What Goes Through the Mind of a Swimmer During a Race?
As we approach the business end of the swimming season, athletes will be competing across a number of large and important target meets – regardless of level. The dedication they have put in over the past few months will be tested by the stopwatch. With ambition and stakes high, we ask the question: What goes on inside a swimmer’s head when the pressure is on? In this article, I deconstruct a swimmer’s possible mindset at each point throughout the race.
Behind the Blocks
This point in competition can be where the pressure is dialed up to the maximum. The noise is the loudest and you can think of nothing but how this race may transpire. Swimmers will likely have their choice of pre-race anthem blaring in their ears to drown out any distractions. Across from them stand either seven or nine competitors. Whether friends, enemies or strangers – they are rivals for the next few minutes.
Nerves will begin to seep in. This feeling is completely normal and a natural aspect of race day. They are simply a sign of dedication and care. The divider is how an individual deals with these feelings. Nerves can be harnessed into supreme performances and levels of determination that are unreachable on a regular day. Or, they can ruminate in a swimmer’s mind, leading to overthinking and a subpar performance.
These nerves only grow as the race approaches. However, you try to keep it cool as you work through your pre-race preparation – a honed routine that a swimmer knows like the back of their hand. This extends from timing or order of specific tasks, such as ensuring the block is on the right setting, taking off clothing, or putting their cap and goggles on. The routine might also include what is the final song to play in their headphones, to any individual superstitions that may be adopted. Then, the previous heat or final is completed and it is time to perform.
The Start
The sequence of whistles play in your mind like a metronome as you stand on the block. The same sounds you have heard hundreds of times before, but this time it feels more significant.
Take your marks, *beep*.
The race begins. The crowd noise is immediately turned down to zero, you are alone with your thoughts and the water. This sensation almost comes as a relief. Outside influence is abstracted. It is now down to the athlete. It is time to execute what you have been practicing every day for months, if not years.
It is imperative to approach the beginning of the race with calculated precision. The race can never be won off the marks, but they can very easily be lost at this stage.
Mid-Race
Depending on the event, the mid-race juncture comes at vastly different times. However, they have much in common. Fatigue kicks in. Muscles start to ache. Your body is in multitudes of pain. Every sense in your body is pleading with you to stop, but absolutely nothing could make you do so. A verse of your pre-race song is still ringing in your ears.
Vision is a blur, yet you develop a sense of how the race is going. You know the entry times of your competitors and, therefore, you can gauge whether your position among them is indicative of success or failure. This sense can significantly impact a swimmer’s mental and emotional state during the race.
The vision that you are pulling ahead of your rivals will inspire confidence to keep doing what you’re doing. The sight of a competitor slightly ahead of you can be the greatest motivation of all, for every single fibre of your body wants nothing more than to catch and pass them. Seeing yourself lag behind could be a dangerous mental trap to fall into, depending upon the individual. While some can use this knowledge as motivation, others may despair at this point.
Approaching the Crescendo
As the race draws to its conclusion, a swimmer is usually running purely on mental strength. Your body has exhausted everything it can possibly muster and is now relying on desire and grit.
The general order of the race is likely somewhat set by this stage. As the swimmers duck under the flags, the top two are locking horns for the lead, with third, fourth and fifth vying for a medal. The rest attempt to mount a comeback.
This point is where strategy comes home to roost. Some athletes may have overextended themselves in the opening stages of the race, and this early exertion might come back to bite them. Conversely, others with less front-end speed, yet increased stamina, will attempt to cash in this advantage by any means possible.
Ten meters left, then five, then two…
It all comes down to this…
The Finish
In a state of pure exhaustion, you hit the wall. Everything hurts. It should. It takes seconds that feel like hours to look up and see the scoreboard, brightly displaying whether you have met your goals. A few numbers on a screen determine your season.
Success breeds elation. Pure, unbridled joy. Every early morning, pushing yourself to the limit every day, has proven worth it. You celebrate in the pool, wave to the cameras, chat with competitors and greet family, friends, teammates and coaches, beaming from ear to ear. The swim down pool feels like an oasis, where you recover while chatting and smiling.
Failure is pure agony. You have done everything you can for months on end just to come up short. Everything hurts. You’re not in the mood to talk to anyone. Your legs feel like jelly as you are consoled by everyone. The cool down pool is a chore, where you swim a long distance without stopping or saying a word.
Yet, this is why we love the sport. Failure only makes the resulting success feel sweeter. Lessons can be learned, and the determination to never experience such a feeling again is the greatest motivator.
The results can lift you over the moon, yet training will always begin again. There is always more to achieve, more to win, more you can shave off of your personal bests.
Next up comes a well deserved rest, until the cycle repeats all over again.
