KING/QUEEN FOR A DAY

 

The next two weekends will see most everybody swimming in their championship meet for the short course season,  Are you ready?  Is there anything you can do now that will help?  Glad you ask.

The most important thing you can do now is to show up with the right attitude and maintain it throughout the meet,  that will go a long way no matter what the results are.

Get your swim bag ready with your gear (pack extra caps, goggles, suit) ahead of time not the morning of.  Pack some snacks to fuel your body, you are about to ask a lot of it and above all as Eric would say water,water,water.

Know your list of events for the day and focus on the one event that is in front of you.  Does no good to worry about an event later on.  Control what you can control and what is in front of you at the present not in the future.  Manage your expectations and visualize in. advance of how you want to perform in the race.  Envision yourself swimming successfully especially in the face of adversity.  As Taylor Swift would say "YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN" .  What ever the results are do not celebrate too much nor berate yourself too much.   Sometimes your ahead, sometimes your behind but in the end the race is yours.

Take care of your body, after all you are asking a lot of it so you need to treat it well.  Keep it fueled, hydrated and warm.  Execute your warmup and warm downs the way you know it should be done, no shortcuts here.  Do not sabotage yourself by doing things that make you go slow.  Be a smart athlete.

Remember where you can find time in your race.  Explode off those blocks and be aggressive on those breakouts.  Turns be aggressive going into those turns.  Those of you who have open turns remember "KNEE SPEED" = "TURN SPEED".  From the time you touch the wall to the time your feet leave the wall it should only take you 1.0-1.2 seconds.  Flip turns, do not pull and delay that flip because it will kill your speed.  Do not pick your head up going into the turn as this too will kill momentum.   Finish your races hard, pick up that kick and be aggressive.  Too many races are lost because swimmers relax at the flags thinking the race is over, it's not over until you get the hand on the pad.

Above all keep a positive attitude throughout the meet and have a good time.  You Swim to Win the Race!  Be the KING or QUEEN for the day.