Natalie Coughlin steps up swim training

Natalie Coughlin steps up swim training By Jeff Faraudo, Oakland Tribune // May 21, 2006 Copyright 2006 The Times-Herald All Rights Reserved Visit USA Swimming Swimmer Natalie Coughlin, two years removed from winning five medals in Athens and two years away from diving back into the Olympic pool in Beijing, begins the gradual buildup this weekend at a U.S. Grand Prix meet in Ann Arbor, Mich. "I haven't been this excited about my training in probably three or four years," said Coughlin, the 23-year-old Vallejo Aquatics product and former Cal star. "I'm really anxious to see how I do this weekend." This is the first of six meets Coughlin will swim this summer - the big one being the Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, B.C. in August. Last year was essentially a long cool-down period after Athens, a chance to finish school but otherwise give her mind and body the chance to rest. In Greece, Coughlin won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and 4-by-200 free relay, silver in the 4-by-100 free relay and 4-by-100 medley relay, and bronze in the 100 free, making her just the third U.S. woman to earn five medals at a single Olympics. It was satisfying, and exhausting. "I was just so unmotivated to train last year," Coughlin said. "I had just accomplished all these great things and I wasn't really ready to get back and train hard." The down time is about to pay dividends, Coughlin believes. "I'm training better because I took that approach last year," she said. "I needed that." Now a professional athlete without academic distractions, Coughlin said she has improved her ability to eat right and get enough sleep, and has begun a serious weight-lifting regimen for the first time in her career. "A lot of people say, ?Wow, you look different.' Actually, I've gotten thinner but have maintained the same weight and gotten stronger." Her strength gain is the source of pride - and a little embarrassment - to Coughlin. Coughlin has nearly doubled her squat lift from 110 pounds to about 215. She now can do 15 pullups, an improvement from 11. She has increased her vertical leap 61?2 inches to 271?2. "Keep in mind," she said, "that swimmers can't jump. We're water-based athletes." The point is, together with coach Teri McKeever, Coughlin continues to explore new ways to make herself a better swimmer. The formula allows Coughlin to stay fresh, despite having trained for 17 years. "I have a lot of input. I can look at something and say, ?I don't think I need this anymore. But how about I double my pilates schedule,' " she said. "I'm not some teen-ager or college freshman who doesn't want to work hard. "I want to work really hard, but this keeps me excited." Couglin's close professional relationship with McKeever is at the heart of a new book, "Golden Girl," written by Cal graduate and Sports Illustrated senior writer Michael Silver. "I was really nervous before it came out because there's so much personal stuff in it and I'm not a super-public person," Coughlin said. "But it's gotten a really good response from people. I think it's an honest book about my sport." Coughlin, who will swim five events this weekend at Ann Arbor, said it's too early to plan details for the Beijing Olympics, although she assumes she will swim largely the same events. She would like to add the 200 free, but currently it conflicts with her speciality, the 100 back. With no World Championship meet until the spring of 2007 in Melbourne, Australia, Coughlin has devised other targets for this summer. One of them is her four-year-old world record of 59.58 seconds for the 100 back. "I really think I can break it this year," she said. "Without a doubt, I see myself improving, just because of my outlook on the sport. Where I'm at mentally and physically, I haven't been this good in a long time." Copyright 2004 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions www.usolympicteam.com/132_46570.htm