UNC Chapel Hill Koury Natatorium...A Sweet Pool!

The Koury Natatorium pool holds a special place in my heart for two reasons.  I attended my first senior nationals spring championship meet here in 1989 as an age group swimmer at the age of 17. My dad and Coach Tim Firstbrook made the trek to North Carolina with me from Minnesota to attend the meet. I recall seeing Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders compete here as a very young swimmer.  Although I only competed in the 50 free at that meet, it was a great opportunity to participate in this competitive environment and take home some college sweatshirts from UNC and Duke.   Then, 23 years later, I qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials in this same pool! As you can imagine, this pool is really special to me.

My good fortune in the Koury Natatorium continued this past weekend.  I competed in the Quad long course meet with my MOR team. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to swim 50 fly on our MOR 200 medley relay and split 27.9, which gave me confidence about my speed work. Unfortunately, there is not a separate warm down pool when the pool is set up as long course so we walk around the pool deck to warm up and warm down.  The officials allow for a few breaks during the meet for swimmers to pop in the water and this adds an extra challenge to the timing we are accustomed to when preparing for races during the meet.  

My second event on Saturday was the 100 free and it followed immediately after the 200 medley relay, giving me only about 10 minutes before I had to race again.  Although I was still breathing hard from the relay, I swam a decent time of 59.89 for my race.  After the race, MOR Coach Brandon Hicks suggested I breathe every third stroke during the first 50 and then switch to every fourth stroke for my second 50, so I'm excited to try this new strategy in my next race. 

I was fortunate to race the 50 free twice on Sunday. The first time was during the individual race and I posted a time of 27.02. I was excited when my timers shared with me that they timed me on their watches at 26.5 and 26.7, although my time on the scoreboard stood as the official time.  My second opportunity to race came about three hours later at the end of the session.  I led off the senior girls 200 free relay. As a lead off swimmer, I requested an official split from the meet referee.  Although I made a mistake on my finish by taking an extra stroke into the wall, I was happy to see my time on the scoreboard as 26.87.   That time was 5 hundredths of a second faster than Mesa...Making progress!

After the meet, I got a text from my friend, Jen Stringer, informing me that we had broken the MOR team record in the 200 free relay with our time of 1:51.45.  That was a little extra surprise!  Along with Jen and me, our other MOR relay teammates were Dominique Quintero and Grace Countie.  After patiently waiting for the Sunday session to end, it was time to enjoy lunch in Chapel Hill at Mama Dips restaurant with Mom and Dad and Eric. 

Our next long course meet is five weeks away at the Bumpy Jones Masters meet in Sarasota, FL. I am excited to compete with my fellow NC Masters swimmers Kerry Lindauer, Alicia Uhl and Jen Stringer.   Together we are hoping take down five FINA Masters long course meters relay world records.  We always have so much fun swimming together and these records would be icing on the cake!  

With no competitions for the next several weeks, it's time to put in some hard training in both the water and the gym to get stronger and faster!

UNC Chapel Hill - May 3, 2015

Gearing Up for Chapel Hill!

Following the Mesa meet, I had two weeks in between my next long course meet, so it was back to speed and power work. Travel is not an issue this time this weekend because the NCAC Quad Meet is in Chapel Hill at UNC.  I am excited to race here with my fellow MOR teammates including my friend, Jen Stringer.  Jen is a fellow Masters swimmer and also trains with me at MOR. Because the meet is so close to home, I’ll have some extra support in the audience.  Eric, my parents, Cliff and Jane Bass, and my strength trainer, Wade Harris, will be there to cheer me on in the 50 free on Sunday. 

This is another great opportunity for long course race experience although we have not yet ratcheted up our long course training.  At this point in the season we only train long course one practice per week at NC State University.  This past week, we focused on fast 50 sprints with 1-2 breaths in preparation for swimming with 0-1 breath in the actual race. My plan for Chapel Hill is to take one breath during the race at the two-thirds mark in order to have a strong finish.

During the past week we focused our strength training on gaining power in the legs. Wade has several wooden boxes he uses in the gym that everyone loves to hate. They are great for vertical jumps and lunges. As an added “benefit," he places a 45 lb.weight on the box and I push it across the artificial turf floor to really get the heart rate up!  He wants me to finish fast pushing the box to mimic finishing a race with depleted oxygen supply. 

With this intense training comes sore muscles.  Sometimes, I stay sore for a couple of days.  So, one other aspect of my training routine is to accelerate my recovery through stretching and massage.  I am grateful to Suzie Bush, the owner of The Sport of Massage located here in Raleigh. I love their slogan, “Train Hard, Recover Smart.”  Although my massages with Rob Hicks are not exactly “relaxing,” they are just what I need to unwind and release the muscle tightness. 

Although we do not officially rest for this weekend’s meet, I will skip my normal 4:45 am practice with MOR and strength training on Friday. Instead, I will sleep in, eat a good breakfast and practice at noon with RAM. 

This meet is only one session per day with the 100 free on Saturday and 50 free on Sunday, with a couple of relays with my MOR teammates 

I look forward to updating everyone after this weekend!

Working hard with the box!

Off to Mesa and the Arena Pro Series!

The Arena Pro Series is a series of meets many of the best swimmers in the world attend.  Michael Phelps made his return to competition after a six-month suspension for a DUI.  Additionally, many Olympians from around the world also competed in Mesa, including Ryan Lochte, Elizabeth Beisel, Natalie Coughlin, Katie Ledecky, Katinka Hosszu, Matt Grevers, Lia Neal, Jessica Hardy, Amanda Weir, Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Simone Manuel, Nick Thoman, Caitlin Leverenz, Conor Dwyer, Tyler Clary, and Cullen Jones. 

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Eric and I flew to Mesa two days early in order to adjust to the three hour time difference from Raleigh. It was a good decision since our early evening flight was delayed several hours and we ended up arriving at our hotel in Mesa at 3am EST!  Needless to say, I was glad that I did not have to race the following morning! 

Thursday, April 16, 2015 

Warm up and great food!

After enjoying a great southwestern lunch with Eric, I headed to the pool to get in a warm up and pick up my credentials for the meet. As frequently happens at these meets, several people assume I am a coach since I am a bit order than most of the other competitors…

I warm up in lane 6 and survey the markings on the bottom of the pool to help me plan my finishing strokes during my 50 free the next morning. I see an Arena sign on the bottom of the pool that I decide will be my marker to help with my finish. Later that night, heat sheets come out for the next day and I'm assigned to lane 1.  So much for my plan to use the Arena sign as a marker since it is not visible from lane 1.  This seems to happen to me so often that it has become a running joke.  I guess I should be use to it by now.

Friday, April 17, 2015

My first race-If not successful...try, try again

Putting on a brand new race suit can be a challenge because they are very tight. With no one I knew to assist with my straps, you have to rely on the kindness of strangers. It just so happened that Olympian Lia Neal was getting ready next to me and was happy to lend a hand.  Earlier that morning during warmup, Ryan Lochte blew past me effortlessly like a shark.  Once I realized who it was, I felt a little better about how easily he flew by me.

At race time, I was ready to go in heat 5 in my outside lane.  I committed to a no breather 50 and was feeling pretty good for the first 2/3 of the race.  Unfortunately, I died coming into the wall. When I turned to look at the clock, I was 8th in the heat with a disappointing 27.48. This was so frustrating because I really wanted to see the 26's at this point in my training.  I immediately hunted Eric down for cash so that I could register for a time trial after the prelims session ended that morning. I knew I could do better and decided to take one breath to see if this would make a difference in my finish. 

After waiting over two hours in the Arizona sun, I gave it another shot and took my breath about 2/3 down the pool. This time, I turned to look at the clock to see 26.92 pop up.  Finally, I posted my fastest time since the summer of 2013-making progress.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Time to Focus on Long Course Training

My second event for the meet was the 100 free on Saturday morning. As usual, I pulled lane 1 again!  What are the odds?  The first half of my race felt nice and controlled, but coming into the finish, I died and finished with 59.76.  That was a good bit off of my best time of 57.99, but was certainly a decent time and great experience to race long course.  Luckily, long course training will pick up in the coming months and I will work on my endurance and managing my energy and effort during these races.

Phelps and Lochte 200 IM and 100 Free Showdown!

Besides the excitement of my races, Eric and I had front row seats to watch two of the greatest swimmers of all time.  Lochte and Phelps renewed their Olympic rivalry during the meet.  We watched Lochte beat Phelps in the finals of the 200 IM.  Clearly, Phelps was not going to lose to Lochte twice on the same night.  Predictably, Phelps took Lochte out in the 100 free out touching him by .05 hundredths of a second. I hope you will take a look at the pictures we posted from the meet.  It will give you a great sense of the intimacy of the event.  There are not many sporting events where you can sit literally just a few feet from some of the greatest athletes in the world.

I made progress in Mesa and feel like my training is starting to show results.  I am 2 months into my 6-month leave of absence from Golden Corral and starting to feel stronger and faster every day. Time to train hard for the next few weeks in advance of the Quad Meet at UNC in Chapel Hill on May 2-3.  In 2012, I qualified for the Olympic Trials at this pool, so I am excited to return and race there!

Michael Phelps off the blocks!

Here We Go Again!

Here we go again! 

As many of you are aware, I was one of three women over the age of 40 who qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials.  I had such a blast the last time around, I decided to try and qualify for the 2016 Olympic Trials.   

After leaving The University of Georgia swim team and graduating from college, I stayed away from swimming for over 12 years.  I was just burned out and tired of the pool.  Luckily, I rediscovered my passion for swimming in my 30’s and never looked back!

Although I no longer went to the pool during those 12 years, my husband, Eric and I stayed active.  We often ran and biked together.  As I got older, however, I realized that running was hard on my body.  I developed heel spurs and severe lower back pain.  After struggling with the pain and discomfort for a few years, I finally listened to my body and decided I should try swimming again.  After a little research, I discovered that there was a Masters swimming program in Raleigh.  Eventually, I joined the Raleigh Area Masters (RAM) swim team.  I was pretty sure that I would enjoy returning to the pool, but what surprised was how much I enjoyed the camaraderie of my teammates.  After my first Masters swim meet, I was hooked!  Soon I was back to tracking my times to measure my performance.  As I saw my times improve, I became motivated to train harder and get faster.  After being back in the pool for several years, I ultimately decided to try to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials.  With the help of my teammates, trainers and coaches, I was successful in achieving my goal, which is documented in this video Eric helped compile. 

Following the 2012 Olympic Trials, I continued training and competing in both Masters and USA-Swimming meets.  Over the last year or so I participated in several relays with my fellow Masters swimmers who set FINA Masters world records. I also set world records in five individual events while continuing to train and compete in USA-Swimming events with the Marlins of Raleigh (MOR).  With the help of my MOR teammates and coaches, I qualified to compete at USA-S Sectional, Grand Prix and National meets across the country.  

In September 2014, the 2016 Olympic Trials qualifying standards were announced. The qualifying time for the 50-meter freestyle is 26.19.  In 2012, the qualifying time was 26.39.  In a 50-meter sprint, improving by two tenths of a second is tough, especially at age 43.  Even so, because I am feeling strong and still getting faster, I decided to try qualifying for the Olympic Trials one more time.  Because I have never gone that fast, I know that swimming the 50 free in 26.19 seconds will be a challenge and will take more time and training than my 2012 effort. 

Thankfully, Golden Corral generously granted me a six-month leave of absence from my job as the Director of Human Resources so that I can train full-time.  Although I have until June 2016 to qualify, I am not getting any younger so I am trying to qualify as soon as possible. Between February and August, I will swim six days a week with both MOR and RAM.  I will also strength train three days a week with Wade Harris.  To stay healthy and maximize my training routine, nutritionist Jennifer Brunelli (http://sportsrdpro.com) is helping me maintain a proper diet.    

The outpouring of support from my family, friends, co-workers and the community is so encouraging and means so much to me.  Many of you asked that we provide updates during our journey. Eric is our official photographer and videographer, as well as my biggest fan.   He has accumulated lots of articles, pictures and videos over the last few years. As I was developing my training plan for the 2016 Olympic Trials, he was hard at work planning how he would document my efforts.  He bought new cameras and took a photography lesson.  He also spent the last few months gathering and organizing information from our 2012 Olympic Trials experience.  During that process, he spoke with some friends and they suggested putting it all on a website where we could share our experiences with family and friends.  We really liked the idea and with help from Chris Buhler at MMI, we created this website so we can keep everyone updated on our latest journey. 

We hope you enjoy the website and visit often.  I will provide frequent (and shorter!) updates about my training, my progress and our travels around the country.