Monday, March 14, 2005
Somehow this weekend feels... bleah!
OK, so i had competitions of both days: Saturday was the heats for a 1000m K2 sprint; and Sunday was the 2005 Legs n' Paddles. Got 2nd for the Saturday event, so that means next Saturday will be our semi-finals, with the finals on Sunday. As for the Legs n' Paddles, HQ and i got 2nd in our wave, and 3rd overall. I maintain that we were just going for fun, and thus our resultant placing. We can attribute our results for both days to only 1 thing: Mindset.
The human mind is a powerful tool. Its incredible suggestive powers can determine whether the body can or cannot exceed certain human-imposed limits, whether be they physiological or 'according to training doctrine'. Both times, had we gone in with the goal of just getting through the competition, we would have found ourselves floundering in a sea of 'nua-ness' and would not have performed up to the mark. On the other hand, had we psyched ourselves up to the point of wanting to win, no matter what, we would have been inflicting undue stress upon ourselves. Why? This is due to the following two sets of circumstances. In the 1st case, Yong Kim had done a 1000m K1 event prior to our K2 effort. He did not qualify for the semis on that one, but that did not de-motivate him to the point of not doing his best for the K2 event. Instead, he, together with me, remained upbeat but realistic on our chances in the heats. Thus, we felt little stress as we lined up at the 1000 mark along with our rival teams in their boats. As we closed in on the finishing line, our focus was kept largely intact due to the lack of 'stomach flutter' that so often affects performance in a negative way. Were we then just lucky to clinch 2nd in our heats? I would like to think so, but i feel that maintaining a worry-free, can-do attitude was also a contributing factor to our small success.
OK, for the 2nd case, it was similarly a case of 'can-do' in action - my mate HQ had not run in the last 3 months, nor had he touched a kayak or paddle. Still, the promise was to go do the competition 'just for the heck of it'. The same carefree attitude translated into considerably less start-line stress and pre-race anxiety, something which our trained fellow competitors and more contest-tuned fellows would likely have had in larger amounts.
Being well-trained and well-prepared for an event certainly increases one's chances of getting a top placing or even a personal best. But even more important, i feel, is the synergy and positive vides that are generated out of trust and mutual understanding of each other... a team environment where it is NOT a matter of achieving results based on what the slowest member can put out; but what two, or more, can achieve in harmony (and the sum of their efforts surpasses that of a singular effort) when crunch time comes. Taking things with a smile and a laugh just helps things along. Keeping the team environment fun and injected with camaraderie at all times pays great dividends when the seriousness of competition finally catches up with the team.
The human mind is a powerful tool. Its incredible suggestive powers can determine whether the body can or cannot exceed certain human-imposed limits, whether be they physiological or 'according to training doctrine'. Both times, had we gone in with the goal of just getting through the competition, we would have found ourselves floundering in a sea of 'nua-ness' and would not have performed up to the mark. On the other hand, had we psyched ourselves up to the point of wanting to win, no matter what, we would have been inflicting undue stress upon ourselves. Why? This is due to the following two sets of circumstances. In the 1st case, Yong Kim had done a 1000m K1 event prior to our K2 effort. He did not qualify for the semis on that one, but that did not de-motivate him to the point of not doing his best for the K2 event. Instead, he, together with me, remained upbeat but realistic on our chances in the heats. Thus, we felt little stress as we lined up at the 1000 mark along with our rival teams in their boats. As we closed in on the finishing line, our focus was kept largely intact due to the lack of 'stomach flutter' that so often affects performance in a negative way. Were we then just lucky to clinch 2nd in our heats? I would like to think so, but i feel that maintaining a worry-free, can-do attitude was also a contributing factor to our small success.
OK, for the 2nd case, it was similarly a case of 'can-do' in action - my mate HQ had not run in the last 3 months, nor had he touched a kayak or paddle. Still, the promise was to go do the competition 'just for the heck of it'. The same carefree attitude translated into considerably less start-line stress and pre-race anxiety, something which our trained fellow competitors and more contest-tuned fellows would likely have had in larger amounts.
Being well-trained and well-prepared for an event certainly increases one's chances of getting a top placing or even a personal best. But even more important, i feel, is the synergy and positive vides that are generated out of trust and mutual understanding of each other... a team environment where it is NOT a matter of achieving results based on what the slowest member can put out; but what two, or more, can achieve in harmony (and the sum of their efforts surpasses that of a singular effort) when crunch time comes. Taking things with a smile and a laugh just helps things along. Keeping the team environment fun and injected with camaraderie at all times pays great dividends when the seriousness of competition finally catches up with the team.
