The Road to Nationals-Garrett Weber-Gale
The Road to Nationals-Garrett Weber-Gale
Former Texas Longhorn and cooking aficionado
Garrett Weber-Gale needs little introduction in the swimming community after the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the historic 4x100m freestyle relay. For that performance, the relay team won an ESPY Award for Best Moment. In addition to training with Eddie Reece and Kris Kubic in Texas, Weber-Gale also maintains a blog about his training and passion for healthy eating, allowing fans to follow his journey and enjoy a few recipes along the way. He co-founded AthleticFoodieTM, an organization committed to helping people live healthier lifestyles.
I caught up with the Weber-Gale after the
Austin Grand Prix to discuss training, cooking and traveling across the Italian countryside.
National Team Member: Garrett Weber-Gale
Distance from the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships: 1,411 miles
Distance from the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships: 1,411 miles
How did you feel about your performances at this past weekend Grand Prix in Austin, Texas?
Garrett: I thought it was great. I wanted to swim fast and get a good marker on how I was going in to the summer season. I’ve noticed in the past that swimming really fast in March is a good way to gauge what I need to do from now until this summer. After swimming kind of slow in Missouri three weeks ago, and then shaving and resting for this meet in Austin, I am really happy with how I swam.
Garrett: I thought it was great. I wanted to swim fast and get a good marker on how I was going in to the summer season. I’ve noticed in the past that swimming really fast in March is a good way to gauge what I need to do from now until this summer. After swimming kind of slow in Missouri three weeks ago, and then shaving and resting for this meet in Austin, I am really happy with how I swam.
After a short rest for the meet in Austin, what kind of training will you focus on moving forward?
Garrett: It’s going to be pretty tough. On Friday I am going down to train with Randy Reece in Clearwater, Florida. I’m going with Matt Lowe, a national team member and who has been a teammate of mine at Texas for the past six years, and we’ll train with Randy for two weeks. We’ll do a lot of pulley work – swimming against 15-meter pulleys – and really have a great time.
Garrett: It’s going to be pretty tough. On Friday I am going down to train with Randy Reece in Clearwater, Florida. I’m going with Matt Lowe, a national team member and who has been a teammate of mine at Texas for the past six years, and we’ll train with Randy for two weeks. We’ll do a lot of pulley work – swimming against 15-meter pulleys – and really have a great time.
How will your training change as you progress further into the long course season?
Garrett: We’re definitely going to do more long course training, which I am really excited about. I love long course and I want to start working more on best-average kick sets than we did this past fall. I really like doing 50s, 100s, and 200s best average to see what kind of paces you can hold. I think that really helps my legs.
Garrett: We’re definitely going to do more long course training, which I am really excited about. I love long course and I want to start working more on best-average kick sets than we did this past fall. I really like doing 50s, 100s, and 200s best average to see what kind of paces you can hold. I think that really helps my legs.
Is there anything in particular that you would like to accomplish at Nationals this summer?
Garrett: I definitely want to compete individually again at the international stage. It has been one of my goals this past year.
Garrett: I definitely want to compete individually again at the international stage. It has been one of my goals this past year.
With your Athletic Foodie campaign and blog, you obviously like to cook the nutritious meals you incorporate into your training and everyday life. How do you make time to grocery shop and prepare nutritious food while training?
Garrett: It is hard, honestly, but one of the things I realized about cooking after I have been doing it for a number of years is that you can do a lot of things ahead of time. Little preparations 15-20 minutes before you go to practice makes a big difference when you come home and you are hungry. It’s also really an enjoyment thing for me. This past weekend [during the Austin Grand Prix], my mom was staying with me and asked if I wanted her to cook something for me. And actually, I wanted to cook. Just being in the kitchen and cooking something after finals was a way for me to relax.
Garrett: It is hard, honestly, but one of the things I realized about cooking after I have been doing it for a number of years is that you can do a lot of things ahead of time. Little preparations 15-20 minutes before you go to practice makes a big difference when you come home and you are hungry. It’s also really an enjoyment thing for me. This past weekend [during the Austin Grand Prix], my mom was staying with me and asked if I wanted her to cook something for me. And actually, I wanted to cook. Just being in the kitchen and cooking something after finals was a way for me to relax.
How do you maintain your diet while you are traveling or away at a meet for an extended period of time?
Garrett: It’s difficult. For smaller meets, I don’t have meals brought in for me. I eat at restaurants and try to eat as healthy as I can. At big meets, like Olympic Trials and World Championships Trials, my parents have made food for me, brought it to the meet and cooked it for me there. It made a huge difference in allowing me to continue my diet while at the meet which is a really big deal.
Garrett: It’s difficult. For smaller meets, I don’t have meals brought in for me. I eat at restaurants and try to eat as healthy as I can. At big meets, like Olympic Trials and World Championships Trials, my parents have made food for me, brought it to the meet and cooked it for me there. It made a huge difference in allowing me to continue my diet while at the meet which is a really big deal.
What is one of the longest road trips you have taken?
Garrett: This summer when I was in Italy [after the FINA World Championships in Rome], I stayed for a month afterward. A friend of mine that I met there, we traveled to his house in Sicily. My trip began in the small town of Spoleto, in the province of Umbria. We traveled the hour and a half to Termini, which is the main train station in Rome. From Rome, we caught the train to Messina, which is the capital of Sicily and took ten hours. Finally, we got on a ferry and took another train from Messina to San Giorgio. That was a pretty long trip, but totally worth it.
Garrett: This summer when I was in Italy [after the FINA World Championships in Rome], I stayed for a month afterward. A friend of mine that I met there, we traveled to his house in Sicily. My trip began in the small town of Spoleto, in the province of Umbria. We traveled the hour and a half to Termini, which is the main train station in Rome. From Rome, we caught the train to Messina, which is the capital of Sicily and took ten hours. Finally, we got on a ferry and took another train from Messina to San Giorgio. That was a pretty long trip, but totally worth it.
If you could go on a road trip with anyone, who would it be and where would you go?
Garrett: I think if I could go on a road trip anywhere – have you ever seen the move The Man from Snowy River? – I would probably go on an excursion in the Australian mountains with Jim Craig [the main character in the movie]. I love that movie; it has been my favorite since I was a young kid. Jim Craig was always the coolest character in any movie and I love horses. I really would love to go on a horse excursion where you have a horse and a guide and you go out into the bush or mountains and camp, find the food you eat, and go all over with no direction.
Garrett: I think if I could go on a road trip anywhere – have you ever seen the move The Man from Snowy River? – I would probably go on an excursion in the Australian mountains with Jim Craig [the main character in the movie]. I love that movie; it has been my favorite since I was a young kid. Jim Craig was always the coolest character in any movie and I love horses. I really would love to go on a horse excursion where you have a horse and a guide and you go out into the bush or mountains and camp, find the food you eat, and go all over with no direction.
How do you stay energize to compete each season?
Garrett: That can definitely be hard sometimes and continue to be excited about it. When the training gets tough – obviously I am excited when the meets start approaching and I am feeling better – but when the grind of training comes in, it’s tough and you have to remember back to the disappointments. That is what I do. I remember back to the disappointments and unhappy times I’ve had in swimming, and I use that to fuel my motivation. I was very disappointed with the summer season in 2009, but I have used that to fuel my training this past year and get excited about swimming fast this summer.
Garrett: That can definitely be hard sometimes and continue to be excited about it. When the training gets tough – obviously I am excited when the meets start approaching and I am feeling better – but when the grind of training comes in, it’s tough and you have to remember back to the disappointments. That is what I do. I remember back to the disappointments and unhappy times I’ve had in swimming, and I use that to fuel my motivation. I was very disappointed with the summer season in 2009, but I have used that to fuel my training this past year and get excited about swimming fast this summer.
In what other ways will you prepare yourself for Nationals?
Garrett: You know, just being happy in life. Honestly, I know it sounds a little funny, but the fastest swimming I have done is when I’ve been really happy with life and how things are going. I’ve been really happy this past winter and coming into the spring and I think that is one of the reasons I swam well in Austin. For me that means relaxing, doing a lot of cooking, being with my family, having a good time training and a good relationship with my coaches.
Garrett: You know, just being happy in life. Honestly, I know it sounds a little funny, but the fastest swimming I have done is when I’ve been really happy with life and how things are going. I’ve been really happy this past winter and coming into the spring and I think that is one of the reasons I swam well in Austin. For me that means relaxing, doing a lot of cooking, being with my family, having a good time training and a good relationship with my coaches.
