NEARLY six weeks on from the Commonwealth Games in Australia, Scotland's swimmers have the chance this weekend to showcase the medal-winning form in front of home fans at the same time as honing their preparations for the European Championships which Glasgow will host in August.
For podium regulars such as Hannah Miley and Duncan Scott, the Glasgow International Swim Meet being staged at Tollcross, the venue for the Europeans, is also a chance to work on specialist skills they know they can improve.
Miley was particularly happy with the way it went, having surprised herself with her winning time in the 200m individual medley, her specialist event, and then followed that up with a more-than-respectable time in the 200m backstroke
"The medley is 200 race pace but I have to work 200 butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle," she explained. "That’s what makes the medley fun – there is always something to work on. That was a chance to work on my back stroke, it is getting there.
"It is nice to come to a meet like this where it is not pressured. I can go in and try different race strategies and different race plans.
"I was really happy with the medley though. I went into this meet not thinking about the time. I was just working on the process, which can sound a bit boring but it really was the case.
"I think you can get too fixated on times, whether it is a PB [personal best] or how close to a PB, can take the process away. For me, I could just get stuck into the race. The time I was quite surprised by, I did not think I would be that quick, I was happy with that."
The issue for all the leading swimmers coming back from the Commonwealth Games is that most of them are doing extra work on fitness and strength, which means they are not really in peak race shape.
"It can be a bit weird," added Miley. "You are in a heavy training block but your coach wants you to swim fast because you want to know your training is working, you want to know which direction you are going in and what you need to work on. At the same time, you don’t want to ease back on your training; you don’t want to do the right time in the wrong pool. If I swim fast now I have to be even faster in the Europeans."
It was a similar story for Scott, who came home from Australia with a Scottish record haul of six medals from the one Commonwealth Games. Also a medley specialist, he is using the meet to work on the individual disciplines, starting last night with a 50m breaststroke only a few hundredths of a second off the PB he set in January.
"I need to learn how to swim the different tempos of breaststroke. It is my weakest stroke so that is going to help my 200m medley," he said. "I went in and had a bit of fun, not too bad, just off my best, margins are close.
"I was good to come home, it is always good racing in Glasgow. I enjoy it and have had some good fun meets here. We have the Europeans here in August so it is good to come here before that.
"It is a case of starting afresh, trying to build on what we did in the Commonwealth Games, trying to maintain that and build on it for the Europeans. I had a wee bit of time off, so it is just trying to get back to it all and continue the good work we have been doing, it is good preparation."
For both of them, the real focus is on August and the bigger event in the same pool, but they could also take a bit of time to reflect on the great memories they have of the Gold Coast.
"I was really chuffed to get on the podium again, the third time in four games," Miley said. "It was pretty cool, an amazing experience. I love putting on the blue and white jacket, representing Scotland with a huge sense of pride. To come away with another medal was really nice. It was a nice round-up – my first games were out in Australia and to have another games out in Australia as well was amazing."
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