By Brianna Hines, Swimming World College Intern
Although summer has a reputation for being a blissful vacation season, swimmers know that the three months excluded from classes means more hours to be spent in the water. With more time, opportunities for good training and technical focus are as easily absorbed as the hot summer sun.
With this in every athlete’s mind, conflicts often arise when families and friends take interest in vacations. Practice is crucial to the outcome of a good season, and therefore is a must even while on the road. In fact, training while on vacation can be resourceful in teaching an athlete about independence and the power of goal setting.
Jessica Hardy, Olympic gold medalist and advocate for the Make A Splash Foundation is constantly traveling. Often hitting the road weekly, she is highly experienced in the difficult task of practicing alone. Even with these lonely endeavors, Hardy has found ways to keep herself motivated.
She has three helpful hints that are guaranteed to help you stay fast and focused while on the road.
1. Ask Your Coach For Practices
Photo Courtesy: IRSC Athletics
“The most difficult thing about training alone is getting quality work in,” Hardy said.
When given sets day after day by your coach, it can be difficult to invent practices independently. Communicating with your coach ahead of time can be resourceful. Even if set-by-set practices are not available, ask for a focus. Having a concentrated goal during a workout will make it both exciting and productive. Because vacations can limit your time in the water, having a guide can assist you in creating a quality practice.
“My coach doesn’t always send practices, so I have to get creative with what I think I need to do,” Hardy said.
Don’t be afraid to create a fun practice for yourself. Full lanes, teammates, and yardage quotas can often restrict practices with a club team. Challenge yourself to design sets that are both difficult and interesting.
2. Make friends with local teams
Photo Courtesy: Kelsey Lynch
Hardy concludes that finding teams to train with while she travels makes things easier.
“My trips are usually as short as possible to get back to my training at home, but if there is a convenient way for me to train with another elite group on the road, I will definitely participate.”
Training alone can be tough whether you are an Olympic star or a new competitor. Contacting a local team to train with can not only make training easier, but also connect you with other swimmers around the country. You can gain knowledge of other team cultures and pick up new techniques and training.
3. Goals, Goals, Goals
Photo Courtesy: Griffin Scott
While the paradise offered by a vacation, whether that be sightseeing or lemonade on the beach may be alluring, it is important not to take a vacation from your goals. It is also vital to communicate the importance of practicing to your voyaging family and friends. If they understand your need to succeed, it will release the guilt when you take the time to get your work-out in.
“Goal setting is my main motivation. I do everything with that in the back of my mind,” Hardy said.
Remind yourself of the exciting things you are striving to accomplish at the end of the season. With powerful aspirations, you can have fun in the sun and still grind out productive practices.
Don’t forget your “tainted supplements’ and you can workout anywhere just fine!!
That headline could use a comma, unless the article is about how hard it is to train when you travel with Jessica.
Really Jim? Aren’t we past all that Skeptic? Can’t you just take the article for what it is, reminding young swimmers to train while they are on vacation?