A Day in the Life: Kalyn Keller

LOS ANGELES, California, November 8. KALYN Keller’s “A Day in the Life” series continues today with a bit more technical talk as well as some more insights into the University of Southern California senior.

Tuesday, November 7
I woke up this morning well rested and ready for an exciting election day! I did the usual bike ride to campus while keeping my eyes open just enough to dodge the speeding cars. Tuesday morning is usually an emphasized long course meters distance set. I know when I wake up on Tuesdays I can count on doing something fast before 7 a.m. This morning was no exception. Coach [Dave] Salo gave the distance group a set of:

400 over-kick on 6:00
4×100 (round 1: 1:30, round 2: 1:20, round 3: 1:10, round 4: 1:30)

The first 2 100’s were strong focusing on stroke, followed by 2 at 800 pace.

I enjoyed this set because it was long course meters and I was focused on making my pace. On all the 100’s pace, I hit 1:03/1:02’s, with the last one going 1:00. This was a good set for me, and it really helps having the active rest 400 between the 100’s to get my stroke back and get ready for the next round. After workout, we had a lovely warm-down. I often try to skip out on warm-down because I’d rather chat (especially this morning with the shocking news of the Brittany Spears’ divorce!!) but I know warm-down is very important if I want to perform well in my next workout – so I reluctantly did it.

After workout, I went home and ate breakfast before class. I am still trying to teach Xena (my dog) to have my eggs prepared at 8 a.m. sharp when I return from workout. I have faith she will learn soon! But in all seriousness, nutrition is a key ingredient to my success. My parents always stressed the importance of well-balanced eating. I cannot perform my best unless I fuel my body with good food throughout the day. I quickly learned in college that proper nutrition takes intense planning and preparation – you cannot be successful without it. Having class during the day and after night workout really forces me to plan accordingly. During high school, my mom packed my lunch everyday and had coffee for me every morning… sometimes I really miss it! Figuring out schedules and time managing is a huge part of adapting to the college life-style. Some days, I am a master at managing my time and planning, and some days I wish I could order take out from my parent’s restaurant! At the start of each week, I try to plan my nutrition by taking a trip to Costco and stocking up on plenty of fruits, veggies, meat and treats for Xena!

My afternoon workout went well even though I was a little sleepy and sore from the morning. Getting a good lunch and a nap really helps me push through the afternoon workouts. We had a set of 5×500 broken (1×100, 4×75, 1×100). This set was short course with 10 seconds rest after each distance. We wore paddles throughout this entire set because Coach Salo believes that wearing paddles and working on six-beat kick is a great tool for working on ‘specific strength.’ I really enjoyed this set and finished by going a 4:31 on the last 500.

I have class at 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon right after workout. Needless to say, I am a big hit with my soaking wet hair and overwhelming scent of chlorine in the small computer lab. It was a busy evening of math with two hours of Statistics followed by an hour of tutor for Statistics. It all seemed to go by unusually slow tonight, probably because I was anxious to see election results! When I finally got home, it was to my disappointment that my dog still hadn’t learned to make my dinner – but luckily I had it all planned out. Now it is just time to unwind, read for my classes, call my parents, annoy people who didn’t vote, and get ready for a great Wednesday!

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