The Importance of Staying FOCUSed on your Season

We are reaching the end of October and getting in to the heart of some hard training. Yes, we will swim in a few meets till a December rest meet, but we use those races to iron out a solid race strategy. This is the part of the season where it is very important to stay focused on what you are trying to accomplish that day in the water. You wrote your goal sheets out a month and a half ago and excitement of  those potential goals tends to wear off.  Now that we know what we have to do, stay focused, the question is how do you stay focused. The biggest mistake a swimmer could make in a fall/winter season is focusing to far down the road. If you are worried about March and its October 15th, you are not going to be 100% on October 15th. The method to staying focused is understanding the daily goals set by coach and chasing after those. Respecting the process that if I give all my effort on todays goals it will make me one step closer to those end of the season goals. Sometimes it’s easier said than done. When I was swimming I liked to look up motivation quotes to get me recharged for a mid week workout, or revisit that goal sheet while my mom drove me to workout to see what I wrote on that paper. Find cues that work for you, so that when you walk in the door for that day’s practice you are focused on being the best you can be that day. Like I always tell my swimmers, the most talented swimmer does not win the race the most prepared swimmer does. To be prepared means being focused on having consecutive quality workouts. Just remember that what I do today matters….its sometimes that simple.