Ally McHugh put together her best year in the water in 2019 and was looking to continue that momentum into an Olympic year.
Now, she is still trying to keep that momentum going. But the wait will be a little longer to get it to last to 2021. McHugh, like most elite swimmers, is trying to find ways to stay in shape and keep her rhythm going without being in the water.
“I am keeping my legs in good shape and I will be good when I get back in the water,” Ally McHugh told Swimming World.
It is all about staying motivated, and for McHugh, sticking to a routine. She left her training home in Madison, Wisconsin, to return home to Philadelphia and be with her family.
“I had a little bit of swim time in Wisconsin, but that went away quickly,” she said. “I decided to go home to Philly. I’m doing a bunch of dryland stuff and doing as much of that as I can. I am trying to stay in a little bit more of a routine.”
It is a very different routine than she is used to.
Ally McHugh in her senior year at Penn State. Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
“The cardio I do is biking, and I started doing that this week. I am alternating between dryland and biking three days a week each,” she said. “The biking definitely helps, so does being outside. It gets my heart rate up, which is helping me mentally stay in check because that is how I feel in the water.”
McHugh is trying to replicate that feeling, especially with how her races went in 2019.
It started with her final season at Penn State, winning the mile at the NCAA Championships in 2019.
“I was really happy with my year,” McHugh said. “I finished my college career on a really good note, and I am happy about that. Then I moved to Wisconsin. I have really fallen in love with Madison. The distance group there is amazing. Erik (Posegay) does a really great job. That really helped me heading into the great summer I had.”
McHugh then went to the world championships and made her debut on a stage of that magnitude, making the final in the 400 IM and placing sixth.
“It was definitely a learning experience. It was unique for Brooke (Forde) and I because we were the last day of the meet,” Ally McHugh said. “You had to manage that and still try to focus on training. For me, I was doing full practices during the beginning of the meet. I was still doing 6K-7K practices. It was hard to do that during the meet and still cheering on the team.”
She finally got to race and made the final, proving to everyone — and herself — that she belonged in the top group of swimmers in the world.
“You are up against the best in the world,” she said. “That event is so deep. You can’t count anyone out. It was really awesome to be in that final. I am definitely going to take things going forward. I let that idea (of me being one of the best) get away from me my senior year. I doubted myself a little bit. Erik helped snap me out of that and feel like I belonged in that group.
“We always train and think as the underdog and that is the mentality I thrive in. That was what I was thinking of going into that final.”
McHugh finished sixth, but added four seconds from her best time with a 4:38.34. After that, she flew across the Pacific Ocean and was competing at the US Nationals nearly 48 hours later in California.
Ally McHugh at the 2019 World Championships. Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant
“It was a quick turnaround,” she said. “Erik saw me and I looked so jet-lagged. He wondered if we were sure we wanted to do this. The 800 was the next day. I got a lot of sleep and it went well. When you dive in for a race, especially a distance race, you can tell if your stroke is smooth. I dove in for the 800 and I felt like myself again. It worked out and I was really happy with it. It helped me get ready for the rest of the meet.”
A full night of sleep is all that McHugh needed to kick off a dominating meet, claiming three national titles. She won the 800 freestyle in 8:26.04, the 1500 free (16:05.98) and the 400 free (4:07.08), and finished third in the 400 IM (4:38.65), which was only three tenths off her time from Worlds.
“I was really happy,” she said. “The 400 IM was OK. I wasn’t thrilled with it, but I was excited for the 400 free and the mile because my freestyle was going so well. I am still working in the 400 free as far as how I want to swim it. Nationals was a really good stepping stone for me in that event. I took out the first 200 and had enough in the end to go a best time. I was super thrilled with that.”
Especially the toll that all of the travel took on her both physically and mentally.
“I was happy I was able to come off of worlds and do that. I am happy with how I handled it mentally,” she said. “After the 800, I just buckled down mentally. I was ready to give it all I had even though I was just at worlds.”
Ally McHugh (center) on the podium for the 400 free at US Nationals. Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble
Now, the mental and physical challenge is completely different. She understands the health reasons behind the postponement and the current restrictions, and she’s preparing for the 2021 trials out of the water while respecting the social distancing guidelines.
“Now that the trials dates are set, hopefully we can come up with a plan,” she said. “Since nationals, I had a little time off, but I was still gearing up for the trials. That is what the fall was all about. I was happy with that 400 IM time at US Open in December (4:38.09). It was faster than what I ended up at worlds. Before all of this (coronavirus) happened, I was really happy with where I was and how the training was going.”
Ally McHugh is planning on working through any issues to chase her dream.
“We will have to alter our schedules and make new plans,” she said. “Everybody is in the same boat and will be when it comes to getting back in the water. Funding is going to be a big issue. That will affect a lot of people. …
“I was planning on continuing anyway, so it didn’t alter my plans much. I was going to keep going regardless. I wasn’t thinking about walking away.”
Ally McHugh; Photo Courtesy: Connor Trimble