On a totally separate note, I’m pleased to introduce a new sponsor, PACEPAL.

PACEPAL is a portable underwater clock specifically designed for swimming.  I’m really excited about promoting this product because I am a big believer in it’s benefits.  PACEPAL’s founder, Larry Day, is a longtime swimming enthusiast.   He created a product that I have always desired: a clock that you can see while swimming.  As a distance swimmer myself, I am the type that feeds off positive momentum in practice.  For years, I’ve looked up and checked my times at the running clock on deck, sacrificing speed and more importantly, sound technique, to see how fast I’m going.   Not anymore!  With this product, I can easily check my pace during a set while actually promoting good technique, like keeping my head down on the turns.  This is just one example of many that makes the PACEPAL a valuable training asset.  Recently in training, I set a personal best practice time for a timed 1500 freestyle using PACEPAL.  It kept me right on pace and motivated me to stay on pace.  Teammates also noted how the set goes by faster when you’re concentrating on keeping pace.  I believe that PACEPAL is a great tool for everyone who enjoys swimming, from those who compete at the world-class level, to those who simply swim for exercise and enjoyment.  Thanks PACEPAL, for making me a better swimmer, especially in this Olympic year!

Unfortunately, this meet came directly after our hardest training cycle of the year.  I wasn’t much of a factor in terms of scoring points for the team, but I also recognize that no Olympic medals are won at this meet.  I had a lot of fun though and enjoyed the experience.  Congrats to former UM teammate, Davis Tarwater, who set the American Record in the 200 fly!  Our final team dinner was held at the Aquarium in Atlanta, which is awesome.  I got this sweet picture of one of the whale sharks.  I also had the chance to visit with former teammate, Ben Michaelson, who is getting married and shipping out to Afghanistan in the Spring.

A few days after the Duel, I headed home to Michigan for Christmas, and to train with my club team, the Oakland Live Y’ers.  In the ATL airport, I saw the “Turtleman,” who is most widely famous for his Youtube video.   It was awesome to go home and see my family and friends.  I really had a good time and it was a nice break from the normal grind.

Bros and swim buddies

The day after Christmas, my family went downtown to the Boll YMCA where my bros and I helped with a swim clinic for some kids in the area.   A good time was had by all.  There are definitely some talented kids in Detroit and I hope they stick with swimming.  A special thanks to Speedo and USA Swimming for donating suits for the Swim Detroit Initiative.  Also, a big thank you to the great folks at the Boll YMCA for all the great work they do for kids in the community.

My friend Isaiah, who attend the event

I flew back to Florida yesterday from Detroit.  My mom convinced me to take one of the summer sausages that came from the deer my dad shot this year during hunting season.  It was frozen and in my carry-on bag.  Needless to say, I was stopped at security because something in my bag looked suspicious.  The kind gentleman working security, opened my bag and gave me a weird look, in which I replied, “It’s just food.”  Apparently the guy at the computer thought is was a water bottle…

Anyways, I’m back to the normal schedule now and getting ready for 2012!

Yesterday Christian and I ran in the Turkey Trot.  It was pretty crowded but a lot of fun.  I’m just glad I was able to out-run some of the dogs that were running alongside their owners.  One particular beagle was hard to shake…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving day and enjoyed some turkey.  If you’re venturing out for Black Friday shopping today, good luck…

Last weekend I raced for the first time since Nats.  Have you ever left your car in the the driveway for months and tried to start it, only to cringe as it barely turns over?   That was me this past weekend.  Not only have I not raced in awhile, but I’ve been beat down by some pretty hard training recently.  Some of my races weren’t too bad, but a few of them were horrendous.  Luckily I’ll have a few days rest for Nats in ATL so I won’t be nearly as tired.

This weekend I’m heading to LA for Golden Goggles.  It should be a fun trip, minus the plane ride.  Then I leave to go home for Thanksgiving.  Christian and I (the only two in my family tough enough, yes, I said it) signed up for the Turkey Trot early Thursday morning in downtown Detroit.  That will count as my workout for the day, justifying the 8 million calories I will consume thereafter.  If you live in the area and want to join the run, I think you can still sign up, even the morning of…Don’t let staying out til 2am on the biggest bar night of the year deter you.

Special props to my mom who raised $1200 for swimsuits for kids in Detroit.  She has collected over 250 suits so far…Thanks to everyone who has helped her!

This weekend I’m heading to the Bay area for some Fitter and Faster Swim Tour events.  The following weekend I will be in NJ and PA for Breakout Swim Clinics.  These are pretty much my last travel weekends sans the holidays.  Unless the Tigers make the World Series, in which case I’ll sell a kidney for a ticket!

Our team

View of Lanai from the hotel beach

Our escort boat. Thankfully didn't sink, like one of the others...

This past weekend I went back to Ann Arbor for the first Michigan football night game.  The experience was unforgettable, as Michigan eeked out a close win over Notre Dame in the final seconds.  The atmosphere was more wild than any game I’ve ever attended.  The Desmond Howard legend ceremony gave me goosebumps before the game even started.  I had a great time seeing friends and family too.  After the game I ended up coming down with some sort of stomach virus, which ruined my Saturday night.  The flight home Sunday was not my favorite travel experience!  To anyone I didn’t get to say goodbye to, sorry!

Nick and myself at the game

Now for a few plugs…

If you are a person who enjoys keeping up with Olympic sports but hasn’t found a news outlet to do so, then check out this site: www.dailyhouse.com.  It was started by USA Olympian speed skater Joey Cheek.  Joey and company have daily blog-style updates with news and current events that are informative, witty, and entertaining.  Definitely a good site to visit if you’re into the Olympic movement.

If you are a person who feels strongly about giving to charitable causes, then check out this site:  www.globalempathynow.org.  It was started by my longtime friend Randy Lam and his girlfriend, with a mission to help feed underprivileged children.  I’ve known Randy for most of my life, and I can guarantee that this charity is reputable.  We swam together for years and Randy is one of the most loyal and trustworthy people I know.  If you are looking to make a charitable donation now, or maybe towards the holiday season, this would be an excellent choice.  After all, who’s against feeding the children?!

I’ll try to get some good pictures in Hawaii to post upon my return!

Now our team is at the Olympic Training Center for 10 days to get back into shape.  This is always the hardest part of the year, going from taper to full-on training.  My body hurts…

Yesterday we went on a hike through one of the local trails.  It was great to get outside and do some exercise away from the pool.  The scenery was awesome, especially once we made it to the top.

View from the top

Obligatory group photo

On a cliff

This trip is starting to feel really long though.  Thankfully there is a laundry facility here!

Overall, I was really happy with my swims.  Leading into the meet I was curious because none of my in-season times were close to what I wanted to be at Worlds.  Fortunately, all the work paid off and I swam non-body suit best times.  I was really hoping to get an individual medal but I can’t complain with the progress I’ve made this season.  I also wished I could have been faster in the finals of the 1500.  I’m excited to see how fast I can go next year at Trials.  The pool was incredible though, and the Chinese did a great job of making the meet exciting.

Shanghai was an interesting experience.  As soon as I got off the plane, it was like deja vu from Beijing all over again.  The two cities are very different, but China is China.  The air is not very good, and the language and cultural barriers are significant.  The people are very nice though, and eager to help.  I found them to be very trustworthy, as they could easily take advantage of foreigners who don’t speak Chinese, like myself.  I didn’t get to see much of the city but the view from the hotel was amazing.

  I also went to the top of the Financial Tower and the view almost does justice in showing the size of the city.

I also had a chance to go to the markets to buy some knock-off junk.  If you ever go to China, this is a must-do activity.  To be fair, some of the stuff is good quality, but most of it isn’t.  The fun is haggling for it.  This was very popular on our team.

It’s nice to be back in the States though and I’m excited about swimming some other events this week.