“I’ve always been a firm believer in mind over matter. If you don’t believe that you can achieve it, your body will start to believe this and your be stuck.” Sheryl
As Courtney stepped up onto the blocks she felt the grip of icy fingers on her arm and as she lurched in fright the lights went out and she was standing all alone. The water in the pool turned black, but you could hear it sloshing from side to side violently.
As Courtney stepped down from the block to gather her thoughts, closer and closer the waves came, they we're getting bigger and bigger until they finally spilled over the sides.
Towards the deep end she began to hear the endless slapping of a hand on the water and then all of a sudden she heard a piercing scream but when she looked the pool was empty.
Courtney couldn't help but feel that there was another set of eyes watching her as she walked across 
the deck. Cold and wet she tried to make her way back to the team area all the time feeling as if someone was watching her from the deep end of the pool. Peeking through her goggles, her curiosity turned to horror as a dark shadow appeared on the bottom of the pool.
the deck. Cold and wet she tried to make her way back to the team area all the time feeling as if someone was watching her from the deep end of the pool. Peeking through her goggles, her curiosity turned to horror as a dark shadow appeared on the bottom of the pool.
She couldn't believe her eyes as she ran to tell her coach who was no where to find. Courtney looked everywhere for the coaches but of course they were safe and sound in the hospitality room having a Halloween treat.
As the darkness faded and the lights came on the water calmed and everything seemed to return to order, or did it. She returned to the block of horror in preparation for her race. At this point, did it matter the suit she was wearing, the goggles she was using or the cap on her head? What she had eaten for breakfast or how much she had slept?
Everything Courtney brought to the pool that day, her suit, cap goggles, warm-up suit down to the shoes on her feet, her health and mood --it didn't matter she had to find the courage to dive in and swim towards the deep end of the pool.
The starter commanded the swimmers to "take your marks" and off she went the start of the race was smooth as she felt herself getting into race pace but then all of a sudden as she neared the deep 
end the ambient light from above began to fade and the water began to cool and as she began to summon all of her courage to continue she felt that icy grip again around her ankles and as she kicked and thrashing around the grip released and she opened her eyes_ _ _ _ and thought I need more practice with this visualization thing, I'm scaring myself.
end the ambient light from above began to fade and the water began to cool and as she began to summon all of her courage to continue she felt that icy grip again around her ankles and as she kicked and thrashing around the grip released and she opened her eyes_ _ _ _ and thought I need more practice with this visualization thing, I'm scaring myself.
NUTRITIONAL TIP OF THE WEEK:
PROTEIN--Lean protein are very important to develop and repair muscle tissue. Lean proteins also help to normalize hormone concentrations in your body which will allow you to control your mood as well as your temper. Some the best lean proteins you can have are:
- turkey breast
- lean red meat
- egg whites
- most dairy products
- chicken breast
- nuts (all varieties)
PROTEIN SHAKE for WEEK: ORANGE SHAKE. 
- 8 oz orange juice
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 banana
- 2-3 frozen strawberries
- 2 tsp. honey
Drink and enjoy.
STAY HUNGRY--STAY HUMBLE... Have you ever heard this saying, maybe read it somewhere? Have you ever stopped ponder its meaning and how it might apply to your swimming.
The first value--STAY HUNGRY... It is very easy to stay motivated and work hard when things are going well because you feel inspired to do more of it. However when things start going off the rails and you start spinning your wheels, that is when you find it tough to keep your head in the workout (as we discussed last week), you start letting being a little uncomfortable get in the way of the greatness that you seek.
These are the moments that will test your character to it's very core and this is also the moment where you can make valuable gains. The bottom line is that YOU are not as good as you think you are on your best days, however YOU are not as bad as you think you are when things are going bad.
The second value---HUMILITY.... Humility doesn't come easy for everyone when they are winning and things are going well. You are crushing your workouts, winning race after race, and posting personal bests. This is the time that its easy to fall into the trap of thinking that "YOU" have this swimming thing all figured out, but the problem is that success is the worst teacher. Why? Because it can lull you into a sense of feeling like you can stop learning and that you have nothing that needs improvement.
Funny thing is that this sport has a way of knocking everyone down a peg when it thinks we need it and in reality all swimmers are just trying to get faster. It is also a reminder that even when things are going well, we always need to be looking for ways to grow and improving, always challenging ourselves. Thats a big part of HUMILITY, understanding that there is always room for growth.
WEEKLY RECAP---- I will need to skip this weeks recap as I will be out of town to take care of some things. I'm not sure I will make it back for the meet but we have trained you and you have worked very hard so all you need to do is know your events, stay focused, warmup and swim down properly, avoid the noise and just DO YOU. Good swimmers need not be told "GOOD LUCK" and you all are good so just go out and RACE.
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