Torpedo Swimtalk Podcast with Russian Masters World Champion Swimmer Zhenya Mikulchik

Ever wondered what it takes to jump back into competitive swimming after years away from the pool? Join us on today's episode of Torpedo Swimtalk Podcast for an inspiring conversation with Zhenya Mikulchik, a remarkable swimmer whose journey spans continents and decades. From her early days in Siberia to her collegiate achievements at the University of Calgary, and now making waves in Australia, Zhenya's story is one of resilience and passion. She shares how a playful challenge with her son reignited her competitive spirit, leading to impressive performances at the World Masters in Fukuoka and Doha. 

In this episode, we dive deep into the nuances of backstroke racing with Zhenya, exploring everything from stroke rate maintenance to the art of underwater dolphin kicks. Zhenya offers her expert insights on the evolution of the game-changing impact of new starting ledges. Discover her mental strategies for sustaining speed and technique when fatigue sets in, along with her approach to managing pre-race nerves. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer or new to the sport, Zhenya's tips and techniques are invaluable.

Balancing training and life responsibilities is no small feat, and Zhenya provides a candid look at how she manages to excel in both arenas. From her diverse training regimen with the Brunswick Belugas Masters Club to her recent experiences at the Masters Nationals in Darwin, Zhenya highlights the importance of personal progress and community spirit in swimming. Tune in to hear her touching reflections on the joy that comes from competing and connecting with fellow swimmers worldwide. Get ready to be inspired to pursue your passions with unwavering enthusiasm.

Transcript

Danielle Spurling: 0:09

Hello swimmers and welcome to another episode of Torpedo Swim Talk podcast. I'm your host, Danielle Sperling, and each week we chat to a master swimmer from around the world about their swimming journey. It's been a few weeks since our last episode, as I've had the chance to travel to the US for a vacation and I was lucky enough to catch up with some of our past podcast guests and have a swim with them. It was really great seeing the way they trained in America and whether it was the same or different to what I was doing. Very many thanks to Becky Clevenger, kristen Gary and Dan Daly for making me feel so welcome at your local pools. It was a real treat meeting you all in person. Before I introduce today's guest, I wanted to take a moment to dedicate this episode to a childhood swimming friend of mine, C cheryl Boness, who recently lost her fight with illness. She was a shining light in our open water swimming community on the surf coast here in Victoria in Australia and will be terribly missed. For today's episode, I was delighted to chat to Zhenya Mikulchik, who hails from Russia but now lives in Australia. She had such success at the recent World Masters in Fukuoka and Doha and she gives us a glimpse into her training and racing and what she learned. Let's hear from Xenia now. Hi Xenia, welcome to the podcast.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 1:39

Hi Danielle, Thank you for having me Very excited to be here.

Danielle Spurling: 1:43

Oh, that's lovely. You're welcome. You live in Melbourne and you swim out of Brunswick Belugas Masters Club. How long have you been swimming with them and where did you swim before that?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 1:54

I'm a newbie. I started maybe just a little bit over 12 months ago, so a bit maybe the beginning of last year really, and I didn't swim anywhere before. So so I mean, I've swam when I was young, but I didn't. I didn't have a master's team or anything like that. So my journey really began like a good old argument that you have with your child, who I have a 10 year old son, or he was 10 back then, and he joined a swimming squad and you know, being a long time swimmer 20 years ago, I would try to give him some advice of on technique and whatnot, and he wouldn't listen to me so and says, oh, mom, what do you know about swimming? Because he's never seen me compete or anything. So I said I'll show you.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 2:37

And so I decided, I decided, um, yeah, to sort of join swimming myself, and when he started practicing, I would jump in the pool and maybe do a few laps, and, um, I could feel how out of shape I was and it was a bit embarrassing for me, um, but it was always good, you know, to have a little race with him. So anyway, I decided, why not? I would, you know, check out the belugas. And look, I lived in the area for close to 14 years and I remember when my son who is now 11, was little and we would come to the pool at early hours on Saturday and I would see all these women flocking into the change room and just chatting away and I'm like, who are these people? I was very intrigued and then I realized it was the master swim team. So I always thought, oh, maybe I should join, I should join. So it's been on a very back burner for a very long time but finally. So I tried to inspire my son, but I ended up inspiring myself, I think.

Danielle Spurling: 3:31

I love that. I love that story. Where did you swim 20 years ago? Tell us a little bit about your swimming background.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 3:39

Yes, so I come from a swimming family. So my dad used to swim when he was back in the 70s and then he was a swim coach for about 20 years and then he ran a large sport complex for 30 years of his life. So I've always been around sports and you know he was living and breathing that. I basically didn't have a chance to be any other athletes except swimmer. So my brother also swam, and my brother is a bit older than me, so we were and my mom was always very involved and so, yeah, so I've been swimming since I was about seven and I grew up in Russia. So I grew up in a small town in Siberia, so there wasn't much to do except go swimming, I suppose.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 4:22

And I moved to Canada when I was 16 years old through schooling, so I went to a post-secondary school and so I continued my journey swimming there and I swam for the University of Calgary as a varsity swimmer for about five years. So I was on a team there and I quit when I was about 23, 24 and, you know, entered the real world of a workforce and it's sort of I tried to keep up for a couple of years, but I think it gets challenging and my job had me traveling everywhere, so there wasn't a lot of time to practice. And yeah, and then I immigrated to Australia, as I said 14 years ago, and yeah, I thought to myself it would be great, you know, to pick it up again. And then, you know, life takes over. You have children, get married, and then, yeah, and now here I am.

Danielle Spurling: 5:13

Now is the time now's the time and I feel like a lot of particularly women come back into swimming around the 45 years age and it's such a strong, strong age group 45, 50, 55, you know because that's when, that's when you, your career, is sort of a little bit more settled your children, maybe you're a little bit older and you've got a little bit more time to to spend on yourself yes, absolutely.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 5:39

I agree with that. And when you look at the results you always think, oh, my goodness, you, you're gonna age up and that that group is even stronger. Like, how does that happen?

Danielle Spurling: 5:47

yeah, yeah, like you, I came back to it about 45 as well, after having 25 years out of the water, and I was astounded by how fast everyone was and um, and they've only got faster now that, yes, you know I'm a few years in, but, yes, yes, it's such a strong and vibrant community, so I think it's great to be a part of it.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 6:10

Yeah, absolutely, and I really enjoyed. Even when I first started I sort of looked at the results without even starting swimming and I thought to myself oh, those results look like they're achievable. You could start swimming and with a few you know practices maybe you'll catch up. And then when I went to my first swim meet and I saw you know people 90, 95 swimming, I was just in awe that you know you could continue doing that for the next 40 years of your life.

Danielle Spurling: 6:40

Yeah, exactly.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 6:40

It's amazing. It's an amazing community, so I'm very excited to join it.

Danielle Spurling: 6:44

Yeah, exactly, it's amazing. It's amazing community, so I'm very excited to join it. Yeah, and you're fresh home from great success at the masters world champs in doha, where you got two gold medals in the 100 and 200 backstroke and a bronze in the 50 backstroke. Congratulations on those great results. Was that your first worlds that you'd been to?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 7:01

so this is my second. I did go to to Japan, so Japan was my first, and I aged up this year. So I thought, you know, I went to Japan as a 40 to 44 year old. I'm in 45 to 49. So I thought, why not? You know, even though they're very close together and it was quite challenging to sort of keep swimming and I haven't built up, when I went, went to Japan, I literally only trained for eight months, so I haven't had any endurance, nothing.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 7:28

So it was just more from experience and you know, looking at making connections, meeting people and just being, you know, being in presence of such a great talent, really, with world records being broken and you know, people swimming in such a ripe age, and yeah, it was just really amazing. So Doha was my second time around, so I guess I was a little bit more prepared of what to expect. Yeah, it was, look, it was absolutely unexpected that I would win and I was totally over the moon. And I think another additional thing to that was that I asked my father to come with me because, you know, being close to swimming, and I felt that he would really appreciate it and I haven't seen him for more than five years, and so he lives in Russia. I obviously live in Australia and we came to meet in the middle in Doha and it was such a great experience and, you know, I think without his support, I probably would have struggled even more mentally, like being, you know, prepared to win, because you get the psych sheets before you come in.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 8:33

So I actually knew that I was listed as number one and I couldn't even take the pressure for two weeks. I was like what am I going to do? Who put these times in? Why are they so fast and why am I number one? So it, who put these times in? Why are they so fast and why am I number one? Um, so it was, yeah, it was very, uh, pivotal moment, I think, and when I reflect back of, um, you know, being there with my dad and like really having that time to be together and and really being into swimming together, I think it was such a fantastic experience. Um, just just to focus on one thing, yeah, and reconnect yeah, absolutely.

Danielle Spurling: 9:02

I love the fact that he came from russia to um support you. Did he swim as well?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 9:08

no, he didn't, um, I did actually sneak him into the swimming pool. You know, even the security was sort of lax at the very beginning. So I did sneak him in and, uh, he had a sneaky swim, um. But what I'm trying to do I think my like greatest dream would be to get my dad to come to the world championships with me and my brother as well. So I was like, wouldn't that be great, all three of us swimming together, um. So I'm, I'm slowly building up that um sort of thought in his head, whether he could swim or not, and um, but look he, he looked at the results of um. He's a 50 flyer, um. So he looked at the results of people in his age group and he was just astounded how fast they were so.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 9:44

I think it takes. It takes some some courage to build, build that up. So we're still working on it.

Danielle Spurling: 9:49

Um, but yeah it was. It was fantastic experience for him, for sure yeah, and what, what, what of your races were you the happiest? With which? Which one did you enjoy the most? Um?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 10:00

I think so I also got a bronze in the hundred fly, so I got two bronzers in 55. Yeah, but yeah, so I think I think so I also got a bronze in the 100 fly. So I got two bronzes in 55 and 100 fly, yeah right.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 10:08

So I think, probably just the unexpected, that I got a bronze in the 100 fly was the most exciting. Right, you know you sort of I don't. Well, I swim for fly, for fun. I know that's crazy, but you swim for fun. But yeah, I think it was just more of a. I think I got a best time like PB in that. I think a lot of the swims were my PBs because I haven't swam previously before anyway. So you know I take whatever result I get, but I think it was just exciting to podium in the event. That's not my true event, yeah. And then the backstrokes obviously is what I swim, and 50 back I'm not a sprinter. So it was also exciting to be third in the 50 back.

Danielle Spurling: 10:49

Yeah, it's quite close, wasn't it? I know the girl that came fourth, actually Perry. Oh yeah, Did you meet her?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 10:54

Yeah, Actually I did. I think it was her she was talking about that. She has a cousin that lives in.

Danielle Spurling: 11:01

Melbourne. Yes, yes, that's a good friend of mine who I swim with Nikki, Nikki Kerr.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 11:06

Okay, okay, yes, and you know this is another conversation. So I think it's great you sit in those waiting rooms. Everything is very serious, people are very focused, but then you get a chance to chat to people that are sitting you know next to you in the chairs and how they came about and what their journey is, and this is the amazing thing about racing internationally that you build these connections Like you know. How would I know? And she did say that she had a cousin.

Danielle Spurling: 11:29

Yeah, she does. Yeah, yeah, it's such a small world. Exactly, it's such a small world. And when you swim the 200 and 100 backstroke, they're both different races.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 11:52

What's the strategy that you, the different strategy that you use between the two in the way that you approach them? Yes, 200 I think is a very different beast to 100 um with 200 and sort of reflecting back that you know it requires a lot of uh strength to come back after, after 100, I suppose. So it's it's building that endurance. So I'm working on building the endurance. So usually what I think about is is you're building into your, you know your. You start with your 50, sort of controlled. With the second 50 you maintain speed and you build it up.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 12:11

I think the first 50, a third 50, is very pivotal, like you need to just get going, you need to kick it off in in gear. And then I think the fourth one is just hang on, what are you? Whatever you've got left, uh, you just come home. So when I do my practices, I always try to think that my third and my fourth, I need to get going through the pain and it's very, very painful. So, yeah, strategies to work on the second half of the race For 100 back, I think, taking it out strong and see if you can sustain the second 50, sort of in the same um stroke rate.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 12:45

So I think I sometimes I try to think what do people you know, when, when, when the athletes raise, uh, race, they always think about okay, stroke rate, so how fast do I go? One, two, one, two, one, two, one, two. So you just sort of get into that rhythm and that's how you get to the end. You keep counting, but whether it's fast enough or not fast enough, you're not even thinking about that, you're just counting. So I think I just focus on maintaining that sort of speed and, yeah, getting back yeah, do you have a difference in your stroke rates between the 200 and the 100?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 13:17

um, I think I do, I think I do, but it's it's getting into that scientific thing that I I don't think I've been out of it for such a long time. I mean definitely when we trained, you know, during the university years, the coach would tell you okay, your stroke rate needs to come up and whatnot. So I think now it's a little bit different story. I you know, our coaches, I think don't necessarily pick up on that, unless maybe I ask and say, can you pay attention to my stroke rate? But I think it's when you get tired, it's mentally remembering that you need to bring that up and keep going.

Danielle Spurling: 13:49

How are you on your turns in your backstroke? Do you stay underwater for some time with your dolphin kicks and does that change throughout the 100? Oh sorry, throughout the 200, I should say.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 14:00

Yeah, I guess my yes. I was watching the recent championships that we had in Gold Coast and I was trying to count how many dolphin kicks Kylie McEwen does underwater, and I think she does about seven or eight, so it's quite extensive. I think I would die of oxygen, lack of oxygen. So I try, I think I try, maybe for five. I noticed that, you know, in the last 50 I can barely do three.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 14:26

So yes yeah, it's again building up that endurance. But yeah, definitely working on that. All those little bits, I think get you to a different result, and I think when you fatigue, all of that starts to go first if you don't focus on it.

Danielle Spurling: 14:40

So absolutely that's good. Yeah, I think that's. There's a lot of skills involved in backstroke. I know people don't really think that there is, but with the underwaters that's made a big difference to times. I mean, I don't know, when you swam back at the University of Calgary did you do the old backstroke turn no, or were you in the? Were you had it changed?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 15:02

to the tumble turn. No. So I think it was a tumble turn, but I'm a bit confused with all these different rules, how you're supposed to finish and whether you're on your back or half on your front. And you know, I was really surprised with the disqualifications. I think it was at the Tokyo Olympics, wasn't it? Again, kylie was DQ'd from 200 IM or something like that.

Danielle Spurling: 15:20

Yes, yes.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 15:21

So whether it was DQ'd from 200 IM or something like that. Yes, yes, I'm actually not up to scratch of what it's supposed to be. I know I should read the rules when I go to all these international swim meets, but I think it's just remembering how you used to do it and I think that was pretty simple. So I'm just sticking to that. Yes, it was a tumble turn. Yeah, yeah.

Danielle Spurling: 15:39

It's interesting. I just wondered whether you'd had to learn a new turn. But you, you already knew how to do that when you came back to master swimming, so that's good, you were a step ahead. What about the um? The new starts in backstroke with the ledge. Did you use that in Doha?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 15:54

I used it in Doha, yes, and um, I've never used it before. So so, yeah, that's definitely a new thing for me and you know I was really glad that in Doha I tried it multiple times before I sort of got on the blocks and used it properly. And you do find that sometimes it's very tricky. You have to be. If you try to push off too much, you may go too deep underwater and then it takes you a long time to get out, you miss momentum, etc. Water, and then it takes you a long time to get out, you miss momentum, etc. And um.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 16:25

So it was interesting to watch some people how um high they go out of the water. I don't think I have the strength, like muscle strength, to put pull me up, um. So it's just working with that length as well, and every time you know you would see people come to the blocks and then they change the length of the of the rope that goes down the water. So I find for me it works when I'm not too high out, because I go too high and then too deep into the water and that just just throws me off. So it's still work in progress and I guess we don't use it too often in the local swim meet, so it's good to experience it internationally yes, yes, I'm hoping that they might bring it in for next year's nationals.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 17:00

But they did. They did use it, use in Darwin, so that was a new thing. But they keep asking everybody individually whether you would like to use it or not, because I think if you're using it for the first time, that's a very tricky thing.

Danielle Spurling: 17:11

Yes, you don't want to use it for the first time in competition. That's right, that's it. And you mentioned obviously having your dad there and that settled you down a little bit, but he couldn't obviously come down onto pool deck with you. How did you control your nerves before your races?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 17:29

you know I was reflecting on this point I get really, really nervous, really nervous, and I think, especially in the international swim meets, as I mentioned, you know they got a call room. You probably go through seven or eight heats being in that cold room. There are multiple you know rows of of um chairs there. There are people deep breathing and freaking you out because you know, people with the earphones and some people are chatty and laughing, some people are just really focused and, um, I I would get really nervous going into the call room.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 18:02

But but I think once I'm in the call room I was sitting back and I was just thinking I'm doing this for fun, just breathing, I'm doing this for fun and it sort of calms you. Well, it calms me down. So I look around, I chat to people and it sort of takes the edge off a little bit. But then obviously when you're at the blocks, you need that natural adrenaline anyway. So you know you don't want to take some chill pill that you're just rolling off and being like, all right, let's go swimming. Um, you still need that, I think, um, to kick start the um, the race, um. But yeah, I think just breathing and just saying to myself.

Danielle Spurling: 18:37

I'm doing this for fun although at that last minute before the whistle, before the gun goes, it doesn't feel like when you're on the blocks.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 18:44

You're not doing it for fun. You know whoever is next to you is going down that's it.

Danielle Spurling: 18:51

Obviously, at a world championships it's a bit different with the, the warm-up procedures from a local meet. How did you find that difference? Because it's very crowded.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 18:59

Um, I believe doha wasn't quite as crowded as fukuoka but, um, japan was really interesting, especially with having a 50 meter pool and then a 25 meter pool, cool down, with all these people. It's really tricky because obviously, if you're not racing in the first race, you don't need to warm up as early. And so then you get a new situation that you're in that smaller pool and with a million people who are trying to cool down or warm up. And so I think with Doha it was much easier. So it was a 50 meter pool, both pools were 50 meters, quite a nice facility, so it was much more manageable.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 19:34

But again, it's counting back what works for you. You know how long do you need before you warm up, how much rest do you need before you race. So it's you sort of go down in that mathematical pathway of what works for your body. But then even then, um, you know, things run over time and I remember I think, um, I was waiting for my hundred back and I think I waited for like two hours before I swam, so obviously miscalculated, but you almost have to do another warm-up.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 19:59

Um, but I think it's really personal preferences and so I think just, yeah, pushing through, and even even though if you're in the crowded scenario, it's just getting in, getting what you need to get done and get out. So that type of thing. And if you need to do a second warm up, I guess there's availability for that too. But it's planning things in advance as well works well. And seeing seeing how you know um, you also get anxiety. I suppose if you have um, oh, I get anxiety that you feel like you would miss the race.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 20:28

So if you're not the first race of the swim day, you always feel you're never settled. You know you try to go in and look around the city and try to do some cultural things, but then you keep watching, you know, watching your clock, saying oh, I need to get back to the pool. So you're never relax. So I think it's a fine balance and really it's just working out what works for you and whether you would rather be at the pool and spending six hours at the pool or you can just, you know, take your mind off, go for a walk and then, you know, arrive there, hopefully in time yes, I'd like to be the swimmer that went for the walk and took my mind off it, but I'm the swimmer that goes to the pool for the six hours and waits there yes, well, interestingly enough, I think, um, you know, traveling internationally, it's still, it's a long swim, it, you know it's six, seven days.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 21:11

So you, you try to fit in, um, some cultural things, because I'm unable to take, you know, 10 days off. I've got two kids, so I have to get back and look after them, um, and and so it was important for me to try and do something each day. So, whether it was, yeah, if my swim wasn't until three o'clock in the afternoon, I would do something in the morning with my dad, for example, and maybe it's closer to the pool. And in Fukuoka, I was there with a friend and I think we walked, for I had 20,000 steps before I got in the pool and swam my 100 back. So I was there with a friend and I think we walked, for I had 20,000 steps before I got in the pool and swam my 100 back, so I was already exhausted and I had to swim 100 back.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 21:48

Sure, but it was. It was sort, of, you know, you try to balance these things and, as I said, you know, for me at the moment I'm sort of focusing on it being fun. So I'm there to experience culture, meet people and race somewhere in between well, it was a pretty successful racing carnival for you.

Danielle Spurling: 22:06

Yes, Did you? I mean, you had such success with the two gold and two bronze. But did you find out anything that you would like to work on or change before you try again, maybe in Singapore?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 22:21

Definitely. You know I didn't realize how serious some people are and how seriously they take it, the preparation, and you know it's with the looking after yourself, the dieting, the you know obviously not drinking and taking supplements, so I didn't realize how big the supplement taking was as well. So I'm usually just sort of taking magnesium. So I didn't realize how big the supplement taking was as well. So I'm I'm usually just sort of taking magnesium so I don't get cramps. But, um, you know, some people are, um, they've got a pack of various things and you know, I've met, met some people and made some friends and, um, some of them come from sort of that swimming coaching world as well, so they're a bit more upskilled in in you know what, what currently works, what athletes are taking, what's safe, etc. So I was surprised that, yeah, definitely there are some things that you can improve, just, you know, by taking supplements and feeling better and just for your muscle recovery, and you know I've never taken any of the protein shakes. So possibly just even doing that, um, to build muscle and, um, you know, recover quicker or lose weight or whatever your goal is, I suppose. So, um, I think I'm definitely gonna be looking into that just to help myself. And also, um, I didn't realize that people actually focus on strength training so much more than than swimming itself. So, um, yeah, a few girls that I've talked to you know they're almost equivalent with with being in the gym and being in the pool, um, whereas some people maybe, you know, seven days in the pool and none of the sort of, um, strength training. So what I'm gonna do is, yeah, I'm gonna try and balance that and, um, I sort of going into, um, japan, I was completely oblivious to all of those things.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 24:03

So, as I said, so it sort of it was the beginning. I just wanted to make it to the end, um, but now, as I mature a little bit more, or remember what I need to do, you know it's the preparation. They've got all the, the socks that go onto your um caps and stuff to, you know, contract the muscles, and you look around you're like, ooh, I want one of those. Ooh, what are you doing? Yeah, what is this gadget? So, yeah, I think there's definitely a lot of things that I could take on board and just try them out and see if they help me.

Danielle Spurling: 24:34

Yeah, yeah, interesting perspective. I love that. That leads me into a question about your training schedule. What was that like before? So you had the two meets quite close together, Fukuoka and Doha? What was it like heading into Doha? How often were you training?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 24:51

In preparation for Doha. I think it was more a continuation of building up my endurance, as I said before. So when I went to Japan I was only eight months into training. I think from that I couldn't stop. I needed to keep building my endurance.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 25:05

My sort of volume of swimming that I would do, but in reality probably about eight weeks out of the competition. I would start training about five to six times a week, so that would be probably all throughout the working week and the Saturday. So that would be probably all throughout the working week and the Saturday and also trying to go to the gym at least twice a week. So now I'm thinking next time around I'll see whether I can increase it to three or four times a week and see if it makes a difference and then sort of about two weeks or 10 days out of the swim meet I would start to do the tapering, so lowering I probably would still go swimming maybe five times a week but not do the the same volume of practice.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 25:46

But I I usually swim just one hour a day. It's in the morning. So from 6 am till 7 am we've got a adult squad in the local um pool and we typically we do about 3.2, 3.3 k um. Sometimes it's 2.8 if we're working on some speed work, so it's it really just varies. So I'm yeah, I'm not one of those people that would spend, you know, hours and hours in the pool. I don't think I can actually swim 5k, honestly, so, um, but maybe that's another thing I should try is swimming 5k um, yeah, so about five to six times as a preparation um.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 26:19

But it's interesting, I think, with japan or not with japan, with Doha, because it was sort of right after Christmas that you had to kick into training. It was quite difficult because I had family visiting and here I was, this crazy person being like I'll be back in two hours because I have to go to the pool and I have to do gym. So it was really hard to balance. So I feel like maybe I wasn't putting 100% of work in, but I think that's that's exactly. You have to think what is my balance.

Danielle Spurling: 26:46

What am I trying?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 26:47

to achieve here? Um, how important is it? And so I think sometimes just put so much pressure.

Danielle Spurling: 26:51

Yes, I want to put 100% in, but yet I still want to enjoy life, and you know, I didn't get into swimming to to win all these things, I just wanted to have fun yes, yeah, I think the work-life balance is so important and you know, as you say, you've got family and you've got kids to look after as well, and that puts a huge amount of stress in your life already, and so you want the swimming to be a joyful pastime. That hopefully well, you've been very successful at it so far, so that's wonderful.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 27:21

I'm thinking, maybe one day, you know, I feel like I will be fully prepared, but knowing life, I don't think you ever feel like that.

Danielle Spurling: 27:27

You never feel like that my kids have finished school now and I still don't feel like I'm prepared, but yes, yes, there's always something, always something. Do you find that when, when you do your training is a lot of it focused? Do you do a lot of it backstroke, or do you do a lot of it freestyle, or how does it sort of? What's the percentage that you swim?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 27:49

I try to fit in backstroke so I think when I started a lot of the times were quite fast for me, even freestyle, so I couldn't I was in the back of the lane, I couldn't make it, and obviously this is more of a squad scenario, so it's for everybody.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 28:06

And um, you know, coach is not necessarily focusing on me, um, but I feel now, as I'm sort of getting stronger and stronger, I could sustain some of these times that I would swim for freestyle. I could now do the backstroke. So I sort of pick and choose what I do, and if we have a workout and let's say, if your main set is about 1.8 k, I'll probably try to do half of that in backstroke. Yeah, um, but and I I feel like it's it's still again a balance. I think a lot of swimmers do talk about shoulders not being well, and so if I do 2k worth of backstroke, I'm not sure how my shoulders will help handle that as well.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 28:37

Um, and even thinking about, you know, butterfly, I don't actually train butterfly at all, like very rarely. I would do sprints and butterfly, and so even looking at my 100 butterfly, I die spectacularly in the last 50 all the time, and so I think it just proves the point that I need to do some training in butterfly. So, um, possibly that's another thing that I need to focus on is just diversifying what I do, and obviously we do have sets that would include individual medley strokes as well, but they're probably less often so, unless we are focusing one week on IM or breaststroke or something like that. So yeah, so I try to fit in backstroke where I can.

Danielle Spurling: 29:20

And are you stronger in pull or kick?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 29:24

I don't know, maybe or equal, maybe stronger in kick at the moment. Pull, I think a lot of people obviously quite stronger upper body and when you use paddles you know there's a bit more velocity. I suppose when you go and get going, kick is probably harder because you actually yeah, I find that I work harder when I'm doing kick and with pull you sort of just cruise along and you do a good time. So I don't know, know, it's an interesting question. I haven't thought about it whether I'm good at one or the other, but I I enjoy both, equally enjoy both yes, do you use a lot of equipment in your squad sessions um, we do.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 30:05

Well, fins is usually just to help the warm-up. Um, yeah, the paddles and the pool boys we do. We don't typically use any other sort of other equipment, fancy equipment. There's a few guys on my team that use um or have the belts available, you know, with the um to get the tension. So I tried it a couple times in preparation I I just remember how hard it was because I use it, used it before when I was in in my early 20s and remembering how, how difficult it is to work on that. So that's another fun thing. But you obviously would only do it maybe before a big swim meet or something in preparation.

Danielle Spurling: 30:40

Yes, yes, and tell us you've just come back this week from Masters Nationals in Darwin. How was that competition for you, and what races did you compete in up there?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 30:53

It was great. I've never been to Darwin, so it was a fantastic place to be. And just look, I was loving the weather. But it's a different scenario because you usually race in the indoor pool. Now you race in the outdoor pool and obviously, with the humidity, you're trying to get the swimsuits on. With another debacle. Yes, sometimes you feel like you're dislocating your fingers just trying to pull it up. So it was a good swim meet my times. In terms of my times, I sort of stayed consistent. Most of my races stayed consistent with what I did in Doha. So I guess I'm happy with the consistency. So I'm not falling off the cliff. Um, haven't progressed, but that's fine, you know, I'm just sort of building my strength as well. Um, I swam all my backstrokes 50, a hundred, 200, and I got gold. So, um, and I also swam 50 free, which I never swim. I also got gold, which was exciting, and I swam 50 fly, 100 fly, which I got second after amazing Lissandra Di Cavallo.

Danielle Spurling: 31:59

Yes, I know Lissandra.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 32:01

Yes, and we also swam, and I swam 200 IM, I think for the first time long course, and that was interesting. So Lissandra and I we also had a race. She won, I got second, but that's interesting. So Lissandra and I, we also had a race. She won, I got second, but that's fine and they just proved the point that I need to work on my breaststroke because it was terrible. So overall, I mean medals-wise, of course, it was very successful. But my son actually I took my children with me, so it was interesting to see. So my 11-year-old kept saying oh, all you guys want to do is just swim and get the medals. I said, actually it's not about that, you just want to sort of overpower yourself and win yourself and swim faster. So it's about the. You're getting better times and I didn't get better times, but I'm okay with it. And, um, yeah, we're just gonna keep building on that.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 32:45

but it was really it was really great to be there, so yeah, it sounds like a great meet.

Danielle Spurling: 32:50

How did you find um the sun swimming backstroke outdoors?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 32:54

yeah, it was um, at times annoying the word that comes to mind, but you sort of it's like any condition you would have to deal with, right. So it's um, you know people say, oh, this pool is low, or that pool is low, or the lane ropes are not as tight, or you know, there could always be something. But I didn't find it that sort of detrimental, I suppose, to the performance. Yes, sometimes it's reflective and you can't see the flags, and I think that's the only thing when you're trying to finish and you can't see the flags and you're thinking to yourself did I pass it or did I not pass it?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 33:28

But most of the time it didn't really cause a lot of trouble.

Danielle Spurling: 33:33

And do you think you'll um sort of aim for singapore world championships in 2025, or will you do something after that?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 33:40

um, I think so, I really want to. Yeah, I think I really want to continue and get to singapore as well, hopefully maybe with some family, as competing as well. Um, and I was also checking out, you know, I think there is the Australian Master Games later in the year, in November. I didn't realize that there are also global Master Games as well, in 2025 in Taipei, I believe, and that's early in the year. So there's a few things to consider and I think it's just interesting to all of a sudden, this thirst for travel and swimming at the same time all of a sudden developed. But you know, I need to balance it as well. So sometimes you get into that mode where you're training and you feel like you need to perform, perform. And then I was saying to some of my colleagues I said well, I think my boss needs to probably say something to me because I've been swimming.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 34:34

I was too busy swimming. What have I done with work? So I think it's it's just setting, standing back and thinking all right, um, here's what I've achieved in swimming, I feel comfortable now, um, I can continue working on it, and but it's not just getting into that crazy sort of mindset that you always have to travel to every single swim, meet and swim.

Danielle Spurling: 34:54

Yes, what do you do in your professional life?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 34:58

I'm an internal auditor, so I work for a toll company, transurban, so CityLink in Melbourne and multiple roads in Sydney and in Queensland as well. So we're quite busy, very dynamic company and there's a lot to do. So you always sort of have to balance work and travel. So when I was in Darwin I had to work some time. I have to look after the children, I have to race in the middle, so you all have to combine all these roles together and feel like sometimes you're not doing 100% in any of them. But you know, you just go with it.

Danielle Spurling: 35:34

Well, I admire that so much because you're really juggling those balls in between all your you know the things that you have to do, your responsibilities and then and fantastic that you've made time for yourself to swim.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 35:46

Yeah, exactly, and I think that's the thing that I realized was missing for a very long time. It's like reconnecting with the old friend. When you get back into swimming you're like, oh, this is how I felt, oh, this is the feeling that you feel behind the blocks. Or it's all of a sudden remembering, and you know those memories of you building friendships with your teammates and you know the support that you get. And just looking back at the community, and you know my team is fabulous and we go through so many things like happy moments, and you know sad moments, illnesses, death and whatever. And they all come together, even if they've known you for a week, and they really rally behind you and this is the awesome thing that you all of a sudden discover.

Danielle Spurling: 36:25

Yes, yeah, I think that's the joy of master swimming. I think you know, especially when you've had it when you were younger and you might have had some time away from it. It's just, it's so lovely to have that back in your life. Yes, yes, absolutely. Well, look, I like to finish my podcast chat everyone that I have on with asking them a deep dive five, which is sort of five favorites to do with your swimming journey. So just give me the first answer that pops into your head Favourite pool that you've ever swum in? Probably in Doha. Yeah, it sounds like a great stadium, the Aspire Stadium.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 37:03

It was a great stadium and it was very intimidating, so it was just very grand, very light and, yeah, just amazing and the feeling that the athletes, the real athletes, were just racing there a few weeks ago and just this feel of amazing results that people achieve. Yeah, it was great to be there.

Danielle Spurling: 37:28

And how about your favourite pre-race meal?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 37:31

Growing up in russia, we never actually had that as a like, you wouldn't eat pasta, we probably didn't even have pasta, but um, so usually I think I would eat potatoes. Like mashed potatoes is my favorite thing. Um, I guess it's carbohydrates anyway. Um, and I know people say load up on pasta, and that's what we did when we were swimming back in the uni days.

Danielle Spurling: 37:51

Um, but yeah, I, I would opt for mashed potatoes I also love mashed potatoes, so yeah, that's a good one. How about your favorite backstroke training drill?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 38:02

um, I'm sort of rediscovering some of these drills and and I'm looking at some of the guidance, especially from the us team's masters team that they, you know, put videos on. Um I I can't remember what it's called actually, but it's when you have one arm up and you're sort of catching up and it's quite difficult to do because you have to do a lot of kicking to keep yourself afloat. So it's just really balancing the kick component and sort of the rotation that you do. That's my new drill that I'm doing quite often.

Danielle Spurling: 38:32

Give us a demo, so does that go up like?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 38:35

this yeah, you, you, and then you sort of meet it up. But, um, yep, so you're laying horizontally, obviously, on the water. Yep, so it's quite difficult to have your both hands up.

Danielle Spurling: 38:45

Yes, I I call that one a hesitation, or all that backstroke. Catch upup is another one.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 38:51

Yeah, okay, yeah, that's a good one.

Danielle Spurling: 38:53

How about your favourite backstroke training set?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 38:56

So I recently discovered this training set where, effectively, it's building your endurance and you would do eight, 200s of backstroke, and so first you would do four 200s on, let's say, about three minutes, 10 seconds or so, or maybe 315. And then you get yourself 100 meters easy and then you repeat it again. So the goal is to hold consistent sort of speed and maybe get 10, 15 seconds off, sort of, in your 200s. Another one is very similar, so it's the same distance, but it would be eight, 100s, and you do it twice through and again. So sort of focusing on if you go, I don't know, 140, 135, in terms of the 100s, but try to hold 125 for your 100 backstroke, so it gets quite tired at the end, um, and then, similarly, you could do 20, 75s and then um, um, 2050s, I suppose. So, um, it's so similar sort of build up. Uh, it's just shorter times, um, but yeah, I would focus on the 200s and 100s.

Danielle Spurling: 40:11

Yeah, so 200s really your favourite distance that you're aiming for.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 40:17

Look, I think now I'm thinking to myself. Obviously, when I was younger it was much more pleasurable. Now it causes a lot of pain. I'm like I need to reconsider what my favourite distance would be Drop back to the 100.

Danielle Spurling: 40:28

Yes, exactly, I understand Exactly.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 40:30

It does, hurt it does, but I guess the field is smaller as you progress to do harder distances, so you need to pick your favourite where your chances are.

Danielle Spurling: 40:42

Yeah, very true. And how about the swimmer you most admire and why?

Zhenya Mikulchik: 40:47

I think Michael Phelps, obviously, just from the amazing talent that he had and or has still, and just the perseverance and I think I was reading something about where he basically didn't miss a single practice in a year and he trained 365 days a year I mean it takes a very special person to do that and the determination and just you never back down very special person to that and the determination and just you never back back down um something that to strive for. I mean it could be crazy, but you know it's, it's it's amazing that you never come across these people and and just having someone in your lifetime I think is is pretty, um, pretty amazing to witness.

Danielle Spurling: 41:27

Yeah yeah, he's certainly a champion. Well, xenia, thank you so much for joining us today on the podcast and giving us a glimpse into your swimming journey and everything that's going on in your master's swimming now thank you.

Zhenya Mikulchik: 41:40

Thank you, I'm really pleased to be here and hopefully, you know, some people get inspired.

Danielle Spurling: 41:46

I think they will, okay, take care and happy swimming. Okay, bye till next time. Happy swimming and bye for now.