Kathryn Taylor: Mental Training for Open Water Swimming
By bethany
Energy Lab Swim Coach and USAT Southeast Council member Kathryn Taylor talks about overcoming challenges when tackling your first, or next, open water swim.
We’ve all been there. Standing at the edge of the water as we wait for our age group to enter the water. No matter how much we try to calm ourselves we feel our heart rate start to rise. Anxiety about finding our space in the swim and the race in general catches up to us in those moments of waiting. As the announcer yells go, and we rush into the water our heart feels like it is going to explode. In the hustle to find our piece of the open water, our thoughts can quickly spiral and we feel like we can’t make it through the swim.
I’ve spent time with many strong swimmers who are completely prepared for the race both mentally and physically but can’t quite get over the panic of entering the open water. Their heart rate spikes and they end up having a poor swim. Several years ago I was out at an open water swim with a friend who tends to have this issue. She is one of the most dedicated …read more
Source: Energy Lab
