living the life that I want to

Friday, April 06, 2007

I was reading the TODAY newspaper last night and I came across this article on world-renown swimmer, American born Michael Phelps. Recently, he rewrote 5 world records at the World Championships. 7 gold medals in 8 days, that's no easy feat even for such a seasoned swimmer like him. Some parts of the article really encouraged me and made me think whether I'm doing enough in terms of canoe training and in preparing myself for any upcoming canoe competitions.

"The world record does not change the way we live, it solves no problem, but it reminds us of the nobility of the athlete, his pure persistence, an example of the muscularity of the human spirit.... For every 0.05 of s second gained, Phelps must swim hundreds of miles, taste pain and lick it."

After swimming for almost 13 years, I can definitely vouch for the fact that it isn't that simple to improve on timings and swim your personal best timing, especially in the short distance events. At times, a milisecond off your previous timing would very much be an achievement after months of training. It is really not that easy. However, I'm encouraged by the fact that our trainings will pay off. If we aren't able to match the strongest in the team, do not feel discouraged or inferior, train on our own and we'll definitely be able to see the results. Just keep pushing and testing your limits, you'll be amazed at what you can actually do.

15 more weeks to the Nationals... Some of us may be burning out physically and mentally even at this early stage of the year. Yes, canoeing is a demanding sport. On some days, I really do feel as if trainings drain all the energy out of you and there's nothing left in you to complete assignments or just chill out. But we're in this together. There's no I in TEAM. We must be strong for each other in the team and have the will to succeed.

Competition is tough out there, we have only one shot at the Nationals. So let's give it our all, our VERY BEST. Our "Personal Best" may be subjective, but don't come out of the water knowing that you could have done better, no regrets. We have only 1 chance to prove to our opponents that we're worthy of the gold.

If we really want to stand a chance at wresting that coveted title, then words alone will not be enough. Neither will our current standard of effort. If we want to win, then "all" isn't just a word anymore. It becomes that very thing which we put into each push-up, each ipull, each step we take on the track, and each stroke we make on the water.

I found this sentence in the article really cool (:

"Records will fall because every time progess slow, the planet belches out another physiological freak, not merely a world record breaker but an athlete designed by God for a particular purpose"

Let's fly on water
Go RAFFLES CANOEING

3:19 pm