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.
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?
No comments:
Post a Comment