Nationals - Sunday 9th

Some day I will get my times and post them here - but I can't be asked right now. Yea...I'm lazy.

Sunday Morning

Early sunday morning was very similar to early saturday morning - surprising? Not exactly. I'll skip the fun of having breakfast with a dozen people in a small room and go onto the joys of warm up.

I thought I only had 2 events - but I was suddenly entered into the 4 x 100m womens relay...which was almost right after my 100m back. But onto the back - so for warm up I had to do some back, and I couldn't count my strokes (I can't that well anyhow 'cos flags aren't easy to see y'know) because the flags were BLACK instead of red, white and blue. So it was black on grey, bad contrast. So Jill talked to some people and I was allowed to get tapped (no B4 is supposed to be tapped).

The 100m back was only a dozen events in so I was swimming from fairly early on. The call up room is damn cold - and I got someone to guide me there and down to my lane because it was a lot easier. I went the wrong way multiple times when I went alone. And got confused and lost and everything. So I won the heat, despite never being tapped before.

It's quite a weird experience actually. I wasn't sure when I was gonna get tapped so it was kinda scary I guess. But it worked and I PB'd by 22 seconds.

So then a few events after that I swam the relay (our team was 1/2 East Midlands and 1/2 Greater London). I was exhausted and swimming the 1st leg. We came fifth. I was disappointed.

Next event was 50m free. I don't know where I came in the heat but I was racing against Ellie and other super fast awesome people. I might have come 2nd or 3rd or something. I PB'd by 15 seconds anyway. So it was pretty damn cool.

And pretty much straight after getting changed we headed home. I slept most the way...it was cool anyhow.

Nationals - Saturday 8th

Saturday Afternoon

After the 100m free I went and got changed, I couldn't be asked to get my other costume on so I just piled layers of clothes on top of a semi-dry swimming costume. It worked actually...

So I went back onto poolside, and almost everyone had gone. Apart from Richard and a few other team staff people. Richard tried to give me directions to the canteen - but I can't find my way round in a new place. I can't see enough to do that thank you very much. So I tried to explain that, but he wouldn't listen. Eventually Anna took me up (I was close to crying at this point) and got me some lunch (jacket potato - whoop! I love being vegan...) and then sat me down at a table full of people I barely know, in a place I don't know.

Big mistake. I started to freak out and couldn't eat. I start to cry. I know it's childish and all that - but sometimes I can't help it. I'm left alone in a freakin' huge NEW place, and I'm more than a little bit scared. What else do I do?

Eventually one of the people I was sitting with (one of the coaches) asked me what was wrong. I couldn't talk and cried more. So one of the parents of one of the swimmers told everyone (very loudly) to talk to me. Helpful right? So I start crying more, and I can't breathe anymore.

So whoever it was led me back down to poolside and sits me down - I can no longer breathe properly by now. So she gets the team manager - who, bless her soul, really is not a comforting person. She tried her best, but snapping when I can't breathe ain't gonna help. So someone else goes and gets a doctor and then I'm taken to the medical room and told to lie down.

I can't feel my fingers or my face. I panic more. I can't help it. I think I almost passed out a couple of times - but eventually Jill comes in and just talks to me, no 'stop doing that!' or 'breathe slower damnit!'. Just random ramblings. And eventually I start to breathe normally again. And I think I fell asleep for a bit...i can't remember. I only remember opening my eyes and going 'fuck! I've gotta face the whole damn team now...shit.'

They were okay with it I guess...everyone did check up on me more after that. And if I went and sat by myself with my ipod someone would instantly appear and start talking to me. All I wanted to do was sleep really, and just be alone. Impossible at Nationals.

Anyway...I had 100m breast in the afternoon (one of the last events - again) so I had plenty of time to think and do nothing. Again, I remember very little of the actual race. Only putting 100% effort in and winning the heat. I knocked 8 seconds off my entry time.

Saturday Evening

When the we finished for the day (at like, 5 ish) we headed back and had enough time to brush and dry hair before we went out to dinner at some pub down the road.

It was an okay pub actually, swimmers were paid for and it was 2 for 1 anyhow. I had the most vegan thing possible, it was mostly cheese but tasted good. Jill was telling us all about various CP championships she'd been to (with some current paralympic medalists who she used to coach). It was really interesting actually because none of us really know a lot about Jill.

We got back at just gone 10. Me and Ellie watched Vicar Of Dibley. I fell asleep half way through.

Yay! Finished typing up Saturday...now for today's training...

Friday 13th March (Training)

200m IM (25m butterfly, 25m back, 25m breast and 25m free)
200m reverse IM (25m free, 25 breast, 25m back and 25m fly)
200m breast (easy)
8 x 25m free sprints
200m breast (easy)
8 x 25m free sprints
100m back (easy)
4 x 50m free sprints
100m breast (swim down)

Nationals - Saturday 8th

Whoo! More blogging! Don't you just love it? Anyhow...I actually swam on Saturday. Which should make this blog more interesting that the previous entry about squash and DVD players!

Saturday Morning

Ellie's phone alarm went off at 6am. We were out of bed by 6:02, which isn't bad going for two people who hate mornings! I had a shower, even though it was pretty pointless. Woke me up anyhow. I checked my swim bag again (forgot to take out the extra towel) and then drank gross instant coffee for lack of anything else with caffeine in it.

We were supposed to have a little room for everyone to eat in (everyone = coaches, swimmers & assorted family) but we all had to eat in Jill's room. She had a toaster with her and a huge box of bread and cereal. And jam. So that was breakfast sorted.

We left about 7:20 (supposed to be there for 7:30, but warm up starts at 8). We were there by 7:40 anyway. Then changed, waited around for a bit and then did warm up. It is a really nice pool, I think it's just over 50m long and almost 25m wide, it was split in two (25m for racing and the rest for swim down). The water was damn cold, though all pools at competitions are. There were pretty cool yellow things on the sides, I could see them. But I couldn't see the flags marking 5m, they were black and they're normally blue and red which is a lot easier to see. Stupid flags!

But there weren't any stairs to get outta the pool, well there was one tiny set which didn't have any handles. And they also put a lane rope down the side, which made it both painful and very hard to get out. So I have a nice bruise on my leg from climbing out.

I only had one race in the morning (100m free) so I sat around for hours being really really really bored and sometimes cheering people on. And gawking at Ellie Simmons when she went past...hah. That was fun.

But eventually I was taken down and stood waiting at the other end of the pool. I almost missed my heat 'cos I didn't get to go sit in the call up room. Ah well. I made it. We had to wait half way down while the race finished, then we got to walk past all these officials in white clothes (who reminded me of doctors working in a pyschiatric - how do you spell that? - hospital for some reason). While we were waiting it just sorta fell on me what was gonna happen.

And I was so fuckin' scared I started shaking. But then Jill suddenly appeared behind me - I didn't see her - and calmly told me I could do this, I could win this heat. I couldn't argue, couldn't talk and the 3 short whistles had just been blown. Now the long whistle had gone. I got, rather ungracefully, into the water and my mind went blank.

I only remember the last 25m. I turned at the far end, and couldn't see anyone in either lane near me (that means nearly nothing though coming from me) so I pelted it down the last 25. And I won that heat, somehow. I was still shaking, and I couldn't quite believe it. But I'd won. I could do this.

It was only after I'd done my swim down that I found out my time - 1:38, which knocked a grand total of 9 seconds on my entry time. PB number one.

Wow, this is turning out longer than I thought. I'll have to post more later then huh?

Nationals - Friday 7th March

We didn't swim on the Friday, but it was all part of Nationals right? So it gets its own special place in this blog!

Friday Night

I was supposed to get a lift down to Sheffield (where junior nationals are held every year, at Ponds Forge if you wanted to know) with one of my coaches (Richard) but he had to take his daughter (Ellie - who has CP, and who I shared a room with) down at lunch because she had classification in the afternoon. Jill (another coach) was going down at past 8pm because she was still doing training at Ibstock and it takes quite a while to get from Leicestershire to Sheffield.

So I was taken down by my dad, and we took Dev (who had the same problem as me - no lift etc.). It was a pretty quiet journey, traffic was okay and we only went the wrong way once. My dad did drive completely past the hotel, to be fair the turn off was near invisible in the dark.

We signed in and Richard came down with Ellie, who showed me to our room. Typical hotel room really, beds, kettle, TV. The lot. I was sleeping by the window (on the slightly lower and probably less comfy bed) which I didn't mind because I'd probably fall out of it anyway. I dumped my bags and then went to say goodbye.

Then me and Ellie (we share the same name, although not full name - she's Elanor and I'm Eléna) went back upstairs (after she'd scrounged some more hot chocolate from reception - she's addicted to that stuff!). I unpacked my stuff and re-checked my swimming bag. Ellie had her portable DVD player with her (and lots of DVDs) so we watched Kinky Boots. I didn't see most of the film 'cos the screen was tiny and to far away, but I heard a lot of it and got the jist. The DVD player did kinda die before the end so I'm yet to finish Kinky Boots.

Mike and Dev came in and asked if they could have the DVD player on Saturday - Ellie said yeah as long as they didn't break it and they left. Though Dev did come back a few seconds later asking if I had any squash with me. Slightly confused, I had soya milk. He was even more confused. Guess Mike and he like squash huh?

After the DVD died me and Ellie pretty much went to sleep straight away. I found out I'd forgotten my PJs so I had to sleep in a t-shirt and the oh-so-charming tracksuit bottoms I had for when I was poolside and if I got cold.

As usual I went to sleep listening to Radio 4 - I like my routine, and Radio 4 is a big part of it.

Well, that was Friday night for you! It was pretty freaky going to school on Friday and having normal lessons (though our timetable is funky for a bit because of mock exams) and then going to Sheffied in the evening where I'd be swimming at the same competition as paralympic swimmers! It was actually really scary the more I thought about it - so I didn't think about it much.

Intro Type Thing

I've been meaning to set up a swimming blog (mainly so that I can keep a track of my progress) for ages, but I'd pretty much forgotten about my blogs for the past few months.

And seeing as Nationals was on Saturday/Sunday (and I'm off ill today) I might as well start it now.

Well - that's it really. If you wanna know about a) my disability b) swimming with a disability and c) having fun while swimming with a disability then watch this space.