BCN: Internet! Photos! And more.. oh my!

I finally have internet connection!

My first race is tomorrow (50 backstroke).  The seed times for both my 50 back and 100 free were a little messed up, but it's not a big deal.  It seems there was a mistake because a lot of the Russian entry times were also messed up.  For the 50 backstroke, I'm seeded a little faster than my best time, but I am seeded at 'no time' for the 100 freestyle.  This shouldn't be a problem.  For the backstroke, it should be a good race and as long as I can control myself on the first 50 of the 100 freestyle, I should enjoy some fairly clear water.

But what I've been trying to do for the past 2 days... here are some photos!!

Incase you were wondering, the weather here is fantastic... which is a tease because the beautiful beaches have to wait until after the competition is over.

The busing system isn't quite as convenient as it was in London.  The buses only come ever 45 minutes and you can't leave the competition pool until 10:30, but it's not too bad.

This is the outdoor pool where we only practiced once.  Thank goodness, because I do NOT want a pancake tan.

This is the pool by the beach.  From where I am taking the picture, it opens up to the sea:

Here is the view from the pool (a 180 from the picture above).

Here you can see the pool and the reflection of the beach so you can get a sense of how the pool opens right up.

This is the public pool next to the training pool at the same facility.

These are some of the beach volleyball courts set up.  Although these men were playing with a tennis-sized ball.  It seemed to have the same basic concepts though.

This is another view of the beach.

Here is a picture of me diving off the 10m and getting a 10.0... :)

This is the competition pool!  Beautiful.  During warm ups every morning, they test the lights and they are VERY bright.. I might even need to start wearing sunscreen ;)

Well time to get ready for my first race tomorrow.  It's off to bed for me and an early rise in the morning.  Hopefully more to come if the internet grants me the pleasure...

BCN: 2,3,4...

I find it quite interesting...

I've been in Barcelona for less than 2 days, swum 3 practices, and they've been in 4 different pools.  I have yet to swim in the same pool twice.

The first pool was on the beach, which was absolutely beautiful.  It opened right up with no walls or glass between the pool and the sea, but there was a roof overhead.

The pool(s) that I went to this morning were the competition pool (stadium style) and the warm-up pool, which is on the complete other side of the building.  Then this afternoon we swam at an outdoor pool on the side of the mountain.  We took a long, winding road up the mountain to get there.  It was actually quite scary because there was a real chance that the bus was going to go over the edge.  I only wish I had known we were swimming outdoors so that I could've packed my 2-piece because I got a pancake tan after being in the water for only 30 minutes.

Anyway, we'll see what pool the bus takes me to tomorrow!  I can't imagine there's any more....

BCN: A Closer Look

So it seems as though uploading pictures is going to be a bit of an issue.  The internet is really slow so I'll only be able to upload so many.  Here is what I have so far...

My Hotel Room

This is the souvenir from the games.  I'm not exactly sure what it is, but it looks to me like a metal... minus the metal part.  Maybe it's meant to say "a medal for everyone and even if you don't win one, you can always remember that you didn't win one". ;)  No I'm only kidding, it will be something nice to remember the World Championships with.  I will definitely never forget it!

Inside, it says: BARCELONA 2013 15th FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

This is my accreditation card, but you don't need it even half as much as you did in London.  The security is much more relaxed (as was expected).

Scenic bus rides to the pools

We've been blessed with beautiful weather to accompany the scenery :)

These are all of the photos I have for now, but I'll take more tomorrow and upload them ass soon as I get a chance.

One thing I should mention is that dining hours at the hotel are not anything close to the times I eat at home.  Lunch is okay: 12:30-3:30 so can't complain too much about that, but dinner isn't available until 8pm... I get really hungry so I've started eating 2 lunches.  One at 12:30 and another at 2ish to tide me over during practice.

BCN: First Impressions

I have arrived!  Unfortunately, the hotel doesn't have the best internet service in the world so posts will come and go.  I have to sit in the lobby to access the internet, but sometimes it's a nice change of scenery.

I am staying in one of the hotels that were designated for the different teams.  So far I have also seen South Africa, Great Britain, Senegal, Kenya, Georgia, and Latvia at my hotel.  It's such a weird feeling getting into an elevator with someone and not knowing if they'll understand your friendly, "Hello! Where are you from?".

Since arrival, I have seen the training pool and the competition pool.  Both are great pools (pictures to come).  The training pool is right on the beach to the sea.  You can literally walk out of the pool and into the sea.  It's incredible.  The competition and warm-up pool are what one would expect, but I will try to remember to take a picture tomorrow anyway.

The bus ride to the pool is LONG.  There are different bus lines, but they all stop at multiple hotels so it takes a little while to get to the pool.  The good news is, there is an amazing view along the way!

I am going to take some pictures around the hotel and post them soon.  I will also take pictures of the pools and have those up later today or tomorrow.

Barcelona World Championships 2013

After being selected for 2013 World Championships, I decided to blog again.  More for myself than anything else.  It's just nice to have a place to save the memories.  I also decided to keep the same blog that I used for London rather than making a whole new one because London is where it all started.  (For me at least.)

Technically, my first international competition was the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.  I was beyond excited, but I don't think I was old enough to grasp the whole scope of what was going on.  Granted, London was only a year later and Barcelona two, but I've found that international competitions are something that take a little getting used to.  In London, I started to realize why I do what I do day in and day out.  But I have to admit that I am still learning.  Every day I am learning and every day I make improvements.  (Or so I hope.)

Anyway, London was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I will never forget it, but I've learned to always look forward.  Never look back unless to reflect.



BARCELONA HERE I COME... although a little later than expected
So the trip didn't exactly start off as planned.  Due to 'technical difficulties', I missed my flight to Paris where I was to meet with the rest of my team and connect for Barcelona.  Luckily, we were able to get on the same flight the next day.  So today is the day of departure.

People always ask the same question: "Are you excited?!" Well of course I'm excited, but not in the 'giddy because your crush smiled at you' kind of way.  It's a mixture of emotions, but in all honesty it hasn't really hit me yet.  I have been up and down and all over the place these last 6 months so it pretty much just feels like another plane ride.  I think it will really hit me when I get there.

Well I just wanted to make a post before I left, but I'd better kick my butt into gear if I don't want to miss another flight.
Until Barcelona..