Ladies,
That was a fine job I saw out there today. Both Coach Amy and I were impressed with the way you guys handled that. Those that you would expect to lead did for the most part, but those that were behind didn't let too much space open up. Form is improving a great deal from week to week. Overall, you ladies just look stronger.
About form... today we took some time to make an adjustment to form as you climb a hill, specifically as you top. What we are looking for are opportunities to steal time. A little here, a little there, all of it adds up. Nothing can be ignored. Truly great athletes pay attention to these small things, because taken as a whole they amount to great advantage.
Take Michael Phelps. In the 2008 Olympics he won the 200 meter butterfly by thousandths of a second. I will tell you as a swim coach it came from a properly timed stretch to the wall. He was losing that race all the way until the end, but let's face it, the only lead that matters is the one in the end. It would have been easy to overlook such a technique in practice, and most swimmers would; instead Phelps wound up with 8 gold medals. You can't cut the margin any closer than that.
No one every feels the same throughout a race. You will have moments of supreme confidence and moments of despair, yet you must fight all the way. Understanding what makes you tick gives you a leg up on your competition. Always ask yourself, "how do I feel in this part of the course?" and, "what is the worst thing someone could do to me at that point?". And then you work to do just that. Work so that weakness is no longer a weakness, in fact, something you look forward to because you know tactically that's where you can make a move your opponent will refuse to cover. That's easy money.
Everyone hurts when racing. Your choice is to determine how long you can put up with it, and how long you have to. To oversimplify, run faster and you hurt for a shorter length of time!
That was a fine job I saw out there today. Both Coach Amy and I were impressed with the way you guys handled that. Those that you would expect to lead did for the most part, but those that were behind didn't let too much space open up. Form is improving a great deal from week to week. Overall, you ladies just look stronger.
About form... today we took some time to make an adjustment to form as you climb a hill, specifically as you top. What we are looking for are opportunities to steal time. A little here, a little there, all of it adds up. Nothing can be ignored. Truly great athletes pay attention to these small things, because taken as a whole they amount to great advantage.
Take Michael Phelps. In the 2008 Olympics he won the 200 meter butterfly by thousandths of a second. I will tell you as a swim coach it came from a properly timed stretch to the wall. He was losing that race all the way until the end, but let's face it, the only lead that matters is the one in the end. It would have been easy to overlook such a technique in practice, and most swimmers would; instead Phelps wound up with 8 gold medals. You can't cut the margin any closer than that.
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| A little after-practice ride |
Everyone hurts when racing. Your choice is to determine how long you can put up with it, and how long you have to. To oversimplify, run faster and you hurt for a shorter length of time!
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