Over the past few weeks we have been running a series of clues as to my true identity. Well the river card is down and I have to show my hand.

Yesterday, July 21, I watched the perfect display of athleticism meeting race preparation -- in the Tour de France. This happened to be the day of the infamous L' Alpe d'Huez climb, a 15.5-km hill that has 21 switchbacks throughout the course.

At the end of every GO SWIM camp or clinic, you'll always hear the coaches say, "Thanks for coming. We learned far more from you swimmers than you learned from us." Well, it's true.

When I arrived at camp in Cornwall, I was swimming like an eight-year old. The coaches worked with me through the week so well that, when I left, I was swimming like a 9-year old (I turned 9 on the last day of camp) .

Last week, I had the privilege of heading to Long Beach, California, to watch one of the most intense athletic competitions in the world. In thinking about how to describe this event to our readers and to those who watched the Trials on TV or followed the coverage in the major newspapers, one phrase comes to mind: There are two sides to every story.

What happens when you get 200 past Olympians and National team members together at the Olympic Trials? To be honest, you get the BEST ab workout you've had in YEARS.

When I was younger I always wanted to be a rock star. I was intrigued by the lifestyle that they get to lead.

We (Alaina and Katrice) are 16-year-old girls who have been swimming for more than ten years and who have attended many different swim camps. Last year -- and again this year -- we attended Glenn's Go Swim summer camp.

"Hey, Mom. Doesn't that camp we signed up for back in February start tomorrow?!? Oh my gosh! Once we verified that Go Swim's Cornwall camp would start in just nine hours -- at 7:00 am Monday morning -- we began the mad dash to assemble all the essentials:

I have been going to swim camps with my Dad [Glenn] for six years now (ever since I was six years old), but this year's summer camp at Bucknell University was the best -- and most advanced -- I've ever seen.

I just spent five days in Cornwall, NY, as the only adult participant in the Go Swim swim camp.

About halfway through the race, I was thinking "Who's crazy idea was this anyway?" Then I remembered, it was MINE! At our recent Bucknell swim camp, we would have the coaches actually RACE any combination of swimmers at the camp in a 400 medley relay. At least I was smart enough to put in the clause that the relay would be swum as 8 x 50s, rather than 4 x 100s.

It all started one evening when I heard Nightwish, an awesome Finnish rock band, on Cleveland State College radio. The next thing I know, I was planning a trip to Finland. My plan was to spend three days in Kitee, to see Nightwish at their album-release party. I'd then do some business development in Helsinki, and finish with a vist to the pool where freestyle world champion Hanna-Maria Seppala trains.

An Olympic-distance triathlon consists of 1.5K swim, 40K bike, and 10K run. How fast can you run the 10K at the end of an Olympic distance triathlon? If you're like me, you want to know what you're capable of doing BEFORE the race so you know how to pace yourself and what to expect. Thanks to Michelle Blessing, my triathlon coach and coach of the 2000 US Olympic Triathlon Team, here's a challenging test set to help you figure it out.

If you think it's tricky to figure out how fast to take out your 200 Breast, try figuring out how fast to run the first mile of your next marathon! Sheesh. If you miscalculate your pace for a 200 Breast, the worst that can happen is you die on the final 25 or 50 from too much lactic acid in your bloodstream. You'll have 45 to 60 seconds of PAIN, but you'll probably be able to finish the race. And you'll be able to race again fairly quickly.

In a marathon, however, the stakes are different.