Marta Ciesla is a mere tenth of a second away from making the Olympics.
She is putting in the miles to make sure that dream gets fulfilled — on water and land.
The coronavirus pandemic has kept Ciesla, who is hoping to make the 2021 games in the 50 freestyle for Poland, mostly away from the water, so the miles have changed to land.
“I always said I would never run, but I have kind of turned into a long distance runner,” Marta Ciesla told Swimming World. “It is forcing me to find different ways to get that energy out of my system.”
And she has plenty of energy, especially feeling cooped up the past month at her family home in Florida.
“I have been home for about five weeks. I took the first week to chill. I didn’t fully grasp everything after NCAAs was cancelled. I sat and wallowed in my sadness for a while. Then I decided to try running. I went for a 20-minute run/walk. I couldn’t run for more than like 30 seconds. I am a sprinter. I have never felt that kind of endurance,” she said. “I have been trying to run for 45-60 minutes. I just built my endurance up.”
Like many swimmers, Ciesla started running almost begrudgingly, but has not just put up with it, but enjoyed it.
“Running has been very fun. I kind of understand the bug now. It is super addicting. The feeling when you are in the zone on a run is a really cool feeling,” she said. “I try to get in at least 5-6 miles at least four times a week. I ordered some running equipment. My parents were kidding that I was switching to running for my last year.”
Ciesla has used her time outside in one of the warmer states to appreciate being outdoors, and her beautiful surroundings — something she hadn’t always focused on.
“Thankfully, I have a guided run. I get on the Peloton app. The music keeps going when the talking stops. I think about a lot of different things, but I try to focus on my breath or the sky. My new thing is to have a greater awareness of my surroundings. I take that time to really be thankful for my surroundings,” she said. “I am trying to take the positive out of the situation. I am thankful for where I live and that I am able to run outdoors. I am also just proud of myself for just getting up out of bed and doing it.”
Marta Ciesla ready for a run. Photo Courtesy: Marta Ciesla
Of course she can’t run every day.
“We are not used to impact. Now running, my joints have never felt this before. I have to keep a good rehab schedule with it or I wake up not being able to move,” she said. “When I don’t run, I hit up an online pilates class or high-intensity cross-fit or even yoga. It has been fun trying some of these things out.”
Marta Ciesla, who just finished her junior season at USC swimming for Dave Salo, is a dual citizen in the U.S. and Poland, where here parents were born and most of her family remains.
To make the Olympic team, she has to hit a “A” standard time at a FINA-sanctioned meet. Her top time in the 50-meter freestyle is 25.0 and needs to get to 24.9 to qualify. She could also qualify for a relay with a 56 in the 100 free.
Ciesla overcame a broken elbow early in the season and was putting together one of her best seasons before the coronavirus canceled the NCAA championships.
“You are building up all of this excitement and anxiety for NCAAs because that is what you work for all year. I didn’t get a mid-season meet because I broke my elbow. I thought it was going to be this great moment. It was a definite shock. I was devastated, and that set in after the shock wore off,” she said. “I was on a scooter on the sidewalk and trying to get off the sidewalk and I fell. It didn’t hurt right away. It just swelled up. I thought it was bruised. But a week later, I couldn’t even take a stroke it hurt so bad. It was a hairline fracture so I didn’t need surgery, but it took several weeks to heal.”
She was ready for a breakout NCAA championships, then a chance to qualify for the Olympics.
“I was going to try at the Indy Pro Series, and if not, I would have tried at Polish nationals,” she said.
Now, she has more time to prepare as the excitement builds to coming so close to reaching her goal.
“It is really exciting. Knowing that I have a good chance of making it is really exciting,” she said. “It is more excitement than fear or doubt. I love the people that I train with in Poland. I know they are all cheering for me.
“Now it is kind of like a do-over year. It is exciting to know what can happen in the future and that there is a future.”
Swimming for Poland has helped reconnect her to a country that she travels to a lot and a place that feels like home.
“My love for Poland has always been there. It hasn’t just recently developed,” she said. “Whenever we have gone to Poland, I am always at the training center where my parents went to school. My grandparents and family adore the fact that I swim. When I did go back and train with the team there, I made friends with the team there. Keeping up with them and interacting keeps me well connected.
“I am comfortable with the people there and enjoy it. My whole family lives there except me and my parents.”
Now, Ciesla is running in the sunshine taking in every moment.
It is building up her strength and endurance, but Ciesla also is focused on refining her core, a pivotal factor for any sprinter.
“The dry land has helped a ton. I was super strong in the weight room. It was the strongest I have felt in a while,” she said. “I measure it on pull-ups and squatting. I was on my max squat and able to pull up myself more times in a row. We do a suit up meet in October and I was the fastest I have ever been.
“Right now I am doing a lot of pilates. In season, we have core sprinkled into our weights program. Every single exercise we try to focus on our core. You need your core for every exercise.”
That core is balancing her aerobic exercise and making Marta Ciesla a well-toned force looking forward to getting back in the water to unleash her strength.
It might not be for a while, but that is OK by Ciesla, who is also using her new mindset to maintain a balance in her life.
“There are so many more important things in this world — and I will be able to swim again.”