Getting Ready for Nationals!

I'll be competing in my first ever USMS Spring Nationals meet this coming weekend. I'm expecting total mayhem. :) There are a little over 1800 swimmers competing, not to mention the spectators, so the place will be lively to say the least.

I've been working hard with my swim club and we're now in our "taper" phase. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a taper is where you decrease your workout intensity over a short period of time prior to a big meet. The goal is to get just enough rest so you'll be primed and ready to swim fast at the meet.

This past Saturday at noon, we swam at the Student Recreation Center at ASU. The Taper Lanes were the place to be, with lots of easy swimming followed by some start and turn work with just a tad of sprinting. Here are a couple of pictures from our swim. The three lanes in the foreground are the taper lanes. You can tell as we're not doing a whole lot. :)

Coach Jonny giving us some input.

Just taking it easy.

2011 SW Zones Championships - Day Two of Three

My second swim meet this year. I swam two events today (100 Breaststroke and 100 Individual Medley). I didn't swim them as fast as I would have liked, but I'm happy to have been able to swim them.

I swim with such a great group of people. Our coach loves to give everyone nicknames, and today, a couple of swimmers beat him to the punch. One of our gals, Leah, bought a really nice TYR suit that reminded our coach of a leotard (kind of like something a baton twirler would wear). It took a couple of minutes, but two guys started calling her "Leahtard" -- and just like that, a nickname was born. Chris, our youngest swimmer, has the nickname Sugarfree and approved Leah's new suit. Our coach, Jonny, then documented this fact by literally writing a huge checkmark on Leah's leg with a ballpoint pen, with the designation "Sugarfree aproved". Here's photographic proof.

I ended up with a new nickname, Double-D, aptly provided by Ms. Leahtard, but don't get the wrong idea -- it's because my initials are DD, not because of my cup size. ;)

There were a lot of fast swims, but our men did a great job on their 400 Free relay, with Sugarfree bringing it home for the win! SugarPop posted a nice video on the SDM Facebook (or Bookface as Jonny likes to call it) page. http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1330328795720&oid=205358622811730&comments

Tomorrow brings another day of swimming and tons more fun I'm sure.