The marshalling area is the place where swimmers are organised before their races. It helps the officials make sure the right swimmers reach the correct heats and lanes. Your Team Manager will tell you when it is time to report. At Bluefins, Team Managers wear bright blue tops with Team Manager written on the back. Stay close enough to hear them and do not leave poolside without telling them.

You see a familiar name on the start list. You used to beat them, but now the race feels close. Instead of looking forward to it, you worry about losing or what people might think. Past results can create an expectation: “I beat them before, so I should beat them again.” That can make racing feel like something you have to prove.

A personal best, or PB, is your fastest recorded time for an event in a particular pool length. It is worth celebrating. It is also your best performance so far, so you should not expect to beat it every time you race. The finishing time cannot show every improvement. It combines your start, swimming, turns and finish. One part can improve while another still needs work.

Yes, your goals can differ, but they should connect. Training gives you opportunities to develop your swimming. Racing gives you a chance to put that preparation together. A training goal should match the purpose of the set. During technique work, you might focus on making a stroke change at a controlled speed. During race-pace work, your goal might be to maintain that change while meeting your target times.

Before a race or a demanding set, you might wonder whether you can manage it. Remembering what you have already done can help you judge the challenge more fairly. Give yourself real reasons to feel confident. Perhaps you held your target times throughout a set of 50m repeats or finished a 200m strongly after controlling your opening pace. Those experiences tell you something useful about your swimming.

Knowing what you are working towards makes progress easier to recognise. Start with your goal, then look for evidence that you are getting closer to it. Suppose your goal is to hold a target pace throughout eight 50m repeats. Previously, you managed the first four before slowing down. Now you can keep six on target. You have not reached all eight yet, but you have made progress.

Arriving on time gives you space to complete your pre-pool warm-up, organise your equipment and hear the session instructions. You can begin with everyone else, knowing what you are working on. Plan around when you need to be ready on poolside. Walking into the building at that time still leaves changing and preparation to do.

Before a race or a demanding set, you might wonder whether you can manage it. Remembering what you have already done can help you judge the challenge more fairly. Give yourself real reasons to feel confident. Perhaps you held your target times throughout a set of 50m repeats or finished a 200m strongly after controlling your opening pace. Those experiences tell you something useful about your swimming.

You are halfway through a race and the swimmer beside you is ahead. You start thinking, “I’m going to lose,” and forget the things you practised. You cannot decide how fast they swim. You can bring your attention back to what you need to do in the next part of your race. Make your focus specific. “Go faster” gives you little direction. A reminder such as “tight streamline” or “swim to the wall” points to an action you have practised with your coach.

Missing a qualifying time, being left out of a relay or swimming slower than you hoped can hurt. You have worked towards something and wanted it to go well. Give yourself time to settle. Take a few gentle breaths. You can say, “I’m upset. Can we talk in a few minutes?” If you need somewhere quieter at a meet, check with your Team Manager before moving away. Try to describe what disappointed you. “I wanted to beat my time” is more accurate than “I’m rubbish at swimming.”