Australia Training Camp and Long Walks on the Beach

(Surfer's Paradise, Australia)

I am in Australia! Team USA is doing a short training camp on the Gold Coast of Australia for the next few days before we head to Shanghai for World Championships. At the meet I am swimming the 50m and 100m Backstroke and depending on how I do, I have a shot at making the 400 Medley Relay.

(View from our hotel balcony)

Even though it took almost 30 hours of traveling, it was well worth it to be in Australia. It is a beautiful country. On the flight from Sydney, we flew over Sydney Harbor and the Opera House and from there it was straight north along the coast to Surfer's Paradise. It was a fantastic flight. 

(View from our hotel balcony)

I couldn't be happier with my training leading up to World Champs and I am excited to get to Shanghai and race, but for now I'm just enjoying the view. I look forward to seeing everyone when I get home from my travels. I hope you are all doing well and know that I am thinking about you, even if I'm thousands of miles away.

(Hello from Australia!)

Too Much National Geographic

I haven't written a blog in a couple months now. I know I always promise I'm going to do better, but this time... it's probably still not true. Anyway, I am leaving for a training camp in Surfer's Paradise, Australia on Monday and from there Team USA heads to Shanghai for World Championships.

I'm really excited to leave for this meet. All of my hard work is done for the season and now it's just rest and a lot of travel between me and the big competition. I'd like to have some sort of revelation about how amazing everything is going to go, but everyone that knows me knows that when I get to a big meet I swim as hard as I can. Sometimes I win, sometimes I run into the lane-line, but I have a good feeling about this one.

So instead I have a fun list for everyone. It's a list of a few of the animals that could kill me in Australia:

Cone Snails (who cause respiratory failure), Box Jellyfish, Saltwater Crocodiles (13-18 ft. long), Tiger Snakes (mortality rate around 60% if bite is not treated), Taipans (the most toxic venom of any terrestrial snake species worldwide), and Great White Sharks (grow up to 20 ft and 5000 lbs).

So, maybe you can tell I just watched a national geographic special and I'm a little freaked out. I'm sure everything will be fine. Still, I wish that doctor I'm going to marry would be closer in case anything goes wrong.

Once I get there I will do my best to put up pictures and keep up with my blogging/tweeting/facebooking. I know my fiance and my mom will be mad if I don't.

If you get a chance stop in and say hi before monday I'd love to see you, I will most likely be sitting here watching something about animals that could easily kill me.