What we learned at the UltraSwim

"Not great, not terrible."

That's how Michael Phelps described his weekend at the Charlotte UltraSwim, shortly after winning his third race of the meet Sunday night. He finished with three victories and one runner-up result.

Three gold medals: That's pretty good for someone who wasn't overly satisfied with his performance.

The one black spot -- to Phelps, anything other than a win can be termed as such -- on his trip to North Carolina was Saturday's second-place finish to Nick Thoman in the 100m backstroke. Phelps said the loss was indicative of one crucial fact: he's not in good enough shape at the moment.

Here's what Phelps told the Associated Press Saturday evening: "I can't really be disappointed. It's two or three-tenths off what I went last year. Being able to come in here and not being as fully prepared as I want to be, I'm fine with that."

While addressing the media on Sunday, Phelps continued the discussion of his current fitness level.

"This weekend gives me motivation, more than anything," he said. "I'll be the first to admit my training isn't where it should be."

Haven't we heard this before? Phelps took a break from swimming after the Beijing Olympics, and he nearly quit the sport after a photo of him with a marijuana pipe appeared in a British tabloid newspaper early last year.

The 2009 Charlotte UltraSwim was Phelps' first meet after Beijing, and he left the city then with two gold and two silver medals. Aside from not having a lot of training in him, Phelps was also tinkering with a new freestyle stroke at that meet. Clearly, he was not on top of his game.

A few months later at the world championships, Phelps won five races and finished second in another, racing mostly against guys in top-of-the-line swimsuits covered in polyurethane. Phelps chose to stick with his Speedo LZR, circa 2008.

Phelps then had a few struggles at the two meets he attended during the 2009 FINA World Cup, a short-course circuit held in the fall. He claimed to be out of shape then, too.

So is Phelps out of shape right now? Only he and coach Bob Bowman know exactly where he is fitness-wise, but the answer is yes, Phelps is not in ideal physical condition. Will this hurt him for the U.S. and Pan Pacific Championships in August?

Absolutely not.

Coughlin 'getting stronger'
This was Natalie Coughlin's second meet since Beijing, and she appears to be well on her way to having a big season. The Cal swimmer cruised to victory in the 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle, and finished second in the 100m backstroke.

"Judging by the progression from the Austin [Grand Prix in March] to this meet, I'm really happy," Coughlin said. "Things are getting stronger and stronger, and I'm feeling more confident in my races."

Coughlin also joked about missing her dancing shoes, referencing her stint last year on "Dancing with the Stars."

Lochte goes back to back
Ryan Lochte, who hurt his knee dancing (yes, dancing) last summer and had surgery over the winter, was also making his second appearance of 2010 this weekend. He picked up a second, third and fifth in the first three days of the meet, but closed on Sunday with a win (200m backstroke) and a second-place finish (100m freestyle). The latter was impressive because Lochte had finished the 200m backstroke about 15 minutes prior, and he was plenty gassed after that race.

Double winners
Chloe Sutton, Dagny Knutson, Rebecca Soni and Peter Vanderkaay all had two victories.