What movie had I landed on? I learned later that it was Heartbreak Ridge, a 1986 film about Clint Eastwood as a “hard-nosed, hard-living” sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. As is typical with just about any movie in the action/military genre, Eastwood’s character, appropriately named Gunnery Sgt. Highway (or just Gunny), is on his last chance with the brass, and is given the impossible task of reforming a troublesome yet likable platoon of recon Marines. I only made it about halfway through the movie, as that post-workout stupor quickly turned into a post-workout coma. But before I nodded off to sleep, Sgt. Highway said something that I think is super relevant to you and your swimming. As he was leading the recon platoon out for another long run, a beleaguered platoon are grumbling and moaning about having to engage in yet another round of physical training. Eastwood, err, Sgt. Highway, has this to say: When you start looking like Marines, you’ll start feeling like Marines and pretty soon you’ll start acting like Marines. See what he did there? It’s pretty sage advice. Especially if you have big goals in the pool. Let me explain. All too often we get caught up with tail end of our goals. We fantasize about what it’s going to be like on the podium when we get that sought-after gold medal. How good we are going to feel when we hit the wall in a flurry, look up at the scoreboard, and see our name at the top. We focus too much on the result, and forget about the process. If you want to be that swimmer who stands at the top of the podium, you need to start acting like the swimmer that is standing at the top of the podium. If you want to the swimmer that breaks a state record, start behaving like the swimmer that breaks state records. Don’t wait to become that swimmer; be that swimmer now. With your actions. With your habits. With your beliefs. Don’t wait to be. Act as if you already are. After all, Sgt. Highway says so. See ya at the pool,
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 08:58:59 +0000
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