Should You Take a Do-Over? Irish Holland Bounces Back, EP 219

"It's all mental" says Irish Holland, elite masters swimmer. And when your mental performance crashes, sometimes we need a do-over. In this episode we meet Irish a 43-year-old champion swimmer from the North Carolina Masters. This episode unravels Irish's tale of bouncing back from a disappointing performance at the nationals by turning towards mental fortitude. She opens up about her struggle with negativity, the power of a supportive team, and the significance of her mental state in achieving her goals.

Irish's experiences serve as a testament to the strength of a positive mindset, rigorous training, and the willpower to not end a season on a negative note. She gave herself a do-over. Would you do the same?

Email us at HELLO@ChampionsMojo.com. Opinions discussed are not medical advice, please seek a medical professional for your own health concerns.

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:01.423 --> 00:00:07.493
Welcome to the award-winning champions mojo, hosted by two world record holding athletes and health coaches.

00:00:07.493 --> 00:00:15.273
Be inspired as you listen to conversations with champions and now your hosts, kelly Palace and Maria Parker.

00:00:15.821 --> 00:00:25.420
We're here on deck at the Nova last chance meet in Richmond, virginia, with Irish Holland and Irish is in 43 year old.

00:00:25.420 --> 00:00:28.106
Who is in this meet?

00:00:28.106 --> 00:00:30.873
Irish, I think you're something for North Carolina Masters.

00:00:30.873 --> 00:00:37.393
Why did you come to this meet and tell us a little bit about nationals and how all this came together for you?

00:00:37.393 --> 00:00:39.624
Yeah, thank you so much, kelly for having me.

00:00:39.624 --> 00:00:40.587
I came to this meet.

00:00:40.786 --> 00:00:47.210
I really had to find the last chance opportunity specifically to have a do over, if you will, for my 400.

00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:47.591
I am.

00:00:47.591 --> 00:00:51.640
I went to Irvine for short first usm's nationals last weekend.

00:00:51.640 --> 00:01:01.664
I started out the meet with a banger, won the 500, had a pretty good time attack with that and then, unfortunately, things just went a little downhill from there and I apologize if I'm a little winded.

00:01:01.664 --> 00:01:04.792
I actually just finished the 4-H I am and it did hurt.

00:01:04.792 --> 00:01:05.662
So that's good.

00:01:05.662 --> 00:01:07.427
You can't do a 4-H I am without it hurting.

00:01:07.688 --> 00:01:13.310
So I think for me the issue is I had already decided I was defeated.

00:01:13.310 --> 00:01:16.560
The night before the 4-H I am, which was Sunday morning.

00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:20.128
So Saturday night I just started having really negative thoughts.

00:01:20.128 --> 00:01:22.293
I didn't think I could do a good time.

00:01:22.293 --> 00:01:24.745
I felt like I had a lot of things working against me.

00:01:24.745 --> 00:01:26.471
I don't tend to do well outside.

00:01:26.471 --> 00:01:31.492
I have I had a lot of different ailments going on and I do recognize as master source.

00:01:31.492 --> 00:01:35.388
We all have ailments, right, but in all fairness, like I said, we all have ailments.

00:01:35.388 --> 00:01:38.025
And the other girls, they were in the same conditions.

00:01:38.025 --> 00:01:40.540
We were all outside and it was very cold in the morning.

00:01:40.540 --> 00:01:46.070
But for me the issue was, like I mentioned, I had already decided I was defeated the night before.

00:01:46.070 --> 00:01:47.900
And why is that Like?

00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:49.564
Why do you think you went there?

00:01:49.564 --> 00:01:50.688
I don't know.

00:01:50.748 --> 00:01:52.912
And I think, like I'm my own worst enemy.

00:01:52.912 --> 00:01:54.022
I've done this before.

00:01:54.022 --> 00:01:57.212
I just get something in my head and I wish I can pinpoint it.

00:01:57.212 --> 00:01:59.123
If I could, then I wouldn't do it to myself.

00:01:59.123 --> 00:02:01.370
But I just decided you know what?

00:02:01.370 --> 00:02:02.031
I can't do it.

00:02:02.031 --> 00:02:04.569
And I had the training behind me.

00:02:04.569 --> 00:02:06.736
I do a lot of crazy sets.

00:02:06.736 --> 00:02:07.599
I do post them on instagram.

00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:15.183
I get a lot of comments about them, but I it's such a mental game for me too, as we all know, there's the training we all put in.

00:02:15.183 --> 00:02:19.052
But if you're not there mentally, you're not going to hit your goals.

00:02:19.052 --> 00:02:29.747
And that's what happened to me and I decided my birthday was actually yesterday, so the friday after nationals, I was like you know what, that's not how my season is going to end.

00:02:29.747 --> 00:02:36.840
And so I knew about this last chance opportunity and thankfully, the meat director he was very flexible, very accommodating.

00:02:36.840 --> 00:02:45.180
He got me in and I was able to do a master's best time just now, just a few minutes ago, and it was all mental, all mental.

00:02:45.711 --> 00:02:57.801
And so you went four seconds faster here, actually four plus seconds faster here than you went in or mine, and what do you think the difference was as far as your mental state?

00:02:57.801 --> 00:03:00.722
Yeah, mentally, I'm in a much better place today.

00:03:00.722 --> 00:03:02.229
I love the four hundred and I am.

00:03:02.229 --> 00:03:06.539
It has been my best event for decades, and late to my baby.

00:03:06.539 --> 00:03:10.157
I like to take ownership of this event and it's like a little sampling of everything.

00:03:10.157 --> 00:03:17.441
It's funny, even though I did win the 500 freak, but typically in nationals I can be in the final heat, the fast heat of every stroke, but I don't win.

00:03:17.441 --> 00:03:19.229
But I can win the 400.

00:03:19.229 --> 00:03:21.818
I am, I'm just that B plus swimmer in every stroke.

00:03:21.818 --> 00:03:26.210
I don't have a great strength, but I don't have any glaring weaknesses either.

00:03:26.210 --> 00:03:27.834
Is that 400 I am?

00:03:27.834 --> 00:03:31.021
Being that middle distance is just a really good race for me.

00:03:31.992 --> 00:03:40.229
So, in going forward, if you have another meet where you have this negativeness creep in, what have you learned from this that you might take forward?

00:03:40.229 --> 00:03:45.229
Yeah, so the biggest thing I learned is I need to be more open, especially with my teammates.

00:03:45.229 --> 00:04:04.758
I have like my cone of trust and I've really really wonderful teammates here in North Carolina and I really need to lean on them more and tell them how I'm feeling and get the reassurance and the reminders hey, rise above you, put in the training, I can do it and I just need so much to remind me that I can do it.

00:04:04.758 --> 00:04:06.641
Beautiful, all right, thank you.

00:04:06.641 --> 00:04:12.460
I know you need to cool down and it's great that you did so great here and we really appreciate you spending the time with us.

00:04:12.460 --> 00:04:14.843
Kelly, thank you for having me, thanks so much, thank you.

00:04:15.229 --> 00:04:16.877
Stay tuned for the takeaways.

00:04:17.872 --> 00:04:18.392
Swimmers.

00:04:18.392 --> 00:04:21.922
Protect your skin and hair from chlorine damage with tri-swim.

00:04:21.922 --> 00:04:34.622
This swimmer specialized personal care line of shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion gently removes pool chemicals or salt water while hydrating and strengthening your hair and skin.

00:04:34.622 --> 00:04:37.096
Say goodbye to dryness and itchiness.

00:04:37.096 --> 00:04:42.120
Visit sbrsportsinccom.

00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:51.841
That's sbrsportsinccom and use code mojo23 for 23% off.

00:04:51.841 --> 00:04:54.117
Hurry offer ins in 30 days.

00:04:54.117 --> 00:04:55.656
Get tri-swim today.

00:04:56.430 --> 00:04:57.896
And now the takeaway.

00:04:58.016 --> 00:05:00.125
All right, irish Holland.

00:05:00.125 --> 00:05:01.209
What a powerhouse.

00:05:01.209 --> 00:05:05.639
She's just so strong and loved her interview, great Lilla.

00:05:05.639 --> 00:05:06.661
What was your takeaway, maria?

00:05:07.651 --> 00:05:15.230
She was really aware of her mental status and the bad event that she had and that she wanted to end the season on her own term.

00:05:15.230 --> 00:05:18.740
She wasn't going to just let it go with that one poor performance.

00:05:21.615 --> 00:05:25.083
Yeah, and she figured it out and said I'm going to change it.

00:05:25.083 --> 00:05:33.927
And what I wanted to add to just good mental practice is we talked about in this interview was at that same last chance beat.

00:05:33.927 --> 00:05:35.230
So the whole season is done.

00:05:35.230 --> 00:05:38.180
A lot of swimmers show up to do a last chance, best time.

00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:54.163
And we talked about our interview with Val Van Horn-Pate where she jumped to the front of the line and swam the number one time in the nation in front of everyone else, and so I knew, prior to interviewing Irish, that she was trying to get the number one time or she was trying to do a better performance than at Nationals.

00:05:54.483 --> 00:06:01.005
Yeah, and many of us will look at that outcome of did I get the number one time or did I not?

00:06:01.005 --> 00:06:09.209
It's very black and white and so when she swam the time, I looked over at her friend who was there with her supporting her Erica Braun.

00:06:09.209 --> 00:06:13.466
We love Erica.

00:06:13.466 --> 00:06:14.230
We have to say her name a lot.

00:06:14.230 --> 00:06:17.446
Anyway, I asked Erica, is that the number one time?

00:06:17.446 --> 00:06:18.230
And it wasn't.

00:06:18.230 --> 00:06:23.725
Irish swam a better race, a faster race than she did at Nationals.

00:06:23.725 --> 00:06:29.120
More on her terms, like you said, she didn't get the number one time and she was still thrilled.

00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:36.612
So I loved that part, your takeaway of that mental game that, yeah, okay, I did on my terms.

00:06:36.612 --> 00:06:41.956
That might not have been number one, but I think it was number two, but so, anyway, that was beautiful.

00:06:41.956 --> 00:06:53.745
And then the other part in tying into that but separate is when we are feeling in the funk, when we do have that negative voice come in, we need to talk to someone.

00:06:53.745 --> 00:06:59.221
If you don't have teammates there to meet with you, then call them or call your spouse.

00:06:59.411 --> 00:07:01.682
The purpose of that is that they remind you of who you are.

00:07:01.682 --> 00:07:04.673
Yeah, so you just get away from it.

00:07:04.673 --> 00:07:06.899
They remind you of who you are, and that's so wonderful.

00:07:06.899 --> 00:07:09.130
I love that they remind me of what I can do.

00:07:09.932 --> 00:07:12.336
Yeah, so another great one in the books.

00:07:12.336 --> 00:07:13.358
All right, love you Maria.

00:07:13.639 --> 00:07:14.199
Love you, Kelly.

00:07:14.199 --> 00:07:14.581
Bye-bye.

00:07:14.980 --> 00:07:15.341
Bye-bye.

00:07:17.230 --> 00:07:18.574
Thank you for listening to the Champions Mojo podcast.

00:07:18.574 --> 00:07:19.838
Did you enjoy the show?

00:07:19.838 --> 00:07:31.740
We'd be grateful if you would leave us a five-star review on iTunes to help others find us, and we'd also love to hear from you If you want to see more on all social media platforms or you can reach us at championsmojocom.