Gearing Up for Conference: A Week of Hard Work and Good Food - Week 22

This week has been a whole thing. It started off on a high note with Monday being a day off from school, giving us a much-needed three-day weekend. Unfortunately, swimming never stops, so we still had practice, but I wasn’t complaining—having an extra day to sleep in a little and reset was great. I kicked off Monday morning by heading downtown for breakfast with one of our seniors. It was my first real chance to explore Wheeling’s downtown area and visit one of the small local cafés. I ended up getting a sandwich, and I have to say, it was really good. There’s something special about eating somewhere that doesn’t feel mass-produced like the dining hall here on campus.

The rest of the week was all about grinding towards conference, which is now just three weeks away. Practices have been intense, and it feels like every workout is a step closer to being fully prepared. Outside of swimming, classes are starting to pick up again, and I had a couple of tests this week. Nothing too crazy, but enough to remind me that this semester is definitely more demanding than the last.

Friday was another highlight of the week—I got invited over to the same senior’s place for dinner, and once again, home-cooked food never fails to hit the spot. It’s such a luxury compared to the usual cafeteria meals, and it makes me appreciate the little things even more.

The weekend was mostly spent resting, catching up on schoolwork, and getting my mindset right for the final stretch before conference. It feels like time is moving quickly, but at the same time, the anticipation is making the days feel longer. Three weeks to go—it’s time to lock in and get ready.

After one of our practices this weekend, I decided to take an ice bath, thinking it would be a good way to recover. Turns out, it was way colder than I expected, and I’m still not sure if it helped or just made me suffer for no reason. Either way, it was an experience.

On another note, there have been some issues within the swim team lately, but thankfully, our coach stepped in and settled everything. It’s a relief to have things smoothed out, especially with conference coming up. We also came together as a team to sell tickets and raise funds to cover some of the costs for conference, which was a good reminder of how much we’re all working toward this goal. Now, all that’s left to do is focus, train hard, and be ready to perform when it matters most.