Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008: Swimming for ME year in review

2008 was a good year for swimming....

* An awesome year of Masters swimming with all my lane 1 and 2 buddies!

*2.4 mile Peaks Island to Portland swim, my first P2P and longest open water swim - I placed 6th woman, 4th AG and 33rd overall.

*1.6 mile Rockland Breakwater swim, a real race around the .8 mile long Rockland ME lighthouse breakwater - I placed 2nd woman, 3rd overall.

*Zone Urban Epic Triathlon, as a relay team I completed the 1.2 mile open water swim from Mackworth Island to Portland's East End Beach. Our team -- Team Triple Threat had the fastest relay team time and I had the 2nd fastest relay swim time and 2nd fastest of the female age groupers.

*Bowdoin Erswell Masters Meet - fastest women's time in 50 fly, 100 fly and 100 free, and 2nd fastest woman in the 50 free. I think I broke some Maine Master's women's age 35-39 records but can't tell for sure because they haven't been updated on the website since 2007!

*Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen swim clinic at the Pen Bay YMCA - a fun afternoon clinic, cool people and an amazingly fast and knowledgeable woman!

*Coaching a new kids swim clinic in the fall and again this coming spring.

*Good times -- with Mary at ZUE, at OOB practicing, with Kathy at Rockland, watching Ange smoke her competition, swimming with all my super cool Master's teammates at 5:45am three times a week, spectating so many amazing triathlons with friends competing... what more can I say... all these folks have kept me inspired and alive!

Goals for 2009

* Complete my second Peaks to Portland faster than my first (52:27)-- remember not to drink OJ!

* Do my first sprint triathlon -- and finish it still running -- perhaps the Pirate Sprint at Point Sebago June 7th?

* Go to San Francisco with Kathy and finish the Alcatraz swim without being eaten by a shark!!

* Do a PR in the 50 free at some point this spring

* Do sub- 2:15 in the 200 free this spring

* Swim the 500 free in a meet

* Have another awesome summer of fun in OP/CE with Mary and the gang

* Take advantage of as many ADVENTURES as I can and create them whenever I can

* Keep it FUN!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm willing to bet 2009 will be even better than 2008!

Unknown said...

P.S. The Pirates Week 5K swim I was blogging about is in the warm waters off Grand Cayman (where, coincidentally, my brother lives).

GetBackJoJo said...

those last three goals--that's where it's at!
we are going to keep it fun, make it fun--We are ALL ABOUT FUN.
(kona--maybe before 40? You better be stashing some mula in the underwear drawyer...)
:) love you.
you're sexy! haha

maria conley said...

Oh boy 2008 wan't bad. But watch out 2009 is coming and you will brake all kinds of records.

Swimming for ME said...

you are very sweet Maria... I hope you are right!

Ange said...

amazing accomplishments alina!!! awesome job. Can't wait to see you rock in '09!

Tony Austin said...

I'll be there at the Alcatraz Sharkfest Swim for the 6th time - Here is the trick, swim to the edge of the island once you jump off the boat and then ask the kyakers which way the tide is running, If it is definitively moving in, swim directly towards aquatic park, don't arc towards it like they recommend.

If the tide is slack then do the arc like they tell you.

Good luck with the race.

Swimming for ME said...

Whoa... just saw your comment today.
Thanks for the tip!
I saw your pictures on-line a while ago and sent them to my training partner who was effectively freaked out...however I actually got that pre-race adrenaline psyched feeling. This should be a fun race if I can break away from the throngs of neoprene.