Nike Women Blog

Hit the Deck

TessWood — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:23:16 GMT

Hello, swimsuit season!

No, I’m not just talking about that time of the year when weather encourages us to don bikinis and play in the sun; I mean the summer months that allow me lap swimming at the local pool. When I was younger, I enjoyed swim lessons every morning, while throughout high school, laps continued to keep me in shape for swim team. These days, the back-and-forth is just a fun way to add variety to my workouts, not to mention an opportunity to hang out with my grandmother who, at the age of 83, still swims every summer morning.

Swimming is a fantastic full body workout (to the tune of up to 600 calories per hour) that anyone can get into. Whatever your ability, you can add it to your routine. After swimming competitively for nine years, and still keeping up with it as cross training for my various other sports, there are a few things I’ve learned.

First: location, location, location. Pools with lane lines and of regulation length are desirable when you’re trying to knock out some laps, but sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got. The outdoor pool of my summers was 36 meters long, which is just a random number, and devoid of any lane markings. Being outside, there were often leaves and bugs in the water, and once I even shared the pool with two crawdads, courtesy of a teenage prankster. On that note, though, you could really get into nature, forget the pool altogether and find yourself a lake!

Second, the necessary paraphernalia: cap, goggles and swimsuit. A cap will save your hair from chlorine damage, and the goggles your eyes. The best suit is a one piece. Try a powerful push off a wall in bikini, and the bottoms will end up past your own bottom. Let’s just say I learned this the hard way.

In terms of the actual workout, it’s depends on your own preferences and ability. Personally I like to set a duration goal, like 45 minutes, and make myself swim for that set amount of time. Maybe you prefer trying to reach a certain distance, or get yourself in shape for a particular competition. Whatever the motivation, I’ve found it more effective when I have a goal, no matter how small, to aim for.

There are also little details to keep in mind:

1. Sharing a lane can be done two ways: splitting it down the middle and sticking to your side or swimming in a clock-wise motion as you lap.
2. Mascara, after an hour of swimming, is a vicious foe. But you can skip packing make-up remover because there’s one more use for your face lotion: a dime-size dab of it can take off eye make-up easily.
3. Know ahead of time if you need to bring your own towel. Personal experience speaking, trying to dry off with a few paper towels is less than ideal.

Whether you you’ve hit the pool up for some laps before or you’re looking for something new, jump right in! I’m sure it will go swimmingly.

Tess

Make Your Summer Satisfying

RachelHorning — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:20:01 GMT

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Outdoor picnics with hot dogs, burgers, lemonade and brownies. Vacation to the beach with boardwalk fries and funnel cakes. Hot afternoons only made bearable by ice cream. Sugary iced coffees. Late morning brunch with delicious pancakes. Fresh fruit pies. I could go on, but you get the point.

I always thought that it was nature's evil joke that the season in which we are expected to wear the least amount of clothing is also the one where fattening food is most plentiful. For example: we are expected to be in a bikini at the pool, when the only food available at the pool is fried or sugary. How cruel.

I love summer with all my heart, but I absolutely hate being in a bathing suit. A one piece squeezes up against all the areas I hate, while bikinis just put it all out there. Annoyingly enough, wearing a cover-up highlights to everyone else that you aren't comfortable enough to bare all...pun intended. Summer has always presented a strange conflict of excitement and dread for me.

I could finish the rest of this blog with healthy eating tips and ways to stay on top of that bikini figure. But that would be ridiculous, because most of us don't have the bikini figure that we want, myself definitely included. I could stress all summer about every bite I put into my mouth. I could count every calorie and I could wake up at 5 a.m. every day to run. But that isn't the point of healthy living.

Having a healthy lifestyle isn't just about diet and exercise. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to pig out and sit on the couch all summer. I fully intend on being healthy. But sometimes, I forget that emotional and mental health is just as significant as the physical. If I force myself to eat things I don't want or if I deny myself every temptation, it will fuel a bad mental relationship with food. If I go into every workout with a sour attitude, I'm going to resent that hour-long yoga class instead of find rejuvenation in it.

Our attitudes shape our results. Coming to a place of satisfaction has been nearly impossible for me. I always am looking for better, for more. I look in the mirror and see what needs fixed, not what a good job I've done. If you are constantly telling yourself that you need to better, you foster a sense of discontentment in yourself. A whole life, a satisfied life, is one that celebrates itself...it isn't one that criticizes.

So instead of rolling my eyes, throwing my head back in disgust, or letting out a big sigh when I look at that itsy bitsy bikini, I will celebrate. Yes, you heard me. I will look in the mirror and check out all the things that I love. Even the pudgy tummy. I challenge your mental health this summer. I challenge your self-confidence. And I challenge your satisfaction.

Rachel V.

Making The Transition

KatieAlbright — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:15:01 GMT

College athletes have an incredibly grueling schedule and are used to having someone tell them when to study, what classes to take, when to go to practice, what to eat, what to drink, what to wear, who to live with, where to live, etc...So what happens when this type of schedule is taken away? How do these athletes adjust to such an abrupt change?

I had the chance to talk to a Division I women’s swimming and diving team captain, Taylor Baughman. Baughman recently completed her career and has multiple records in the 200m freestyle relay. However, despite her accomplished career in the swimming pool, Baughman was eager to immerse herself into a new role; that of a “normal” college student, as she worked toward her graduation in December with a double major in Journalism and Spanish.

Baughman commented on the transition. “Initially it’s so nice because you have free time that you didn’t have before. It’s kind of a shock because you don’t realize how many hours a day you actually spend working out. It’s a huge lifestyle change”. For those uninitiated readers, college swimmers can spend upwards of four hours per day in mandatory and voluntary workouts. It is no surprise that after winding up their careers, many athletes may have an understandable sense of “burn out” with a longing to return to the venue of their successes. Baughman was no different.

“At first, I did a lot of yoga and running but now I have a gym membership and do a lot of spinning. I have only swum three or four times since my season ended but whenever I’m around a pool it’s pretty hard for me to not want to get in and feel the water”.

I also asked Baughman what helped her make the transition and adjust to her huge lifestyle change.

“It was important for me to find something else to move onto because it was really hard to not have structure and attainable goals which is why I’m working full time and taking classes”, said Baughman.

How have you adjusted to that lifestyle of student-athlete to student? What kind of things have you done to make the transition easier?

-Katie Albright

This Isn’t Your Grandma’s Water Aerobics

StaceyWild — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:05:30 GMT

Grab your one-piece swimsuits girls! I am officially declaring that you no longer have to have white hair and a matching cap that looks like bath mat to do water aerobics.

Growing up around swimming pools, I have always believed that water aerobics was what old women did when they could no longer walk on a treadmill or sit on their stationary bike. But I have to admit that I was wrong (and I do not like having to admit that!). I was at the local YMCA earlier this week attempting to get a work out in the water. It wasn’t long before I got tired of staring at that black line at the bottom of the pool that plagued my high school years.

As I struggled through my work out, a friend and teammate from high school, Lauren Gingher, walked up to me and asked me if I could help her move some lane lines so she should set up for her water aerobics class. I made a few jokes about whether or not “the old ladies could even help her”. Right after I said that, I saw some of her “students” walk onto the deck. They not only were walking without canes and walkers, but they looked to be in really good shape. That’s when Lauren told me it was a Power Lunch aerobics class. She invited me to join, but unfortunately didn’t have time to stay for the whole class. I decided to finish my work out, but any chance I got, I was watching her class. I noticed Lauren struggled a little trying to spit out instructions because she was out of breath. I decided I wanted to learn more. Lauren agreed to meet with me and was nice enough to let me drill her with questions.

First thing I wanted to know was how she got into teaching water aerobics.

“I was a lifeguard at a local pool while in college,” she said. “They held a water aerobics certification class and offered those of us who passed the opportunity to teach and make more money. It sounded fun, so I went for it.”

Gingher said the certification was fairly easy.

“They give you a packet of information that you take home and read. Then you come back, have some group discussions about what you learned and then take the test.”

But there are a lot of benefits to water aerobics other than it’s easy to get certified in. As with many young swimmers, Gingher suffered chronic shoulder problems through her high school career.

“Water aerobics takes the stress off your joints,” said Gingher. “And the great thing is you can make it as easy, or as hard as you want it to be.”

She describes the workout as cardio with the ability to tone. In water aerobics you use your own body weight as resistance. The faster you move (increase in cardio) leads to more resistance which helps tones your muscles as well as burning calories.

I also believe that water aerobics can help people learn how to swim better. Swimming is all about learning how to feel the water. People often say to me “I’ve heard swimming is a great workout, but I just don’t know how to do it well enough to get anything out of it.” In my personal opinion, water aerobics helps that. Using the water as resistance gets you to really feel the power the water has, and can help understand the best way to move through it. The best swimmers don’t fight the water. They push against it and use it to propel themselves forward.

Water aerobics is also done in classes, so it is more of a social setting than swimming. Some people really like this. They like having people there to help push them and take some of the edge off of working out alone. They make friendships which help encourage them to show up to the class when they may just not really be in the mood for getting wet that day.

Most local aquatic centers and YMCAs have some sort of water aerobics. If it is not the kind you want to get into, get certified and start a class yourself!

-Stacey Wild

How Delicious Is Your Training?

GevrinaSeferaj — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:30:03 GMT

Timing.

Balance.

Focus.

Speed.

All are elements that attribute to the success of an athlete. The thirst for competition, and the desire for improvement can at times make training very difficult. Despite the long hours at a pool or at a court, a workout/practice can be tough to push through. So, how do you turn your training regiment around and make it “Delicious?”

The answer lies within you! Seeing the Nike slogan “Delicious Training” made me think about what it meant. It also provoked not only a fascination out of me but it also made me want to change my workout to something that I could in fact refer to it as “Delicious.”

Everyone’s training routine is of course unique, so I decided to interview four girls that are involved in different sports. I interviewed a tennis player, dancer, basketball player and a swimmer. Each girl found her training to be both delicious and satisfying.

Alex, 22, plays tennis and is an overall athlete. Having played tennis since the age of five, Alex also picked up an interest in competing for a volleyball high school team as well as rowing for a Division I university. I asked what her interpretation of Delicious Training and she responded, “delicious training is the idea of training without knowing your training. When your addiction kicks in and all you want to do is be playing that sport. When nothing else matters besides the next point and everything else in your life drifts away except for that moment.”

The key phrase, “training without knowing that you’re actually training,” is so true. When I’m at the yoga studio or at lyrical jazz class, I give myself that one hour out of my busy schedule to relax and do something I love. When I’m dancing, regardless of how sore I might feel from the previous dance class, I become so enthralled in what I’m doing that the pain seems to go away.

I was able to relate to Kaylee, 20, who has danced for 17 years and at such an early age has earned the title of head coach for her alma mater this year. Her passion and love for her dance, has fueled her career to an early success. Kaylee describes dancing as her “get away from the real world even if it is for an hour. It keeps me in shape, happy and positive, and I couldn’t ask for more in something I love to do.”

The moment something you do becomes a routine is the moment that the passion and fire terminates. All four of these young ladies are zealous about their training, and all consider themselves to be passionate about their sport. It is important to realize however, that there is a distinction between playing a sport and the training that follows it.

Regardless, I still found myself asking, how can we break through, or manage the hard parts of a workout?

I asked Lara a swimmer, 21, if she thought her training was delicious? And all I got was, “Duh Gevvy, not only am I in a bathing suit, but I’m swimming under the sunny California weather.”

Her response was rather comical; of course she thinks her training is delicious. Why you might ask? Well, anyone can design their training to be delicious as long as they love what they do. Lara is proof of this theory as she not only loves swimming and the training that goes with it, but she loves to represent her sport. So much so, that she is training to reach her goal of getting a sectional time in the 100m and 200m backstroke.

Each one of these active women is passionate about what they do and are willingly to put in the time and discipline to train. Many times, and I’m definitely guilty of this, we forget how important training really is in our daily life. Whether you’re training for performance, or training to stay in shape, training should always be fun. This correlates with Beverly’s thoughts on her definition of Delicious Training. Beverly a 19-year-old basketball player said “the term, I think is mainly relevant to true athletes who have a passion for their sports; the delicious part of their training spuds from their passion, making their sport fun!”

Although Beverly is swamped with school work and playing both basketball and volleyball, she still keeps her training fun. Fun is the main component of her workout as she continues to excel in her performance among her teammates. Beverly attributes her eight years of basketball success to her training—“the reward comes from the endurance and agility.”

Alex, Kaylee, Lara and Beverly all understand that some days training can be tiring, but they all strive to make the hard spots of workouts fun—resulting in a more effective workout that benefits them in all aspects. Training is rewarding and gratifying.

After reading these experiences, how delicious is your training? Are you passionate about your training? All are valid questions to jump start the success of your workout regiment. I know I’m going to start to make my Delicious Training my own and truly make those cardio workouts yummy!

Start now! Making YOUR training delicious and make it your own! Be passionate about what you’re doing because in the long run, success will immediately follow after the time and effort is put forth.

-Gevrina Seferaj

At Ease with the H2O

AllisonObrien — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:45:26 GMT

The dreadful test, a long day at work or stress for whatever reason, we deal with these roadblocks in our everyday life. In the last year, I found my remedy! Like many young kids, I too swam competitively for several years. I put swimming on the back burner as my interest in other sports began to grow, but about a year ago I revisited my swim cap and goggles.

In hope to find a cardio cross-training workout to relieve the wear and tear on my joints, I gave the pool a second chance. I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised! Not only is a pool workout offering relief to my joints, it has also become my home remedy for unwinding after a long day. Something about being in the water puts my mind at ease. The rhythm of my stroke and focus on my breath not only relaxes me, but it has also become a time that I can allow my mind to wonder. Don’t get me wrong, my hamstrings are burning and my biceps become exhausted, but some how I forget about any issue, any stress and any worry. I work hard, lap after lap to stay in the pool for 1760 yards = 36 laps = 1 mile and trust me, my mind is so far out of the water sometimes, I loose track of the 36 lap count!

I’m sharing this because swimming has become this double edge sword in my workout routine – a great workout and a source of relaxation. It’s a workout I look forward to, while reaping the cardio health benefit to my heart and lungs. Not to mention the endurance, muscle strength and cardio fitness I gain. This is my H2O testimonial and my advice to all the young athletes out there – currently a swimmer or not - jump in the pool and do something for yourself! Your joints will be happy and your mind will be at ease.

-Allison O'Brien

Tahoe Getaway

VanessaCuellar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:45:57 GMT

I escaped to Lake Tahoe last weekend and it was totally what the doctor ordered.The lake was in superb condition to say the least. There was the usual hustle and bustle of people up for the weekend. I saw a lot of people trying their hand at the latest paddle surfing which looked surprisingly difficult. It’s all about engaging the core and keeping the abs nice and tight. I had no board but went swimming, played a vigorous game of badminton and went on a hike. There were an endless amount of activities to do but just not enough daylight to do everything. Luckily, Lake Tahoe is just in my backyard and I will be returning soon to enjoy all the wonders she has to offer. Skiing and snowboarding coming soon this winter.

-Vanessa Cuellar

I Came. I TRI’d. I Conquered.

AshleyKoehn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:35:27 GMT

Have you ever finished a race and felt as though sparks were going to fly?!

Last year, I was a spectator at the largest triathlon in the United States, the Chicago Triathlon. I vowed to myself that I would compete in my first international distance triathlon the following year.

365 days later, it was time. Time to fly!

Sunday morning begin with a 3:30 alarm and drive downtown Chicago. After setting up my bike, helmet, biking shoes, running shoes, bib number belt and water bottles at the transition (how’d I remember all that?!), I joined my team – the Chicago Athletic Triathlon Team – for pre-race tips, encouragement and of course, banana chocolate chip muffins.

Also joining my team was the sun! It was a gorgeous day for the race! three hours later, my wave was ready to begin.

SWIM: During the .93 mile course, Monroe Harbor traded their sailboats for swim caps and broad shoulders. No need for Batman in the Windy City, we all looked like fierce superheroes in our wetsuits. My nerves created fireflies in my stomach and my wetsuit hugged my body like wonder woman. In an instant, the gun went off, and my wave of female athletes morphed into an angry school of fish! I got kicked and was taking arm strokes over swimmer’s backs. Yet, after 50 meters of sprinting, I gained some calm water. Keeping my arm strokes long, I kept a steady pace, exited the water and ran a half-mile to my first transition.

BIKE: For the next 25 miles, Lake Shore Drive shared its cabs with the Chicago Tri! When I jumped on my bike, I felt SO charged! Statistics show that exercising gives you endorphins, but this feeling was electric! I rode two big loops. Going north, the windy city stood up to its name and challenged my pedaling. Yet riding south, I felt like Lance Armstrong himself, whistling by the moving cars with complete ease. I gave myself words of affirmation, “You got it! Come on Ash!” Call me delirious, but these words were bolts of esteem, as the bike course was sparse of spectators.

RUN: The last 6.2 miles was along Chicago’s museums, football stadiums and beaches, ending in Grant Park (think inauguration.) Again, I felt lightening speed and happiness at the beginning of the run! My first mile was greeted with family and friends yelling and cheering! After that, I couldn’t stop smiling. My mood was elevated, and then it was time to pass! Even my Facebook profile explains how one of my favorite things is to pass runners on the lakefront when I train, so my last leg of the tri became a game! Picking up momentum to less than an 8-minute mile pace, I started to pass!

The home stretch was, like I said, electric! Sparks of energy were flying and the finish line was in sight! I picked up the pace, saw my friends and family once again and charged to the end! I placed 16th in my age group and 88th out of 1,300 women. I came. I TRI’d. I conquered (with the help of a little goal and sparks of energy!)

-Ashley Koehn

One Last Dip

StaceyWild — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:15:52 GMT

I love being in the water. I always have, and I always will, which is probably part of the reason why I love summer so much. Growing up there was nothing better than spending every day from Memorial Day to Labor Day, at the pool. My best friends were there. We had a snack bar with great food and every kind of ice cream and popsicles you could imagine. It was our fantasy world we would all dream about while we were stuck in school the other nine months of the year. And when that last day of living in our fantasy world would come, we would do everything we could to hold on.

The pool we all went to opened daily at noon. We would be there at 11:40 a.m. and we would stay until close, regardless of the weather. When the lifeguards blew that final whistle of the season, it was always a challenge who could be the last one out of the water. We would leave things at the bottom of the pool so that we had an excuse to hop back in. Labor Day, which is now a day off for me, was the worst day of the year for me and my friends growing up. So, being the recent college grad that I am, I went back to the pool I grew up at on my first Labor Day off work to get my last dip of the season in.

I learned how to swim at SPRA (Science Park Recreation Association) when I was three years old. I started working there as a lifeguard when I was 15 with three of my best friends. Two of them still worked there this summer and were both on duty when I walked in. We all graduated college in May. Alex is teaching English at our high school and Sarah is moving to Philadelphia to work for a large financial company. It was only fitting that the three of us could spend the last Labor Day we have before venturing into the real world and finally living apart, together.

Swimming is a big deal in Pennsylvania. A lot of children come to the pool for fun, and end up joining one of the three local swim teams. Regardless if they continue competitively, they learn a very important life skill and an exercise they can do well into their elderly years. Swimming is the few individual sport that still promotes teamwork. Although you can win your race, you get no award, nor are individual stats kept, other than fastest times. Swimmers don’t have a win loss record, like wrestlers do. No matter how many events you can win in a meet, you walk away with nothing unless your team wins. This makes it easy for kids to develop a sense of teamwork and good sportsmanship, which is why I loved coaching so much. Doing a cannon ball off the board into the diving well brings back so many wonderful memories of opening day, swim meets, championships, parties, swim team sleepovers, and that last day in what is still, my fantasy world.

-Stacey Wild

Is Heroism Genetic?

AshleyKoehn — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:42:24 GMT

In honor of Mother’s Day, I thought it would appropriate to celebrate our mothers, our grandmothers, the women who gave us our genes...our ATHLETIC genes.

Think about your mom and the other women in your family. More than likely, they passed along their eye color, curly hair and high arched feet. Yet, appearances aside, these women provided you with your athletic ability, your confidence and enthusiasm for sports.

Title IX was passed when my mom was a sophomore in high school. She made the varsity basketball and softball teams and played for the remaining three years of high school. My mom always jokes that basketball gave her the biggest calf muscles and that she couldn’t fit into the trendy boots of the 70’s. But she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, as she loved her muscular legs.

Although my mom didn’t know how to swim until the age of thirty-seven (when she took adult swimming lessons!), she wanted me to feel confident in the water and confident in my body. So I started swimming lessons at the age of two. Growing up (and even today), I’ve always had bigger legs, but my mom has instilled the positive affirmation of strength to my mindset. “You have such strong legs Ashley! They are beautiful!” she would say. To this day, I cherish athletic-bodies in a society of sticks. I view true beauty as broad backs, toned arms and large quadriceps. My mom passed on CONFIDENCE.

Picture if you will, a ten-year old swimmer with mirrored bug-eyed goggles waiting behind the blocks for her race to begin. While the girls in the lanes next to her were jumping around, talking to boys, and biting their nails, this girl was giving “the stare.” This girl was me. My mom taught me to mentally “intimidate” the competition before my race. My routine included staring to the right and left, looking forward and then pounding my fist into my palm three times. She said, “Be friends with the girls after you win, but before the race, show them you have a little something extra.” Looking back I must have looked ridiculous, but it made me believe in myself and that year was the year I won my first state championship. This routine worked for me and it carried me to a Division I colligate team. She passed on COMPETITIVE SWAGGER.

Above all, my mom instilled that anything is possible. She says, “If you can believe it, and you can do it, for all things are possible through Him who strengthens you.”

Ladies, this Mother’s Day, thank your mom for your jump shot, your curve ball, your killer start or spiriting skills, because more than likely she has that same ability. She is a living example that you CAN become more than you ever thought you could…because SHE did…and YOU will too.

-Ashley Koehn

Swim Season

ElizabethNguyen — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 21:31:33 GMT

Right now is swim season, and the swimmer of the month I have chosen is Amber Bryan.

Her story: Amber is now 19 years old and in her 2nd year of college. She started out as an athlete playing softball for 12 ½ years and then injured her knee. Her sophomore year of high school she tried out for water polo team for recovery. Amber says, “I joined swim team after that because I liked it better, and I have just been swimming ever since.”

Amber’s definition of swimming is “Jumping into the water, gliding as far as you can, and going your hardest trying to out touch your opponent. And it is also a team sport, which I want people to understand. You are winning points for you team, and winning for your team.”

Amber wants you to always remember that whatever sport you play, “Just be a team and all of this is about a team. Do not think of yourself as an individual only. For example when we have our relay swim, I love it because it is swimming for a goal. You are pushing your team mate and your team mate is yelling for you. It is an experience knowing that what you are doing is helping out everybody and not just yourself. Everybody is connected to each other.”

Amber was raised in a very athletic family. Her mother did swimming in high school and her father played water polo in high school, and her sister plays softball and soccer, and Amber plays all of them and on top of that, she’s also a dancer! “I consider dance a sport because it pertains to a lot of what I do now, like, you have to be able to be flexible, to get your arms out of the water. In swimming you have to be graceful, and you need to have strong legs.”

And Amber has also had her fair share of struggles. She overcomes obstacles by keeping a positive mind. In the beginning of this spring semester at her college, she broke her ankle and she says, “It was really hard to tread water because swimming requires a lot of ankle work, and a lot of kicking. So I have learned that if you keep pushing through the pain, you will get through it. My mental state definitely is what got me through it. I just think ‘Just keep swimming. Just go! Just keep going! Swim hard, and swim fast!’”

Whether you want to play swim, dance, or whatever you are interested in, Amber’s advice is, “Remember that if it doesn’t work out or go your way the first time, just keep pushing, because no matter how tired you are, the harder you push the better it is going to pay off. And for everything you do, make it fun because if you think of it as just a job it won’t be fun anymore and then you are going to lose the love for the sport. So keep everything fun, and a keep a good mind about it, and you’ll be fine.”

From Amber’s experience, she remembers when she first started swimming from not being able to swim even one lap to now swimming “three thousand laps a day plus,” lap everyday, figuratively speaking. Her life lesson in sport and when learning and getting excellent in anything is, “Repetition is the key!” So the next time you try a sport, like swimming, or anything in life, I challenge you to keep a strong positive mind, and don’t give up. With a strong mind, anyone’s greatest potential can be achieved!

-Lizzie Nguyen

Scuba...in a pool?

AshleyCeaser — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:15:25 GMT

I’ve always wanted to try scuba diving. Since childhood, the thought of being able to go deep and swim among fish has followed me even up until now. My itch to go finally got the best of me after watching the television series Blue Planet.

I researched some diving classes in my area and found an “Intro to Scuba” class at a local dive shop, Wallin’s Dive Center. But I never expected my first experience diving under water to be in a pool. At first, I was pretty skeptical. How could we learn how to scuba dive in a pool? However, I began to realize that it is the perfect option for beginners. Not only you did not have to worry about all the nerve-racking external factors that you would have to deal with in the ocean (like being out of your element), the only thing you had to bring was your swimsuit. Best of all, the class was free.

Our two-hour lesson was split into two parts: on land, learning the basics and in water, actually scuba diving. We were taught proper equipment maintenance, the physics of air and pressure (like how many atmospheres of pressure is appropriate, and how oxygen gets lowered through the tubes enough for us to be able to breath), how to attach the oxygen tank, and check the proper levels. I was a little nervous when we took our first breath underwater, but when those nerves wore off, it was so much fun. We practiced using our buoyancy compensators and even played with underwater rockets/missiles.

As our instructor, Russ, said, “You know why you should scuba? Because it can change your life. You can’t go up in space, but you can go underwater.” And while I don’t plan to take a ride in the space shuttle anytime soon, I know that I will definitely strap on a tank and take a dive in the ocean in the future!

If you live in the Bay Area and would like some more information, you can check out the Wallin’s website

-Ashley Ceaser

TRI-UMPHANT!!!

meghanbrennan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:21:27 GMT

The shrill sound of the telephone woke me up. It was 4:30am.

"Good morning Miss Brennan, this is your courtesy wake up call. The expected temperature today is 78 degrees and sunny. Have a wonderful day," said the woman on the other end of the phone.

"You've got to be kidding me," I thought, “I just fell asleep." My stomach churned with a mix of hunger and nerves.

After a big bowl of oatmeal, coffee and a bagel with peanut butter, I headed to Key Biscayne. Even the sun was still sleeping.

Although I arrived at the race site in total darkness, the atmosphere was electric. 1500 triathletes buzzed inside the transition area, organizing their multitude of gear. The murmurs and chatters amongst us sounded like the wings of thousands of bees.

1436. That was my bib number. I walked along the rack until I spotted my bike. Now it's time to get all my gear in order.

Wetsuit? Check. Cap and goggles? Check. Towel? Check. Cycling shoes? Check. Helmet? Check. Running shoes, race belt, bib number, water bottle, timing chip, energy goos? Check, check, check, check, check, check and check.

Fast forward.

I'm standing on the beach with 110 female triathletes, ages 39 and under. We're all sporting purple caps. I'm front and center. The horn blares and we are off.

What a rush. The next 2 hours and 58 mins are a whirlwind.

With a good amount of the Virginia Key Bay in my stomach, I emerge from the water dizzy and with only 19 purple caps ahead of me.

My body wanted to walk but I kept a steady jog into the transition area. In my head I walked my self through the transition I had practice plenty of times.

"Unzip wet suit. Arms out. Cap and goggles off. Left leg, right leg. Cycling shoes on. Helmet on. Grab the bike and go."

The bike leg seemed like an eternity. Pro triathletes flew by on my left hand side. I felt like I was on a 2 speed with streamers coming from my handlebars and a basket in front. Everyone else was riding mopeds. The only thing that saved me was a cheer from my parents every time I passed by.

I found my spirit once the bike leg was over. Only 6.2 miles to go! Running shoes on and I was ready to bring it home. With a mile left I picked up and ran hard until I crossed the finish line.

2 hours and 58 minutes later I was still smiling, I was tri-umphant, I was a triathlete!

-Meghan

Women: More than Sport Coaches - but Life Coaches

AshleyKoehn — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:11:17 GMT

Take a minute to think about your past and present coaches. Did you name men? Did you name women? Did you name ONE woman? Ironically as women's sports have gained popularity and prestige, the number of female coaches has drastically declined. Prior to the passage of Title IX in 1972, females coached 90% of women's teams. Today that number has been cut in half, as females coach only approximately 44% of women's collegiate teams.

Growing up I had all male swimming coaches. No offence to the opposite sex, but although these men built my stroke technique and bestowed intimidation practices, there was a missing link, an absent “niche." Thus, my heart took over before making my collegiate swimming decision, when I connected with my future coaches, as BOTH my head and assistant coaches were women.

As I reflect on the qualities of Cathy and Dar, not only were these two wonderful women my swim coaches, but they were truly were my LIFE coaches (and second moms).

Cathy was my head collegiate coach. Never have I known a woman with such charisma, motivation and passion for her job, her family, her girls...all forty of them. I could write a book, but I wanted to share Cathy's tips for LIFE in and out of the chlorine:

1) Be competitive. Cathy taught us that we would always have girls swimming aside of us, trying to out touch our fingertips. Likewise, in our future career goals, people will fight us, but we should battle smarter, and with intelligence and poise.

2) Have Gratitude. At least once a month, Cathy would have our team write "10 things we are grateful for." Whether it was our health, a card from our family or chocolate protein shakes after practice, she cultivated our thoughts to appreciate the simple things in life.

3) Relationships are Work. Cathy told us to nurture these connections daily. Post-it notes, spontaneity, and kind words of appreciation work wonders; for everyone wants to feel loved.

4) Your body is a temple. For more energy, Cathy told us if we saw a teammate with a bag of chips, to give her a box of wheat crackers. Yet nutrition aside, she told us to cherish our muscles, our rest and our mental state.

5) Don't take yourself too seriously. The team would always catch Cathy shaking her hips or humming to Missy Elliot or Kelis. She dressed up as a goblin for Halloween and lingered around the pool deck. Cathy played pranks, told lavish stories and always covered her mouth while laughing when she knew wasn't supposed to.

6) Have faith. Above all, Cathy shared that our life will have both roaring success and unfortunate heartbreak, but if we trust in our character and keep a positive attitude, happiness will prevail.

I hope the next decade brings a new wave of female coaches. Like Cathy and Dar, women are walking role models and mentors, showing that women truly "can have it all" while balancing the demands of work, family and passions. At the end of the day, our double practices plus weights were successful, dual meets were victorious, and records were broken, but I believe we did so with more heart and more passion, because the coaches leading our team were a direct reflection of us - other women.

-Ashley Koehn

Fighting The Fever

meghanbrennan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:18:29 GMT

I have a severe case of spring fever and the only remedy is some good,old-fashioned sunshine.

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm assuming you are familiar with the relentless symptoms of spring fever. But if you aren't a Midwesterner, or from any cold winter climate, you have most likely never suffered from this pesky ailment we call spring fever.

Let me explain.

Come mid February the fever hits. At this point your body is merely trying to warm itself. It's been three months of sub zero temperatures and arctic winds. That's three months too many in my opinion.

The fever precedes the rash. It's an all over body itch, as uncomfortable as the chicken pox. Mom always said, "don't scratch, it will just make it worse." But without calamine lotion to easy the temptation, there is simply no choice.

There is no one-way to best cure or "scratch" this itch. For some it's the smell of barbeque on a Saturday afternoon provides relief. And others, it’s the taste of a bratwurst and crack of the bat on opening day.

The cure is a hefty dose of spring.

While the city of Chicago has one of the best spring seasons around, in my opinion, I simply can't wait until April. My condition is worsening by the day and I’m fearful of what 2 and ½ additional months of winter may do.

So off to Florida I go.

Ahhh Floridahhhh, there I can smell the ocean and feel the warm, salt-water breeze on my skin. As I sit on the plane typing this, I can feel my fever breaking and my body regaining strength.

While Florida will provide a much-needed dose of vitamin D, it will also, and more importantly, provide the ideal climate for training. With 15 days to go until my Miami triathlon it's time I get acclimated to the Florida heat. It’s time I swim in the ocean and bike outdoors. It's time I can smell, feel and taste my triathlon.

Fifteen days of training in Florida, just what the doctor ordered.

See ya next year spring fever.

-Meghan Brennan