Does anyone else think the go the distance program is seriously stupid. The prizes stink, it's too hard to get them if you even get the prize you deserved. I don't even think most people are even telling the truth about how much they swim to cheat.
I'm sorry you feel that way, but not at all. I use it to keep myself focused and on track with races in my future. It's not about the "prizes", but the goals you set out to achieve. Everyone who does it has different goals. Some are just getting back in the pool and need a spot on the horizon. Sprinters aren't going to do as much as distance/OW swimmers. And if you think about it, this is program doesn't cost you a bit to enter or not, yet you still get them if you reach certain milestones.
If you are lying about the miles/time you're logging, it's only hurting yourself. If you don't want to participate, don't. It's that simple.
I gave up on it when I found I was focusing more on distance than quality.I don't even keep track of my yards during a workout.I found that liberating,but that is just me. It is very valuable as a motivating tool for many and,since most people do like to keep track of their yardage it is a great,free tool.The prizes are just an added bonus.
I'm goal-driven (not gift-driven), so it works great for me. I also feel a great sense of accomplishment when I look back over a month or a year and see all those workouts, day in and day out, even the 2000-yard/35-40-minute ones, really do add up to something impressive.
It's a great way for me to keep track of how much I've done and how much I might need to do again, if I expect to go certain times. And it's slightly entertaining to see how much I've done compared to others. For those reasons, I've been flogging for several years now. I wish I had started sooner!
I gave up on it when I found I was focusing more on distance than quality.I don't even keep track of my yards during a workout.
I agree with this statement BUT did managed to put GTD to great use. Thanks to the flogs I can now see how much faster I am swimming with smarter workouts as compared to years before :) GTD was great for forcing me to track workouts and unintentionally build a tool to train better.
It's a good way to compare net distance each year. Also to look back at the month to see how many days of rest were taken, how I feel and so forth. Being a distance challenged swimmer I barely make over 250 miles, and the goal gifts make me chuckle - but I like it. Heck, it only takes 30 seconds each day to log the info, so why not?
Although I sometimes have to give a specific description of what flogging I participate in :blush:, it is the closest that I will likely ever come to getting the perks that a sponsored swimmer gets. This year (by reviewing my flog), I can see how far behind I am as opposed to the past four years. And I'm ok with that.
