June 2008

strict warning: Declaration of views_plugin_style_default::options() should be compatible with views_object::options() in /home/kevindoa/public_html/sites/all/modules/views/plugins/views_plugin_style_default.inc on line 24.
Jun
30

So relieved!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 9:44pm (June 30th, 2008)
I feel so releved to have it all over with! It makes me excited to start training again! I'm out to lunch with my family and feeling great! I know what I have to work on and I have NO regrets, I'm proud of my performance in my first Olympic Trials!
Jun
30

I achieved my goal!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 7:34pm (June 30th, 2008)
I set a very difficult goal and achieved it! I'm proud of myself and thankful for all my supporters.

I swam the 2nd fastest 100 backstroke race of my life. I'm proud of that. Its true that I felt like I had a faster swim in me, but I have no regrets. I swam a good race. I took it out in a 27.28, the second fastest 50 split of my life behind my best of 27.26. I brought it home in 30.45, I know I could have done better here. I prepared to the best of my ability.

The experience was just as nerve racking and exciting as I thought it would be. It was a journey I will always remember.

Jun
30

My results!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 6:57pm (June 30th, 2008)
Jun
30

Right on schedule

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 6:12pm (June 30th, 2008)
The 100 back will start right at 1:43pm eastern time. My next post will be my results
Jun
30

New world records Women 100 Back

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 5:37pm (June 30th, 2008)
Hayley McGregory broke the world record in the 100 back, and less than 2 minutes later in the next heat, Natalie Coughlin won back her world record with a 59.03! Very exciting prelims so far. I swim in about an hour.
Jun
30

Competition has begun

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 5:04pm (June 30th, 2008)
The meet just started. I feel ready, my family just showed up, I had a good warmup, my goggles feel good, my suit is ready, and I'm ready to swim
Jun
30

1:43pm heat 7 lane 4

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 4:06pm (June 30th, 2008)
I would be ready to watch on www.nbcolympics.com earlier than that but it should be right around 1:43pm eastern time

You can watch times live on www.omegatiming.com if you can't watch video!

Jun
30

Up and ready to go

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 3:01pm (June 30th, 2008)
I had a good nights rest and I'm up on time. I was just reflecting on all the things I've done correctly to get to this point. I've prepared the best I can and I haven't let anything get in the way. There's not a single thing I can think of that makes me not ready to swim my best today. The only variable left is that I need to give 100%. I'm ready to go.
Jun
30

Ready to swim.

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 5:30am (June 30th, 2008)
Today I will fulfill my dream.

It was January 11th 2006 while I was attending Eric Namesnik's memorial service that I decided it was my dream to swim in the Olympic Trials. I was listening to Jon Urbanchek speak about Eric's amazing swimming career and work ethic when a quote he mentioned stuck in my head:

"A dream is a dream until you do something about it."
Jun
30

Second World Record!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 2:05am (June 30th, 2008)
I just watched the 2nd world record of the night! Katie Hoff just broke her own world record, it was incredible, she was so surprised! I'm still watching the meet, this is SO EXCITING!
Jun
30

New World Record!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 1:17am (June 30th, 2008)
Phelps and Lochte both broke the world record in the first event of the night the 400 IM. Phelps was first and Lochte second. They were shooting fireballs and sparklers off the pool deck! The atmoshphere is unreal! This is the first world record I've ever whitnessed! I got it on video!
Jun
30

"Let's pick our Olympic Team"

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 1:13am (June 30th, 2008)
The opening ceremonies just ended, the anthem was incredible, the lights, the lasers, the sound system!

The opening ceremonies just ended, the atmosphere is amazing here, its like an NBA playoffs game plus swimming!

The announcer just ended with "let's pick our olympic team!"

Jun
29

The Countdown, I swim tomorrow morning

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 9:18pm (June 29th, 2008)
I'm amazed the time is almost here, I swim tomorrow morning in the 2008 Olympic Trials. I've had quite a few questions about when I swim and where to find results or video.

I swim tomorrow around 12:26pm but today they were running about 10 minutes early. The preliminary session WILL NOT be on TV, it will only be broadcast online. Plan on watching online starting at 12:00pm CST which is 1:00pm EST. I had trouble getting NBC's site working on Firefox so be sure to use Microsoft Internet Explorer, they also require a Windows Media Player plugin.
Jun
29

Sunday Prelims

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 6:07pm (June 29th, 2008)
I'm watching the premiminary session right now. They just finished up the Mens 400IM. Ryan Lochte is seeded first and Michael Phelps is second. They both looked very relaxed while they both swam 4:13's.

If anybody reads this soon hit the contact page and let me know if this session is on:

www.nbcolympics.com

They should have live video online.

Jun
29

8.5 hours of sleep and a new video of the pool

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 3:08pm (June 29th, 2008)
Like clockwork, I've put myself on a great sleep schedule of 8.5 hours of sleep, I've been waking up rested without an alarm. This tells me that I'm getting enough sleep and don't need to interrupt my sleep with an alarm. I feel good, I'm headed to go get some breakfast now and then head to the pool right on schedule.
Jun
29

Monday 100 Back Prelim Time: 12:26pm Central Time

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 3:36am (June 29th, 2008)
The meet packet they gave me listed a pre-scratch preliminary timeline. This is a list of event start times before anybody drops any events (scratches). This information is important for anybody who is planning on watching a preliminary heat online at www.nbcolympics.com since the preliminary heats won't be televised. There will be 11 heats of the Mens 100 Backstroke. The first heat will start at 12:26pm Central Standard Time. This is 1:26pm EST.
Jun
28

Coaches Meeting

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 10:50pm (June 28th, 2008)
I'm attending the coaches meeting. The presenter is going over the philosophy of the event, lessons learned from test event, athlete services, coach services, access control, sport presentation and special effects.

Mark Schubert (National Team Head Coach) noteworthy quotes:

"I welcome you to the greatest swimming event in american history."

"Every athlete here is so very successful."

"18% of the athletes swam best times in long beach (2004 trials). This year we will crush that statistic."
Jun
28

LZR fits and backstroke start works

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 6:47pm (June 28th, 2008)
I had a chance to try on my LZR suit and did another 500 meters. The suit is definitely tight. They told me I should be wearing a "Small Long" style full body suit, but I chose a "Small" due to the fact I thought the small long was channeling water down my chest area. These suits are very difficult to put on.
Jun
28

Pool feels good

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 5:28pm (June 28th, 2008)
I just dove in the competition pool for warmup. I began with a 100 free like I always do then flipped and began swimming backstroke. A few seconds later I notice I'm swimming under the 30 foot banner under the video screens of the Olympic Rings. It gave me chills and I got a big smile on my face. I'm really here. Its really happening.

The pool is good, its just the slightest bit cold, great for fast swimming. The info sheet says its 80 degrees. The warmup lanes move fairly quickly as swimmers alternate burst speed and slow swimming. There isn't a non-physically fit body on deck.

Jun
28

Pool is full, weather is nice, got a LZR

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:48pm (June 28th, 2008)
All is well, I showed up at the qwest center right on time, took a look at the pool, and headed over to the speedo booth to check on the status of an LZR race suit (the one in the news). After some contunued confusion about not having a coach or team, they worked with me and gave me a suit. I haven't tried it on yet, I'll do it after I warm up. The pool deck of the competition pool is full of swimmers and coaches, there is a good mix of music playing at a low volume. I see lots of smiles and handshakes between swimmers and coaches.
Jun
28

Time Trials available :)

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 3:44pm (June 28th, 2008)
I'm happy to report that there are time trials available after each prelim session. This is great news to me because I was really hoping to get a shaved and tapered 50 free time since I can't be at trials when it's swum as an actual event. I will probably swim it on Wednesday afternoon around 1pm CST. I might try another event as well.

Breakfast was great, I'm headed to the Qwest Center now to swim, I can only hope it's still standing!
Jun
28

Great sleep and record breaking site visits!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 2:59pm (June 28th, 2008)
After a textbook night of sleep, I woke up at a planned 8:45am without an alarm. I'm happy I ended up in a hotel with comfortable beds, sleep is really important during the next few days. Everything feels as it should, I feel rested and ready to go. I've been very conscious of anything not feeling right regarding my limbs and joints. Overall I think I'm in good shape. My ankles are pretty sore, I think this is from wearing sandals a few weeks ago, I stopped wearing them about a week ago. I notice they kind of hurt when I do butterfly kicks, I doubt it will effect my race though.
Jun
28

Swim stars, LZR, food and Qwest Center alternative

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:06am (June 28th, 2008)
While I was waiting around for the administration to open the pool back up, I got to walk around and people watch. As expected there are plenty of big name swimmers present. I saw Aaron Peirsol (WR 100 Back), Benden Hansen (WR 100 Breast, WR 200 Breast), Amanda Beard
(Olympian), Michael Phelps (wait, who?), David Cromwell (good 100 back), Eric Shanteau (good 200 Breast), Mary Descenza (good 200 fly), David Plummer (good 100 and 200 back)... Sure there were more but I'm forgetting now. The point being, it turns out that this meet has
Jun
28

Qwest Center evacuated and shut down for the evening

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 12:44am (June 28th, 2008)
After being herded like cattle to safer and safer areas of the basement of the Qwest Center the storm eventually passed. They evacuated the arena and conference center to assess the damage to the building. A few large areas of the exterior of the Arena have been ripped off my high winds. I'm now at a local high school practicing with the Minnesota team
Jun
27

We're taking on water!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 11:39pm (June 27th, 2008)
The Qwest Center is leaking! They're bailing water out of the far side of the Arena side of the Qwest Center. The rain is flooding the area apparently.

I just looked at the news and it seems like the worst is over as the storm moves east. We should be able to get back in the pool soon.

Jun
27

Tornado Warning in the Omaha Area!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 10:50pm (June 27th, 2008)
Just as I was about to get changed, the announcer cleared the pool due to a tornado warning. The sirens went off and the pool cleared fairly quickly! We have been directed to move to a safer area within the building. A lifeguard told me that they've had 3 tornados on the ground in the last month. This is certainly a new experience, I've never delt with a real tornado warning.
Jun
27

The Qwest center transformed!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 10:40pm (June 27th, 2008)
I thought the Qwest center was fairly "done-up" for the swimvitational a few weeks ago! They have "USA Swimming" and "2008 Olympic Trials" banners and graphics tastefully stuck to anything that doesn't move! I ate not too long ago so I'm just sitting among the 15,000 seats taking it all in!
Jun
27

Registering for the Trials

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 10:30pm (June 27th, 2008)
I'm getting registered and at this very moment I'm standing next to David Cromwell, a very fast 100 backstroker. Its sort of funny watching these people figure out what to do with my registration due to the fact that I have no team and no coach. I have 3 or 4 people TRYING to help me, they all look like they're just running around confused at the moment. I've been told they haven't had any unnattached athletes yet... I'm that special!
Jun
27

Headed to the Qwest Center

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 10:01pm (June 27th, 2008)
After a great 3 hour nap I got some quiznos and I'm headed to the Qwest center for the first time to practice. I'll probably do about 1500 meters and a few starts to test out my new backstroke start. I've been running into swimmers everywhere I go, there were quite a few from Penn on my flight and I saw a group from SMU at the airport. I feel like I was just here. The swimvitational was only 3 weeks ago now that I think about it. I'm really glad I came out here to test the pool and get used to the area. Its really easing the pre-meet stress to know exactly where to go and what to do.
Jun
27

Trials and PB+J Promotion

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 5:37pm (June 27th, 2008)

I feel like I see advertisements for the Olympic Trials everywhere! There are banners and signs all over the airport. While waiting for my rental car I was informed that Eppley airport is actually ranked as the "cleanest airport in the world". I will admit it looked pretty spiffy.

Jun
27

On the ground in sunny Omaha!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 3:58pm (June 27th, 2008)
The flight was great, only a minimal amount of screaming by "Layla", the baby riding next to me. A textbook landing by captain John was greatly appreciated.

I'm picking up my rental car right now. I had reserved a Lamborgini but in light of the recent gas prices I've decided to slightly downgrade to a Hyundi Accent. The speed difference is negligible as far as I can tell.

I'm off to the hotel on the west side of Omaha. I chose a hotel 15 minutes away from the Qwest center to save money and put me around familiar grocery and food establishments.

Jun
27

Plane has a flat tire

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 2:13pm (June 27th, 2008)
Well this is a new one, we just sat at the gate for a half hour while they used "fix-a-flat" on the plane landing gear. I'm banking on it holding up just fine, I've used that stuff a handful of times with 0% success rate. Luckily Bill gave me the most recent copy of Swimmer Magazine, there are some great articles in here!
Jun
27

Guess who I met

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 1:43pm (June 27th, 2008)
As I was waiting at the gate, I see a gentlemen who looks like a masters swimmer. I took the opportunity to introduce myself, as soon as I said my name he smiled and said "Kevin Doak, I know that name!".

It turns out I just met Bill Volckening, the editor of "USMS Swimmer Magazine"! I had a great, although brief conversation about his recent meeting to discuss 2009 magazine topics as well as my journey from my first 2005 masters meet to qualifying for the trials without a coach. He let me know he would like to do a small story about me at some point in 2009.

Jun
27

At the airport on time!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 12:24pm (June 27th, 2008)
Everything is great! I got a good healthy breakfast and then a safe ride to the airport from my friend Sarah. The security line looks long but I should be fine on time.
Jun
27

Blogging convenience and The LZR Suit

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 7:00am (June 27th, 2008)
I'm going to really enjoy posting on the road, before it involved lugging around my laptop to make a post for the world to enjoy, now its as easy as sending an email.

Jun
27

New Update System

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:38am (June 27th, 2008)

I implemented a new blogging system so I can update it on the go, please update your bookmarks to:

http://kevindoak.com/blog.php

Thanks for understanding.

Jun
27

Testing the new Mobile Blog

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:35am (June 27th, 2008)
Just wanted to make sure it works!
Jun
27

New Blog System!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:26am (June 27th, 2008)
I implemented a new blog system so I can update the blog from my phone. You will notice a different layout to the blog, which I haven't had the time to tweak. It will look much better soon, I promise. I will be posting lots during my trip to the Olympic Trials and this new system is much better suited for my on-the-go lifestyle!

I leave for Omaha in the morning
Jun
27

Lots of rest

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 12:38am (June 27th, 2008)

I got a nice long nap today, I feel rested. I'm packing tonight for a week in Omaha.

Jun
26

Trials predictions

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 8:06pm (June 26th, 2008)

Wow, only 3 days left! I had a good practice today, it was nice and short, a few fast 50's and some underwater kicking. I'm proud to say I've been solid 27's from a push in a 50 meter back. I believe this is right where I should be for this point in time. I'd like to make some realistic predictions of my prelim time. I've been studying exactly what it takes to swim well on a race pace 100 backstroke. I would really like to make the semifinal session which is top 16. I believe it will take a 55 mid to make it back, perhaps faster.

Jun
26

The elderly in the 100 Back

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 4:20am (June 26th, 2008)

I'm the second oldest person in the 100 back. Second only to Randall Bal by a few months. It's a real shame I'm gonna have to beat up on these kids :)

Jun
25

Dreaming of the Trials

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 4:40pm (June 25th, 2008)

I'm having a hard time not dreaming about the trials. It's on my mind every moment of the day. I'm both nervous and excited. It will be the biggest meet I've ever been a part of, packed in an arena with 15,000 fans, 1,000 athletes, the best coaches in the nation along with past and future Olympians. I just keep thinking about how it will feel to swim the 100 meter long course backstroke actually tapered, rested, shaved in a race suit. I've never been fully prepared for a long course meet. I will be ready.

Jun
25

Took today off

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 3:17am (June 25th, 2008)

I took today off, I will swim each day till my trial on Monday. I added some memorable quotes to the "Trials" page. I'll add more as I think of them, what's there now is just what I thought of today. I've been eating lots of good food and getting sleep. I'm feeling ready to go!

I made some minor changes to each page.

Jun
24

Studying the Psych Sheet

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 3:37am (June 24th, 2008)

I went through the psych sheet today to determine when the swimmers in my event swam the times they listed. The point of this research was to determine if I was swimming against people that swam their best in 2008. If they swam well recently they're capable of swimming even better next week. The flip side being, perhaps they swam their best time in 2005 and they might be a little rusty by now. I determined that about 80% of the swimmers swam the seed times in 2007, only a few swam them in 2006 and a handful of guys swam them in 2008. What does this prove?

Jun
23

Good Trials Quote

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 3:39pm (June 23rd, 2008)

I just read this on a website:

"For eight days, some of the biggest names in sports will be in Omaha with one purpose in mind – to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing."

For the next week I'm going to be extra conscious of staying safe, the last thing I need is a cut or sprained joint distracting me from doing my best.

Jun
23

Thank you to my Supporters!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 4:20am (June 23rd, 2008)

Thank you to my supporters today , it was a great day! I updated the "Trials" page with a few links, I'm still adding new information as I have it. Thanks for checking back.

A few backstroke facts via Wikipedia:

Jun
22

Trials Article

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 4:17pm (June 22nd, 2008)

My friend James sent me a good article:

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/06/20/phelps-looks-to-make-olympic-history/

Although it's mostly about Phelps, it has a great part about the an athlete who got 3rd at the 2004 Olympic Trials:

Jun
21

Excited for Trials!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 8:08pm (June 21st, 2008)
It's days like today that keep me excited about the trials. I have a very busy business day but managed to get to the pool for a quick workout. I only did about 2,000 meters but I made it count. I did a quick kick set and was averaging 32 low from a push for a 50 meter kick. I know for a fact I've never been this fast in my life. The next set I figured I would try some fast 50's swim, I only had time for a few of them with 150 swim in between sets, but I had a few 27 high in there from a push... for me, this is hauling! These simple stats just get me pumped up!
Jun
21

Site changes

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 5:05pm (June 21st, 2008)
I gave the site a slightly different look, larger menu up top and a few coding changes.
Jun
21

Video Labeling

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:21pm (June 21st, 2008)

I notice I hear "the videos are great, which swimmer are you?". If the gargantuan muscles aren't enough to tell me apart, I don't know what to tell you. I've been playing around with a video overlay which highlights the lane I'm in but it's not quite done. I might just implement a text field describing where I am in the pool for now. I'll get back to ya on that one.

I'm headed to the pool sometime today for a practice before work.

Jun
21

Fuller is too cold!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:37am (June 21st, 2008)
I swam at Fuller Pool today, an outdoor 50m facility nearby. With a few cold days and a broken heater made the pool almost intolerable. I don't think I'll swim there again before trials, I find that EMU offers less distractions and therefore I get a better workout. After my workout I actually took a few moments to relax in the sun. I fell asleep there for a little while. It was really refreshing to just lay there for a while right after practice.
Jun
20

2008 Olympic Trials Psych Sheet (version 2)

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 8:02pm (June 20th, 2008)

The second version of the Olympic Trial Psych Sheet was released:

2008 US Olympic Team Trials Psych Sheet (Version 2) PDF

No changes in the 100 back that I notice.

Jun
20

"Go Faster Haircut"

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 3:12pm (June 20th, 2008)
I can't believe I forgot to mention I got my "Go Faster" haircut yesterday. I'm not kidding, I went into the barber and said "gimme the go faster haircut Henkel". He knew exactly what I meant. I got it cut around 11:15am-11:35am Eastern time yesterday, so that probably explains the power loss on the west coast. I've been told it looks "moderately, to extremely spiffy". The haircut represents my true commitment to ludicrous speed. All those hair follicles were holding me back. I had the same haircut when I had a great 100 back swim at Ohio State....
Jun
20

No more morning practices!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 3:06pm (June 20th, 2008)

No more morning practices for me. I'm making sure I get at least 8 hours of sleep and wake up by 9:30am. This prepares me for a 8:30am wake up time in the Central time zone, plenty of time to get to the Qwest Center and warm up for an 11:00am preliminary session.

Jun
20

Fixed some bugs

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 4:25am (June 20th, 2008)
I fixed some Internet Explorer 6.0 related site incompatibilities.
Jun
20

New Menu Item

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 1:55am (June 20th, 2008)
I added a link in the top menu labeled "Trials" which I'll put all the important information about the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Jun
19

Photo Shoot and lots of eating

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 11:40pm (June 19th, 2008)

So I've noticed I've been eating around 5 full meals a day. Its kind of scary.

I had a quick photo shoot with the Livingston Press and Argus paper today for their follow up article. The photographer, Gillis, was really quite quick, and got some great shots! He had a Canon EOS 1D with a 70-200mm F2.8 Lens... I've drooled over that lens for a few years now, it takes great low light shots. His camera captured 8 frames a second, he pressed the shutter and it sounded like flipping pages in a book... Awesome camera and lens.

Jun
19

Omaha checklist done

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 4:45am (June 19th, 2008)
I spent time today making sure everything was in order for my trip to Omaha. My hotel, car rental, times and dates of everything going on. I made lists of places to eat while I'm there so I can find food quickly when I need it after swimming. Practice went well, did some fast pulling, some build 50's and hard underwater kicking. Everything feels as it should, just gearing up.
Jun
18

HOW EXCITING!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 12:15am (June 18th, 2008)
The official first draft of the 2008 US Olympic Team Trials Psych Sheet is out. I can't tell you how relieved I am... after all these months of hoping I would make it, and even after registering, it seemed like there was always some random chance that my registration would be lost or something. I'm pleased to report I'm actually listed on the Psych sheet and I couldn't be happier, it's really exciting to see my name listed! I'm ranked 35th out of 83 in the 100 back. Not a horrible place to be. I don't even wish I was ranked higher, I'm just so happy to be RANKED.
Jun
17

Took the Morning off

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 10:33pm (June 17th, 2008)

I took the morning off to catch up on some sleep, those 5:20am alarm clocks are rough! I might make the judgment call to cease all doubles (2 practices a day) till trials. I'm still fine tuning my all-out backstroke by doing lots of speed work. Most of it is fast 50's and 75's. I'm noticing a lot of excitement about the trials, I see it on TV, ads on the internet, people talking about it in public. I don't ever remember these types of things from 4 years ago, I'm definitely hyper sensitive about it because I'm finally part of it all.

Jun
17

Morning Practices

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 3:16am (June 17th, 2008)

It was a busy day with work and practice. The available morning practice schedule at EMU changed to 6:00am-7:30am which makes my mornings a little earlier. I'm trying to condition myself to get used to swimming fast in the morning, which is exactly what I'll be required to do in the prelims at the Trials. My afternoon practice was at Fuller Pool. It was a beautiful day, and I really wanted to be outside, so I packed in another 3,000 meters out in the sun.

Jun
15

Happy Fathers Day!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 9:05pm (June 15th, 2008)

Crazy weekend, had to work quite a bit this weekend which meant the only time I got in the water was this morning. I needed a little break anyway. I'll make tomorrow the start of my taper. I felt great in the water today. I headed over to Fuller pool to swim with the masters group over there and did about 4,000 meters. I really enjoy swimming with them, it's a great group. It's hard to believe trials are two weeks away, it's been a long time counting down the days.

Jun
13

Haircut soon please

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 3:12pm (June 13th, 2008)

A natural result of swimming so much is that my hair gets lighter. In years past I thought it was kind of cool that I could change my hair color for free. The comments started a few weeks ago when my hair color, which is naturally dark brown, crossed the threshold into "blonde highlight" territory. This invokes comments relating to "boy bands", "who's your stylist?" and "oh... wow... your umm... blonde"

I really can't wait to get a haircut... one more week of ridicule, then I can break away from the boy band.

Jun
12

Great Practice!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 2:54pm (June 12th, 2008)

I had a great practice yesterday. I did a great sprint kick set and decided to do some all out 50's for time with a minute rest. The results were great, I was going 28.xx from a push which represents the fastest I've ever gone in practice for a long course 50 meters. I think I needed to prove this to myself after my backstroke event this past weekend. This simple set proved to me that I have the speed, I'm faster now than I ever have been. The only challenge is converting that speed and harnessing in a race.

Jun
10

Next Meet is Olympic Trials!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 7:22pm (June 10th, 2008)

My next meet is the Olympic Trials. Less than 3 weeks away. It feels both exciting and scary at the same time. I know I've already accomplished what I wanted to, which was to make it to the Olympic Trials, but I can't help but want to do really well there. This weekend was a good meet overall, a lifetime best 50 free but a disappointing 100 back. It's tough not to focus on the fact that my best event was weak this past weekend. I'm going to do my very best to train these next few weeks in hopes I'm more prepared to swim well in Omaha.

Jun
10

Back from Omaha

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 4:26pm (June 10th, 2008)
Well back in Michigan finally, today I'm catching up on work and swimming whenever I can. Interestingly enough I've gotten a few inquiries about my tinted goggle modification, I figured I would put together a quick tutorial for those who stumble on this site. I'll post it later.
Jun
9

Krayzelburg Retires!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 5:41pm (June 9th, 2008)

Wow, Lenny Krazelburg, one of the best backstrokers in the world, 4 time Olympic Gold medalist announced his retirement. This is one of the swimmers I followed through the last few Olympics. He was passionate about promoting the sport and founded a few of his own camps and training programs for swimming. Here is an excerpt from the USA swimming article:

Jun
9

Great Weekend!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 4:46pm (June 9th, 2008)

What a great weekend. I would have liked to do better in my 100 back, but I had a great 50 Free. I dropped almost a half a second to a lifetime best time of 23.76. It was a blast to be part of a meet so deep with talent. Here is an article written on USA swimming regarding this weekend:

http://usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=2048&mid=3774

Jun
9

Watching the 1500 Free

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 2:39am (June 9th, 2008)

I'm watching the 1500 free right now. It was a great final session with some very fast swims.

Some things I noticed about the meet:

Jun
8

Amazing Feeling

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 9:34pm (June 8th, 2008)

I was just looking over the results from the 50 free and it struck me that I'm listed on the same page as Gary Hall Jr. and Neil Walker. These are two Olympians and pro swimmers I grew up reading about and watching on TV. This is exactly why I'm still training. I want to swim among the best of the best, these are two examples of what the BEST really is.

Jun
8

100 Back time trial

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 9:15pm (June 8th, 2008)

Well the time trial 100 back went better than yesterday but still not as well as I had hoped. I went a 59.02. It would have been nice to at least see a 58 up there, but I'll take it. I'm not sure of my splits but from timing the video it looks like it was a 27.62. If that's around what it was that's not a horrible place to be, lately I've been a 27.2 - 27.4 on a good swim. I'll be interested to see the real splits when I return for the final session to watch.

A few things I noticed about this race:

Jun
8

50 Free time drop

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 5:32pm (June 8th, 2008)
I dropped from a seeded time of 64th to 39th in the 50 Free. I'm proud of that considering it's my 2nd event and there are Olympians present.
Jun
8

Swimvitational 50 Free

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 4:56pm (June 8th, 2008)

I had a great morning swim in the 50 free which was probably the result of a decent night of sleep, some food and being utterly ticked-off at my performance yesterday. I dropped almost half a second in the 50 Free from a 24.20 a few weeks ago in Santa Clara to a 23.76. I never guessed I would even be close to an Olympic Trial cut in the free but it's looking within reach. I would Time Trial it and attempt to drop below the cut of 23.49 but due to a scheduling conflict I can't be in Omaha during the 50 Free at the Olympic Trials.

Jun
8

Tornado Alarm

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 1:45pm (June 8th, 2008)

Last night was interesting, the tornado alarms went off at 2am. Apparently there was a 70mph tornado just outside Omaha. I was so tired I just fell asleep to the sound of the rain blasting into my window. I really had no idea there was a tornado, it's not exactly something I'm used to dealing with in Michigan.

I feel much better today, I'm about to warmup for the 50 free, it's the 2nd event today. I don't expect to make it back tonight but I'm hoping I'll have a decent time. My best is 24.20... we shall see.

Jun
7

Swimvitational 100 Backstroke

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 7:40pm (June 7th, 2008)

It's hard to be positive right now. There is really only one statement that sums up how I'm feeling about the 100 Back prelims:

That was an embarrassment.

Jun
7

Swimvitational Live Results

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:00pm (June 7th, 2008)

I woke up early and warmed up before the preliminary session and did some test backstroke starts. I feel sort of lethargic this morning, I'm hoping I can find my speed for the 100 back. I had some trouble getting grip on the Omega pads during warmup in lane 2, which is the lane I'm in for prelims. I'll do my best this morning and give it all I can.

I'm in Heat 7 (of 9) in lane 2 for the 100 back, my heat has Chris DeJong and Cory Chitwood in it as well so there's plenty of motivation to go fast. The heat sheet says I'll swim at 12:27pm CST so 1:27pm EST. Here we go...

Jun
7

An honor to be here

Posted by Kevin Doak on Saturday at: 4:05am (June 7th, 2008)
I had a moment tonight as I was watching the Finals when it struck me that even being present at this meet even as a spectator was overwhelming. I almost feel like this meet is so elite that I don't even belong here. Then it hits me that I've done what it takes to swim here, and I deserve to be a part of something so amazing. Tomorrow I swim the 100 backstroke against some of the best swimmers in the world... it's exactly what I've wanted. I'm swimming in the Olympic Trial pool, against the people I'll swim against in 3 short weeks.
Jun
6

Qwest Center Video

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 9:53pm (June 6th, 2008)
A new video is posted of the Qwest Center on the Video Page
Jun
6

Qwest Center Virtual Tour

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 8:55pm (June 6th, 2008)

I got some lunch with fellow EMU swimmer Derick Roe at a local restaurant called "The Old Mattress Factory". I've just been enjoying some time to relax. Finals start a 6:00pm CST. Below a virtual tour of the facility:

Qwest Center Virtual Tour - Pool Side View

Jun
6

Swimvitational Warm Up

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 5:59pm (June 6th, 2008)

This morning I warmed up before the morning session began. There are enough swimmers here to fill 2.5 olympic size pools to the point there isn't even any room to swim! Right now I'm watching the morning session from the stands. I've gotten to see a few of my friends swim very well this morning. Zach Wood did very well in the 100 free and Christine Jennings did well in both the 100 free and 400 free. Below is a picture of the pool I took yesterday:

Qwest Center

Jun
6

What an Incredible Facility!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Friday at: 12:20am (June 6th, 2008)

I've never seen anything like this. The pool is amazing, the Qwest center is massive and the preparation is mind boggling. There is a lot I didn't know about going into this meet, some of this you may have already known, but this is what I've gathered from my experience today:

Jun
5

Twin Cities - Half Way

Posted by Kevin Doak on Thursday at: 3:09pm (June 5th, 2008)
Half way (or so) to Omaha, I'm waiting for my connecting flight at Minneapolis - St. Paul International. Looks like the 100 Back is Saturday and 50 free is Sunday. The 50 free is almost always before the 100 Back, I normally use it as a warmup for the 100. Oh well, glad I'm getting there two days early to get used to everything.
Jun
4

Last minute errands and thoughts

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 3:40pm (June 4th, 2008)
Today I'm running around getting things taken care of before I go out of town. From what I've been reading online there seems to be a lot of excitement about the meet this weekend. I'm really excited to see this facility. It still amazes me they can build an Olympic size pool filled with a million gallons of water in 2 weeks. I'll be sending pictures and video to the site while I'm out of town (as usual). I did weights this morning and I'll swim one practice before I leave in the morning.
Jun
3

Swimvitational Article

Posted by Kevin Doak on Tuesday at: 6:42pm (June 3rd, 2008)

A good article was written on USA swimming yesterday about the Swimvitational and the Ultraswim meet:

http://usaswimming.org/USASWeb/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=80&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en&ItemId=2030&mid=1707

Here are the highlights via www.usaswimming.com:

Jun
2

Registered for the 2008 Olympic Trials!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Monday at: 7:03am (June 2nd, 2008)

I just officially registered for the Olympic Trials. It's actually happening. I set a goal 28 months ago to swim at the 2008 Olympic Trials and I've achieved it. I will have a great meet because I've already reached my goal. Everything beyond this point is a bonus.

I am proud of myself

Jun
1

A2Aqua!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Sunday at: 11:54pm (June 1st, 2008)
Due to the meet at EMU this weekend, I ended up swimming with A2aqua at Fuller Pool this morning. I was pleasantly surprised with their workout group. The coach was both helpful and courteous yet firm. Everybody I spoke to was very nice and welcoming. There are some very hard workers in this group. We did a solid 4,000 LCM with some fast 100's and 200's in there. It was a nice change of pace to swim outdoors although the air and water were very cold at 9:30am. I'm looking into a membership there to bolster the times the Jones Pool is occupied.