I’ve overcome surgeries, illness, and apathy to make it to the point I’m at. I’ve hit nationals cuts in the water, won too many races to count, and still, I’ve never felt this type of motivation that has been driving me to this point. Being a collegiate athlete, everything in my life revolves around competition. I live and die by how well I stack up against everyone else. This year, I swam average. My grades have been stellar, and my training went great, but I still swam average. In a sense, I did everything right, but the only thing taking me out of the game was myself, and those who didn’t want me to succeed. It had never occurred to me that politics amongst coaches and athletes even existed until I got after it this year. With coaches and teammates trying to drive each other down, I got caught up in the mix. I was too focused on trying to make a good impression on my coaches, too focused on my spot on the team to even worry about mental preparation and training for the moment.
This off season, I’m dedicating my training back to rediscovering why I swim… Why I’ve been pushing myself for years at something that rarely gives back. This off season, I’m worrying about hitting that pain threshold every day, so I can blow past it when the time counts. I want to get back to the point where no one could deny who was fasted in the water. I fell away from that attitude this year and placed too much faith in the physical portion of my training. The conference is up for grabs again with the exit of 10 seniors, 6 of which grabbed podium spots this season. The stage is set for a hell of a run for me, and I’m training everyday for the love of it, but always striving to better myself than the day before. That way, when I get on the blocks in February of next year, I’ll have nothing to fear once I hit the water. Not even myself.
kenneyfitness 