| Family in Town By: Megan Jendrick Date: May 24, 2007 - 07:48 AM It isn't uncommon for athletes of all levels--amateur and professional--to get sidetracked by what they're striving for. Athletes want to succeed, so there's this mantra that "more is better" and everything is training, training, training. Sometimes, days go by without turning on the television, eating becomes a tiring task, sleeping is like winning the lottery and chlorine is the only smell I can sense. And then, sometimes, you just need a break. I don't mean from training, just from the simple process or doing the same thing every day. Comments: 3 |
| Aiming for the Olympics, Not the World Series By: Megan Jendrick Date: May 7, 2007 - 09:00 AM My goal is the Olympics, not the World Series... and I don't mean Baseball. I'm talking about... The World Series of Poker! For the second year in a row I've won a seat to play in the Ladies event at the WSOP, but I won't be going. Traveling to Las Vegas and taking the time to play just isn't conducive to my training and I have some high expectations for Nationals this summer. But, it's fun to say I've done it twice now. I actually don't play much poker, hardly at all, really. I only learned a year and a half or so ago how to play "Texas Hold Em" because my husband used to play online and seemed to be pretty successful right away. He actually won a spot in last years "Big" tournament and went out for it. Obviously he didn't win (the $12 million would have been nice!) but he had fun playing with a lot of the "professionals" in poker. The way it happened for this year's win was exactly how it happened last year. Nathan called me to the computer and said, "Hey, play this tournament! It's for a spot in the Ladies event." Then he sits at the desk and edits a book manuscript while I play... of course, he's available for advice if I need it! The fields for the Women Only games aren't all that big, so they don't last very long. That's good too because I don't usually have much time. Anyway, that's about all the exciting news for now. I went and spoke at an elementary school yesterday which is always fun, and practices have been going great. Until next time! Swim Fast, Megan Comments: 3 |
| Random Updates from the Jendrick House By: Megan Jendrick Date: Apr 30, 2007 - 12:40 PM At the beginning of the season most people are used to going to practice and then getting their schoolwork done as fast as possible so they can drop into bed, thoroughly used up and exhausted. It's amazing how fit you feel as a swimmer when you're dead into the season—knowing you're doing things the average person couldn't think of—but when it starts again, even after a week off, you feel pains you can't remember ever feeling before.
I've been getting a lot of e-mails asking about the injury I obtained off the start of the 100 breaststroke at the Duel, and I'm happy to report that except for some random pain, I'm back to normal. Nathan is still keeping me away from heavy movements in the legs during our gym sessions, but he said I should be getting back to form within the next two to three weeks. I'm excited! I hope everyone reading this is doing well, and I want to thank everyone for their support!
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| Back from China, Back to work By: Megan Jendrick Date: Apr 15, 2007 - 09:10 PM I'm back from a great month of travel and competition. I left home in early March and returned just a few days ago. What can I say? I'm glad to be back, but I loved (almost) every minute while I was away. The only time I wasn't real happy was at the Duel, but I've covered that, I think I'm pretty well healed up, and I'm excited to get back into my routine. What routine is that exactly? Well, I think that will be covered very well on SwimRoom in the coming months, but I'll try and preface it a little bit. After World Championships, we discovered some of my weak points. I told that to one of my friends who was back home for the weekend and she said, "Weak points? You just won the silver medal!" That's true, but trust me, even Michael (Phelps) is going back to the drawing board and look at the meet he had! You always, always, always have to be looking at what you can improve on. Silver is great, gold is better, and gold is the goal. So, the first thing we did was the same thing we always do at the beginning of the season. I sat down with my husband Nathan, who is also my trainer, and we mapped out what we should focus on for training and nutrition outside of the pool. I'm usually pretty good at following along and giving insight and providing feedback, but he's so detailed it's amazing. Sometimes I just sit back and do what I'm told because I know he has the vision and end goal all set out. He has charts, graphs, photos... tons of stuff. Every season he says, "We're going to do..." such and such, and "you'll see the benefits in 4-6 weeks" or whatever time frame. And, sure enough, it works right on schedule. I feel stronger and I'm getting faster. Because of the success we've had in the past, I always look forward to seeing what he has planned. This year we have a specific goal in adjusting my body composition, as well as two particular muscle groups that we need to work differently, and one that needs to be worked more often and with heavier weight. He also decided to cut out all work on my lats because my back is "too" muscular right now. It's actually causing me drag, and the benefits are outweighed by that drag, so we're going to "streamline" my body as a whole. As for nutrition there's some different workout foods I'll be using as well as more dextrose immediately after practice. Otherwise we like where I'm at as far as what I'm eating, we'll just really firm up the nutrient timing portion. One thing I want to mention is that with my goals, they're specific to me. I don't want anyone copying what I write about because it may not be right for you. Nathan works with a couple of people currently on the National 'A' team who were at Worlds, as well as some Olympians from 2000 and 2004. He also has dozens of other clients from all sorts of sports... and he has just about every single one of us on a different type of program. It's really hard for me or him to tell people what they should do, because we can't tell just by looking at you. Lots of people ask me when I'm signing autographs, "What is the best exercise for me?" Well, I can offer some advice on some things I think everyone should be doing, but what's best for you particularly... I'd have to know way more about you. All of that talk actually leads me into one of the things we've been working on a lot over my week break. Our book Get Wet, Get Fit is coming out at the beginning of next year, and we're in the production phase. We're just doing some final edits and are really seeing it shape up. This is my husband's second book and he also has two more he's working on at the same time, but this is my first, so I'm very very excited about watching it come together! It's with a huge publisher, Fireside (which is an imprint of Simon & Schuster) and we have an awesome editor who is totally psyched about the project. Just like with swimming, it's amazing chemistry when you're working with people who are as excited about something as you are. There's not really anything there yet, but we're making a website for the book www.GetWetGetFit.com which will include a bunch of fun stuff as we get closer to the release of the book. Amazon doesn't even have an image up or a description yet, but it has already sold some copies... how cool is that? Anyway, I get back to pool training tomorrow. And... it's long course!!! I couldn't ask for more (except regular lane lines!). See, at our pool they want to fit as many people in as possible, so rather than leaving it at eight lanes like it's supposed to be, they make it ten. They use worthless rope lanelines and you can't follow the line on the bottom... definitely an entertaining way to swim. Hey, as long as it's 50-meters instead of 25-yards, I'm not complaining. I like SCY swimming, but I decided against swimming in college because long course is my major focus. It's tough to train most of the year in yards and yet focus on meters, so I always jump at the chance to train in the distance I feel matters most. A lot of people have asked about meets I'll be competing at this year, which I don't know for sure yet, but I will post about it when I know. I'll also post some stories about Australia and China when I have some more time at a later date... Swim Fast! MJ Comments: 7 |
| Bad Timing By: Megan Jendrick Date: Apr 4, 2007 - 02:26 AM I've gotten so many messages asking why I didn't swim the 200, I thought I should answer it here. I was very excited for the Duel and felt I had a great warm-up and was ready for some PBs. Unfortunately right off the start in the 100 just a couple of strokes in, I felt a bad pain in my groin and could hardly kick. I finished the race somehow but could hardly walk out of the pool. The doctor on the team said it was a pulled groin and there was no way I was going to swim the 200... I couldn't even warm-up properly, so I wasn't going to argue. I'm really upset as it turned out to be a great race, and I truly feel I could have gone another best time. But, that's what we deal with sometimes as athletes... better here than at Worlds, right? That's the way I'm trying to look at it. I'll get another shot at a fast race at Nationals in the summer, so for now I'm just concentrating on healing up properly and taking the next week off. Thanks to everyone for their support!
MJ |
| The pain it takes to feel good! By: Megan Jendrick Date: Mar 30, 2007 - 06:55 AM I won the silver medal tonight in the 200-meter breaststroke, and there's so much on my mind right now. This might be a long one, so if you're reading along you might want to grab a drink first. I came in here like every other athlete: wanting to win. I knew the odds were stacked against me, especially in this event. Of all the women's events, there's no event more daunting than the 200 breaststroke. Leisel's record is so far ahead of everyone else that even medaling in this event becomes a monumental task. I knew this, I was prepared for this, and I came in here ready to swim my lifetime best. I did that, taking second with 2:25.94. That bested my old best time from a few days ago, before I started swimming here in Melbourne, by almost two seconds. It's almost hard to think about that kind of time drop. I've been swimming since I was nine years old, and the first few years those types of drops were common, just like they are for every age-grouper. But to do that now just amazes me. Before qualifying for this meet in only the 200-meter breaststroke, if someone would have told me that I'd win my first individual world championships medal (I won silver as part of the medley relay in 2001) in the 200 instead of the 100, I would have never believed them. As an optimist I'd say ok, I'll medal in the 200 but not until after the 100 in the same meet. Well, it turned out the way it did and I couldn't be happier. I've been thinking about ways to describe what I felt in that race, but I just can't do it justice I don't think. It was a sort of pain I don't remember feeling in a long, long time. The last twenty-five meters burned in a way that I felt like I was swimming in lava. The wall looked like, with every stroke, that it was getting further and further away from me. I knew at that point Leisel was going to win, that there wasn't enough pool left for me to catch her, but silver was in my grasps. If I let up even a tiny bit though, I knew I could go from second to seventh in a heart-beat. There was no way I was going to give up, and it all paid off. It took a lot of pain to get to this level of happiness, but it was worth every bit. All said, that was the type of race you train for. Everytime you're in workout and it hurts, and you want to quit but don't, it's for a race like this. To be honest, I felt like I had a lot to prove at this meet. My husband and I were talking about this, and it's so true; coming into this meet people thought I was going to come away with nothing but a free trip to Australia. People said my best shot at going back to the Olympics was in only the 100. Coming in seeded where I was (11th, I believe) I wasn't even expected to make finals. I don't like people doubting me, but them having done so pushed me. I wanted to prove to myself that I'm not only still in it, but better than ever. Not only did I want to show everyone what I could do, but I wanted to justify what I do for everyone who supports me. My husband Nathan for example was just telling me about how worried he gets when I swim because he wants me to do so well. He makes my meals for me, makes sure I'm eating all the right nutrients and ratios of protein and carbs and fats, designs my weight training, everything I do for swimming on dry land is because of him and his dedication to my training. But he said when he's watching, none of that matters anymore and he can't do anything so he feels helpless. I know the feeling! It's like when he was doing bodybuilding contests and I watched for 16 weeks each time while he dieted down to practically no bodyfat and I saw how hard he trained, but when he was up on stage there was nothing I could do. We've got such a great relationship and both being athletes I love how we can relate to each other! Back on the topic of this race, I hadn't gone a best time in the 200-meter breaststroke in seven years, since 2000 Olympic Trials. After going a best in semi-finals I was excited, but I knew I had a medal swim in me. Here it was! I'm looking forward now to the Duel in the Pool in Sydney. It's just a few days away, and I'm getting the opportunity to swim the 100 as well, which is something I missed for this meet by just .04. I am pretty bummed they don't do the 50's at the Duel though. In addition to the 100, I'll also get to race Leisel again in the 200 which will be beneficial for me. I'm not the type of athlete who pretends their opponents don't exist or aren't as good as they are. I definitely respect Leisel Jones, she has brought women's breaststroke swimming to a whole new level. But, by doing that she's inspiring others to meet her, and I'm looking forward to the challenge. Will I ever go a 2:20 in the 200? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I'll go 2:19, who is to say? My goal is to continually, day in and day out, get faster. I love the adage "You can always better your best" and that's my goal, something I'm always going to strive for. If doing so takes me to those heights and beyond, it's going to be amazing. I learn from every race, and I learn the most when I race the best. I've had a great night and need to be getting to sleep now, but just off the swimming topic a little bit something happened that could have completely ruined the night. My husband was walking back to his hotel which is down the Yarra River, and outside of a park there he got surrounded all of a sudden by a huge group of guys that were apparently looking for someone else. They threw bottles that shattered around at his feet and just ran up to him. They were yelling they were going to kill him and all sorts of things, and he just put his hands up ready to fight and said something to them, and by doing that they realized he was American and that he wasn't who they were looking for. Nathan isn't a giant but he's not a small guy, and he's got a couple of black belts in martial arts, but even he said, "I'm not nieve enough to think I could have actually won that fight!" I'm glad he's ok and that didn't turn out some other way!! Australia and Melbourne specifically is a beautiful place, but all it takes is one wrong thing to happen to totally ruin a trip. All is well though, and I'll be sleeping well tonight. I'm the type of person who usually just can't stand coming in second, but I'm happy with this. And, just as a small bonus, these medals actually look really cool! That victory lap around the pool tonight was very special. I know the camera's were mainly focused on Leisel, but I was there. I medaled, silver, and swam once again with the best in the world. God is so good in the opportunities He provides for us... I couldn't be more thankful for these gifts. Comments: 3 |
| Going into Finals seeded 4th By: Megan Jendrick Date: Mar 29, 2007 - 08:16 PM Just a quick note before I get a little nap in before I race. Last night I won my semi-final heat in 2:26.14 and am going into finals seeded 4th. I'm back in lane 6, which oddly makes me feel pretty good. I hadn't gone a best time in that event since 2000 Olympic Trials (where I barely missed making the team in it) so I'm very excited about my time, and I think I've got more left to give. My lactate was low and dropped even further very quickly, so I was told I can go faster... I like the sound of that! I shut it down just a bit over the last five-ten meters knowing I was winning the heat. It was a fun race and I'm ready to go for it all tonight! Say a prayer and wish me luck, tonight is the night! Comments: 2 |
| Tomorrow I Race! By: Megan Jendrick Date: Mar 28, 2007 - 06:17 AM Finally after days of waiting, tomorrow I get to race. I'm ready for this 200-meter breaststroke and am fully prepared to go out there and give it my best effort. I can't believe how hard it is to sit back and wait your turn to compete! I'm used to swimming the 100 which is usually earlier in the meet schedule, so having been at training camp and tapering, I'm restless. Racing is what this sport is all about, so having to be patient is so difficult sometimes! I feel bad for my teammate and roomie, Ariana Kukors, who is swimming the 400 IM. She has to wait until the last day! Our team is so great. Most people who watch swimming see everyone cheering for each other, but it's more than just being from the same country. We're like a family on these international team trips; we've got everything from the fighting to the laughing to the crying. And the thing is, we support each other through everything! Unlike some people in the business world who will turn on you or try and make you feel worthless if you're not swimming up to their expectations, you can always count on teammates like this to be there for you, win or lose. You can't ask for more than someone who stands by you no matter what. Team USA is awesome! Prelims should be fun. I know no one likes to talk about their strategy before races, and I'll only say one thing about mine. I'm going to feel out my prelims race and only do what I need to in order to make it back to semi-finals. I have some things I'm looking to feel out and that will be the best chance to do it. Practice only helps so much, you just have to learn from experience sometimes. I still consider myself a 100-meter breaststroker, and I'm still working my comfort level out in the 200. I'm still learning things and will still have a lot to learn about it after this meet, but I'm going to see what I can adjust in the morning without expending too much energy. It's almost time! I'm ready to race! Comments: 5 |
| Another Update from Australia By: Megan Jendrick Date: Mar 20, 2007 - 11:26 PM Things are still going very well here at training camp. I'm getting more and more excited to finally get out there and race. One thing that keeps coming up is that to medal, I'm going to have to go a good deal faster than my best time ever in the 200 breaststroke. Can I do it? I certainly believe I can. Then the question I get asked is, "Can you beat Leisel Jones?" There's another swimmer who recently admitted she couldn't. I think that's horrible. You may as well not even swim if you don't think you can win. Amazing things happen in the pool all of the time, and I certainly believe that I can be a part of them. Will it happen this time? I'm not the one who knows that right now, but I know I'll be fully prepared to give it my best. You know, I saw Rocky Balboa awhile back and one line I remember is, "I think you try a little harder when you're scared." And to an extent I believe that's true. But, I'm not scared of Leisel. Her going the times she has only shows it's possible. If she breaks the world record again, or if anyone else does it, that just shows that even faster times are possible. I sound like a broken record, but I'm very, very excited to be involved in this race. You know, to be honest, I never really thought I'd be in a major meet like this only swimming the 200. The 100 has always been my favorite, and my best event. The 200 has always been decent, but I had long looked at it as a bonus event for me. Then when I qualified for World Championships in it, it was something that took a lot of work in order for me to adjust to. In fact, I'm still adjusting. There's work to be done every day, but it's exciting work. Getting in the pool and doing the same thing day in and day out won't make anyone a better swimmer, but constantly challenging yourself is the key. I live for the challenge! Win, lose or draw at this meet, I'll be at my best when I race with a positive mindset--one that allows anything to happen--and when all is said and done, I'm putting a bullseye on Beijing. At workout today we did a few fast things. I did a broken 200 breaststroke and went a 2:12. With 16 strokes on the first length I went 32.2, and my next lengths were 17 and 18 strokes at low 34's each. Without counting strokes, I went a 32-mid on my final 50. Even with those all out sprints my lactate only reached 6.6! One thing that has definitely helped with all this 200 training I'm doing is that I've built a much better lactate threshold than I have ever had. That's going to help me keep a solid stroke longer throughout all of my races, the 100 and 200. Anyway, outside of the pool things are also going well. I'm still just relaxing and watching a lot of television. I missed my father-in-law's birthday party today which was kind of a bummer; my husband's side of the family is always fun to hang out with. And, they went to this great Japanese restaurant called Sakura (Japanese for "Cherry Tree") that I love. They make the food in front of you and the chefs do all sorts of crazy tricks with their knives and the food while they're cooking it. My father-in-law is full Japanese himself but sometimes still uses a fork when he eats rice, so I don't always feel so bad! I'm off to get some dinner, so until later- Swim fast! MJ Comments: 1 |
| Training in Australia By: Megan Jendrick Date: Mar 16, 2007 - 04:59 PM The Seattle weather that followed me to Australia went back home, and it's nice and sunny outside! I love it! I watched all of the episodes of Rome and The O.C. that I brought, so my husband Nathan will be very proud that I'm going to go buy a book! He's a writer, so he's always suggesting I read more. Because there's only seven channels on TV here, I'm finally going to have to do it! Training is good. Yesterday was the official start of my taper and was just long and smooth to shake off the flight. Today we did some fast stuff, and my lactate stayed extremely low (4.4 and 5.2 after each round of a tough sprint 50 set) and after all of that, I did one last 50 breaststroke from the blocks and went a mid-32, which I'm very comfortable with having only two days of "tapering" behind me. Things are looking good in Australia! Swim Fast, MJ Comments: 0 |
| Senior Sectionals By: Megan Jendrick Date: Mar 11, 2007 - 04:54 PM I just finished up with the Senior Sectionals meet held at the same pool I train at everyday, the King County Aquatic Center. It has always been a great pool, but now they're adding a huge pirate ship playground thing in the kiddie pool. Too bad I'm too old for the kiddie pool... hey, growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be! Anyway, the meet went great. I like these types of meets where swimmers of all ages can race together, because I meet a lot of nice people. Most of the time there's a few people, usually younger kids, who are really shy and scared to talk to me, so I try and introduce myself to them first if I see they're nervous. The weirdest question I got this time was a group of guys who walked up and asked me this question: If you could have the powers of a super-hero, which would it be, Batman or Superman? Superman, of course! Not because his powers let him fly, or dodge bullets, or have super strength, but because I bet he can swim pretty fast. Batman can't do anything really without a gadget or two, and those are all pretty much against FINA rules. Sorry Batman ;) The meet went great. I went a best time in almost everything I swam, which at this point in my career is a huge accomplishment. I haven't even started my taper yet and to go best times just makes me even more excited for Australia and the World Championships and Duel in the Pool. I went a 59.02 in the 100-yard breaststroke, which is my second fastest time ever. I also went a 2:07.80 in the 200 which was a best time by almost a full second. After each event, the announcer mentioned that my times would have won NCAA's, which I thought was pretty great, too! I have to pack now; until next time- Swim Fast! 'MJ' Megan Jendrick Comments: 1 |
| My blog By: Megan Jendrick Date: Feb 19, 2007 - 04:07 PM SwimRoom.com is an exciting new project and I'm very happy to be a part of it! There's no better way for everyone in the swimming community—from athletes to fans to parents—to come together. I'm also excited about the accessibility it gives me to connect with fans. Megan
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Megan Jendrick
