KAIZEN: Swimming your best doesn’t hurt

I’ve had my share of great swims over the years. The best ones never hurt. In every instance I simply felt as if everything was in sync and working remarkably well. I did feel sensation, perhaps even intense sensation, but even more, I felt fully in control. And that’s how all the great swimmers I’ve coached—including a couple who won medals at the Olympics—recall their best swims. The best swims always feel like flow states. Since realizing that, my philosophy has been to seek flow states in my swimming rather than test my tolerance for pain. And as long as I’ve done that I’ve improved continuously and enjoyed every lap.

Kaizen Swimming From Terry Laughlin