Tonight was almost as good as last night. Julia Smit just missed another world record in the 200 IM by 2 tenths of a second! WOW Pretty phenomenal swimming if you ask me. This girl is going to be someone to watch over the next 4 years.
And I went another best time in my 200 Br. 2.21.63. New Canadian record, best time by almost 2 full seconds. I am really pleased with this time, and can't wait to race later in the year when I feel at full capacity.
I have to say that I was inspired to swim this fast by a dear family friend who my mom says is the bravest person she has ever met. Aingeal, that was for you xoxox My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Well one more day, I've got the 50 br and the 100 IM, just a few fun sprint events :) I love ending the meet on the 50, there is no pressure and I can just go out there and give it my all.
So till tomorrow
xox
Toodaloo
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
What a Night!
First night of the Canada Cup here in Toronto proved to be quite the experience!!! Julia Smit from Stanford smashed the WORLD RECORD! in the 400 IM!! WOW, she looked amazing from start to finish. It is quite something to swim that fast this early in the season, and here in Toronto where it really isn't the best pool. But hey, I guess all you need is a lane and some water. So well done to her!!
My race was not to bad either, raced Tara Kirk, the American record holder in the 100 BR. I always like racing people who are quite a bit faster than me, it gives me new goals and things to work towards. Ended up with a best time and therefore a new Canadian record, 106.23. Pretty happy with that all things considering, there were quite a few mistakes with the race, mostly the start and the turns. Now if I can get those fixed and get some real training under my belt this spring should be pretty awesome.
There were 4 Canadian records broken tonight!! And 2 more missed by under 1 tenth. WAY TO GO CANADA!!
I think everyone was pretty pumped after our awards night last night. It was soooo much fun MCing, I was seriously born to be on the stage. I am so comfortable up there, it is like second nature. They showed a great highlight video from the past year, and another one from the past 100 years of Canadian swimming (we are celebrating our 100 year anniversary). Ryan Cochrane was the guest speaker and did a wonderful job, his race from Beijing was truly inspiring. London 2012, I don't think the world is going to know what hit them when us Canadians come to town. They presented the Omega male and female swimmers of the year last night, Ryan Cochrane was the male and yours truly the female. It is nice to be rewarded for all the hard work I have put in over the past 2 years, we were both presented with Omega watches for the award.
Well bed time for me :)
200 breast tomorrow! Let's hope for some speedyness :)
toodaloo
My race was not to bad either, raced Tara Kirk, the American record holder in the 100 BR. I always like racing people who are quite a bit faster than me, it gives me new goals and things to work towards. Ended up with a best time and therefore a new Canadian record, 106.23. Pretty happy with that all things considering, there were quite a few mistakes with the race, mostly the start and the turns. Now if I can get those fixed and get some real training under my belt this spring should be pretty awesome.
There were 4 Canadian records broken tonight!! And 2 more missed by under 1 tenth. WAY TO GO CANADA!!
I think everyone was pretty pumped after our awards night last night. It was soooo much fun MCing, I was seriously born to be on the stage. I am so comfortable up there, it is like second nature. They showed a great highlight video from the past year, and another one from the past 100 years of Canadian swimming (we are celebrating our 100 year anniversary). Ryan Cochrane was the guest speaker and did a wonderful job, his race from Beijing was truly inspiring. London 2012, I don't think the world is going to know what hit them when us Canadians come to town. They presented the Omega male and female swimmers of the year last night, Ryan Cochrane was the male and yours truly the female. It is nice to be rewarded for all the hard work I have put in over the past 2 years, we were both presented with Omega watches for the award.
Well bed time for me :)
200 breast tomorrow! Let's hope for some speedyness :)
toodaloo
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Busy Week
It has been quite the busy week, from papers due, to a mountain (and yes I mean mountain) of laundry, and packing, I can't believe it is Wednesday already.
Flew to Toronto today for the Canada Cup swim meet that will be held at the Etobicoke Olympian all weekend. Had to get up at the crack of dawn (ugh) 5am, to get to the airport for 5:50, luckily I have a pretty great roomie who didn't mind getting up and driving me there. xox
Should be a pretty speedy meet, the first real racing since the Olympics, I am pretty pumped. It is going to be awesome as well to see the teammates I haven't seen since we left Beijing 2 months ago wholy moley I mean 3 months,,, wow has time ever flown by. I am pretty much swimming the usual, 50, 100, 200 breaststroke, and the 100 IM (woo hoo I never get to branch out). There is some great competition here, Tara Kirk from Stanford will be a great race in the 50 and 100, her best times are pretty speedy, and she is just coming back from some great swims at the world cups so I look forward to that.
The Big Splash in on tomorrow night, this is our much much smaller version of the Americans Golden Goggle awards. But all in all a great time to celebrate what we achieved this past year. Over 30 Canadian records were broken last year, a feat that has not happened in well.. almost forever. It is really amazing to see how much better we are becoming as a swimming nation. I am very proud. Also.... I happen to be the MC for tomorrow nights processions,,, eeek, a little nervous, kinda,,, meh not really, this is what I do best :) Stand up in front of people and talk! haha!
We don't come to Toronto very often but I love when we do.. not so much because of the pool (it is actually a dump with no air!) but because I get to see one of my bestest friends in the world Nikki. We went to high school together and were pretty much forced to be friends because of our vice principal. See she was the new kid in school and a synchro swimmer, so he figured I was around the pool a lot, and so was she so we may as well give it a try. One embarrassing hockey game later,,, it was inevitable. Friends always. Man the adventures the two of us have gotten into I don't even think people would believe them. Lets just say, there will never be a Thanksgiving that goes by, or a Valentines day that I don't think of her.There is always an adventure to be had when Nikki is around!
Well, I will let ya all know how it goes in the days to come.
Toodaloo from Chilly Toronto
Flew to Toronto today for the Canada Cup swim meet that will be held at the Etobicoke Olympian all weekend. Had to get up at the crack of dawn (ugh) 5am, to get to the airport for 5:50, luckily I have a pretty great roomie who didn't mind getting up and driving me there. xox
Should be a pretty speedy meet, the first real racing since the Olympics, I am pretty pumped. It is going to be awesome as well to see the teammates I haven't seen since we left Beijing 2 months ago wholy moley I mean 3 months,,, wow has time ever flown by. I am pretty much swimming the usual, 50, 100, 200 breaststroke, and the 100 IM (woo hoo I never get to branch out). There is some great competition here, Tara Kirk from Stanford will be a great race in the 50 and 100, her best times are pretty speedy, and she is just coming back from some great swims at the world cups so I look forward to that.
The Big Splash in on tomorrow night, this is our much much smaller version of the Americans Golden Goggle awards. But all in all a great time to celebrate what we achieved this past year. Over 30 Canadian records were broken last year, a feat that has not happened in well.. almost forever. It is really amazing to see how much better we are becoming as a swimming nation. I am very proud. Also.... I happen to be the MC for tomorrow nights processions,,, eeek, a little nervous, kinda,,, meh not really, this is what I do best :) Stand up in front of people and talk! haha!
We don't come to Toronto very often but I love when we do.. not so much because of the pool (it is actually a dump with no air!) but because I get to see one of my bestest friends in the world Nikki. We went to high school together and were pretty much forced to be friends because of our vice principal. See she was the new kid in school and a synchro swimmer, so he figured I was around the pool a lot, and so was she so we may as well give it a try. One embarrassing hockey game later,,, it was inevitable. Friends always. Man the adventures the two of us have gotten into I don't even think people would believe them. Lets just say, there will never be a Thanksgiving that goes by, or a Valentines day that I don't think of her.There is always an adventure to be had when Nikki is around!
Well, I will let ya all know how it goes in the days to come.
Toodaloo from Chilly Toronto
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Week in Review
Well it has been quite the busy week, hence the lack of updating.
On Monday went to a speed networking function put on by the Canadian Sports Center. Basically it was like speed dating but with business people from all over the city, to network, hopefully get some great contacts and in the future, when I become a real person,,, a job!
Then Wednesday I met Jane Roos, founder of the Canadian Athletes Now Fund. What an amazing woman she is, I was truly inspired, her journey over the past 11 years that the fund has been in place has been quite the adventure, with many many ups and downs but she has never given up her desire to help as many Canadian athletes as she can. Plus I got to hang out with some of my Olympic friends, and some new ones. I have mentioned this fund before, it is so awesome, they have helped almost 1000 Canadian athletes, and are working towards helping many more.
The best thing about this fund is that every person in Canada can help, there is no exclusivity to the fund. Jane wants every Canadian out there to feel like they have helped put our athletes on that international podium. The campaign before Beijing 8 for 08,08, was a huge success, donate just 8 dollars to help out an athlete. Unlike other charities or funds the money goes straight to the athlete and the person who donates is sent the name of the athlete they have just helped. So if anyone feels like donating, and you really should,,, I mean 8 dollars is all you have to give,,, that's skipping your Starbucks for 2 days, and instead helping out one of our athletes. Go check out the homepage
http://www.canadianathletesnow.ca/home/
Other than that, it's taper time! I am heading off to Toronto on Wednesday for Canada Cup. Where there should be some pretty speedy swimming that goes down. Not that I have had much to taper from, racing is going to be more of a mental game for me next weekend. I am going to have to be really tough and just give it everything I've got, and then some. I am actually really excited to get there, it will be a chance to see most of my teammates from the summer who I haven't seen since we left Beijing.
Practices have been mediocre, it seems to be that I have one really great workout, and then 2 bad ones. As stressful as that is I am trying to stay as positive as I can and use it as an opportunity to really work on my technique, and all the little things that will hopefully bring me to the next level, and I am getting RIPPED!!! Well at least working on it!
My appointment with the ENT is December 10th, a little bit of a wait, but hopefully they will be able to give me some solutions when I do finally get into seeing them.
Here are some pics from Wednesday night. Enjoy!
The group of people who came out to show their support for the Canadian Athletes Fund!
A list of the athletes helped in 2007/2008, pretty amazing if you ask me.
Jane Roos daughter and my new friend Ruby. She wants to be an Olympic athlete when she grows up.
Some UBC athletes, Anthony Wright (field hockey), Jake Wetzel (Olympic gold medalist-mens 8 Beijing, silver-mens 4 Athens), me, Marian Schole (field hockey), all recipients of fund in 2008.
Jake Wetzel with his 2 Olympic medals.
Trying to fit under a table to play with Ruby
Anthony, Jane Roos, Marian. What we would do without Jane?? I don't know...
All the fabulous photos were taken by Ron Sombilon, go check out his site, it's pretty cool.
www.ronsombilongallery.com
On Monday went to a speed networking function put on by the Canadian Sports Center. Basically it was like speed dating but with business people from all over the city, to network, hopefully get some great contacts and in the future, when I become a real person,,, a job!
Then Wednesday I met Jane Roos, founder of the Canadian Athletes Now Fund. What an amazing woman she is, I was truly inspired, her journey over the past 11 years that the fund has been in place has been quite the adventure, with many many ups and downs but she has never given up her desire to help as many Canadian athletes as she can. Plus I got to hang out with some of my Olympic friends, and some new ones. I have mentioned this fund before, it is so awesome, they have helped almost 1000 Canadian athletes, and are working towards helping many more.
The best thing about this fund is that every person in Canada can help, there is no exclusivity to the fund. Jane wants every Canadian out there to feel like they have helped put our athletes on that international podium. The campaign before Beijing 8 for 08,08, was a huge success, donate just 8 dollars to help out an athlete. Unlike other charities or funds the money goes straight to the athlete and the person who donates is sent the name of the athlete they have just helped. So if anyone feels like donating, and you really should,,, I mean 8 dollars is all you have to give,,, that's skipping your Starbucks for 2 days, and instead helping out one of our athletes. Go check out the homepage
http://www.canadianathletesnow.ca/home/
Other than that, it's taper time! I am heading off to Toronto on Wednesday for Canada Cup. Where there should be some pretty speedy swimming that goes down. Not that I have had much to taper from, racing is going to be more of a mental game for me next weekend. I am going to have to be really tough and just give it everything I've got, and then some. I am actually really excited to get there, it will be a chance to see most of my teammates from the summer who I haven't seen since we left Beijing.
Practices have been mediocre, it seems to be that I have one really great workout, and then 2 bad ones. As stressful as that is I am trying to stay as positive as I can and use it as an opportunity to really work on my technique, and all the little things that will hopefully bring me to the next level, and I am getting RIPPED!!! Well at least working on it!
My appointment with the ENT is December 10th, a little bit of a wait, but hopefully they will be able to give me some solutions when I do finally get into seeing them.
Here are some pics from Wednesday night. Enjoy!
The group of people who came out to show their support for the Canadian Athletes Fund!
A list of the athletes helped in 2007/2008, pretty amazing if you ask me.
Jane Roos daughter and my new friend Ruby. She wants to be an Olympic athlete when she grows up.
Some UBC athletes, Anthony Wright (field hockey), Jake Wetzel (Olympic gold medalist-mens 8 Beijing, silver-mens 4 Athens), me, Marian Schole (field hockey), all recipients of fund in 2008.
Jake Wetzel with his 2 Olympic medals.
Trying to fit under a table to play with Ruby
Anthony, Jane Roos, Marian. What we would do without Jane?? I don't know...All the fabulous photos were taken by Ron Sombilon, go check out his site, it's pretty cool.
www.ronsombilongallery.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
What a trip!
Three Beautiful sisters! xox
Model posing,,, I look,,,, special
Our most fantastic chocolate cake... now I can eat, but we almost died trying to finish this...
It came with gravy boats of chocolate and caramel sauce... Is there anything better? No I really do not think so!! Yummy
Realizing that I have been using the serving spoon, and the others are using measly little teaspoons hee hee
We were a little bit messy, or I should say Hanna was a little messy..
The eventually finished plate, we pushed through and never gave up.
Pike place market.. Flying fishies, they threw one at me, what a rip! Not to worry though, it was fake
The scary Monk fish that tried to attack me, we kissed and made up :)Thanks to Seattle, my sisters and The Oceanaire restaurant extraordinaire for the wonderful weekend.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I'm in!!
Back from a most fabulous weekend down south with my sisters. We shopped, we ate, we laughed so hard there may have been stares from strangers. All in all quite the weekend.
I am in a bit of shock though at how much money I managed to spend, ooops, but I guess it was all worth it, lots of great times were had. :) We conquered the most massive brownie mountain you have ever seen, almost didn't make it through, but we were troopers, and pulled through in the clutch. I am proud of us!
There was however one injury that happened, I was stepped on while looking at shoes, yup that's right.... Injury by Jimmy Choo! I mean if it had to happen at least it was by one fabulous pair of shoes, and also, I now know that if you are ever being attacked, a great pair of heels can have your back! Now all I need is that great pair of heels.
I saw a preview for the movie shopaholic, I think the director could have followed me around for an afternoon and no one would know the difference between that and the real movie.
Well, off to bed for me now, I will post some pics tomorrow.
Toodaloo
I am in a bit of shock though at how much money I managed to spend, ooops, but I guess it was all worth it, lots of great times were had. :) We conquered the most massive brownie mountain you have ever seen, almost didn't make it through, but we were troopers, and pulled through in the clutch. I am proud of us!
There was however one injury that happened, I was stepped on while looking at shoes, yup that's right.... Injury by Jimmy Choo! I mean if it had to happen at least it was by one fabulous pair of shoes, and also, I now know that if you are ever being attacked, a great pair of heels can have your back! Now all I need is that great pair of heels.
I saw a preview for the movie shopaholic, I think the director could have followed me around for an afternoon and no one would know the difference between that and the real movie.
Well, off to bed for me now, I will post some pics tomorrow.
Toodaloo
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Roadtripping!!!!
Me and ma sistas are off to Seattle for a little shopping roadtrip!!!! SOOOOOOOO exciting!!!
wooo hooo
wooo hooo
Friday, November 14, 2008
Team TB
Finally! I have had a few good workouts in the past 2 days, this not breathing thing really is not too fun when it comes to hard workouts and you basically are doing them without oxygen. But yesterday I pulled through and sucked it up and had a good one. Now when it comes to workouts with coach Joe a good workout does not just mean swimming through the whole workout, it means that you are kicking some serious butt!! And that is what I did last night! I thought I was going to barf for a good hour afterwards but it was sooooo worth it. I hate not being able to train at my full potential, and what sucks more is that there is really not much that I can do about it. I have some sort of vocal dysfunction, this means that my vocal cords are getting irritated for some reason and spasming and then closing. NOT FUN! I sound just awful when it starts to happen, and getting air both in and out becomes a challenge.
My little group that I train with consists of 4 amazing girls, TEAM TB! (The TB stands for tough Bi*%h) It's true, there are not many people who can handle the workouts and stuff that we do day in and day out. People have tried,,,, they come in planning on doing it for a week or two and crash and burn somewhere in the first week completely unable to handle it and go home with their tails between their legs. It is pretty awesome to know that what I am doing in training can out do many people in the swimming world. It is quite the mental boost when you hop up on those blocks to race.
I believe in honest training. Giving it your all and not giving up. Now this means that when you are not doing what you should you are going to get called out on it! And fair enough, but the thing is you have to make sure that when you do call someone out its has to be at the proper time and for the right reason. It is super annoying when you are doing a really hard set and someone is consistently behind by quite a bit because they aren't trying, and then on the last one all of a sudden they take off and beat you, you have worked your butt off the entire way and they get the glory of the last one. (We like to call this save it up Sammy) However, this accounts only for sets that matter.... and if you still beat the person on the last one well then ya it is still annoying but really don't worry about it. And do not start calling someone out on a set that isn't important.
My other little is here saying I have to say how fabulous she is... so hi Winnie, you are a fabulous dork! xox
Well thats all..
Today was brought to you by the letter G, the number 6 and my 3$TH crew
toodaloo
My little group that I train with consists of 4 amazing girls, TEAM TB! (The TB stands for tough Bi*%h) It's true, there are not many people who can handle the workouts and stuff that we do day in and day out. People have tried,,,, they come in planning on doing it for a week or two and crash and burn somewhere in the first week completely unable to handle it and go home with their tails between their legs. It is pretty awesome to know that what I am doing in training can out do many people in the swimming world. It is quite the mental boost when you hop up on those blocks to race.
I believe in honest training. Giving it your all and not giving up. Now this means that when you are not doing what you should you are going to get called out on it! And fair enough, but the thing is you have to make sure that when you do call someone out its has to be at the proper time and for the right reason. It is super annoying when you are doing a really hard set and someone is consistently behind by quite a bit because they aren't trying, and then on the last one all of a sudden they take off and beat you, you have worked your butt off the entire way and they get the glory of the last one. (We like to call this save it up Sammy) However, this accounts only for sets that matter.... and if you still beat the person on the last one well then ya it is still annoying but really don't worry about it. And do not start calling someone out on a set that isn't important.
My other little is here saying I have to say how fabulous she is... so hi Winnie, you are a fabulous dork! xox
Well thats all..
Today was brought to you by the letter G, the number 6 and my 3$TH crew
toodaloo
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Adventures and Thanks
Wooo Hooo.... Starbucks came out with their wonderful Christmas stuff today :) It is actually almost as exciting as real Christmas, so I am sitting here, writing this entry and sipping on an eggnog latte. YUMMY!
Being a professional athlete is not always the easiest. I love it, but the huge amount of time it consumes sometimes makes life difficult. I have never had enough time to have a "real" job, and as we all know the Canadian funding system is really not the greatest (unless you are a winter sport), therefore finding the funding and means to keep ones self afloat can be super difficult. Sometimes there are amazing funds out there formed just for the purpose of helping us athletes make it to the top. The Canadian Athletes Now fund is one of those funds. Jane Roos, the founder, since its inception in 1996 has given bursaries to so many Canadian athletes it is astounding. I was one of the fortunate athletes last year to receive her bursary, it made such a difference in my financial capabilities, for a while I did not have to worry at all how I was going to pay for my swimming. So to Jane and everyone at Canadian Athletes Now Fund THANK YOU!!!!!
This weekend the Canadian Athletes Now Fund is having a live telethon and auction on Shaw TV. Shaw is going to match the donations made by up to 500, 000$ WOW! That is 1 million for Canadian athletes!! I am linking a website so all of you can go and check out the fabulous auction items, or simply donate to this wonderful cause.
http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/AboutShaw/MakingItHappen/AuctionItems.html
Support your athletes and please donate.
On another note.... I had some extra time yesterday,,, I really should have been writing my paper... but instead my sister Hanna and I had ourselves a little picture adventure.
Hanna and I in the car pumping ourselves up before the adventure
A little car dancing to get pumped up.
Laughing after Hanna gets a little to intense and hits her head...
A little bit of physio to make sure all is in working order
Our Championship banners from CIS for the past 11 years!
The stairs our breaststroking group has to frog hop up daily
Hanna found a very interesting book... hmm I wonder??
Ooops Hanna got stuck in a bush...
Somebody lost a pretty glove with a bow :(
Playing in the leaves, how fun!
All the fun Christmas toys YAY!
And that is the end of our adventure!! Finishing at the place we call home :)
Being a professional athlete is not always the easiest. I love it, but the huge amount of time it consumes sometimes makes life difficult. I have never had enough time to have a "real" job, and as we all know the Canadian funding system is really not the greatest (unless you are a winter sport), therefore finding the funding and means to keep ones self afloat can be super difficult. Sometimes there are amazing funds out there formed just for the purpose of helping us athletes make it to the top. The Canadian Athletes Now fund is one of those funds. Jane Roos, the founder, since its inception in 1996 has given bursaries to so many Canadian athletes it is astounding. I was one of the fortunate athletes last year to receive her bursary, it made such a difference in my financial capabilities, for a while I did not have to worry at all how I was going to pay for my swimming. So to Jane and everyone at Canadian Athletes Now Fund THANK YOU!!!!!
This weekend the Canadian Athletes Now Fund is having a live telethon and auction on Shaw TV. Shaw is going to match the donations made by up to 500, 000$ WOW! That is 1 million for Canadian athletes!! I am linking a website so all of you can go and check out the fabulous auction items, or simply donate to this wonderful cause.
http://www.shaw.ca/en-ca/AboutShaw/MakingItHappen/AuctionItems.html
Support your athletes and please donate.
On another note.... I had some extra time yesterday,,, I really should have been writing my paper... but instead my sister Hanna and I had ourselves a little picture adventure.
Hanna and I in the car pumping ourselves up before the adventure
A little car dancing to get pumped up.
Laughing after Hanna gets a little to intense and hits her head...
A little bit of physio to make sure all is in working order
Our Championship banners from CIS for the past 11 years!
The stairs our breaststroking group has to frog hop up daily
Hanna found a very interesting book... hmm I wonder??
Ooops Hanna got stuck in a bush...
Somebody lost a pretty glove with a bow :(
Playing in the leaves, how fun!
All the fun Christmas toys YAY!
And that is the end of our adventure!! Finishing at the place we call home :)
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Remember when...
It is Remembrance Day, so a great big hug to all the vets out there and the brave men and women who are fighting for us today.
I forgot to mention yesterday a thank you to the Slingshot group who were the sponsors of the meet this weekend, and to Cascade swimming for putting on a great meet.
It was awesome for swim of the meet I got a 50$ Starbucks gift certificate, I mean what is better than that? Swimming fast and then getting money toward one of my favorite things... woo hoo!
I have a bit of an addiction to Starbucks coffee, I just wish I didn't have to pay for it, haha, if there is anyone out there who would like to send me Starbucks cards :) I am more than happy to take them off your hands.
Well in the spirit of remembering, here are a few pics that I love and remind me of some fabulous times.
Me and Kel in Hawaii eating chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake
Me and Shawna on just a boring Tuesday night
Me, Jo, Kel summer time
My daddy and little cousin Tressan, so cute!
Dinner in Cali after a meet.
I forgot to mention yesterday a thank you to the Slingshot group who were the sponsors of the meet this weekend, and to Cascade swimming for putting on a great meet.
It was awesome for swim of the meet I got a 50$ Starbucks gift certificate, I mean what is better than that? Swimming fast and then getting money toward one of my favorite things... woo hoo!
I have a bit of an addiction to Starbucks coffee, I just wish I didn't have to pay for it, haha, if there is anyone out there who would like to send me Starbucks cards :) I am more than happy to take them off your hands.
Well in the spirit of remembering, here are a few pics that I love and remind me of some fabulous times.
Me and Kel in Hawaii eating chocolate peanut butter ice cream cake
Me and Shawna on just a boring Tuesday night
Me, Jo, Kel summer time
My daddy and little cousin Tressan, so cute!
Dinner in Cali after a meet.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Back in good ol' Vancouver after a weekend of family time and swimming.
Starting the swim season off with a bang, I must say, being faster now than I was at nearly the end of last years season looks pretty promising. It's going to be FAB!
Day 2 went over much like the day before, can't complain :), went a best time in my 50 breast and broke one of my good friends Erica Morningstar's Canadian record. Erica and I were roomies at the Olympics and pretty much attached at the hip, she is such an amazing girl and a I know that together we are going to have some great races and times this year. Now if I could just get her to move out to Vancouver things would all be fabulous.
The 200 was pretty much the same time that I went in Victoria two weeks ago, an alrighty swim. After the first 50 both of my feet had foot cramps which really was not so fun, but I managed to push through and have a decent swim. Sometimes I forget to drink enough and I am pretty sure that is what caused the cramps..oops
It was a pretty awesome weekend overall, saw all my sisters, they swam pretty kick ass as well, wining some of their own events, some best times, I was a very proud big sister. My parentals were there :) which is always nice to have watching me swim. I also got to see my other family the O'Kellys, I stayed with Orlagh, who by the way needs to be my own personal chef from now on at all meets, her older sister Ronagh, who is so beautifully pregnant, and I am soooooo excited about it! I think if it is a girl Annamay would be a most wonderful name.. hee hee...
And had some other friends come out to see me swim, which is always nice, so to you... Thanks a bunch it is always great to see you and have your support.
ps. haha Jo I got to hold your niece :-P
The week ahead is going to be a busy one, I have a few papers due (boo), and really have to start getting my study on.
Starting the swim season off with a bang, I must say, being faster now than I was at nearly the end of last years season looks pretty promising. It's going to be FAB!
Day 2 went over much like the day before, can't complain :), went a best time in my 50 breast and broke one of my good friends Erica Morningstar's Canadian record. Erica and I were roomies at the Olympics and pretty much attached at the hip, she is such an amazing girl and a I know that together we are going to have some great races and times this year. Now if I could just get her to move out to Vancouver things would all be fabulous.
The 200 was pretty much the same time that I went in Victoria two weeks ago, an alrighty swim. After the first 50 both of my feet had foot cramps which really was not so fun, but I managed to push through and have a decent swim. Sometimes I forget to drink enough and I am pretty sure that is what caused the cramps..oops
It was a pretty awesome weekend overall, saw all my sisters, they swam pretty kick ass as well, wining some of their own events, some best times, I was a very proud big sister. My parentals were there :) which is always nice to have watching me swim. I also got to see my other family the O'Kellys, I stayed with Orlagh, who by the way needs to be my own personal chef from now on at all meets, her older sister Ronagh, who is so beautifully pregnant, and I am soooooo excited about it! I think if it is a girl Annamay would be a most wonderful name.. hee hee...
And had some other friends come out to see me swim, which is always nice, so to you... Thanks a bunch it is always great to see you and have your support.
ps. haha Jo I got to hold your niece :-P
The week ahead is going to be a busy one, I have a few papers due (boo), and really have to start getting my study on.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Good Enough
Swam at the Cascade Slingshot speed meet today, all I had was the 100 breast, was supposed to be in the 200 IM as well but decided against it. I didn't think I had enough background training behind me to have any sort of decent swim and Joszef said to just concentrate on the "important" stroke. So breaststroke was all it was.
Took the morning pretty east, coach Joszef told me just to swim into the finals and have a lane for tonight, so that was basically what I did. Tonight however was a different story, the goal was to go in there and see how fast I could possibly go. Although I haven't had much in the training lately my technique has had a ton of work. I guess when you can't go fast there has to be something you work on.
Final time was... 1.06.63... Best time by half a second and therefor a new Canadian record by the same thing. Woo hooo! Good enough.... haha that is the usual answer from my coach, good enough for today but tomorrow we have to find a way to go faster. I must admit, after swimming with him for 2 years I have adopted the same mantra. Don't get me wrong I am pumped, but the fact of the matter is I am still 3 seconds off the world record. Need to learn how to go faster. :)
Had a lil family time today, always awesome. As I said before we are super close, most people looking in from the outside just usually laugh when they see the 5 of us together. We are usually in our own little world and don't care much for anyone else.
My two youngest sisters were adorning the tshirts my older brother made for us and all of his friends while I was at the Olympics. Quite the shirt I must say... There was probably a good dozen of them being worn as I raced in Beijing, makes me feel really special!! And yup, they sent me my very own. Not sure if I will wear it in public, but hey, it's a pretty sweet.
Michael and his girlfriend Danielle sporting their team Annamay shirts.
Well till tomorrow...
Toodaloo
Took the morning pretty east, coach Joszef told me just to swim into the finals and have a lane for tonight, so that was basically what I did. Tonight however was a different story, the goal was to go in there and see how fast I could possibly go. Although I haven't had much in the training lately my technique has had a ton of work. I guess when you can't go fast there has to be something you work on.
Final time was... 1.06.63... Best time by half a second and therefor a new Canadian record by the same thing. Woo hooo! Good enough.... haha that is the usual answer from my coach, good enough for today but tomorrow we have to find a way to go faster. I must admit, after swimming with him for 2 years I have adopted the same mantra. Don't get me wrong I am pumped, but the fact of the matter is I am still 3 seconds off the world record. Need to learn how to go faster. :)
Had a lil family time today, always awesome. As I said before we are super close, most people looking in from the outside just usually laugh when they see the 5 of us together. We are usually in our own little world and don't care much for anyone else.
My two youngest sisters were adorning the tshirts my older brother made for us and all of his friends while I was at the Olympics. Quite the shirt I must say... There was probably a good dozen of them being worn as I raced in Beijing, makes me feel really special!! And yup, they sent me my very own. Not sure if I will wear it in public, but hey, it's a pretty sweet.
Michael and his girlfriend Danielle sporting their team Annamay shirts.Well till tomorrow...
Toodaloo
Friday, November 7, 2008
Airports, Sisters, Politics
Well I am off to cowtown, sitting in the YVR airport, and our flight is delayed an hour because of the brutal weather in Winnipeg. De-icing of the plane... ugh... the amount of times flying out of Edmonton while growing up that I had to wait on planes for stupid weather and deicing. Not fun.
I don't mind hanging out in the airports I really enjoy people watching and find that airports are some of the best places to watch. Plus you never know who you are going to meet, that is also why it is a good idea to always travel looking your best :)
From left- Hanna, Patricia, Me, Fionnuala, and Grainne
So I have kind of a large family, 2 brothers and 4 sisters, and I get to see my sisters and my parents this weekend!!! Yay. We are one big crazy family, but pretty much the best thing ever. Two of my sisters live out in Vancouver with me, but then the baby two still live at home with the parentals. I don't get to see them that often and get pretty excited when I do. Growing up they were like my own live barbie dolls, it was great, I could pretty much dress them up and do whatever I wanted with them but now it is kinda nuts having all five of us competing at the same competition. At least 3 of us will be in the same breaststroke events.
Now I have to comment on the US election from the other day. I am such a proud Canadian, never have I ever wanted to be anything else, if you cut me open I am pretty sure I bleed red and white. But I will admit, I was proud of Americans on Tuesday. For them to come so far and elect Barack Obama as their next president is truly amazing. I find Obama, eloquent and inspiring, his victory speech actually made me cry, and not just for Americans, but for the rest of the world. This shows that change is possible, to go from slavery to president... wow!
I am currently in an English class that discusses the black Atlantic, it is all about the slave trade and movement, and even as little as 20 years ago I don't think anyone thought there would ever be a black man elected president. Now just as little white kids dreamed of being president, so can any other color or race.
Well all for now.
Toodaloo
I don't mind hanging out in the airports I really enjoy people watching and find that airports are some of the best places to watch. Plus you never know who you are going to meet, that is also why it is a good idea to always travel looking your best :)
From left- Hanna, Patricia, Me, Fionnuala, and Grainne
So I have kind of a large family, 2 brothers and 4 sisters, and I get to see my sisters and my parents this weekend!!! Yay. We are one big crazy family, but pretty much the best thing ever. Two of my sisters live out in Vancouver with me, but then the baby two still live at home with the parentals. I don't get to see them that often and get pretty excited when I do. Growing up they were like my own live barbie dolls, it was great, I could pretty much dress them up and do whatever I wanted with them but now it is kinda nuts having all five of us competing at the same competition. At least 3 of us will be in the same breaststroke events.
Now I have to comment on the US election from the other day. I am such a proud Canadian, never have I ever wanted to be anything else, if you cut me open I am pretty sure I bleed red and white. But I will admit, I was proud of Americans on Tuesday. For them to come so far and elect Barack Obama as their next president is truly amazing. I find Obama, eloquent and inspiring, his victory speech actually made me cry, and not just for Americans, but for the rest of the world. This shows that change is possible, to go from slavery to president... wow!
I am currently in an English class that discusses the black Atlantic, it is all about the slave trade and movement, and even as little as 20 years ago I don't think anyone thought there would ever be a black man elected president. Now just as little white kids dreamed of being president, so can any other color or race.
Well all for now.
Toodaloo
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A lil bit more
So some pretty awesome news.... I have just become a Lululemon ambassador! I am sooo pumped. This means that I get to have some great input on some of their designs, get to hang out and participate in some really great in store events, tell people how amazing Lululemon is, and then get to buy lots of sweet clothes. Which lets be honest.. me + shopping = very happy times.
As well, on Sunday I hung out with a bunch of great little girls who all swim out of the Hollyburn swim club on the north shore. We had some great times, shopping, eating, giggling, you know, all the great stuff girls no how to do.Well thats all... for now.
Toodaloo
this week so far
Just to show you that I do occasionally work out :)My training the past 2 weeks have consisted of double dryland a day plus some pretty slack swimming. Starting yesterday I actually did a real workout, woo hoo, felt not the best but hey I did it. I think all the weights are catching up to me, my poor little muscles are dying.
Here is a little preview into me and my ladies at Halloween. We were as I said before Jem and the Holograms.
Lil sis Hanna and me just havin some sisterly love. I don't know if you can see her, but if you do find her she is dressed as Waldo.
Our absolutely fabulous group! Jem and the Holograms on one side, synergy in the middle, and the Misfits on the other side. If you don't know who these people are well then I suggest you either google, or youtube them. You are in for a serious treat.I am off to Cow town this weekend for a university meet between us, U of C, U of A, and Manitoba. And then another meet on Sat and Sunday at the Talisman center. Should be some good times. Although I haven't trained too much, the swimming should still be pretty fast. Keep your eyes peeled for some fast results.
Till latas
Toodaloo
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