Summing up the second half of 2021, when I finally got to return to the pool
My Irish Masters Open 2020
Mike reviews his Irish Masters Open 2020
Closing out 2019
As 2019 comes to a close, Mike reflects on the season so far
End of Season 2019
Mike sums up the 2019 season
My Irish Masters Open 2019
Choosing the events This year, for the first time since 2016, I didn’t need to use the Irish Masters Open to prepare for a larger international gala. This meant I had a little bit more freedom in the events I wanted to do. So, in January when I sat down to do my entries, I... Continue Reading →
European Masters Diary – Final Race Day
I only had one event on my third and final race day, the 100m freestyle. This was my best event when I was a junior swimmer, although in hindsight if I had more opportunities to swim the 200m free then that might have been my best. This was the event that I put a lot... Continue Reading →
European Masters Diary – Second Race Day
I was lucky to have a day off after my first day of racing, an unusual thing for me in multi-day competitions. We took the opportunity to go to see lake Bled using one of the competitions shuttles. As soon as we saw the amazing water I started to regret not entering the open water... Continue Reading →
European Masters Diary – First Race Day
I mentioned in the previous article that I was wary of making the same mistake a I did for my first race in the Worlds. It’s something that niggled at me in the run up to the competition, I was determined to leave nothing to chance. I would get to the pool early to make... Continue Reading →
European Masters Diary – Before Race Day
Arrival The Worlds in Budapest were so much fun last year, we decided to take the kids to the Europeans in Slovenia this year. The only downside was that getting to Slovenia is a little tricky. Our journey started with an 11pm trip to Dublin for a 5 am flight to Amsterdam, and from there... Continue Reading →
Relays are Awesome
Swimming is an individual sport, you might train and travel with others in your club, but when it comes to competing you are all on your own. In your own lane with your own black line down the middle of it, unless of course you are in an open water race, in which case you... Continue Reading →
Mikes February Update
It’s been a while since I gave an update on my own personal training and swimming. I’m so busy between coaching, training, writing about other topics, and life in general, that it’s hard to get time to write about myself. This is a big year for me in terms of swimming, because of a goal... Continue Reading →
How I learned to deal with pressure in swimming
As far back as I can remember, swimming has been part of my life. From galas to swimming birthday parties, it has always been there. However, like every sport, it has had its ups and downs! In this article, I will be speaking about pressure in swimming from a swimmers point of view, but also... Continue Reading →
First Competition – The Rome Challenge
Saturday was a milestone for the Rome Challenge, it was Jia’s first ever masters swimming competition. She had never competed an any sports growing up in China, and had only ever done a few 5k fun runs and a handful of sea swims since coming to Ireland (because everyone should swim around Fenit lighthouse at... Continue Reading →
FINA World Masters – Recap of Day 3
My third day started very early, the men’s 50m free was the first event and my heat was the 8th in my pool, so I would be up 4 minutes after the event started. While I wasn’t at all worried about the race, it’s a splash and dash, I was determined to make it in... Continue Reading →
FINA World Masters – Recap of Day 2
I was still a little down on my second day of competing, but also eager to get back in the water. I was determined to leave nothing to chance and myself and Jia left for the pool very early. I should mention how lucky I was to have Jia with me for the trip. She... Continue Reading →