The 500 free, which is 20 lengths of the pool, is the longest competitive varsity swimming event. It takes a lot of not only physical endurance, but mental endurance as well, to be successful at this event. The internal conflict I face when swimming this event is do I acknowledge my fellow competitors all 20 of the laps, or do I "zone out" and just swim.
If I acknowledge other competitors when I swim the 500, it forces me to assess my position among them: Am I fast? Am I slow? Should I try to keep pace with them? I guess you could say this is good, because it allows me to face where I stand compared to the other swimmers. However, like the Chief, it causes me to suffer, because then I always feel so much pressure when I swim, like I'm only competing against them, when I need to be more aware of my own racing strategy.
On the other hand, if I shut them out, I only see the race from my perspective: How tired am I? How much fast should I go? Should I conserve my energy? Many times this prevents me from reaching my full potential because I don't have that competitive edge that evaluating other swimmers gives me. However, it allows me not focus on myself and not get as nervous, which helps me swim a better race.
Cat I thought this was a very intelligent comparison you made. This really shows that Chief Bromden's internal conflict is not one merely of the mentally insane, but a more universal one shared by average people (I think). Personally, I think you need to pace yourself based on your own endurance but also keep in mind the speed of your competitors - if possible, you should balance the two strategies. Of course, this comes from a person who has not swum since about sixth grade. So you probably should discount this advice.
ReplyDeleteCat, I agree with Alex; this is a very intelligent comparison. I can completely empathize with this internal conflict, as I feel it when I run cross country races. Also, it makes me relate to Bromden in a way I had not thought of before-after races my vision goes a little "fuzzy," just like his "fog." I personally think that it is beneficial to help yourself by comparing your pace to others and pushing yourself to remain on their pace, but of course, all in moderation. It should be resonable, and the second you start to feel like you are going "crazy," I would back off just a tad.
ReplyDeleteCat, I know what you mean, I often found myself caught between considering myself or my opponents too much, and I often found success in just losing myself in the sport and letting my natural instincts take over. I find I move fastest, think clearest, and act smartest when I let my body take over, things happen differently for everyone but back in the days when I swam, way back when, I generally did best when I just let myself get into the rhythm of the stroke and let that guide me.
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