Today was just one of those days I wish I could take the imaginary remote control and fast-forward to tomorrow. Nothing bad happened, but nothing really noteworthy either. I swam the prelims of the 1500 and did exactly what I wanted to do, make the finals. Overall, I was very pleased with my race and as soon as I finished, started thinking about tomorrow’s final race. I’m ready to go!
One thing was difficult today though. My teammate, Bobby Savulich, who made an outstanding comeback after a brief hiatus, qualified 9th this morning in the 100 free. It was very difficult to stomach because Bobby is the type of guy who coaches dream about coaching. He shows up everyday focused, ready to give it everything he has. I’ve been around a lot of great swimmers, and his work ethic is among the best. He’s a great teammate, and the mastermind behind the Club Wolverine Elite Facebook Page. Anyways, I know how badly he wanted to make the finals and compete for a national team spot. Although his place was disappointing, his swim was great. He managed to go almost as fast as last summer, without the aid of bodysuits, which not many people at this meet can say they have done. With the progress he made this season, I hope he decides to keep swimming because he’s on the right track.
I’ll try to get a post up tomorrow afternoon because I probably won’t have time tomorrow evening.
Read moreCouldn’t get a post up last night because of a faulty internet connection at the hotel. So it goes. Quick recap from yesterday:
My prelims swim was great and I ended up as the top seed going into finals. At night, I finished 3rd behind Phelps and Lochte. I was definitely happy with my 200 but it didn’t feel as sharp as I would have hoped. I’m confident I have a better swim in me, so hopefully I can make that happen at Pan Pacs. Nevertheless, I’m glad to be on the relay again for Pan Pacs and World Champs. The 200 is always a fun race because its such a deep field in the US. There are some talented young guys stepping up too so that field looks to be growing stronger.
I as promised, I wanted to touch a little more on the Mott Hospital swim cap:
At Michigan, there is a program called Michigan from the Heart, which is basically comprised of student-athletes who visit kids at Mott every Thursday night. I went a few times during my tenure as a student, but because of practice times and class, I didn’t get the opportunity to be as involved as I would have liked. Since I have graduated, I have been able to attend almost every Thursday I am in Ann Arbor. It has truly been a great experience. The best part about visiting with the kids is seeing their determination to fight their ailments. Many of them are battling nasty illnesses, cancer, etc. Witnessing that battle really puts things in perspective for me. Whenever I think that swimming is tough, or a practice is too hard, I try to remember what those kids are going through and it really makes it easier to handle. Swimming is just a sport, and something I do out of pure enjoyment. There are much bigger things out there.
So the swim cap….I have a good friend, Scotty, who works in the Mott development office. After talking with him about the awesome, $2 million donation that former Michigan football player, Charles Woodson, generously contributed, we tried to think of ways that I could help. Right now, donating $2 million dollars isn’t in the cards. We figured wearing a Mott swim cap would be the next best thing. The rest is history. Speedo had the caps made and I’ve been proudly sporting them here at USA Nationals. All my swims are dedicated to the kids and hospital employees, whose top-notch care keeps the dreams alive.
Today I don’t have any events, but I will be in the fan zone later this afternoon for autographs. 1500 prelims tomorrow….
Read moreToday was the much anticipated start of the Nationals. Here’s a brief recap of how it turned out for me:
Woke and got some food, then went to the meet for warm-up. I probably got there a little earlier than I would have liked to, but it gave me time to make sure I was not rushed. Since the pool was somewhat crowded, this worked out alright. My prelims 400 free went as expected…I wanted to be around 3:50 and set myself up for a good finals swim. Overall, the race felt a little bit choppy and forced, but I ended up seated first by a narrow margin. I grabbed some food, jetted back to the hotel for a light snooze, then saddled up for the trip back to finals.
Finals was a whole different atmosphere. The lights were fired up and I could feel the electricity in the air. I felt great in warm-up and my coach, Mike Bottom, pointed out some tiny things in my technique that definitely made a difference in my pace work. My race went really well. I felt much better than the morning, and ended up putting together a pretty good swim. I was a little bit more animated than normal after my race because of it!
As many people have noticed, I have been wearing a swim cap with the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital logo printed on it. First off, special thanks to Speedo for kindly printing the caps. Second, all my swims are dedicated to the kids at the hospital, as well as the staff, who do an amazing job there. When I have more time, I’ll chronicle the details behind it, but those kids are fighters and I’m proud to represent them in this competition.
After my swim and drug test, I was able to get back and watch the Men’s 400 IM. I was also able to snap a few more pictures. Props to all the Club Wolverine swimmers who tore it up tonight too. Tomorrow I have the 200 free so that will definitely be exciting. I hope I don’t feel like a piece of lumber when I wake up in the morning!
Read moreToday was a full day. I started off waking up early because of the time change, which actually wasn’t much earlier than I normally wake up. Then we headed over to the pool for a warm-up. After warm-up, I had to do a few interviews. I also spent a lot more time catching up with people around the deck before heading back to the hotel. Alex, who is my roommate/brother, and I, spent the afternoon shaving down and watching a B grade scary movie. Shaving is a lot more tedious now that the tech suits are gone, so that took awhile. Later this afternoon, I went back to the pool for a brief warm-up again, then went to dinner. The mundane details, I know.
Oh yeah, I remembered to get some venue pictures. Check it out! More to come hopefully….
Anyways, I’m about ready for this meet to start. It’s always exciting to be at the proverbial doorstep of a major competition. I haven’t tapered/shaved in a long time so the excitement is extra high for me. I like to think that everything I have done to prepare is planned to some exact specifications, but the truth is, sometimes a meet like this feels more like high stakes gambling (not that I know much about high stakes gambling). All the base work has been done, but it’s time to see if some of the new things I’ve tried this season will pay off. The only way to do that is to take a chance. I’ve learned a lot about what works for me, and consequently, what doesn’t work for me through competitions like this over the years. This season, I’ve definitely tried some new things and I’m confident that most of them will be positive. If not, I’m gonna find out soon! Taking that chance is definitely part of the fun though.
Well I’m gonna go watch some Shark Week…
Read moreGot to love travel days. Especially, when everything goes according to plan. Flight on time. Check. Solid warm-up at the pool. Check. Good Italian food for dinner. Check. What else can I ask for?
On the flight today I watched a movie called “The Ghost Writer,” which I ended up actually liking. I’m by no means a film expert, but I have the reputation amongst my friends and family as a tough critic, and I’ve definitely suffered through my fair share of in-flight movies. I have to admit though, I didn’t see the ending coming. I won’t ruin it for anyone, but the movie really helped make the time fly by a little bit quicker.
So far the venue looks awesome. I meant to get some pictures today but ended up chatting with everyone on deck instead…Hopefully tomorrow I can make that happen. The gathering period before the meet starts is affectionately known as the BS session. To my knowledge, the term was coined by a very well respected coach who enjoys partaking in the affair. It’s always good to catch up with coaches, swimmers, and others who I haven’t seen in at least a few months. Anyways, props to USA Swimming and the city of Irvine for making the competition pool look big time. It’s way more intense than I remember it 4 years ago, which is awesome. The only thing that would really complete it would be to have this group of guys perform before the national anthem. Just kidding.
There is a lot on the docket tomorrow and I’m pretty tired from the time change. More updates to come…
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