Sunday, August 8th, 2010

I made it home...my bag did not!

My trip home was uneventful, but long.  The return trip seemed to take much longer than the trip over to Sweden.  I am not sure why.  36-hours later, my bag is still missing.

So the week was a success.  Overall, the USMS team took 287 medals (34 gold, 31 silver, and 26 bronze).  As coach, I guess I can take credit for some it that, right?  Americans set 8 World Records and 16 Championship Records.

The Tech Suit era is gone.  After my five events, I would say that the tech suits mean 1.5 seconds per 50M (for me) and maybe a little more in butterfly, where I get the most tired.  I believe I would have had all personal bests with the tech suits.  As it was, I had five "non-tech suit" PRs.  I am going to have to start another spreadsheet of best times.

Spent my last night out on the town with an old friend of mine, Lasse, from college.  We tasted some of the local flavor and I didn't get to bed until about 3am.  It was tough getting up at 6am to make the bus ride to the airport.  THANKS LASSE!

Wednesday August 3rd, 2010

As quickly as it started...it ended!

I have now swum all five of my races and while I was not thrilled with my times, I was very happy with my placing as I achieved one of my goals:  Make in into the Top 10 in the World in my age group (50-54).

On Monday, I swam the 200 Free and 50 Fly at the outdoor, Lundby pool.  The weather held up nicely for the day, and my swims were descent.  I was seeded 11th in the 200 Free and moved up to 8th for my first Top 10.  I was very happy with the swim, and I think I could have been a few seconds faster.  My second race, the 50 fly, was over too fast.  I didn't get into much of a rhythm, but moved up one place from my seed, taking 7th.

Monday night was probably the highlight of my trip as I was able to have dinner and visit with severeal old Swedish friends and "virtual" family members.  It was REALLY fun seeing them all.

Tuesday was my last day of swimming with the hardest day, the 200IM and 100 Fly.  Before the competition, I had figured the 200IM to be my best chance at the Top 10, but my seed was 17th with not much hope.  This was probably my best swim of the competition as I finished in 14th but a good time of 2:35.  I had the most hopes for the 100 fly as I came in seeded fourth.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find that new stroke and I really fell apart the last 15 meters, finishing in 7th.  Second place was the for the taking at a high 1:05.

Tuesday evening, I was able to go out and relax a bit and I led the group to Liseberg, a nearby Swedish amusement park.  It was fun getting to know more USMS swimmers from around the country!

Today, I spent the day watching the relays.  The FINA rules don't allow "American" relays, so the US does not have too much of a presence.  It makes me want to recruit some Swim Dogs for Italy in 2012.

I only have one day left here...to be filled coaching.  Then, it's back to the US on Friday to coach the Swim Dogs in a meet on Saturday.

Monday, August 1st, 2010

Despite the late timeline yesterday, several USMS swimmers made it out to the Picnic in the Park:

Since the weather had been a bit tricky too, most people weren't even sure what to pack to eat.  But that was okay, because there was a Grill Kiosk nearby and everyone enjoyed local Swedish take-out/late night favorites:  Korv och Mos (hot dog and mashed potatoes), kottbullar (meatballs), and mjuk glass (soft serve ice cream).

From the park, I noticed a pretty cool pool...not one of the swimming venues.  In the picture below, you'll see a pool in the upper-right corner of this hotel.  If you look closely, you'll see a girls through the glass...swimming in the pool.  She's waving her hand at me!

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

Finally got to hit the water today in my first race, the 100 free.  I had hoped to go under 1-minute and swim my best time.  It was not to be, however, as I finished in 1:01.24.  It was my best time without the aid of a full-body swim suit, so I was not too disappoint.  The disappoint came when I saw my overall result:  11th place by 7/100th of a second!  I was very close to getting a medal (top 10).  I was out fast, where I needed to be, but got caught up "racing" instead of swimming my own race, and I think I lost some speed due to tightening up.  I really need to stay loose.

Tomorrow, I have descent chance of breaking into the Top 10, but I must swim very well to do so.

When I awoke this morning...wait for it...IT WAS RAINING!  What a pain it's becoming.  It broke about noon and turned into a very nice evening, but I saw on Yahoo weather that it's supposed to start raining again tonight.  Yuck!

Saturday, July 31st 2010

The rain has stopped, and the sun has come out..YEAH!

Made the trip over to Lundby this morning to help during the Men's 800 Free.  Masters swimmers don't need much help, but I suppose it's nice to know you've got people rooting for you.  There are 49 heats of the 800 (34 for women) making the timeline a 9am to 7pm event!

Last night's opening ceremony was pretty fun.  The rain stopped just long enough to lure people out of their hotel rooms only to start pouring again.

Had a descent dinner with Craig, Tom, and Luca, a swimmer from Italy.  The price wasn't too bad either.  Getting anxious to swim!

Friday, July 29th, 2010

"Oregon Called:  They want their weather back!"

Made it safely to Sweden. Everything was on time and the flights were easy. Got lots of sleep.

Hotel room is adequate...like an IKEA-themed college dorm...very Swedish.

Have already met LOTS of swimmers from around the world: Australia, Italy, and Japan, not to mention all the Americans. It's pretty cool.

Worst thing: the cost of beer at $8 a glass in the hotel. Thankfully I have a fridge in my room. I need to keep up my training, you know!

Next worst thing: it has been POURING since my arrival and its raining hard right now...sure to dampen things! My shoes are soaked from two short walks last night. I would imagine the outdoor training pool will be empty today.

Today is a light training day, so I am headed to swim at both competition pools. They are a 20-minute tram ride apart.

Opening ceremonies tonight. Meet starts tomorrow. My first swim, 100 free, is Sunday. Heat 40-something of 108!
 

Thursday, July 28th, 2010

First leg of the journey went well.  The flights from Denver to Chicago and Chicago to Copenhagen went easily.  Had hoped to make it on an earlier flight, but "you have to travel with your bag" since 9/11.  What a pain.  It would have been nice to hit the Valhalla pool this afternoon.  CPN airport is pretty nice, but expensive.  A sandwich is about $15 and with a beer, you'll drop $30.  I think I'll look for some mjukglas (soft serve ice cream) and have a nice dinner in Goteborg tonight.

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

I've just begun the real part of the journey as I am right now on the plane from Denver to Chicago on the first leg of my trip.

Training has gone pretty well.  I had a bit of a breakthrough on my butterfly yesterday, and I am excited to see if I can translate that into competition...which starts on Sunday, the 1st.

The coaching angle has been awesome.  We've put together Facebook groups, social events, and athlete lists.  It's all been really fun, and I must say that I am equally excited about the coaching.

I am very excited to get to Goteborg, check-in, and see the pool...I arrive at 6pm on Thursday!

Stay tuned!

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

Worlds is really starting to take shape as the psyche sheet was posted yesterday.

The meet is not as large as Stanford in 2006 (7,000), but it's still formidable.  I would venture to guess that my age group (50-54) is one of the largest, and the men usually outnumber the women in these types of meets.

Here's how I am seeded in my five events:

• August 1st, 100M Free (1:00.53) in 17th place

• August 2nd, 200M Free (2:14.45) in 11th place

• August 2nd, 50M Fly(28.93) in 8th place

• August 3rd, 200M Individual Medley (2:32.44) in 19th place

• August 3rd, 100 Fly (1:05.45) in 4th place

For the most part, I like my seeding.  The 100 Fly is the scariest, and the 1:05 was a pretty aggressive seed time.  I swam a 1:04.9 last year at Lowry, but it was in a tech suit...however, untapered, and I didn't even think I was going hard.  I just don't like being in the fastest heat, even if I deserve it.

I am also a bit surprised my my 200IM seed.  I thought this would be my best chance at the Top 10, but it's actually my most difficult chance.  The 2:32 was my time two years ago at Nationals, and it was in a full-body suit (not a "tech" suit, per se).

Training continues with Rich, Chris, Kathy, and Heidi.  It's really fun working with the group and pushing each other.  It would be REALLY cool if the focus pays off.  Last year, I spent lots of time building my distance-base for The Channel, and this year, the focus has been much more on sprinting.  It would be nice to "show up" for the rest of the team.

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

I have been a bit remiss in blogging about my preparation for Worlds.  I've NOT been slacking in my training, however, as I have exactly four weeks until my first competition day, August 1st.

Rich Abrahams and I have been working together and coordinating our push toward Worlds (for me) and LC Nationals (for him).  It's been fun developing the training focus for every day up until we depart for our respective events.  I feel like I am pretty well prepared.

I've swum in two meets over the past weeks, with mixed results.  Hoped to be under :30-seconds in the 50 fly, but have twice been at :30.5.  My 50 free at 27.5, though, was respectable.  Not sure what to expect in the longer events (200IM, 200Free, and 100 Fly).  I WISH I HAD THE TECH SUIT!

The main reason I have not been writing about my training is that I was selected as one of the USMS coaches for the events, and I have been spending quite a bit of time putting together some "social sites" for the 200+ Americans swimming in Sweden next month.  There are three other coaches selected as a part of the staff:

It will be cool working with these other coaches, and I am hoping that my coaching does not interfere with my swimming (as it usually does).  That's why I am spending so much time up front with helping out so they give me a break in Sweden.

Here's the link to the Facebook page:  USMS @ 2010 FINA Worlds.

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

It may be hard to believe, but I am already preparing for Worlds.  I think it's more of a mindset than anything, but I have already noticed a difference in my training:  It has more purpose.

On Sunday, I went to DU to practice long-course meters, and I put in one of the longest practice sessions of my life:  5,500 meters!  That's almost double what I usually go in one session.  I felt like crap afterward.

Today, however, I swam about 3,000 at the 25-yard pool at GW, and I felt great...strong, even.  I need to keep up this good attitude about swimming.

The CO State SCY Championship meet is coming up next weekend, and I've entered.  I don't have big expectations, and I am just going to "train" my way through it.  No tapering.

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

Day one of this blog:

I've bitten the bullet and made my reservations for the 2010 FINA World Masters Championships.  The stars and moons aligned on this one:

• Long-course 50 years old

• Lived in Sweden in 70s and 80s

• Plane fare under $1,000

I've entered five events:  100 and 200 Freestyle, 50 and 100 Butterfly, and the 200IM.  Based upon my times from last year, I have a chance to place in the Top 10 in my age group...in the WORLD!

Here's the meaning of "long course 50".  According to FINA master's rules, the "age up" day is December 31st of the year you are competing, so your age on December 31st is the age you are swimming...I'll be 50 in November, meaning I get to swim in the 50-55 age group even though I will technically be only 49.  I'm at the low-end of the age group!

For those who don't know this, I was an exchange student in Sweden and went to both high school and college there in the late 70s and early 80s.  I still speak pretty good Swedish, and I have several friend who live there.  Dana and I visited Sweden in 2006, just before the World Masters Championships at Stanford University.