So, I'm going to Nationals this summer. It will be my first meet... ever. I know I'm a really slow swimmer (part of that comes from being 5'2") and will likely be the slowest one in my events.
But I still want to do it!:D
I'm swimming 50 ***, 100 ***, and 50 free. I had to take 2mo off this spring because our van broke and it took us a while to get it fixed, so I wasn't able to swim from mid-March to mid-May. I'm back in the water now and am building up my training to swimming 5 days a week (in another week our Masters group will be meeting 5:30-7a M-F). Right now we're swimming short course still but when we switch our schedule, we'll be switching pools and swimming long course.
I had to time myself last week so I'd have my seed times for registration. In the past week I've already taken 6sec off my 50 *** - which, I think, is pretty good progress.
I'm not expecting to win my heats or get any awesome times at Nationals, but I'm super excited to be going and am anxious to see how much I've improved my own times.
Has anyone else been the slowest swimmer out there before? Any tips on staying positive? :blush:
Really the only person who cares how fast you swim is you! Go and have a good time, meet some new people, and be happy with your performance.
At Nationals in Mesa I was throwing up from food poisoning all night and into the morning before I had to swim the 400 IM. I still went to the meet, did a 100 yard warm up then swam the best I could. I was 100-150 behind the others in my heat but I never felt like anyone was lurking over my lane wanting to fish me out because of my speed. The first time I swam the 200 fly at a local meet I was the last one to finish. Everyone at the pool clapped and in the warm down pool several people I didn't know gave me a pat on the back for even doing that race.
Reasonably accurate seed times will set people's expectations appropriately. If someone is seeded at 15:00.00 for the 500 free, and sure enough their first 100 takes around 3 minutes, then things are proceeding according to plan. Then if that person is on the verge of finishing under 15:00, don't be surprised to hear some yelling and hollering from other swimmers during the last 25.
Just get in there and have fun. I was dead last in my age group recently in the 100 breastroke. I'm probably the only one that noticed. And I didn't even care since I went a best time! :banana:
Really the only person who cares how fast you swim is you! Go and have a good time, meet some new people, and be happy with your performance.
At Nationals in Mesa I was throwing up from food poisoning all night and into the morning before I had to swim the 400 IM. I still went to the meet, did a 100 yard warm up then swam the best I could. I was 100-150 behind the others in my heat but I never felt like anyone was lurking over my lane wanting to fish me out because of my speed. The first time I swam the 200 fly at a local meet I was the last one to finish. Everyone at the pool clapped and in the warm down pool several people I didn't know gave me a pat on the back for even doing that race.
Reasonably accurate seed times will set people's expectations appropriately. If someone is seeded at 15:00.00 for the 500 free, and sure enough their first 100 takes around 3 minutes, then things are proceeding according to plan. Then if that person is on the verge of finishing under 15:00, don't be surprised to hear some yelling and hollering from other swimmers during the last 25.
Just get in there and have fun. I was dead last in my age group recently in the 100 breastroke. I'm probably the only one that noticed. And I didn't even care since I went a best time! :banana:
