NESCY Championship 2009 report

Subtitle: Is it the suit or is it me? Heck who cares!



On the blocks in my new suit

As I mentioned back in February after the Cape Sprint meet, it was time to get me a new suit. Well I've done that and I am in love with my (kind of new) Speedo FastSkin-PRO. I never knew what a difference a suit could make. I had the meet of my life. I couldn't be more happy. When I arrived Mike, the president, asked "What suit are you wearing?" I thought that was a wierd question but he had in mind getting me into a fast suit. What a good idea! Thank you to Beth for lending me the suit and then selling it to me and thank you to Mike for even getting me to consider the idea of a fast suit.

Maine Masters is a great group and were so welcoming to me. There were only 3 people from my workout group out of the 80+ people that came from MESC but it didn't matter because after the first minute I was there people were chatting it up and giving me great advice.

So here is the short version cause frankly I am still kind of wiped out from the meet!

Friday
50 back - I had no idea what to expect with my new suit and figured this was just a warm up for the 100 fly so I'd take it out not too fast so I didn't miss the turn... whoa final time 30.88, 3 second drop from my seed and 3rd place.

100 fly - this was it. The race I came a day early for. The one I really cared about. I felt good. I felt like a superwoman in my new suit. I knew I had to sprint the first 50 and then come back for the second 50 with all I had left...yes!! I just looked at the clock and said "Holy sh#@$t!" Was it possible? 1:02.53, five seconds off my time from February and 2 seconds off my best high school time.

400 free relay - 56.86 split ..yes! and second place

Saturday
100 free - I was nervous about swimming this without a warm up event and I even though I was seeded 3rd we were all packed in together. I had some bad turns, but still dropped 2 seconds off my time coming in at a 57.22 for 4th place (only .1 off of 2nd -- like I said it was tight).

100 back - I figured what the heck just go have some fun with this one. I was seeded 10th and just wanted to get some points for the team. I took the first 50 all out and came back with what I had left. It was fun cause I could see the clock on the scoreboard counting up 59, 1:00, 1:01.... final time 1:07.9, five seconds off my seed and 6th place!

200 medley relay - 27.66 split in the fly -- yes now I knew what I was capable of for tomorrow-- 2nd place

200 free relay - 25.69 -- ditto above -- 1st place!!

Sunday
50 fly - I was a bit nervous having this without a warm up event but decided early that morning that this was my race for the day. This was the one I was going to focus on. Sprints are great because you don't need to think you just have to react and go. I did... 27.8...whoa!!! yes!! only .4 off the NE record!! 1st place by 2 seconds.

50 free - this was another event that was packed tight in the seeds. I had seen the other women go fast in the 100 free, but I also knew they had all been swimming a lot of events. I was in a great heat, lane 4, with all young muffins around me, only one 35-39 woman over in lane 8. I just had to go for my personal best and let the cards fall where they may. And yes coach 2 breaths down, a tight turn, long streamline and 3 breaths back. Kick it! Yeah baby.... 25.64 and 1st place!!

400 medley relay - 100 fly, I just planned to take it out easy and come back with what I had, but hey I did a 1:02.9?? This time it hurt! See the video below (thanks Elia and Mark!) Nice job team!




Bridget, Jessica, Cheryl, me - 400 medley relay


Mary and I


My medals!


Simon, Cheryl and Jeremy



The overall team 1st place plaque for Maine Masters


Cheryl in the 100 breast


Lap 1, 50 free


Lap 2, 50 free

When I get weddinged...a chicken or an egg?

Another priceless conversation with my 3 year old.

Where do I get babies after I am weddinged?

Um well after you get "weddinged" or married you'll have some eggs that can make babies.

(Pause)... Do they come from the refrigerator?

Oh no (LOL) .... you have them inside of you and once you are "weddinged" they can grow into babies.

(Pause)... But how do babies get arms?


Later I realized she thought she might be growing chicken babies -- thus the no arms possibility.

Just for Deb

Sorry folks. This is special for Deb who is out of town and wanted to see how long and gross the hair on my legs is after 2 weeks.
Only 3 more days til I shave!

Tight turns

Great video by GoSwim.


TURNS/WALLS - Far-Hands Flip Turn from Glenn Mills on Vimeo.

Jo Jackson breaks 400 free WR

England's Jo Jackson edged out fellow brit Rebecca Adlington for a new world record in the 400 meter freestyle today, besting the record set by Italy's Federica Pelligrini in Bejing, with a time of 4:00.66, just .23 faster than Adlington. Katie Hoff has her work cut out for her.
Click here for the video from the BBC. And thanks for the scoop Ted.

Preview: Harvard NE SCY Championships

The psych sheets are out. The relays have been assigned.
Yikes! Just looking at the psych sheets got my heart practically pounding out of my chest.

My seeds:
Friday
50 back - 6th
100 fly - 2nd
400 free relay A 25+ Mix

Saturday
100 free - 3rd
100 back - 7th
200 medley relay A 35+ MIx
200 free relay A 35+ MIx

Sunday
50 free - 2nd
50 fly - 1st !!
400 Medley relay 18+ W

This is going to be a tiring -- but FUN -- weekend!

On the suit front, I am kind of annoyed with Splish as they have not returned emails regarding the lobster logo. Initally they indicated they could do it but now are ignoring me! I may not buy one of their suits as a result... hmmm until at least i need something cool for Alcatraz.

Positive effect of sports and activities on children

Conventional wisdom is that too many activities are stressful for kids. Not true says recent research. In fact, more activities -- especially a balance of sport and nonsport activities -- are beneficial to kids development.

Sandra Hofferth of the Maryland Population Research Center at the University of Maryland says she had "started out with a pretty solid belief that lots and lots of activities are bad for children." However the data shows otherwise. Children with higher activity levels were not more likely to experience stress, depression, anxiety or other behavioral symptoms. Its more likely that any negative effects of high activity involvement comes from critical comments and high adult expectations for children, not the activities themselves. (See link for media article).

Other research just published in the 2009 issue of Child Development shows that youths who participate in sports and other non-sports activities have the most positive outcomes, with sports-only youths with moderately positive outcomes and no activity youths the least positive outcomes (Livner, Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2009).

In another article in that same issue of CD researchers found swim coaches who praise the process -- not the outcome -- and foster autonomy are more likely to have swimmers with a higher sense of competence and satisfaction with coaching.

The authors concluded: ...the quality of coaching climate is an important predictor of the developmental benefits of sport participation and that one pathway by which the coaching climate has its effect on initiative and identity reflection is though developing youth self-perceptions. (Coatsworth & Conroy, 2009).

It's GROSS, I know

I've been sick for a month, had a lot of work, the pool was 76 degrees this week (broken pump), there have been 3 snow days in the last month and thus a slew of missed workouts, my shoulder hurts, my trunk broke and I can't open it, I got my period, my driveway is covered with ice and.....I have a hang nail on my left toenail.

You get the idea.. lots of excuses to not swim my fastest at New England.

I need a motivator.

Yes I can dig deep and go beyond all these excuses. But I need something more.

I thought long and hard about this. And then thought some more. Finally it came to me...

I will not shave until the meet! Like the old days (except there will be no taper cause I haven't worked hard enough to taper-ha ha!). Yes, it's kind of gross, I know, but it will be fun and give me that extra psychological boost when I get up on the blocks and dive in and feel smooth and faassst.

So in the interest of grossing everyone out here is the "before" picture. On March 26th I'll post a picture of my amazonian hairy legs!

More *@*#*$% snow!

Arggghhh! Another 14 inches of snow coming down. Our driveway is already coated with 2" of ice because we have reached that point in the winter when we are so flipping sick of shoveling that we just stop doing it. I'll be lucky if I can get out of the driveway after this storm. I should have cleared it when it was 45 last week...at least I cleared the walkway.

Okay so here's a fun snow day activity.... picking a new suit for the big meet.
I haven't been able to get the lobster graphic



on a suit but it will be on our snazy caps.
However, seeing how I have so much extra time today (ha!) I picked a few and designed some.
Please vote for your favorite on the right. Or send me a better idea!

Choice #1 - Maine splash


Choice #2 - Bubbles Multi


Choice #3 - Bubbles Blue


Choice #4 - Pink Shimmer