Zone Products Used in Training:
Zone Bars, OmegaRx, EicoRx, Zone Pasta, Zone Granola, SeaHealth Plus, Zone Shakes.
Benefits Seen With Zone:
More consistent practices (increased recovery), Loss of body fat without weight loss (leaned up), Improved eating habits, Stabilized blood sugar.
Best Athletic Accomplishment To Date:
Gold Medal at the Pan American Games with a new Games Record in the 400 Medley Relay
Favorite Thing About Training:
Seeing performance improvements, in myself and my teammates
Least Favorite Thing About Training:
Those days when you just can't seem to do anything right
Biggest Challenge Overcome:
Summer of 2006 I was suffering from tendinitis in both my shoulders (common over-user injury for swimmers) and my right knee (sand volleyball injury). In addition I was just not feeling well and training poorly so went through a slew of doctors and blood tests (6 tests in 2.5 months). I ended up being diagnosed with Gilbert's syndrome (a common, mild liver disorder in which the liver doesn't properly process a substance called bilirubin) and hypoglycemia, both of which are linked with fatigue. Both can be controlled through diet and with the help of Dr. Sears I have very few problems with either of these and had my most successful summer in 2007.
Competition Rituals:
About a month or so out, stop cutting my fingernails (could make a difference) Lick my thumbs and rub them on the insides of my goggles right before the race starts (to keep them from fogging up)
Favorite Race:
200 Freestyle
Hobbies:
Watching movies (I enjoy all movies but generally avoid the "jump out of your seat" ones), reading books (detective/thriller and fantasy; currently just finished The Art Theif by Noah Charney), surfing the Internet
One Fact No One Knows About You:
My right foot is a size 15, and my left is a size 13.5. In the 6th grade I broke my left foot and ankle, shattering the growth plate. I was told that it would not grow beyond its then size 9, luckily they were wrong.
If You Weren’t An Athlete, You would Be:
Computer security expert and a wannabe athlete? I enjoy exercise and if I wasn't swimming I'd play ultimate frisbee and/or sand volleyball when out of the office.
Average Day Consists Of:
6:30am-8:00am: Morning practice
8:15-9:00: breakfast
9:30-12:00: free time (nap, watch tv, surf the web)
12:00-12:45: lunch
1:00-2:00: free time (whatever I didn't do in the morning)
2:30-5:00: Dryland (strength) + Practice
6:00-6:45: dinner
7:00-10:30: free time (tv, read, stretch)
11:00pm: bedtime
Favorite Zone Food / Flavor:
Zone Granola