlin last Saturday, including a 400m medley in a career best that challenged the 4min mark despite the obvious high count of mistimed turns (some too approaches short, some too long). That afternoon, Phelps would cruise to two more victories, over 200m medley and 200 backstroke, each hardly faultless but each confident and controlled reflections of a man who had reconnected with the will to do what it takes to be at his best. 

Back home two weeks ago, Phelps heard Bowman tell the squad in Baltimore that a 5km test set was the order of the day. 'You can do a 'fly set,' Bowman said to Phelps, who replied "I'll do the 5000'.

"He didn't get anywhere near his best effort but it was solid and he worked it really hard, did a good job, he got a lot out of it and it was the first time he took on a challenge like that since Beijing," Bowman told SwimNews. "We will just start adding things like that in. The better shape he's in the better he'll do that sort of thing." And the fitter and faster he will be come the moment of need.

In two of the three years since those eight gold medals rocketed Phelps to a uniquely lofty plinth in the sporting pantheon, it has been May before he has shown in any kind of international racing of note. Post-major and pre-Christmas season, Phelps was missing sessions, promoting his foundation, swim school, sponsors, and spending time doing some of the stuff he hadn't had a chance to do before.

Very different on the eve of Olympic year. "He's here actually competing in October which is good because that gets the mental switch turned," said Bowman. "He can train a lot better when he's doing meets. He's done a good job in training since Shanghai (he took a week out after world championships, in the main because US nationals stood in the way of a normal return home for any in China with domestic programmes to run) and he's having some good meets here so I'm hoping he can carry that through into another good training camp in Colorado."

Straight from Berlin? "Yes. Right now." That'll teach him. Through laughter and hold his hands in a fake grip, Bowman says: "While I've got him I wanna hold on to him."

So his commitment level, compared to 2009-10 - is there a distinct difference? "Oh, distinct, very distinct … being there but being invested in what's going on, being engaged in it, being willing to do what it takes to get back to where he can be competitive."

The next 18 days will be spent at altitude in Colorado before Phelps races in Minnesota. "He always comes out of it better," says Bowman. "Our goal when we go to altitude is to improve their aerobic fitness though we do other types of training. I think the other part of Colorado for us is just a complete focus on swimming - and there's nowhere to go and nothing to do, it's eat, sleep and swim. So I think that's probably the biggest benefit if you can just kinda clear your mind. I know it is for me. I love going there. My staff at home knows when I'm up there I call home maybe every other day and they leave me alone, so I don't have to be distracted."

When asked if he enjoyed being in Colorado, Phelps smiles and resets the question: "Do I enjoy it or do I think it benefits me? I definitely get benefits from going there. Being able to spend pretty much 24 hours a day just focussed on swimming. It's good. It fees a lot longer than 18 days sometimes but I know in the long run it'll be good for me. Hopefully I will only have two or three more trips in my career out there [to Colorado], so I'm counting."

He's a man ready to move on but his mission is solid and sound, his commitment beyond what he had been able to give of late. Said Phelps: "My training's going really well. A lot better than when you last saw me. Being able to come out with the times, there's a lot of positives." The times were "a lot better than what I've done in the past", the record confirming that October and what Phelps did in Berlin have not been seen in the same sentence for quite some time. 

"I'm just excited to be able to be taking steps in the right direction, being able to come back and race the IM last night, then  back up in the medley and back today," said Phelps on Sunday. " It's fun. This is the kind of stuff I like, being able to get out, race, be satisfied, be happy with what's going on. It's been a while since I felt like this." 

Was he look looking forward to his last Olympic campaign? "I'm excited. Taking the steps I have leading up to Moscow and then here [Berlin], it's probably as excited as I've been for the sport of swimming since leading up to Beijing. I'm just happy I'm able to get that feeling again and find that hunger. It took a while for me to find it but I'm glad its back and I'm looking forward to next year."

You can read much more about Bowman and Phelps, their journey and what one journey's end may mean for a new beginning in the next edition of the SwimNews Magazine.