I train to compete. I am fine in training most of the time but lately, the last year or so, my times in meets have gotten quite a bit slower and now I get so anxious before a race that I feel sick. Today I had a SCM meet here I only went to swim the 400 IM. I dry heaved in the corner until they were about to call my heat. How can I get past this? I;m working on getting faster in practice (I'm injured and coming off surgery) but slower in the meets is something that has been lingering and causing the anxiety. Help!
Thank you Swimshark for starting this thread! It is anxiety that kept me away from Zones. And I'm bummed because I'd really rather be there watching everyone swim and swimming too! When I was younger I can remember only one time being anxious the rest of the time it was all for the love of swimming that I raced. I swam in Lexington last month and was so anxious before and bummed after that I couldn't bring myself to sign up for zones though I really wanted to go. So after reading though this thread yet again and hearing how good you feel I am going to try to enter as many local meets as I can this summer to get over this craziness.
BTW I swim with Cy T/Th in the lanes next to you that is if you swim early and on my own MWF. Oh my son Thom use to swim with you.
Have a great swim today!
I can tell you from my experience that your strategy for meets works! Repetition cures anxiety for me. It worked with public speaking and it worked when I was a USMS newbie. To take it a step further, I spent all of 2012 swimming a variety of new events and pushing the envelope by signing up for the hardest/ longest events all in one meet, as well as relays. Yes, it hurt my breaststroke times not swimming just the three breaststroke events at each meet, but it built confidence knowing I could tackle 200m fly, 400m IM, and, last weekend, the 1650. I also tackled swimming long distance fly to prove to myself I could race 200m fly, even if it isn't fast. Every time I get up on the blocks for 200 fly, I tell myself, "If you can swim 2,000 yards fly, you can swim 200 fly. Just relax and swim with your best technique..."
Now, I rarely have the kind of anxiety I used to have at meets. And, I have a lot of fun!
Good luck this summer! :cheerleader:
Thank you Swimshark for starting this thread! It is anxiety that kept me away from Zones. And I'm bummed because I'd really rather be there watching everyone swim and swimming too! When I was younger I can remember only one time being anxious the rest of the time it was all for the love of swimming that I raced. I swam in Lexington last month and was so anxious before and bummed after that I couldn't bring myself to sign up for zones though I really wanted to go. So after reading though this thread yet again and hearing how good you feel I am going to try to enter as many local meets as I can this summer to get over this craziness.
BTW I swim with Cy T/Th in the lanes next to you that is if you swim early and on my own MWF. Oh my son Thom use to swim with you.
Have a great swim today!
I can tell you from my experience that your strategy for meets works! Repetition cures anxiety for me. It worked with public speaking and it worked when I was a USMS newbie. To take it a step further, I spent all of 2012 swimming a variety of new events and pushing the envelope by signing up for the hardest/ longest events all in one meet, as well as relays. Yes, it hurt my breaststroke times not swimming just the three breaststroke events at each meet, but it built confidence knowing I could tackle 200m fly, 400m IM, and, last weekend, the 1650. I also tackled swimming long distance fly to prove to myself I could race 200m fly, even if it isn't fast. Every time I get up on the blocks for 200 fly, I tell myself, "If you can swim 2,000 yards fly, you can swim 200 fly. Just relax and swim with your best technique..."
Now, I rarely have the kind of anxiety I used to have at meets. And, I have a lot of fun!
Good luck this summer! :cheerleader:
