Dreaming of the Greek Olympiad!

Who am I??? Well I am one in a huge, loud, supportive, crazy, awesome family of nine! Yup that's right, I have 6 brothers and sisters, a mom, a dad, and 3 dogs. My family is the most important thing in my life, talk to me for 5 minutes and I’ve probably mentioned at least one of them. 

So what does this have to do with the International Olympic Academy? Well for starters it has made me one of the most outgoing, determined individuals around. I’ve never been shy a day in my life and love more than anything to have new adventures with new friends. Over the past few months I have been taking classes at Second City Improv, it has taught me an incredible amount; honing my stage & life skills, learning how to be quiet at the right time and when to speak out and lead the way at others.

I love being happy, dancing, singing, having a great time, and making sure the people around me are as happy as they can be. 

Being a Canadian is perhaps the other thing you will realize is deep within my soul. There is nothing I am more proud of than representing my Country. My swimming career has come to an end, but representing my country never will, I will always be a Proud and Passionate Canadian. Representing Canada at the International Olympic Academy will give me one more chance to make my country proud. 

What a hectic 6 weeks

So I know it has been a while since I posted last but seriously I have almost been non stop go since the last post.
So here is an update on what went on......
Trials- Overall I was pretty happy with how trials went. My 200 was on the first day, which was a little bit weird, but nice to start with something good. The morning swim was so smooth and easy and actually a really good time for this time of the year, 2.24.1 it was just a little bit slower than I finished the year last Aug, and after everything I have been through the past few months I will take it. The final really was not as easy and fun as the morning swim..... First of all I had teammate Martha McCabe right there on my heels clearly looking to beat me, and I was not
in good enough shape to be head to head with someone and still be able to swim my own race. The last ten meters were deathly hard, but I managed to get to that wall and won with Martha right behind me having herself a great swim as well. The 100 was, well..... as it tends to be when I am not at the top of my game. I finished the final 5th (I think) and it was a better swim than my trials last summer, but unfortunately I will not be swimming it at World Champs. As unhappy as I was Joe my coach was ok with it and told me that perhaps this is the first sacrafice I am going to have to make to get the 200 to where I want it to be. My 50 was surprisingly good, I have to get it down about half a second so I can swim it at Worlds but I was happy with that finish. One of the surprising things that I did at trails was swim the 200 IM as a time trial, something I haven't swam since 2007. It was so much fun, went 2.15 which would have put me in a great spot for that final. Maybe next time I will get entered properly and race those girls for real.

So the week after trials was CRAZY!!! I moved into my new apartment which may I say is AWESOME!!!!!! I love it! Living on my own in a place that is all mine and I can make look however I want. It really is great. I was so lucky that my mammy came out from Edmonton to help me move, because let me tell you, that woman is a genius! I don't know how she does it, but I have never met anyone who can organize better than her. It was a bit overwhelming at times just how much stuff I had and how I was possibly going to fit it in everywhere, but she just got right too it and sorted everything out. The best part about my new condo has to be my walk in shoe, purses and dress closet! Yup that's right, I converted the den into a fashionistas dream room. The finishing touches still have to occur in there until it is perfect; I have to paint, and get a great big mirror and a better light, but other than that it is quite fantastic. My family was awesome at helping me put everything together, I can't imagine what it would have been like if I was doing this all by myself. I do NOT want to move again for a very long time, it is just way too much work. I mean it has been a month and I am still not finished everything that needs to be done. I guess there is no rush and I shouldn't exhaust myself with it all, I need to focus on training more than anything. I also need to somehow stop spending money on this move, wow my credit cards have been on FIRE!!! It really is all sorts of expensive to move, one of the other reasons why I do not want to do it again for a very long time.
My wall of the world with Vancouver, London, Beijing, New York and Paris time and 2 of my World record posters. As well as my living room.

So that was the move, after that, I had my very last University exam ever! Wooo hooo I am finally graduated, way to go me! haha It took a while but hey slow and steady wins the race right? Well that is what I will keep telling myself.

The day after my exam I flew out to Moncton NB for the Canadian Olympic Committee Hall of Fame dinner. It was an amazing weekend with 50 other Olympic athletes from across Canada and amazing people from Moncton and really all across this country. It was so much fun to see the friends that I don't get too see that often, and not only that but to get dressed to the nines and walk the red carpet with all of them.
A lady after my own heart with her Louboutins Lise Poirier

Apparently I am sort of a party animal and was leader and organizer in some of the great times that were had. A bunch of us went to laser tag on the Sat afternoon before the HOF rehersal, now I don't know if you can picture it, but Olympic athletes tend to be a bit competitive... and you put us together it was to the death!! I will say, I am HORRIBLE at laser tag, and the sneaky little short track speed skater boys were killing me non stop!

The gala was just incredible with Canadian heroes being inducted including swimming's own Curtis Myden. It really was an honor to be there and see one of my childhood heroes be inducted. Overall an amazing weekend, thanks so much to the COC for having all of us and putting on a great show, I cant wait until next years.









Continuing on.....
The next weekend, and it was the Pierse's take Vancouver.... Mamma, Papa and the baby came out for Easter leaving only my younger bro Conal at home to fend for himself. It was great to have everyone together and we did Easter dinner at my new apartment. It was yes, a little squishy but hey isn't that how you want the holidays? Smooshed between all of your family members??
On top of all the family time, Joe decided that he was going to go from 0 to 160 in a day. Training was ramped to the nines and really it was just ridiculous! I am still trying to recover two weeks later from the 2 weeks we did after our break from trials. I am getting seriously jacked (my arms are MASSIVE) and finally getting back into the shape that I need to be in to compete this summer at worlds. It really is nice to finally be healthy and able to train like I could before my disastrous 2010 year happened. I can see things getting better almost daily, and although I have some set backs things are generally moving in the right direction.

The first week of May the entire World Championship team met up in Phoenix for a week training camp. It was the first time we had done something like this before a meet, and it was really great. My swimming that week was just horrible, but everything else was really fun. We had some great team bonding, a silly hike up Camelback (I HATE heights and scaling parts of a mountain, not what I find fun. Had a few paralyzing moments, if it wasn't for some awesome team mates talking me through it I might still be stuck on that mountain.)
We flew home that Sat and I managed to get myself on the earlier flight from Calgary back to Van so I could attend one of my besties stagette party up in Whistler. It was a total surprise for her, she had no idea that I was going to be able to make it up on time. It was just amazing! We were channeling the 80's movie Girls Just Want to Have Fun, and that is exactly what we did. I was so glad that I could make it back and be part of her last celebration of singledom.
And here we are....... all caught up on my past few weeks. They have been jam packed, making sure I am getting enough rest has been a challenge, hence why the blog has suffered.
Last night I was fortunate enough to attend the Red Cross' Red Carpet Soiree, it was a fabulous fundraiser for the Red Cross and I got to get dressed up red carpet worthy. Of course I wore some fantastic shoes because... well that's what I do!
Heading down to Seattle tomorrow with my little sister Nunu to do some more shopping for the house, and meeee :)
Until next time, keep smiling

xox

Hello Blogging world.... again....

Hello out there to those blog readers, especially my sister Grainne who for 2 years has relentlessly checked this blog with no updates, so I have promised her that I would get back on the blogging train, here I am, I'm back!

Hmmmm so what to write about? Well I guess not too much has changed with my day to day life, still swimming, still living in Vancouver, still a little crazy, you know all the fun things in life.
Actually today is the day that my mortgage all went through and I am officially a home owner in one of the most expensive cities in the world! Yay me! I move in next week and cannot be more excited for my creative juices to get flowing and make that place truly amazing and mine. I will post pictures once I have painted and decorated and let you all see what sort of skills I have, I will give you a little teaser and say that I am going to have a shoe closet!!!! Not entirely like the one SJP gets in Sex in the City, but it is going to be my own version and painted Louboutin Red. Why? Because that is the color of the most amazing shoes ever made!
Now that I have bought an apartment there is no way I will be buying anymore of those shoes for a very long time :-( Perhaps someone will love me enough and buy them for me..... haha

OK well anyways moving on..... I am currently in Victoria for World Championship trials. The meet starts Wed and first up is the 200 breast, it is weird, I don't think I have been at a meet where 200 breast is the first event up. I am a little nervous but that being said, I have pre-qualified in the 200 which means that a lot of the pressure is off and I just need to go out and have some fun. That should be pretty easy since I just love racing, and am swimming some great events, the 50, 100, & 200 Breast and...... the 200 IM!!! A race that I haven't swam in 4 years and am totally pumped for! It is always such a fun race to swim when tapered should be good!! We have some pretty speedy girls in Canada right now in that race, the plan is to be right in the mix of it.
Last year was such a disaster for me and I am really looking forward to redemption in 2011. This will be my first tapered meet since recovering from Dengue fever I really can't wait to see how it all goes.
Well..... this seems like it is a good enough post for my first time back, I don't want to bore you all to death with my blabbing on, but don't you worry I will be back later in the week to let you know how it is all going.

xox
Dream big
Annamay

Overwhelmed

I should be sleeping right now but I can't shut my brain off enough to actually relax and get tired enough to sleep.
I am feeling rather overwhelmed and don't even know where to start. My room, my house, school, among others are in complete disarray and instead of an attempt to manage all of this I end up just sitting on my couch distracting myself from it with time wasting measures. It is truly amazing how much time one can waste on the computer and on television.
My house looks like it has been bulldozed,,, mostly because I have so much crap everywhere and no where to put it. I am not organized enough to have places to put my bills after I pay them or the countless number of silly things I keep thinking that one day I will need them or do something with; such as scrapbook. Lets be honest... you need way more patience than I have to do something such as scrap booking. And as things get worse and keep piling up I leave them, because it is easier to leave it than deal with it.
The past few weeks have been quite amazing, I will admit, however my poor organizational skills are leading to very poorly managed time. School,,,, while yes I usually do not put an exorbitant amount of work into, is getting nothing at all. This is not going to help me graduate by December!
I love all the messages people have been sending me, the support has been truly amazing!! I feel that I should respond and let them know how much it means to me, but there have honestly been so many that that in itself is overwhelming. So if I do not get to you soon, I do appreciate it more than you know, thank you!!!
I really just need someone like a clutter expert to de-clutter my life, set me up a time table, get me started,,,, I know I can be organized and clutter free, but need a good swift kick in the behind to get there.
I guess this is kind of like my swimming, if it wasn't for Jozsef turning my training upside down and inside out I never would be where I am today. Sooo,,,, what is needed then is an outside the pool Joszef to get me in order!! haha
The funny thing about all of this is that I am not overwhelmed in any part with my swim! I knew I could do it and had planned in my mind to go that fast since November maybe even earlier,, I can't wait to get back to training and have that structured constant daily routine in my life.
Well I guess I should try and sleep,,,, big day tomorrow! It's the Sport BC awards night, and I am a nominee for Female athlete of the year. I know I am not wining (I am up against Carol Huyng who won not only Canada's first medal in Beijing but a GOLD to boot!), but it is still pretty amazing to be one of the top 3. Plus my good friend Ryan Cochrane will be here as a male nomination!!
So until later...
Toodaloo
xox

I DID IT!!!!

Well it has been a bit since I updated, and there is good reason!! Life has been a bit hectic after my swim on Saturday,,,, and the reason behind that is........... I BROKE THE WORLD RECORD!!!!!!!!
Yes that is correct, by .25 seconds. What an incredible feeling, to know that I am the best in the world.... not only the best this year but that there ever has been in the history of the 200 meter Breaststroke! This had been one of those times that when it had been made I remember telling my mom oh wow that is never going to be broken. Well lookie here!!! I did it!
Not only that but I won a car for doing it!
The crowd in Toronto was just nuts. Over the whole week I could feel the energy building as more and more people started to find out that this was a viable task for me and it was what I was gunning for. So when we finally got to Saturday, I am pretty sure the entire pool knew what was going on, and I had been asked by almost everyone there was I going to do it!
The day was pretty much just like any other day getting ready for a race, got up, ate breakfast, went to the pool to get ready to warm up. Felt great in pool when I got in for warm up, which is always nice. Everything was pretty normal, it was really just a race, that I knew I could swim fast in. My plan for the morning was just swim an easy relaxed race and make it into the finals. The heat before mine, fellow team mate and friend Haylee dropped a rocking fast time of 2.23! Oh man.... This meant I was going to have to put a bit more effort in haha! Well my morning swim was nice and controlled and 2.21 was the time. Not bad for an easy swim...
Warm down followed and then back to the hotel for lunch and a rest.
Waking up from my nap I knew something special was going to happen. I could just feel it!
Same routine, back at the pool, the only thing that was different was the buzz that was flying around the building. I was feeling a bit over stimulated when I got out of workout, so I went up to our chiropractor Ken and asked him to please calm me down. He had me do some breathing exercises and I was feeling much better. Next task was putting on my suit,,,,,, holy man are they ever tight! 20 mins later with the help of friend Janice I was in,,, and ready to go!
Waiting in the ready room was hectic, all I wanted to do was get out there and race. When the music started for us to walk out, the place went NUTS!!!!!!!! Seriously.... it was Nuts! I turned around to Haylee and just said holy cow! Everyone there was cheering to support me :) I felt like Phelps!
The race went well... I say well because I don't really remember all of it, and I was a little fast on the out and my last 50 ended up being a little slow. The crowd definitely pushed me to the wall in that last 50 and when I touched the wall...... EEEEEEEEEEEEEE I had done it! WOW!!! What a feeling! I had just done something no one else in world has ever done! My sister Hanna was in the race with me (which is totally cool) and my 2 other training partners Martha and Haylee.
I could see my dad in the stands going nuts, knowing that he was calling absolutely everyone he knew (including all the relatives in Ireland), my brother Michael was up there too, tons of friends, and all the Canadians who were screaming to help me to the record.
Two of my other sisters were at the side of the pool (Grainne and Fionnuala). I made Grainne cry!! haha which never happens... My coach Joszef, all the staff from SNC. It was awesome!
For the medal presentation I was presented with flowers, and a huge key for my new car, and a bottle of champagne to shower over the other competitors.
All in all, I have to say it was a pretty spectacular day. I could keep writing for probably ages going through every little detail, but I think my fingers might fall off. :)
So I will leave you with a link to my race on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-GbxMDBvmw

Enjoy, it was a day I will remember forever!

Photos are from Scott Grant

Toodaloo
xox

Hells YA!!!

Canadians are KICKING AS*!! That's right!! There has been some serious domination going down here in the T-dot. I think so far 15 plus Canadian records have gone down the drain, which is totally awesome.
Yesterday I had the 50 breast, went a best time 30.32, under the old Canadian record but,,, I was second,,,, Amanda Reason, a little (well not so little) 15 year old went super fast 29.96! Totally great for her, and great to see the younger generation of Canadians coming up to challenge us old geezers :)
Today was the 100 breast, had an easy and relaxed swim this morning, with a 1.06.9, pretty much just went in there to make the final and get ready for tonight. Felt quite fabulous in warm up, and was super excited to race. First up for the night was the men's 800 free; Ryan Cochrane had a dominating swim breaking his own CR by I think 9 more seconds.... what a CHAMP!!! Next up was the 100 free,,,, fellow teammate Brent Hayden had another world class swim, posting a blistering 46.27, knocking a second off the old record of Colin Russel.
Then it was me!!!! Race felt relaxed and in control, second 50 could have been a little bit more controlled and streamline but overall, touched the wall at 1.04.67!!!!! Wooo Hoo!!! That puts me FIRST in the world this year, and 3rd all time EVER!!!!!
Such a great set up for my 200 on Saturday. I am soooooooo excited to race!!!! (but pretty glad to have a day off tomorrow)
In some other swims, Tanya Hunks had a fabulous swim in her 400 IM breaking Joanne Malar's CR, and lil sista Hanna having quite the race as well going 4.37 best time by 3 seconds, a bronze medal and all in all just a fantastic swim for her!!!!
Well, time to try and get some sleep. Stay tuned for some more fabulous swimming from the Canadians!!!! (Check the results online at www.swimming.ca)
Toodaloo
xoxox

Recap

Been a few days since I posted last... and quite the week it has been.
First off,,, thank goodness for light poles!
Last Thursday after dropping my sisters off from a lovely dinner together, I get home, am sitting on my couch and about 5 minutes later some drunk idiot decided to smash into the cars parked on the street outside my building!! I don't think I have ever heard something so loud, no screeching of breaks just a slam! crash! Instantly I ran outside to see what had happened. A poor girl sitting on the steps of our building, lucky to be alive was the first person I ran to and check to see if she was alright, thank goodness she was more in shock than anything.
One of the pictures I took on my phone of the truck that crashed into the parked ones didn't load so you will have to make believe it was there. As for the white truck you see below; it was parked where I almost always park my little car, smashed into the silver car in front of it, completely totaling the back of it and then swinging around on to the pavement. The drunk trunk had so much force and speed it caused the white truck to spin off the road; if there had not been the lamp pole there the truck would probably have had so much force it would have flown down the pavement right towards the living room of my condo. Thank goodness no one was hurt including the drunk idiot who crashed. Who by the way had open alcohol in his truck.
I really don't get drunk drivers,, seriously you are an idiot!! Not only do you put yourself in danger, but everyone around you. He had better not ever get his license back is all I have to say!
Above is the divet in the ground from the drunk truck flying up on the pavement.

On a different happier note,,,,,
I'm in Toronto for our spring national, woo hoo!!! Taper is in full force and I am feeling speedy :)
Racing starts tomorrow, can't wait to race!
As well, on Sunday night, Grainne and I went to a dinner at Jane Roos (Can Fund founder) for International Women's Day. It was such a wonderful inspiring evening. Jane had us dress in black and white and when we arrived she had a photographer there to do a photo shoot with all of us. Sooooooo much fun!!! Dinner was delicious, cooked by Jane's lovely husband Conrad, the table talk was incredibly inspiring; being at that table with 8 other wonderful accomplished strong women was quite something. Just when you think Jane Roos couldn't possibly be more amazing, she goes and throws a dinner like this bringing great people together, has a wonderful dinner planned and then on top of all that she makes you walk out of there feeling like you are so special, unique, incredible and make a difference in the lives of so many people.

This is just one of the photo's from that night, when I get more I will post them. :)
Well I will keep you all informed with my results this week! If you want to watch, there will be live streaming Internet feed from the Swim Canada site. www.swimming.ca
Bed time for me :)
Toodaloo
xox