Over the three day period last weekend I watched a lot of races. One thing that I always observe is that there is always an opportunity to learn something, it never fails. This fact is true regardless of your time or how you placed in your race. If you want to become more proficient you need to realize this, but the question becomes, "What are you going to do when you get the information and I mean really get it?"
The first thing you need to do is get past all the emotions from your race. The emotions that a swimmer has will always be there and they can range from elation, disappointment, frustration, and even embarrassment and that's okay. You can use these emotions to fuel your desire to learn. When you race well and your super pumped, use that emotion to your advantage, on the other hand if you underperform use that emotion to get energized and figure out what you need to work on to be better next time out.
The feedback and information your coaches give you is to help you as you go back and train for your next race. It's not meant as criticism, so open your minds and learn. Unless you use that information and I MEAN REALLY USE IT AT PRACTICE, the whole process becomes another wasted opportunity to learn and get better. The process of learning and then using that knowledge is what fires my engine as a coach. It's a pretty simple process, not always easy but worth it at the end of the day.
See you all Saturday. Mike
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