"If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough."
The quote for today comes from open wheeled racing legend Mario Andretti who was born on this day in 1940.
Watching the Men's Big 10 Championship Meet really brings this quote to life. Its really neat to watch guys go after the first 100 fly of the 400 IM, well, like they are just swimming the 100 fly. They are swimming fast because they are attacking every lap, and this goes for all of the races. I am sure that these guys are swimming the exact same way in practice and that their coaches don't have to remind them to go hard at workouts. I am also sure that their coaches don't have to remind them they should be going faster or yell at them because (after being told this) they still aren't swimming fast enough in workouts.
Too many people talk to me about how they "feel" during practice or in a race. This thought process consumes them to the point where it overruns the most basic thought they should be having: JUST SWIM FAST! I hear swimmers say all of the time that there were "just really tired". That's crap. If you aren't tired during a race then you aren't swimming fast enough. If it doesn't hurt then you aren't swimming fast enough. If you have an excuse for your performance then you probably spent too much time thinking about what the excuse would be and not enough time racing.
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