As I finished one book over the weekend it was time to start on my next book this time by swimmer Don Schollander entitled "Deep Water". The book is out of print so check your local library also check out Schollander's Wikipedia Page LINK. In 1963 Schollander was the first man in the world to swim the 200 meter freestyle under two minutes with a time of 1:58.9. As I read the book I'll be copying, editing and pasting items from the book that catch my fancy. First up is a page that describes the physical and mental barriers when swimming:
"In top competition a whole new ingredient enters swimming, one that you never know until you reach this level - pain. You learn the pain in practice and you will know it in every race. As you approach the limit of your endurance it begins, coming on gradually, hitting your stomach first. Then your arms grow heavy and your legs tighten - thighs first, then knees. You sink lower in the water because you can't hold yourself up; you are actually swimming deeper in the water, as though someone were pushing down on your back. You experience perception changes. The sounds of the pool blend together and become a crashing roar in your ears. The wate takes on a pinish tinge. Your stomach feels as though it's gong to fall out - every kick hurts like hell - and then suddenly you hear a shrill internal scream.
In a race, at the thresold of pain, you have a choice. You can back off - or you can force yourself to drive to the finish, knowing that this pain will become agony. It is right there, at the pain barrier, that the great competitors separate from the rest. Most swimmers back away from the pain; a champion pushes himself on into agony. Is it masochistic? In a way, yes. When it comes it is oddly satifying because you know it had to come and now it is there, because you are meeting it, takint it without backing down - because you enjoy the triumph of going through it, knowing it is the only way you can win. It's those last few meters of the race, while you're in agony, that count. If you cn push yourself through that pain barrier into real agony, you're a champion"
While reading that passage I had flashbacks to every 1500 Meter and 1650 Yard swim I have ever had. I even thought of a few practices when I felt like this. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one feeling and thinking these things. The crashing of water in your ears when swimming the 1500 almost becomes hypnotic at some points.
