This morning at workout our coach told us all to visualize our races before hand. To get us motivated for the race and to erase away any doubt. Normally I do this minutes before I get on the block. I find a song in my head and try to focus on the beat and how it relates to my swimming. I try to keep positive during the race even when I'm doing 65 flip turns in a 1650. Swimming a 1650 or 1500 allows ones mind to start to let doubt sink in. I've swam a few races when around the 1,000 meter mark I wanted to call it quits. But I don't allow myself to think that way anymore and it seems to be benefiting my swim times.
On the topic of mental toughness I found an article at the University of Texas website LINK that not only talks about how an athlete's mental toughness is as important as physical strength it also has a Q&A with Olympic Swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale LINK.
Here is a little bit of what Garrett Weber-Gale had to say on this topic:
The way I stay motivated is by dreaming of that goal I want to achieve and imagining how spectacular that moment will be when I finally get there. I know I will only achieve great things through hard work and sacrifice so I never let myself deviate from that.
I go into each race solely focused on myself and what I need to do to succeed. If at any point in a race I lose focus and think about someone else or something else other than what I'm doing or my race, I will not go as fast as I'm truly able. That's the reality I keep in my mind that maintains my focus on race day.
A great coach named Mike Bottom once told me that there is a defining moment in every race when you are really going to start to hurt. This moment is at a different point for every individual. However, what each competitor thinks and does at this moment is what truly sets the champions apart from the other competitors. Mike told me that I need to visualize being at that point and focus on what that will feel like, how I will handle the pain, what I will do emotionally. I do visualize that moment—the moment when my arms feel like sandbags, when my legs are burning and my back feels like it's tightening up like a rubber band. I get myself to the point where I am completely prepared for the pain. After imagining this point for a long time, I know I am able to endure the emotional stress and physical pain. I look forward to this point because I know I will conquer it!
With all that said I'm going to sit down tomorrow and visualize my 1500 on Friday. Between that and my new suit I hope to be reporting on Friday about my new personal best time.
