I recently began working with two 13-year-old swimmers, Eric and Lenna, once a week. They are very close to qualifying for nationals in a bunch of events, and wanted to see if I could assist in shaving a few seconds off their times. They are very disciplined and dedicated, especially considering their young ages. Their swim form is so efficient – enough to make most triathletes very envious, but that’s not what this article’s about. The first time I met with them, we sat down and discussed their training, and their goals. “So what are we trying to accomplish?” I asked them. “Well, my 100 back time is a 1:08.45, and I need a 1:07.19 to qualify” said Eric. “I am 2.15 seconds off qualifying in the 100 fly” mentioned Lenna. My reply was “Eric, so we’re shooting for a 1:06, and Lenna, we need to knock off 4 seconds.” “Whoa!” They both exclaimed, jaw dropped and looking like I just smacked them with a 2X4. “Didn’t you hear us, we don’t need to shave off that much time!” “Yeah, but you both are excellent athletes about to embark on some training you have never done, so why not raise the bar? This way, you blow right through the national qualifying times with ease.” They were so fired up, thinking about their new goals. It was liberating to them, as if they had their personal margins set at a certain unmovable tab, and somehow found out that the tab could be widened. Every meeting since then, this has been their focus and they have been swimming faster, better and stronger.
With the 2004 season approaching, and most of us busy planning our goals, I’m challenging you all to raise the bar. I’m not suggesting setting unattainable goals. I just think that most of us soften up our goals a bit because we are concerned about the consequences, mentally, of not achieving a lofty goal. So we aim conservatively, providing ourselves some buffer. It’s scary setting a goal with not much room for error. There is much more risk involved. Yet the reward is also greater, and when accomplished, will take us to new levels both mentally and physically that we may not have experienced. Here are some suggestions on raising the bar a bit when setting your season goals: Set a goal of making 95% of all your scheduled workouts this month. You may have a big race planned for July, but set up some time goals for a 500 yard swim, an 8 mile time trial, and a 5 K run for May. Maybe your longest ride to date is 80 miles. Well aim for a century by the end of spring. Lay it out there, for when we do, great things can happen.
Above all, make this year one that stands out. Get out of monotony. Choose some different races, train differently, do some destination rides. Do some group workouts. Many of us are held back physically because of mental limitations. Believe that you can do a certain workout, complete a certain race, set a new pr, and each day you wake up, ask yourself what you are going to do that day that will put you closer towards your goal. Most of us are in this sport because we are searching. For what, that’s for you to figure out, but by gambling a bit, taking some chances, and putting it all out there, we will sure accelerate the learning process.
Happy New Year everyone. I hope it’s a real kick ass year for you all.
Cheers,
EH
