Can you and should you push past that pain threshold in practice? Should you eat before training? In today’s episode, we speak with Susan Ingraham, Head Coach of Masters of South Texas, a large and successful swim team with over 160 swimmers and the winners of many different prestigious coaching awards. Susan is also a successful competitive swimmer, with various competition podium finishes under her belt. In this informative discussion, we find out about Susan’s professional background, why she thinks coaching involves more than sport, and how she can work with different levels of swimmers, as well as the importance of a morning meal before training, why pushing through painful training sessions is important, and why a schedule is essential to improving. We also discover what it takes to be a champion swimmer and learn some useful advice for aspiring athletes! Tune in for this jam-packed episode with expert coach and champion swimmer, Susan Ingraham!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief overview of Susan’s professional background as an athlete and coach.
• Susan on why she believes that coaching doesn’t just involve sport.
• Details about her coaching approach and what levels of athletes she works with.
• How to manage differences in fitness levels and capabilities during training.
• Discover her team’s special goal for the one-hour swim.
• How Susan got 67 people in her team to swim butterfly-style for an hour.
• When she finds her own time to swim during her busy schedule.
• Advice has for the average swimmer who wants to improve.
• A walkthrough of some workout plans for people to improve and who have a busy schedule.
• Susan’s daily routine and how she maintains balance in her life.
• What she eats before a morning workout and why it is so important.
• A surprisingly simple tip for aspiring swimmers!
• An inspirational moment that had a lasting impact on Susan.
• The negativity that comes before a competition and how Susan deals with it.
• Why pushing through the pain during practice sessions can be important.
• Specific characteristics that Susan believes true champions share.
• Closing the show with the sprinter round of questions for Susan!

Tweetables:

“Having some structure allows me not to waste time and makes sure that everything gets in.” — Susan Ingraham 

“I worked really hard the last six months and I didn’t come here not to do my best. I don’t care who is in the pool.” — Susan Ingraham

“I completely appreciate the people that are national and world record holders. I know what they are doing. I am in awe of their work ethic that they put into the pool.” — Susan Ingraham

"Be a life-long-learner. Try something new and try to improve; everyone can be better at something.” — Susan Ingraham 

MORE ABOUT SUSAN:
Susan Ingraham is the Head Swim Coach of the Masters of South Texas (MOST) Coaching this large successful team, with over 160 swimmers.  Susan has many accolades as a coach, in 2017 Winning the Jesse Coon Inspirational Award and National Coach of the year in 2008. She’s been a speaker for the American Swimming Coaches Association and is celebrating over 40 years of coaching swimmers. 

While Susan is a great coach she is arguably just as good as a swimmer herself, earning a podium finish at each of the FINA World Championships since 2007 and winning several US Masters National titles in Long Distance swimming and #1 rankings. In 2000, Susan was named the head swim coach for USA Modern Pentathlon National Team, which sent three athletes to the Olympics, including the Women’s Silver Medalist

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