I am once again sitting on a flight headed to an appearance.  This time it’s an AT&T trade show in Dallas, Texas before I head to a Right to Play event in New York City.  I just got a manicure at the Xpress Spa at SFO while waiting for my flight, which I highly recommend. 

This past weekend was simply incredible.  Ethan and I were invited to participate in American Express Publishing’s Food and Wine Paradise in Kapolei, Hawaii.  It was a showcase of some of the best chefs and vintners from Hawaii, California, and one Texan. The event not only helped make connections for both chefs and vineyards, but it also raised money for the Oahu Rotary Foundation. Good food and I get to go to Hawaii?  And it goes to a good cause?!?  I couldn’t have been more excited.  And to top it off, a very generous woman from the Oahu Rotary Foundation offered to let Ethan and I use her beautiful three-bedroom condo situated on one of the property’s many lagoons. 

For four days and three nights, Ethan and I sat by the pool and got some sun in-between our several mouth-watering multi-course meals.  I haven’t been home much since the Olympics and therefore haven’t spent much time with my fiancé.  This last trip was just what I needed!  There was no need to go sightseeing or anything.  Just relaxing while reading a good book in the warm Hawaiian sun (Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee for me, and Economic Hit Men by John Perkins for Ethan) was all I was craving.  We met so many generous, kindly people at the event and had the best time.  I hope I get invited next year!  

Where am I?  What day is it?  The past couple weeks have been incredibly exciting and extremely hectic. Between Tuesday and Saturday of last week I was in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.  Last week I got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and walked into the wall because I thought I was at the previous night’s hotel.  As I am writing this, I am sitting on a plane headed back to the JFK airport.  All this traveling can be incredibly fun, but a little disorienting.

Among the many exciting things that I have done over the past couple weeks: the Olympians show on Oprah, a taping for Nickelodeon’s World Wide Day of Play, NFL Total Access, Good Day LA, Tonight Show and Access Hollywood to name a few.  I must say that the coolest appearance so far has been taping the Rachel Ray show. 

As most of you know, I love to cook.  All the knowledge I have in the kitchen has come from either magazines (Cooking Light, Bon Apetit, &Gourmet) or the Food Network.  Rachel Ray has a ton of different shows, which I have watched for years.  Of all of her shows, my favorite has got to be her daytime show “Rachel Ray.” 

The food in the green room was hands down the best green room food ever!  Usually you’ll get some snacks like vegetable crudités or various fruits, but the food staff at RR takes catering seriously.  When I arrived, I got a platter of various culinary delights: mini turkey hoagies, prosciutto wrapped shrimp with arrabiatta sauce, fennel & cucumber slaw, and mini cherry pies with homemade whipped cream.  As excited as I was to do the show, I almost wanted to stay in my room and pig out. 

The actual segment on the show was so much fun. Rachel’s easygoing style of interviewing puts you at such ease and makes for a really enjoyable experience. While we were talking we cooked corn chowder which, coincidentally, is one of my favorite dishes.  Rachel was so welcoming and a pleasure to meet. She’s just as upbeat in person whether the cameras are on or not.  I had a great time doing the show and you guys should check it out in the next week or two. 

With all this flying you have to stay entertained while on the plane and I’ve already seen everything United Airlines has to offer.  Knowing this, I downloaded season 1 of Gossip Girl to keep me busy.  I’ve been reluctant to watch that show, but I’m desperate and have watched practically everything else!

Funny little side-note: After taping the RR show, I was about to leave when I heard the New Kids on the Block were in studio to do another taping.  When I was in first and second grade, I was obsessed with NKOTB and had all their dolls, lunchboxes, pillowcases… you name it!  They were my first concert.  The booker of the RR show asked if I would be interested in meeting them so I did.  I have a really funny picture with all of them wearing my Olympic medals. The introduction got awkward very quickly because “Oh my God, I loved you guys back in 1989” is probably not the best thing to say.  I didn’t actually say that, but when the original pop boy band is now in their late 30’s and early 40’s, and your were obsessed with them 20 years ago, it gets a little weird.  They were all really nice despite the situation’s awkwardness. 

Where am I?  What day is it?  The past couple weeks have been incredibly exciting and extremely hectic. Between Tuesday and Saturday of last week I was in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.  Last week I got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and walked into the wall because I thought I was at the previous night’s hotel.  As I am writing this, I am sitting on a plane headed back to the JFK airport.  All this traveling can be incredibly fun, but a little disorienting.

Among the many exciting things that I have done over the past couple weeks: the Olympians show on Oprah, a taping for Nickelodeon’s World Wide Day of Play, NFL Total Access, Good Day LA, Tonight Show and Access Hollywood to name a few.  I must say that the coolest appearance so far has been taping the Rachel Ray show. 

As most of you know, I love to cook.  All the knowledge I have in the kitchen has come from either magazines (Cooking Light, Bon Apetit, & Gourmet) or the Food Network.  Rachel Ray has a ton of different shows, which I have watched for years.  Of all of her shows, my favorite has got to be her daytime show “Rachel Ray.” 

The food in the green room was hands down the best green room food ever!  Usually you’ll get some snacks like vegetable crudités or various fruits, but the food staff at RR takes catering seriously.  When I arrived, I got a platter of various culinary delights: mini turkey hoagies, prosciutto wrapped shrimp with arrabiatta sauce, fennel & cucumber slaw, and mini cherry pieswith homemade whipped cream.  As excited as I was to do the show, I almost wanted to stay in my room and pig out. 

The actual segment on the show was so much fun. Rachel’s easygoing style of interviewing puts you at such ease and makes for a really enjoyable experience. While we were talking we cooked corn chowder which, coincidentally, is one of my favorite dishes.  Rachel was so welcoming and a pleasure to meet. She’s just as upbeat in person whether the cameras are on or not.  I had a great time doing the show and you guys should check it out in a week or two.   

With all this flying you have to stay entertained while on the plane and I’ve already seen everything United Airlines has to offer.  Knowing this, I downloaded season 1 of Gossip Girl to keepme busy.  I’ve been reluctant to watch that show, but I’m desperate and have watched practically everything else!

Funny little side-note: After taping the RR show, I was about to leave when I heard the New Kids on the Block were in studio to do another taping.  When I was in first and second grade, I was obsessed with NKOTB and had all their dolls, lunchboxes, pillowcases… you name it!  They were my first concert.  The booker of the RR show asked if I would be interested in meeting them so I did.  I have a really funny picture with all of them wearing my Olympic medals. The introduction got awkward very quickly because “Oh my God, I lovedyou guys back in 1989” is probably not the best thing to say.  I didn’t actually say that, but when the original pop boy band is now in their late 30’s and early 40’s, and you were obsessed with them 20 years ago, it gets a little weird.  They were all really nice despite the situation’s awkwardness. 

I thought that I was going to write my blogs through the Olympic Games and give you guys some updates, much like I did during the Olympic Trials.  With 11 swims over the 9 days of competition, in addition to the many press conferences and drug tests, writing became a bit of a challenge.  With the little time that I had to sit in front of my computer and write, I became so overwhelmed with things to say that I was unable to form a coherent blog. 

Now that the swimming part of the Games is over I have had a little time to reflect on what just happened (even though I am still a bit overwhelmed).  Over 9 days of racing and six total events I came out with six medals: 1 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronzes.  Although my body was getting progressively more and more tired, with each swim I got a little better.  At the beginning of the meet my swims were a little shaky which I attribute to lack of racing (since Trials) and lots of nerves. 

Disclaimer: for all of you who get bored with swimming details feel free to skip this next paragraph.

I take the time now to point out an important detail to allof you fellow swimmers out there… My first swims were neither on par with my goals nor with my abilities.  I could have mentally given up at that point and claimed that I “missed my taper.”  Instead I focused more on my technique and relaxing away from the pool, and had faith that the training over the past several years cannot possibly go away overnight.  With each swim my body was getting more and more comfortable racing again and my times improved.  So the lesson that I hope all of you take away from my experience is that taper is nothing magical.  You’re not going to miss the taper bus by a couple days.  Throughout my 20 years of competitive swimming, I have heard people say that they trained great but just missed their taper.  Don’t allow yourself to get swept into this line of thinking.  If you are about to go into a big competition and don’t feel great, don’t lose faith because you can turn things around with the right attitude. Many people with disagree with me on this taper thing, but this is what I have learned over the past several years and it's just my opinion.  Enough with the boring taper stuff, I just feel like that is an important thing for all swimmers to learn. 

I finished my last event a couple days ago and I cannot believe that the competitive part of the Olympics is over for me!  Although I am happy with my performances, I think I can still do better which is something to aim for in London…  I have been so singularly focused on last week’s meet that I don’t know what to do with myself now.  Fortunately I am very busy with some very fun events over the next few days. 

One of the things that I am most excited about is cooking with Martin Yan this afternoon on his show.  When I was little (long before the Food Network was even an idea) my mom watched Julia Child and Martin Yan constantly.  They were really the only cooking shows on television and she loved them both. Now I get to cook with him! The producer of the show asked what my favorite Chinese dish is so that we can make it.  Char Siew Bao (steamed pork bun, dim sum) is by far my favorite Chinese dish and I’m hoping that Martin can teach me that later today.  I cannot wait!

Anyways, I hope all of you out there enjoyed watching the swimming.  I must say that I really enjoyed the swimming schedule since the most difficult part of the day (finals) was done first thing in the morning. For those of you in the States, I hope you enjoyed watching the swims live.  Now I get to be a spectator at the Olympics!  The events that I want to see: Laura Wilkinson in platform diving, Sayna Richards in track & field and any BMX race.  

After nearly six weeks of waiting, the Summer Games are finally here! Prelims start tonight, and speaking for everyone on the team, we are all so excited to finally get this meet started. Much like Trials, there is a lot of nervousness and anxiousness wrapped up into the excitement, but in a slightly different way.

At Trials, the goal is to simply make the Team. I say simply not because it’s a simple task, but because nothing more than first or second required to make the Team. Records and personal bests are icing on the cake, but ultimately they don’t matter at that point in time. The coaching staff has said this many times over the past few weeks and it rings true: the hardest part of this entire process is behind us. Making the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team is one of the hardest feats in the world of sport.

Our performances over the next several days are what we have trained for over the past several years. The next nine days are going to be tiring, intense, and thrilling. I’m not sure how much the NBC Amazing Awaits commercial has aired back home in the States, but I absolutely love it. I first saw it exactly a year ago during the one-year out celebration, and it gets me pumped every time I see it.

For all of you who have been supporting me and my fellow teammates over the past several months (or years)… Thank you! I cannot tell you how much that means to me, and I hope to do you proud. Wish me luck and keep on sending those good luck vibes.

Amazing Awaits.

Yesterday was probably one of the best days that I have had since reporting to training camp. Although camp is a great way to stay focused on your training and remove any possible distractions, I need those distractions.  When I’m at home, I often seek out those distractions to keep my mind focused on something other than my swimming.  I have always have had the tendency to get overly focused on swimming which can drive me absolutely crazy.  That is why I spend so much time cooking, or playing with my cameras, or taking my dog on long runs…  Otherwise I can get neurotic.  

I’ve been embracing training camp since immediately after Trials and have been training very well. Even though my practices have been strong and consistent, I’ve been getting that urge to get away from the pool and turn my brain off of swimming.  Consequently, Emily Silver and I spent yesterday afternoon hanging out on Orchard Street. We went out to a great sushi restaurant and spent the afternoon practicing retail therapy. 

If you have never been to Singapore before, you would be amazed at how many malls and stores this country has.  I have no idea how so many high-end stores survive in such a small island country, but there is no shortage of places to shop.  Orchard Street is a great place to go shopping where stores are seemingly endless. Of course, it’s hotter thanyou-know-what here and the only thing I bought was this really cute scarf from Zara, which I’ll just have to save for the fall.  Emily got these great jeans and grey pumps from the same store.  Other than having to return early (because of a phone call to report to drug testing), I couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon. It was such a nice way to spend one of my last days in Singapore before heading to the craziness of the Olympic village. 

I’m going to spend the day today packing and relaxing before heading to Beijing tomorrow morning. I have the House, Season 3 DVD’s keeping me busy and I think I’m going to get a facial later today!

There’s only seven days left until the lighting of the Olympic torch at 8:08pm, on August 8, 2008.  Everyone is getting closer and closer to their prospective swims and our practices have been getting more and more specialized.  As a result, my training group has gone from four (Kim Vandenberg, Christine Magnuson, Emily Silver and me) to just me.  My friends during practice are now Green Day, Britney Spears, The Killers and whoever else turns up on my H20audio’s shuffle while I practice. Fortunately Teri has been letting me swim with my iPod during my lonely practices. 

Last night we had rookie skits, which is both a right of passage for every Olympic swimmer and one the highlights of the trip.  There are 25 “rookies” (those who have not yet participated in an Olympic Games) that created a solid half hour of entertainment for the entire team. Most of the time the skits involve making fun of present and past Olympians and staff with the many inside jokes that occur during the long period of training camp.  There were five groups in total, and all five were unique and amusing.  Without giving much away, the 80’s dance aerobics skit, complete with 80’s hair, makeup and unitards, was different and hilarious.  I was poised with my camera the entire time but was laughing so hard that it was nearly impossible to keep my camera still for a decent picture.

It’s about lunchtime right now, which along with breakfast and dinner has been the best part of the day.  In keeping with my goal of trying all of this country’s delicacies, May brought me a celebratory moon cake to share with my teammates at lunch.  It’s a Chinese pastry that’s filled with lotus paste and egg yolk.  I’m sure the dessert itself is tasty, but the packaging is beautiful!  I’ll let you all know how the dessert goes over with the team… 

There’s only seven days left until the lighting of theOlympic torch at 8:08pm, on August 8, 2008.  Everyone is getting closer and closer to their prospectiveswims and our practices have been getting more and more specialized.  As a result, my training group has gonefrom four (Kim Vandenberg, Christine Magnuson, Emily Silver and me) to justme.  My friends during practice arenow Green Day, Britney Spears, The Killers and whoever else turns up on my H20audio’s shuffle while I practice. Fortunately Teri has been letting me swim with my iPod during my lonelypractices. 

Last night we had rookie skits, which is both a right ofpassage for every Olympic swimmer and one the highlights of the trip.  There are 25 “rookies” (those who havenot participated in an Olympic Games) that created a solid half hour ofentertainment for the entire team. Most of the time the skits involve making fun of present and pastOlympians and staff with the many inside jokes that occur during the longperiod of training camp.  Therewere five groups in total, and all five were unique and amusing.  Without giving much away, the 80’sdance aerobics skit, complete with 80’s hair, makeup and unitards, wasdifferent and hilarious.  I waspoised with my camera the entire time but was laughing so hard that it wasnearly impossible to keep my camera still for a decent picture.

It’s about lunchtime right now, which alongwith breakfast and dinner has been the best part of the day.  In keeping with my goal of trying allof this country’s delicacies, May brought me a celebratory moon cake to sharewith my teammates at lunch.  It’s aChinese pastry that’s filled with lotus paste and egg yolk.  I’m sure the dessert is tasty, but thepackaging is beautiful!  I’ll letyou all know how the dessert goes over with the team… 

The past several days of training camp have been both long and trying.  Fortunately we moved training locations just in time.  After flying halfway across the world, we’re starting a new phase in our pre-Olympic training and have been rejuvenated by a fresh start. 

Our facilities here in Singapore have been amazing so far, which is good because rest is of the utmost importance right now.  The hotel is this incredible five star hotel complete with lagoons, day spa and unbelievable buffets.  Our rooms have large flat screen televisions, big bathtubs and the most comfortable beds!  There’s even a button by the bed that opens and closes the window curtains.  Having such a nice hotel makes it much easier to relax without going too stir crazy.  Most of the girls have been perusing through the spa menu to book some treatments for later in the week.  So far I’ve booked a Spirulina Anti-Oxidant facial and a reflexology massage for my next afternoon off of practice.  It is the Olympics, so why not indulge a little bit? 

We just flew in last night, so I haven’t been to the pool yet.  I was fortunate enough to take a tour of the facility when I was here last fall for World Cup, and from what I remember, it was comparable to our first class accommodations at the hotel.  For the next week we’ll train at this swanky country club that overlooks a beautiful valley.  I don’t golf, but after looking at the facility’s golf course I wish I did!  We’re so fortunate that USA Swimming recognizes the importance of being comfortable before a big meet.  Yes, we are getting spoiled, but I can guarantee you that everyone is very grateful! 

The smell is that of something foul.  Described as the “king of fruit” the durian is a true delicacy and something that every self-described foodie should try at one point in their life. The last time that I was in Singapore, I was determined to try all the delicacies of this unique country: Chili Crab, Chicken Rice, Fish Head Stew, local Indian curry and durian.  I was able to cross everything off my list except the fruit. 

The same kind family that showed me around Singapore last fall is here helping the US Swim Team once again and asked if there is anything that they could do for me.  Without even thinking, I quickly replied that I needed some durian before I left.  Immediately May got on the phone and found where the best durian was and how she could get it.  Apparently a single fruit can cost between $10-$40 depending on the quality and time of year. 

After this morning’s practice, May presented me with the durian.  It was carefully separated into a Styrofoam container, sealed in plastic and wrapped in newspaper.  Because of the fruit’s distinct, overpowering smell, the durian is banned from public transportation and hotels.  As I began to tear through the plastic outer layer, the putrid smell came pouring out.  Determined to overcome it’s smell, I looked at the alien fruit and dug in. 

I remember reading Anthony Bourdain’s A Cook’s Tour and he said that it is impossible to describe the fruit and I totally agree.  The taste and the smell are completely incongruent and confuse the senses. The intense smell is like a strange combination of rotten bleu cheese and petroleum.  The texture is like a really creamy flan or custard. The taste develops as you eat the flesh.  At first it’s like really funky bleu cheese that has been ripening in my swim bag.  After a couple bites, it becomes sweet and the initial smell is just a memory.  I didn’t like the first few bites, but it grew on me as I finished eating the pod.  The aftertaste is like I just ate an entire raw onion.  As I sit on the bus on the way to the hotel, I’m a little worried that my breath is offending my fellow teammates. 

I recommend doing a search of durian on Wikipedia so that you can see the pictures and info of this crazy fruit.  For any of you who are planning ontraveling to Southeast Asia, I highly recommend trying the king of fruit.   It’s a perfect food since it has carbs, fats and protein in addition to it’s many vitamins.  My description is probably not the most appetizing, but if Teri (my coach, a food coward) could try it, anyone can!  I’m not sure if I like the fruit or not, but it’s definitely interesting. I’ll have to try it again… 

Last night, on our last dinner out, I was able share one of my favorite restaurants with some of my fellow teammates.  Chez Panisse was started in Berkeley by Alice Waters (my hero!) in the late 1960’s and has since been regarded as one of the best restaurants in the country. 

Ian Crocker and Chris Kubic are fellow foodies who knew about the famous eatery and were interested in eating there at some point during training camp.   I’ll use any excuse to eat there so I joined Ian, Chris, Emily Silver, Aaron Piersol, Eric Chanteau and Teri McKeever for the special dinner.  Teri’s husband, my fiancé and Kristen Cunnane (the Cal assistant coach and one of my best friends) also joined us. 

Although the restaurant is 45 minutes from our hotel, the long drive was well worth it!  My meal consisted of a local halibut tartare with fennel and roasted baby beets to start, and a hand-cut pasta with a rabbit and mushroom ragu for my main dish.  Everyone else really enjoyed their meals and were longing for more.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to stay for dessert because we had to rush back to Palo Alto to make our 10 o’clock curfew.  As a consolation the restaurant gave us house-made biscotti and local nectarines for the drive home.  There couldn’t have been a better choice for our last dinner out in the States.  Because of all the wonderful food we all slept very well last night!  

This weekend was Parent’s Weekend here at training camp, which was such a nice and needed change of pace!  Not everyone’s parents were able to make the trip to the Bay Area, but fortunately I was able to spend a really nice Sunday with my family.  Even though we didn’t do anything special (just brunch), this weekend couldn’t have come any sooner.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m so grateful to be here and I know how fortunate I am to be on the Olympic team, but I’ve been so bored lately!  The monotony of our everyday routine (wakeup, breakfast, swim, kill time at the hotel, swim, kill more time, sleep) has really started to wear on me.  I normally have all sorts of things to do to keep my mind busy (my dog, cooking, photography, gardening, etc.) but here at camp my mind is constantly on swimming. 

After enjoying a delicious egg’s benedict my parents and I headed over to meet their new puppy! For those of you that don’t now me very well I’m obsessed with dogs, particularly my own Border Terrier. My parent’s Boxer passed away earlier this year and they have been looking for another Boxer to join the family.  They know a local breeder who happens to have litter of four Boxers, one that will be their own. After my family gets back from Beijing their new puppy will be old enough to leave the litter and join the Coughlin household.  Nothing could have broken up the tedium better than four five-week-old puppies crawling all over me.  These five chubby, clumsy little angels were the perfect remedy for my rut!

On Friday we'll all head to Singapore for our last camp before Beijing.  I was able to visit the facilities there last fall when I was competing at World Cup and I cannot wait to go there!  The hotel is this amazing five star resort and our pool is at this really fancy country club.  That camp is supposed to be our "resting camp" and I cannot imagine a better place to relax and rest up for the excitement of the Olympic Games!  

Well we’ve been here at Stanford for training camp for the past week.  Everyone is getting to know each other better and the training itself has been great.  Now that I know exactly what events I’m doing in Beijing, my workouts have been more focused and have had more direction. 

My only complaint is that I am so bored! I apologize for not writing any blogs the past several days. You would think that the boredom would translate to keeping myself busy with blogs, reading, or something else productive, but no!  I’ve been incredibly sloth-like lately (with exception to my training). Part of the point of training camp is to rest so I think I’ve gone overboard to the point of utter laziness.

Fortunately Apple’s new me.com program and the iPhone’s Web applications have kept me busy the past few days.  For those of you who haven’t upgraded your phones yet, you’re in for a treat.  My favorite WebAps so far: Mobile Flickr, Yelp, Pandora Radio and OmniFocus. 

Ben Wildman-Trobriner suggested Lonely Planet’s Mandarin Web application, which is awesome!  For those of you who are planning on traveling to Beijing and don’t know Mandarin, this WebAp will be a great tool. It’s divided into different useful phrase categories such as transport, sightseeing, shopping, etc.  All you have to do is look up a phrase and the iPhone will say it in Mandarin, and have it written both in Chinese characters and westernized alphabet letters.  Although I wish I would actually learn the language, only the bad phrases seem to stick.  I’m hoping that this program will keep me from insulting someone and getting myself into trouble. :)

I think the team managers are realizing a need for activities to keep us busy so we have a team activity tonight after dinner.  Rumor is that it’s miniature golf.  

The past few days at home have been a godsend.  I was fortunate enough to qualify for my three events at Trials (100 back, 200 IM and 100 free) and then jet home as soon as I was done in order to get a few extra days of peace and quiet before reporting to training camp.  Other than a celebratory meal at one of my favorite local restaurants (Oliveto’s), I didn’t do anything special.  I just relaxed at home with Ethan and played with SheRa. 

Normally we would start camp with meetings and icebreakers, but today we started it out a bit differently.  National Team head coach Mark Schubert invited two guest speakers: Pete Carroll and Lou (didn’t get his last name).  I usually don’t really enjoy motivational speakers, but they did an awesome job.  Lou (as I understood it) is a sports psychologist and he spoke about the power of belief and imagery and how they affect your physiology.  His talk was short,but helped me to make sense out of my past Olympic experience.  I’ll get into that some other time…

Pete Carroll, of course, is the USC Trojans head football coach.  Although it pains me to sayit (since I’m a Golden Bear) he was an incredibly charismatic and engagingspeaker.  He spoke about many things, but what stuck in my mind was the mentality of his team and how they expect nothing but champion-like behavior.  They have achieved things that no college football team has ever achieved, and yet they are not surprised by their accomplishments.  They have planned for greatness by expecting nothing less, so when it happens it’s not an extraordinary event. 

On the surface this mentality can seem arrogant, even condescending.  I remember USC quarterback Matt Leinart’s reaction to losing the championship game to Texas a couple years ago and I remember thinking it was a bit arrogant.  He said that although Texas beat them in the game that USC’s players were still champions.  After listening to Coach Carroll’s talk, I now understand what Leinart was talking about.  If you leave every practice and every meet knowing that you gave your best, you are a champion regardless of the outcome. The goal is to be the best you. In doing so, that makes you a champion. 

The next 30 or so days are going to be challenging.  Olympic Trials are such a physically, emotionally and mentally draining meet that it can be hard to get right backinto training.  Starting camp out with a rousing speech was a great way to get us all to reset and refocus our goals on performing our very best in Beijing.  From today on, we are no longer Golden Bears, Trojans, Longhorns, whatever… we’re team USA!   

If you told me a month ago that I would be on the 2008 Olympic Team in the 200 IM, I would have thought you were insane. When I swam it at the Stanford Grand Prix, I was pleasantly surprised (shocked, actually) by my 4-second personal best. Then I swam it again at the Janet Evans meet and took another 1.5 seconds off my time. Still, I didn’t even consider doing that race at Trials because of it’s timing in the meet schedule. When asked about possibly swimming the 200 IM, I would answer with an emphatic “no!”

About two weeks ago, I was talking with Ethan about the 200 IM somehow he persuaded me into considering it in my schedule. After a day or so I spoke with Teri about it and decided to go for it. It wouldn’t interfere with the 100 back since only the 200 IM prelim was before the 100 back final. I downplayed my intentions to swim that event because I didn’t want to draw any extra attention to that race and add any unnecessary pressure.

While last night’s final was not the prettiest of my races, I am so grateful that I decided to give it a try. I haven’t swum it much in the past several years, so I haven’t had too much time to experiment with that race. Last night I decided to push myself in the first 100 and see what happened. After pushing my backstroke a little too hard, my brain completely shut off for the first 35 meters of the breaststroke leg, which explains why it was so ugly. I watched the video last night… yuck! Fortunately I snapped back into it going into the turn and had a good enough freestyle leg to grab second place. Although that wasn’t my best race, I learned a lot from it that I will take with me to Beijing.

I’m probably the last person to change my plan last minute, but I am so glad that I did. Eight years ago I attempted to make the Sydney Olympics in the 200 IM but got fourth. This is probably my last try at an IM on the Olympic stage, so I’m excited and ready. I’m enjoying having a new race to focus on and disperse some of those nerves.

One more race to go (100 free final) and then it’s off to Stanford for the first of two Olympic training camps!

Thank God.  I’ve stamped my ticket to Beijing and a huge weight has just been lifted.  It’s pretty late right now and I need to get to bed, but I’m a bit wired from today’s swims.  The last 15 meters of the 100 back hurt so badly!  Brenden Hansen alluded to this after his 100 breast: the nerves were so high before my race since I didn’t yet have my place on the Beijing Team. In my case and in Brenden’s, those pesky nerves made our swims much harder than we would have liked. But, it turned out just as I was hoping.  I broke :59 seconds (something I have been aiming for for quite some time) and placed myself on the 2008 Olympic Team. 

I was able to get through the 200 IM tonight after a quick turnaround from the 100 back, which also was something I was worried about.  I’ll explain my decision to swim the IM later…  Now I need toget to bed and rest up for tomorrow’s final!  Thanks again for all the well wishes.  I really appreciate them!   

Well, it’s finally here… Fortunately the Qwest Center was not severely damaged from last Friday’s storm. What was damaged was fixed, and the meet has started.

This morning I went over to the pool for a stretch and an extended pre-meet warm-up. Before heading back to the hotel to rest and relax, I checked out the Speedo retail store at the pool. Not sure how many of you are in Omaha, but they have some really cool stuff and I highly recommend stopping by. I got a bunch of their graphic T-shirts and some capris. They are so cute! And there are jerseys with some of the Speedo athlete’s names and numbers. My jersey is number 5 because that has been my number ever since I started at Cal. (It’s way easier to mark all of your equipment and clothes with numbers rather than your whole name.)

After hitting up the store, I headed back to the hotel to relax and cheer on my Cal teammates via the Internet. As I’m typing this I’m watching NBCOlympics.com (http://www.nbcolympics.com/swimming/news/newsid=142526.html#swimming+trials+live+prelims), which has live prelims. It’s great because it has live video, but unfortunately there aren’t any times so I have to rely on Josh Davis’s announcing skills. So far, he’s doing a great job. If any of you are watching you might be wondering about his many "good friends." Josh has been on two Olympic teams and is one of the friendliest people you will ever meet. He always remembers a face and name, so that's why about 20% of the swimmers at the meet are his good friends.

Anyways, the rest of the day is going to be really chill for me. I’ll continue to watch the meet via the Internet, then shave and rest up for tomorrow’s big day. Thanks for all of your support so far! I really appreciate it all… ☺ Keep on sending over those good thoughts!

I finished my last blog entry mentioning that I had to go hide in the bathroom by order of the hotel staff.  Apparently this freak storm came through Omaha with golfball sized hail, 80-mile an hour winds and torrential rain.  I was the only person on my team to stay at the hotel this afternoon; half were at the pool, the other half just landed at the airport. Rather than going to the tornado shelter with the other hotel guests, I chose to sit in my bathroom with my computer and watched an episode of “South Park.”  I figured that would be less stressful than sitting with a bunch of strangers who were panicking from the weather and their imaginations.  Fortunately everyone is safe and sound.  The local news is reporting the damage across town, and there are even photos of full-grown trees completely uprooted!

Unfortunately the Qwest Center was damaged to the point of some water leaking through the roof and flooding in a couple of the hallways.  (This is according to some other swimmers that were at the pool... I haven't seen this myself.) The news mentioned that the open house scheduled for tomorrow morning is cancelled, but the open house in the afternoon is still scheduled as planned.  It’s pretty crazy right now, but I’m sure the Trials will go on as originally planned. I already checked the weather reports for the rest of the meet and it looks okay. 

Keep this mantra in mind: Go with the flow…

Well I made it safe and sound to Omaha without any additional travel problems! Immediately after I stepped off the plane I saw numerous posters promoting the meet throughout the airport. Some of them were cartoons of swimmers that look surprisingly like some National team swimmers I know, and some were actual photos like the gigantic poster of Davis Tarwater by the United baggage claim. It’s so cool to see how welcoming the city of Omaha is for our Trials!

The Qwest Center facility is phenomenal. It reminds me a lot of the Rod Laver pool from last year’s World Championships in Melbourne (in that it’s huge and you can easily get lost). The competition pool arena holds up to 18,000 people. Without people in the stands it doesn’t seem too overwhelming, but I think I need to wait until they’re filled with screaming spectators before I make that judgment. The place is so big that there are people standing at nearly every corner and hallway to point you in the direction of where you’re going. There’s an athlete lounge (equipped with Guitar Hero), massage tent, huge warm down area… My two favorite things about the facility: the water isn’t freezing cold and there is a hot tub. I know these things seem frivolous, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been freezing cold at a meet and would have given anything for a hot tub! I might not need that parka as much as I thought I would…

The city of Omaha is really cool. I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but I was way off! We’re staying right by the Old Market, this cute cobblestoned street filled with restaurants and shops. Erin Reilly (my Cal teammate) and I went to lunch at Twisted Fork today and I had the best grilled trout with bacon, onion, and jalapeno salsa. So yummy! There’s even this cool art fair going on right now, but I think it’s best that I stay in my room and rest up. My first swim is going to be the 100 back and I only have a couple of days left… Wish me luck.

For those of you that won’t be able to check out the facility check out these links:

TV schedule: 

http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=1990&mid=2943

Live results:

http://www.omegatiming.com/calendar/index.html

I wanted to write more, but the hotel just made an announcement that there is a severe weather warning… I’m supposed to go in my bathroom and shut the door. I’m sure everything will be fine, but it’s a little scary.

Yesterday was my last day at home before all of the craziness that is Olympic Trials. Most of the day was spent organizing and packing before the long trip. I tend to have a problem of over-packing, and I was determined not to bring a 75-pound bag with me to the airport! There are a few items that I need when I travel to a meet: my pillow, my parka and my Pilates gear. These few items always take up way too much room and leave me with an embarrassingly oversized bag. I am not embarrassed enough, however, to leave these ideas at home. When I was 13, one of the older more experienced girls on the team told me that it’s important to be comfortable at your big meet and I think that has stuck with me ever since.

My mom was nice enough to treat my sister and I to some pampering before we leave for Omaha. (My mom, dad, sister, fiancé, Grandparents and an uncle-of-sorts are all coming to cheer me on and support me.) We had a really nice lunch and then headed to the spa for some foo-foo pedicures. I chose a pretty blue color since Cal’s colors are blue and gold. Later in the day Ethan finally got off of work and we headed to dinner. I cook pretty much every night, but I’ve emptied the frig to get ready for all my travels. So poor me, I had to have two great meals out yesterday. :)

Unfortunately as I was headed to the restaurant I got a text from United Airlines that my flight was delayed and that I would be missing my connection! Not only is this incredibly frustrating, but this has happened on nearly all my flights this year. Bright side: I have plenty of experience in rescheduling my flight so after 40 minutes on the phone with an airline representative (there really aren’t that many options from the West Coast to Omaha) I was able to get on a flight leaving Sacramento very early in the morning. That’s over 80 miles from where I live but my mom still was offered to drive me to the airport. Bless her! We left my house at 4:45 this morning and barely made my flight.

Right now I’m keeping myself busy enjoying the free Internet during my layover in Denver. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my large (but not nearly 75-pound) bag makes it to Omaha.