Austin Grand Prix and PACEPAL!

This past weekend our team went to Austin, TX for the Grand Prix held there.  I may have said this last year, but the best part about going to Austin is the food.  The BBQ and Tex-Mex is hard to beat.  I didn’t win a race, but I’m inclined to say that I may have won the crown for “most brisket eaten,” which is obviously the next best thing.  In all seriousness, I was pretty pleased with my swims considering where I am in my training right now.  We’ve been cranking pretty hard in workout, so I was a little bit surprised to go as fast as I did.  That’s always a pleasant surprise. Now we enter a 6 week training cycle to carry us through until our next competition.

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!