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.
Even if you are not planning to compete, I wouldn't give up on interval training. You will not achieve the same level of fitness with lap swimming. Perhaps you just need to reset your expectations, at least in the short term. Find a training partner, vary your workouts, mix in some strokes/IM.
I 100% agree with this. When you ditch the clock you throw in the towel. Even for people I am training for long open water I never let go of intervals or the clock.
Even if you are not planning to compete, I wouldn't give up on interval training. You will not achieve the same level of fitness with lap swimming. Perhaps you just need to reset your expectations, at least in the short term. Find a training partner, vary your workouts, mix in some strokes/IM.
I 100% agree with this. When you ditch the clock you throw in the towel. Even for people I am training for long open water I never let go of intervals or the clock.
