Surviving Fresher’s Week 101

We caught up with UK F-Teamer Candice Hall (right).

There are times when combining training with life away from swimming can be challenging. Fresher's Week is certainly one of those times! We caught up F-Teamer Candice Hall to find out her tips for surviving the demands of extracurricular partying with pool sessions. The 200m and 400m IM specialist has just started studying at Loughborough University where she also trains with the National Centre.

Candice:

We have just got back from bronzing it up in Majorca at the Best Swim Centre for a pre-season training camp, which consisted of a lot of running, gyming, swimming, sunbathing and trying to sneak in some chocolate cake every night!

Since arriving home, I have being trying to balance my studies in sport science and management with my training sessions. And to top it off, it's fresher's week! Which is not one week but two weeks long - what a nightmare ay! I wouldn't recommend trying to swim after a night out as you may not even be able to tumble turn on the wall. I promise I did not learn this from experience! If you want to go out for freshers I would advise that the weekend is best for us swimmers, I just wouldn't go too hard-core though as you may end up with the fresher's flu! Which would be a terrible way to miss training sessions.

Candice (right) always has time to play around underwater with her training pals!

Everyone at Loughborough has been very welcoming, academic and swimming wise, and I'm getting used to living without my parents now. It was a challenge not having them to cook and clean for me in the beginning though. The first week I attempted to cook for myself, the result was a burnt saucepan, but I'm all good now! My focus for the swim season is to try and improve my strokes technically and to keep on working as hard as I can both in the pool and on land! My first competition of the season is the Manchester Meet in October which is short course. I will keep you posted on how that goes! #FunkitaFreshers

Follow more of Candice's adventures on Instagram and Twitter!