Follow my story
AMBER MASLEN
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Sponsors
  • Love Food

Love to train, love to race

I've learnt so many things from slalom I don't think I could have learnt anywhere else. I want to share them because I think if they make a positive difference to a single person's journey, then it's worth writing. 

Read my Stories

Be Gentle With Your Brain

3/28/2017

0 Comments

 
In a world of intense concentration, critical analysis and repetitive training, I think I'm learning some of the most valuable cycles of thought. Everyone talks a lot about relaxing and regenerating, but I think for people like me it's quite hard to understand that thinking you are relaxed is very different from actually being in a state of relaxation. When you are truly in the zone of regeneration, it doesn't make sense to apply a word to it. Why would you waste energy saying it? Or bother thinking about how relaxed you are? Being absolutely focussed on yourself is one thing when you are training or thinking about improving. But it is absolutely another exercise entirely to focus on yourself in a kind, gentle way. 

For me this often means giving myself permission to do things that are not essential or directly 'productive'. I know already that if I can sit down and do a couple of hours of work, or organise the dreaded paperwork for the next few weeks, I get a feeling of 'relaxation' that is lovely and makes me content. But that's a cycle that involves doing something non relaxing in order to feel satisfied. Which is quite similar to training, so one could argue that it is not the same kind of 'relaxed'. 

What I think true 'brain recovery' is, is doing things that in society are often negatively identified as being lazy or unhelpful. When you are in a zone unconnected with the future or past, there is nothing to worry about other than what is directly in front of you. I think training should revolve around this principle, but the nature of sport requires that we look at our times from the session and analyse what we have done, and what we will do to improve. So the only time you can truly be 'in the present' is actually when you are required to do nothing at all. Maybe a film, or playing a game, or in a particularly exciting conversation. Or even just drawing, napping or reading. 

Quite often I can get stuck 'trying to relax,' as ridiculous as that seems. I don't know if my brain just ticks over too fast for a whole week of the training and relaxing cycle. But sometimes taking a step in what feels like the opposite direction of relaxing actually works. Going for a long walk or sitting in the sun isn't what I'd immediately think of as a relaxation technique, especially as an athlete. But I think it works to firstly clear my brain a little bit, and when I finally get down to doing some serious chilling, it contrasts so that the relaxing seems a bit more lovely. You can get quite committed to this; I think doing exhilarating things are the best methods of clearing your brain, like cliff jumping or swimming in cold water. But they put you in the most receptive position to relax properly afterwards. 
Picture
0 Comments

    Author

    Amber is a whitewater slalom athlete specialising in K1. Her top events to date were:
    U23 World Championships 2016
    U23 European Championships 2016
    Augsburg ICF World Cup 2018
    Tacen ICF World Cup 2018
    Bratislava  ICF World Cup 2019
    ​Tacen ICF World Cup 2019
    Leipzig ICF World Cup 2019
    Pau ICF World Cup final 2022

    Archives

    May 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.