Psychological | Mediterra Swim & Run

Flow Requires Clear Goals

by Coach Mat | 8 Jul, 2017

This continues from Part 2 of our discussion of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s eight “characteristic dimensions of the flow experience” outlined in his book The Evolving Self. In The Evolving Self, Csikszentmihalyi is connecting the research findings he...

Going Harder And Going Smarter

by Coach Mat | 21 May, 2017

I have a couple swimmers in one of our weekly practice groups who are members of a local masters swim group that meets on a two different evenings each week. They came to me some months ago because their coach is great at making them work hard, and work harder, in...

Why Do Sprint Work?

by Coach Mat | 14 May, 2017

A 46 year old swimmer from Azerbaijan has been working with me for some months through the Mediterra Swim Dojo, our online training site, to prepare for 10 km swimming this summer. Within the last year or so he’s gone from essentially a non-swimmer to a...

Get The Work Done Well

by Coach Mat | 30 Apr, 2017

There is a difference between getting the work done, and getting the work done well. It’s one thing to feel like you barely survived the 1500 meter swim. It’s another thing to do it feeling strong enough at the end to continue with the rest of your...

Artificial Versus Real Hardship

by Coach Mat | 9 Apr, 2017

Three Kinds Of Hardship Like you, I love to hear stories of those who have accomplished amazing things in the realm of sports and adventure. I recently listened to Rich Roll’s interview with Kimberly Chambers, ultra-distance open water swimmer, who, in 2014, was...

Get Curious About Your Fear

by Coach Mat | 28 Mar, 2017

Coincidentally, just after I published the previous article Swimming Past Your Perceived Limits, I happen to listen to a particular podcast called Habits, Mindfulness, Addiction from Michael Gervais’s Finding Mastery podcast series. On this episode page the...