The power of your mind, how to break through a negative mindset
Swimming Since I started triathlon my swimming has improved a lot, but I have always thought of it as my weakest discipline. I have worked on technique, have had coaching in a workshop situation to improve my stroke, and I have steadily improved. I have progressed from the slowest lane in the tri club swim sessions to the 2nd fastest lane. Recently the swim lanes have changed and a lot of swimmers have moved in to the 2nd fastest lane. I have been reluctant to move up to the fast lane, as I didn’t want to get dropped and hold people up, I tried going in the other week but was struggling to keep up on the warm up.
Life in the fast lane This Monday I went in the fast lane, I didn’t really want to and still in my head I think I am a poor swimmer but I thought I’d give it a go. We were doing fast 100’s and when I stopped my Garmin at the end of the first 100m I was shocked to see I’d swum the fastest time for 100m I think I’ve ever swum, now part of this is down to having faster swimmers to draft, and also stopping short of the end of the lane (there were so many of us in there!) But I started stopping my Garmin a second after I’d stopped to account for the last meter of the lane, and I still managed to hold on to a consistently faster pace than usual, about 8-10s faster than my usual 100m pace.
Mind power It is really important to see ourselves in a positive light. When negative thoughts come in to your head you need the skills to replace them with positive or affirming beliefs. This is not only important for training and racing, but also an essential life skill, it can improve the quality of your life dramatically (love the rain!) I am very aware that I still view myself as a poor swimmer, and there are many other areas in my life that I do this, BUT I am aware of it, and there are things that I can do to ensure I don’t fall into the trap of overly criticising myself. Next time that voice comes into my head telling me I am crap at swimming I now have the evidence to show that I am not, and that I can push myself more than I thought. As you train and race, make sure that you store these moments so that you can call on them when you need some positive energy in your life, remember you are unique and have many strengths that other people see and admire, be proud of yourself, and love the rain!
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