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The swim coach who made me ditch my gps watch at lap 5
At an open water clinic in Lake Merced last June, this older guy named Rick pulled me aside after I kept stopping to check my pace. He said, "you're not training with data, you're training with fear" and made me swim the next 400 meters with my eyes closed every third stroke. Has anyone else had a coach or random stranger strip away a crutch that actually made you faster in the long run?
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aaronf403d ago
Honestly sounds like Rick was being a bit dramatic with the "training with fear" line. We all check our watches, it's not some deep psychological flaw, it's just habit. That said, closing your eyes for a few strokes probably did help you feel the water better, but that's more about relaxation than some big breakthrough. Most people overthink this stuff, a watch is a tool, not a crutch, unless you're literally stopping every 25 yards, which is a different problem. Glad it worked for you, but I wouldn't go tossing your tech in the lake just yet.
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wren_thomas161d ago
Not gonna lie, I felt this one. Some folks make everything sound deeper than it is, and getting called out for glancing at a watch can feel a bit much when we're all just trying to pace ourselves. But I get the point about the eyes-closed thing, it's a nice reset, not a magic fix. Keep your gear, just enjoy the swim.
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