How you can “befriend the water”

This year, we at Tri Swim Coach have been using the slogan “Befriend the Water”.

Since you may be wondering if it’s just a catchy marketing slogan or if there is deeper meaning, I wanted to explain it.

Do you ever feel like you are in “flow” with life, or a particular workout? Like, things just come together effortlessly, without you having to *think* about exactly what you are doing at every step of the way.

The idea behind “befriending the water” is flowing with swimming, putting things on autopilot, and having fun! More specifically, when you befriend the water, you will:

1. Stop struggling. This doesn’t mean you won’t have challenges. This means each challenge can be considered an opportunity for growth, so you take on these challenges with enthusiasm and even excitement. This could mean learning freestyle, or it could mean going from a 1:50 per 100 base to a 1:45 base, or moving up the ranks in your age group.

2. Add more QUALITY to your workouts. When you befriend the water, you lose the idea of “junk yards”, you get to the point in your workouts, and everything you do has a purpose. Since purpose is so important to our motivation and overall happiness, the same applies to swimming. When you know your purpose with each set you do, and each workout, you will look forward to what’s next- and get the work done.

3. Do what it takes. I spoke with a Tri Swim Success customer yesterday who has very specific goals, races he wants to finish and bring down his times. He’s been using tools like fins and LAVA pants, which make him go faster in workouts- but also realizes these can be a crutch. Weening off them and using these tools sparingly is what it will take to move forward.

In a previous podcast, I interviewed another Tri Swim Success member who used Wim Hof breathing to overcome anxiety in the water, and ended up smashing his old swim times.

Some triathletes let ego get in the way, and won’t move down a lane or two or do the little extra things when this is what it takes to get faster. (sometimes getting “beat” in workouts by little old ladies is the best thing for your swim, and good practice for checking one’s ego!

“Befriending the water” is not just a catchy phrase, it’s a training philosophy for swimming, and something you can take into your other workouts and races, and life, to get into the flow that it takes to not just enjoy, but master the swim.

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