I've been neglect in blog postings - many, many apologies. But did want to give you an update because the countdown has begun - just 360 Hours until the CCIW Championships. That doesn't seem like much tiem when you think about it, but we've been counting down since about the 1,000 hour mark. When you think of things from that perspective, it helps focus the mind on what needs to be done. If something is a few weeks off, well there's time to procrastinate. If there's only a few HOURS left, well its time to get going.
Really though - there's nothing to procrastinate about at this time of the year. The work is largely done and if we've done the work the results will be there. Really, when you think of it, have you ever seen a truly lazy swimmer taper well? What lies ahead now is rest and mental preparation. The best teams I've worked with or seen have always been those who have done the work and then been ready to seize the moment. As I wrote to the team on Sunday:
- "Our results won’t be because of luck. Our sport is simply too demanding for luck to be a determining factor. The results won’t be because of talent. We are, (and have traditionally been) a team of hard-working overachievers. And it won’t be because of a magical taper. Taper results from the work that has already been done.
- No, our success will come from us meeting at the intersection of preparation and opportunity. If you’ve DONE THE WORK, if you’ve LEARNED HOW TO COMPETE, and if you’re MENTALLY PREPARED for the opportunity that lies ahead.