Anyone give up on swimming to the pace clock and find comfort in just lap swimming for exercise? I have never swam any other way than intervals even after a 20 year layoff.
But I have been on a three month downward spiral. I'm so far out of shape that the couple of workouts I tried were so discouraging that I just want to quit. Yet I swam in a lake last week and felt pretty good. Went to the pool today and intended to just try to swim for 30 minutes straight but damn that clock - swam 6x200 on 4:00. Three months ago I could do 10 on the 3:30 in my sleep and 10 seconds faster per. I just don't want to do this anymore at least not now to even get back to that point. I wouldn't mind just trying to swim a 5k this summer nice and slow instead of competing. I pretty much just need the exercise to lose some weight and be healthy. Yet compteting was what always had motivated me even if it was just against myself and the clock.
So did anyone take this tact and live to tell me how awesome it is? You burn more calories, no more flip turns, no more clock, just swimming.
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The 3-month downward spiral - I planned to take two weeks off after the last meet, had a minor injury, kept making excuses to myself to start again tomorrow, next week. Drank a lot of beer, ate a lot of pizza, gained weight, focused my time on my business - just general laziness and detructive behavior to my health. After reading Bud's inspirational story I feel guilty for even pointing to these kinds of obstacles.
Although I do really like the social aspect of Masters and could definately benefit from some coaching, since age group I have always swam on my own and I kind of like it that way. I like the freedom and was always able to use some goals to keep me motivated (generally 3-4 times a week, 2000-3000 yards). But the goals might have been a source of my frustration as well. I always wanted to break 1:00 in the 100 free. This was the first year in my four years in Masters that I went the other direction (from 1:01 to 1:03). So I have to come to grips with the reality that I might never be able to do it. I don't know why I am so focused on it because I have found I am not a sprinter anyway and I did acheive best times in other longer events. But I feel my life would be complete if I could break that magic number.
Anyway, I am not going to compete in meets until at least the fall so I will re-evaluate where I am at then (hopefully not in the shape I am in now).
I still love the water and want to continue to use swimming as my primary mode of exercise. I just can't deal with the clock right now. Most of the swimmers at the pool probably never even look at it.
I can definately pull it off in a lake and it is liberating (but it is only a hanful of times per summer). I think I could do it easily in an outdoor 50M pool as well. But in a 25 yard pool it seems too redundant. I have never been able to maintain flip turns forever and open turns seem essential to the kind of swimming I want to do now, but then I start getting passed by the lap swimmer next to me, start looking at the clock and notice how unbeliebably slow I am going. So then I want to do a set and then I want to quit.
Well, it is a beautiful day and I am going to head to the outdoor pool. I think just showing up is good enough for now. This will make twice this week which equals my total for the last three months so maybe I will get back on track (even though I don't know what that track is right now).
The 3-month downward spiral - I planned to take two weeks off after the last meet, had a minor injury, kept making excuses to myself to start again tomorrow, next week. Drank a lot of beer, ate a lot of pizza, gained weight, focused my time on my business - just general laziness and detructive behavior to my health. After reading Bud's inspirational story I feel guilty for even pointing to these kinds of obstacles.
Although I do really like the social aspect of Masters and could definately benefit from some coaching, since age group I have always swam on my own and I kind of like it that way. I like the freedom and was always able to use some goals to keep me motivated (generally 3-4 times a week, 2000-3000 yards). But the goals might have been a source of my frustration as well. I always wanted to break 1:00 in the 100 free. This was the first year in my four years in Masters that I went the other direction (from 1:01 to 1:03). So I have to come to grips with the reality that I might never be able to do it. I don't know why I am so focused on it because I have found I am not a sprinter anyway and I did acheive best times in other longer events. But I feel my life would be complete if I could break that magic number.
Anyway, I am not going to compete in meets until at least the fall so I will re-evaluate where I am at then (hopefully not in the shape I am in now).
I still love the water and want to continue to use swimming as my primary mode of exercise. I just can't deal with the clock right now. Most of the swimmers at the pool probably never even look at it.
I can definately pull it off in a lake and it is liberating (but it is only a hanful of times per summer). I think I could do it easily in an outdoor 50M pool as well. But in a 25 yard pool it seems too redundant. I have never been able to maintain flip turns forever and open turns seem essential to the kind of swimming I want to do now, but then I start getting passed by the lap swimmer next to me, start looking at the clock and notice how unbeliebably slow I am going. So then I want to do a set and then I want to quit.
Well, it is a beautiful day and I am going to head to the outdoor pool. I think just showing up is good enough for now. This will make twice this week which equals my total for the last three months so maybe I will get back on track (even though I don't know what that track is right now).
