Blog Podcast
Download (use 'right click' then 'save as') I was up against the state champion and was positioned as 3rd fastest in the final, swimming in lane 3. I was an outsider, a nobody, an underdog. The stands were full of spectators, mostly parents and swimmers, and I was nervous, hot and unused to such pressure.
We were in the marshalling tent several minutes before the event when the state champion -and favourite to win the race- started trying to psyche us all out, especially me. She was in my face calling me names. It was pretty intense. I had never had this happen to me before and so I went inwards shutting out the distractions by going over and over the race plan my coach, Herb Jeffery, had given me. Herb was a very good coach. He was a stickler for good technique. Good technique coupled with discipline and hard work, he said, underpins everything.
My race plan was to go out strong for the first 40 metres, holding my stoke long and steady, then to sprint into and off the wall for the next 20 metres, then hold my stroke long and strong all the way home, breathing every 2 stokes. Herb said, “you may feel your arms wanting to shorten on the last 50 metres, whatever you do, keep your stroke long and strong, even if you feel like you’re going slower. Hold your technique and keep your rhythm.” Finally he said, “remember, you’re fit, you’re fast and you have excellent technique. You’ve done the work and you know how to swim well and win this race.”
This is what I focused on. I shut out all the distractions and just recited this race plan.
The marshal called us to the blocks. I was breathing deep and steady, race plan on repeat in my mind. I got into the start position, then the starting pistol fired and I remember how lovely the cool water was on my skin kicking me into action. I was ‘in the zone’, nothing but me, the clear water and that black line. I didn’t look at anyone else, instead I executed the race plan exactly as Herb had instructed. I won the race by some distance, breaking the existing record. My record stood for many years afterwards and I went on to win that race in my respective age group for the next 5 years in a row plus the open age group event as well.
Why am I sharing this with you?
Because when things get tough for me I always remember that day, that event, my race plan and my coach Herb. When we think we can’t go on, when there are too many distractions, when we’re tired or frustrated like many of us feel with the COVID-19 lockdown, when someone is in our face, or when we want to rush to the finish line by cutting corners, or taking short cuts remember:
Technique, discipline, hard work, and focus matter.
Rules, coaching, processes, and systems matter.
Kindness and support matters.
So hang in there and keep your stroke long and strong. You’ve got this.
Remember, everybody lives by selling something.
A very timely piece with many great examples and lessons to learn