Frighteningly fast women at worlds

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U.S. swimmer Ariana Kukors, the world record holder in the women's 200 IM, is just one of the ferocious competitors that Canada's Julia Wilkinson will face at thew world championships in Shanghai. (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

You don't have to know me very well to realize that I really enjoy my naps.

In college, I used to organize my class schedule around my designated post-practice naptime. If, for some reason, I can't get a few hours of shut-eye after morning practice, I have to compensate by drinking copious amounts of coffee. That's why, as I sit in my hotel room in Singapore, getting ready for the upcoming world championships, staying awake is so difficult. That, and my body thinks it's nighttime when I just had lunch. Day 1 of staging camp is always one of the hardest because of the jet lag.

We arrived at our hotel just after midnight last night, after a very long travel day. I lucked out on the 13-hour flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong: I was in an exit row, and what an exit row it was! I had at least four feet of leg room, which made sleeping sitting up somewhat bearable.

After a quick two-hour layover in Hong Kong, we flew the remaining three hours to Singapore. This is my third time at a staging camp here: we were in Singapore before the Olympics in 2008, as well as leading up to the Commonwealth Games last fall. For the first time, however, we are not staying at the Singapore Sports School, which is definitely a nice change. Our hotel has comfortable rooms, delicious food and, most importantly, fast wireless internet!

Fierce competition

I've now officially started my taper for the world championships, which begin on July 24 (the divers kick things off this Saturday). I compete right away when the swimming meet starts: I have the 200-meter individual medley and the 400-meter freestyle relay on Day 1, followed by the 100 backstroke on Day 2. I'll also be racing in the 50 back and the 400 medley relay, but since those events are further along in my schedule, my focus right now is on my first two individual events.

In the 200 IM, my best-ever placing at a meet of this caliber is seventh at the Olympic Games in Beijing. Last summer, I placed fourth at the Pan Pacific Championships and won a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in this event. My goal is to get back onto the podium this summer, but I know that the competition is going to be fierce.

Currently, I'm seeded 13th in the world, sandwiched between some frighteningly fast women. Leading the way this year is the world and American record holder in the event, Ariana Kukors, who has clocked two minutes 9.53 seconds. Biting on Kukors' heels is Australian Alicia Coutts, who took the gold medal in the event at last year's Commonwealth Games. Of course, Coutts's teammate, Stephanie Rice, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in the event, is now healthy again after having shoulder surgery last summer.

Those three are only a few of the women who will be gunning for the podium this time, and it's naive to count out anyone at this point. My Canadian teammate Erica Morningstar is seeded sixth in the world in the event and posted a very fast time at the Fran Crippen Meet of Champions a few weeks ago in Mission Viejo, Calif.

I'm also seeded 13th in the world in the 100 backstroke, and I think it's going to take at least a sub one-minute swim to get into the final in this event. The fastest time in the world this year is Japan's Aya Terakawa at 59.17. The top eight so far this year are all seeded under the one-minute mark, and this doesn't include 2008 Olympic champion Natalie Coughlin of the United States and world record holder Gemma Spofforth of Great Britain.  Needless to say, this event is going to be just as stacked as the 200 IM, and it's going to take one heck of a swim to get on the podium.

Like a noodle in soup broth

I'm twelve days out of the meet, trying to keep myself relaxed and still working on all the details of my swims. "Hot and humid" is an understatement here in Singapore, and our outdoor training facility is equally warm. During practice I start to feel like a noodle floating in soup broth. I've resorted to imagining that I'm standing in a snow bank in my underwear to trick myself into feeling cooler.

This morning, my teammate Stefan Hirniak weighed himself before and after the main set and found that he had lost one kilogram in only 3500 meters. Now that's hot!

Shanghai will be equally muggy, however, and even though the meet is indoors, it's good to be prepared for the heat. That's the point of staging camp: to make sure you're adequately adapted to your racing environment.

I 've done miles of training, fixed my mistakes, and perfected the details of my races. Now all I have to do is get used to this time zone and the heat and I'll be ready to rock!

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