Pretty Awesome Pool!

For fun, I decided to Google pools. I know this sounds a little random, but it actually was interesting. There are all sorts of cool looking pools out there! For instance, in this pool to the right, looks like it is on top of a mountain. The view must be fantastic! It probably is awesome swimming up there! There is a huge difference from a backyard pool and an actual Olympic size pool! In the pool in my backyard, I probably could take about 5 strokes to get across. Doing a lap in a backyard pool is barely getting me any sort of exercise. What I also admire in this pool is how the water basically is at the same height as the floor. It looks super unique.

Wednesday's

I have been so exhausted from swim practice! Last week was definitely the hardest practice week of the season so far! There is always one day in the week that saves me, it actually is today. Wednesday's are always recovery days. This means that my swim sets are a little easier and that I do not have fitness right after swim. This recovery day is essential for my body. Without one easier day, I literally think that I my body would be even more physically exhausted than it is now. Wednesday's the sets have been very technique oriented and are on slower time intervals. This without a doubt makes practice less stressful on my body. It also helps me recover for tomorrows practice, which is going to be hard!

Swim Tan?

Sometimes, I wish I did not have a swimmers tan. During the summer, I worked super hard by wearing practice 2 pieces to swim practice. The first day that I decided I wanted to wear a 1-piece bathing suit again, there went my perfect tan! :( Some of my friends call my uneven swimmers tan the big circle on my back or "the whale tan". Although I am used to it, I just am in shock how easy it is for this tan to come back in so little time. This is quite an issue for many swimmers when wearing a regular bathing suits (bikinis)! Actually I think this is pretty funny issue Relative to some of my other swimmer friends, my uneven tan is nothing compared to theirs. One of my friends is literally beyond white on her stomach and as tan as possible on her legs and arms! She looks like an Oreo cookie! This summer I am positive that I will not be able to get rid of it, unless I decided to hide out from the pool, which is not going to happen.

SWIM OUTLET!

Whenever I am on the hunt for new swim gear, a lot of times I use this website...... http://www.swimoutlet.com/. This site has amazing suits, caps, googles, and even beach gear at great prices! It also has " meet food " and ribbons. They have all the special suits, like aqua blades and fast skins! When i first started swimming , one of my friends showed me this site, and I literally felt like it was " swimming heaven." I mean it is an awesome site to get ideas from as well. They next thing that I think I want to buy is a parka! This way I don't keep freezing when I get in and out of the water at practices or meets during these cold fronts.

Swedish Goggles?

Many of my teammates I have seen wear these Swedish goggles. They are cheaply made, so why do people like them so much? They are small, have no support on them, which means the goggle edges are around your eyes. It is known to take about a few weeks to get used to, which really means for bruises and or cuts to go away after wearing them. WHO WOULD WANT TO WEAR THAT? I mean, I have heard that once you get used to them, you would never want to touch another pair of goggles. Weird enough, I researched about them too, and found out they were created in the 1970's in Malmsten, Sweden. But I think that the main advantage I constantly hear about is that no water ever gets in them, and they rarely ever fall off. Although this sounds like an amazing advantage, I think I am content with my Vanquishers, which have more support on them.

History of Competitive Swimming!

Swimming was known to be originated in England. I actually had no idea of this until I researched a little about it. I was very interested to find out that competitions were started in the late 1830's with only six "pools". It was organized by the National Swimming Society. By the 1880's, as swimming continued to gain popularity, over 300 member clubs formed! I am still surprised that this sport emerged so late in society. In 1896, swimming became an Olympic sport for men only! Oddly, the only events were the 100 meters and 1500 meters freestyle, which was in open water (ocean) Soon, more strokes were added like more freestyle events, followed by the backstroke, butterfly, breaststroke, and the last was the IM (individual medley).More than anything, I was shocked about the fact that women were not included in the 1896 and 1906 Olympics! By the time of the 1912 Olympics, women's swimming emerged, which in effect formed the International Olympic Committee.

Another thing that stunned me about the first Olympics was that there were only 4 events, which 3 out of the 4 were freestyle? I cannot even begin to fathom how short of a meet that must have been! It also must have been boring only swimming that 1 stroke. At the second Olympics I found out that the competitions consisted of 3 very different types of "competition". One of them consisted of an " underwater obstacle course? " Nowadays, that tactic is not used. Swim meets now have 32 swim races, which means 16 for women and 16 for men. That is a heck of jump from the beginning, which only consisted of 4. I was super surprised about the transformation, and how competitive swimming has evolved.

The " Phelps" Diet

The most important things for me to consume as a swimmer is carbohydrates and protein! By having these nutrients in my body, this insures good musular growth and endurance. Unlike many people, I live on bread, pasta, and many sandwiches. These calorie packed meals that I consume on a daily basis is probably about half or maybe a little less than half the amount that Michael Phelps eats. Michael Phelps, who has won 11 gold metals in the Olympics, eats about 12,000 calories each day! For breakfast alone, a typical meal consists of three fried egg sandwiches topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise, toast, an omelette, porridge, three pancakes and two cups of coffee. That sounds like a meal for 5 people! It isn't all eaten at once though. Before practice, he consumes cereal or oatmeal, and then after practice, it’s the eggs and the omelettes!

ALL ABOUT ME IN THE WATER

Hey I'm Nicole and I love swimming! Swimming is the best sport to keep a person in amazing shape because swimming literally works outs every muscle in the body. I swim or exercise everyday, and race very frequently as well. My reasons for swimming is not for anybody else or because of force, I do it because I love it. I learned to swim when I was in elementary school, but my interest completely came out when I came to high school. My friends at times call me "part fish" because I am always in the water. My favorite and best stroke is breaststroke, which I greatly enjoy practicing! I love the feeling that I get after a workout, which is relief and accomplishment. The amount of daily exercise I do does make myself very tired , but it is totally one-hundred percent worth it! Not only does swimming depend on the physical state and conditioning a person has, but mental attitude has major effects as well. My "can do" attitude and self motivation has pushed me to keep working hard everyday.