Psychology of Masters Swimming - Your Input Please

Like others, I struggle to balance time between work, home, and swimming. I also fear injury - I "returned" to swimming after too many injuries in soccer and running (although I still run, just not as much). Some other things I battle: 1. fear of competition/fear of failure What if I go to a meet and post lousy times? I know others won't judge me for slow times, but I am hard on myself. 2. fear of working really hard - what if I can't finish a hard set? How do I know when I should push myself harder, or when I should say "that's hard enough" before I have a heart attack or laryngospasm? 3. Unlike Bobinator, I am not a size 2...do I look ridiculous in a Speedo? Am I being juvenile or vain for worrying about it? Maybe I should just stay home instead of going to practice...I could always make cookies... 4. Goggle marks around my eyes. I look like hell at work. I don't swim in the evenings because then I am too pumped to sleep. Swimming right after work isn't an option b/c the pool has lessons in one half of the pool and the other half is open for diving, climbing wall, and rope swing. 5. Inevitably my "training" hits snags - work, family, pool closures, etc. - and it is hard to get back in shape. 6. Only a couple other adults in my community are interested in going to meets. I wish I knew more people in the competitive swimming community. I am shy so have a hard time going to a meet by myself. Despite all the above, I do love swimming for the endorphins and fitness it gives me.

Was going to get in this Friday and see what I can do...I do float well now!!! LOL Considering the last time we swam together it was mostly talking while kicking, floating will be fine in Dec, too.

These are all brilliant, thanks! More detail than I thought I'd get so please keep them coming. There will be enough data in these to pull out some interesting themes to summarise, and then perhaps to build on specifically.

I could've written everything Jethro just said--except I'm 43, not 41! Sometimes I get caught in a regret/rage cycle about WHY didn't I discover this earlier. But then I work back to acceptance and gratitude that I did get this wonderful opportunity to find my sport and to be nurtured by coaches that were interested in developing me.

Interesting thread... Back story: I started swimming because a friend invited me to join her in age group around age 12 (a little late by some standards). I swam in HS but was fairly mediocre and probably would not have continued into college except that by a mere fluke my coach discovered my breaststroke was actually pretty good and began encouraging me. My relative success in that stroke motivated me to continue through my NCAA Div III college years. After college, life overtook swimming interest. I didn't log a single lap for 20+ years. The last couple of years were spent trying to motivate myself to get to the gym and lose weight.... and failing miserably. Present day: Last fall, I joined a local Masters team and found much to my extreme pleasure that I am completely hooked! I have (re?)discovered my joy of swimming, workouts are fun and painful in a good way, I've dropped weight without feeling like I'm trying, and I am setting my sites on re-attaining my college times (or maybe even better :D?). I use competitions to set personal goals and to assess my progress. Motivation: Granted, not being a morning person it's tough to get out of bed in the wee hours, especially when it's cold and dark and my husband is cozily snoring away next to me, but I know I will regret it later in the day if I don't go. Juggling life: Hubby is supportive, but work can sometimes get in the way. But working out in the early morning means I have time for home and hubby in the evening, and I don't run the risk of a work crisis keeping me too late to make it to the pool. As for the weekends... would I rather catch up on laundry or go to a swim meet? Mmmmmm....

It seems like the older I get, the more perfect conditions have to be for me to have a "good" swim - whether in workout or in meets. Although I don't think of myself as an accident waiting to happen, it seems I have chronic injuries - I envy those who have never had sore shoulders or knee problems! Sometimes I have to remind myself that there is more to life than swimming, and that these are the only arms/legs I'm going to get, so I should listen to my body & be careful - there is a fine line between that however, and pushing your body to the limit to maximize performance! How to find the balance between pushing yourself safely & injuring yourself? My biggest struggles in years gone by were Mommy issues - it was always way more important to me to get the kids to their practices & meets etc than it was to do mine - after all, I had the opportunity when I was a kid. Now that they have all flown the nest, I have nothing holding me back & I am loving it!

Hi everyone - Thanks again for the rich and thoughtful responses. Broadly they seemed to fall into 3 categories - motivation, challenges and fears/barriers. Here's the first article, on masters swimmers motivations for swimming. I'll summarise the challenges / fears / barriers soon and hopefully be able to do a few practical articles on the specifics. Rob Good job!

Hi everyone - Thanks again for the rich and thoughtful responses. Broadly they seemed to fall into 3 categories - motivation, challenges and fears/barriers. Here's the first article, on masters swimmers motivations for swimming. I'll summarise the challenges / fears / barriers soon and hopefully be able to do a few practical articles on the specifics. Rob

'saw a USMS team at a meet with T-shirts that said,"xyz Masters Swimming: Last one alive wins". (It didn't say "xyz", I just don't remember the name of the team.) That about sums up a big part of Masters swimming.

'saw a USMS team at a meet with T-shirts that said,"xyz Masters Swimming: Last one alive wins". (It didn't say "xyz", I just don't remember the name of the team.) That about sums up a big part of Masters swimming. Brilliant!