KAIZEN: Pay attention to yourself

Whenever and wherever I swim in Masters workouts, most of the triathletes in the pool seem to be concerned most with not being left behind. They go like crazy to stay on the feet of the swimmers ahead of them, as if falling behind would be the end of the world, even when the set has been specifically advertised as a drill or a an opportunity to work on perfect technique. Striving mindlessly to stay on another swimmer’s feet will never make you a better swimmer. Tuning in to your own movements and sensations will. Even in the midst of a lane of hardworking triathletes and Masters, aim to isolate yourself in a “bubble of awareness” and to focus on how much drag you sense, how much noise you’re making, how connected and integrated your movements feel or what your stroke count is. (In fact, if possible, leave plenty of room between you and the swimmer ahead of you when you push off to start a repeat.) How you feel and how you move is all you can ever control; that’s what you should mainly focus on—that and having every lap feel as much like a flow state as possible.

Kaizen Swimming From Terry Laughlin