Swimming for Fitness/Fun Not Competition

So FindingMyInnerFish, do you still run, and does it help with your swimming endurance?

I'm definitely in it for fitness and fun and I think USMS places too much emphasis on competition, which I suspect dampens the enthusiasm of a lot of people for the organization in general (including myself).

Denise, Swimming is what you make it. If you want to swim for fitness then do it. If you want to compete then do that. One team that I workout with has only three members who enter swim meets once in a while out of a total of 42 team members. One team member only does Nationals and not regular swim meets. Others only do open water swimming. There is one city not too far from where I live which once per year puts on a Community Swim Meet. Not sanctioned by USMS or USAS. Just get in swim, do you best and receive a ribbon if, in your age group you place 1-3. In this swim meet that I received my first ribbon for swimming. I was excited. On the other hand some USMS put me down for participating in this event. I say hooey to those persons who told me that. I too started swimming later in life (5 years ago). I kept it up. Worked off some extra poundage and stay fit. You can do the same.

Out of 59,660 registered 2014 members, 14,727 (25%) of them competed in a swim meet in 2014. The majority of USMS members do not compete in swim meets; many members just like to maintain a high level of fitness and to enjoy the camaraderie that comes from participating in organized workouts. Anna Lea Matysek USMS Membership Director

Hi Denise. I started swimming in July. Just two months ago. I started by myself and later worked up enough courage to go to our fitness club's adult swim practice (not a USMS group, so I'm unattached). I love swimming so much now. When I started I could barely swim 100 free, at any speed, without choking in water and gasping for breath. Now I can easily swim a 1000 free, slowly. I'm getting fit and my clothes fit better! But, like some others have said, it is the competition that motivates me. I travelled 3 hours to go to my first meet last month. I entered five events, placed dead last (out of everyone, not just my age group) in three events and beat two people (again, out of the entire field) in my other two events. But I had a blast. I met a great friend who I can't wait to see again at the next meet, and most importantly, I have official times! I was proud when they popped up on the USMS site, despite how slow they are. Now, I have a tangible goal to try to reach. Times to beat. Btw, that was my first meet ever. I never swam as a kid. But it motivates me and makes me work harder in my workouts because I want to improve and beating my times would mean my hard work paid off! I'm also not trying to convince you to compete if you don't want to, but you had made a comment about the ability of a couple other people being so much higher than yours, but I'm here as proof that those of us who stink (in comparison) still enjoy meets, too. Whatever you decide, I'm glad you participate in these forums! I often feel I'm out of my league on here, but everyone has been really nice and helpful. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

To give USMS credit, from what I'm seeing in replies to this post, pretty much everybody is in competition with themselves. What I don't see are articles in the magazine or online geared toward the fitness swimmer. I'd like some articles on nutrition advice, some easy drills to build up stamina, alternative exercises that improve stamina in the pool, and so forth. Maybe there have been but I haven't seen them since I've been a member. I have seen a lot of good nutrition advice and drills in Swimmer Magazine. Check out the back issues online. I did that when I joined and read all sorts of great articles. ElaineK, I saw you do the butterfly and you may not be the fastest, but you are excellent. You have impressive strength and skill. I will be routing for you on October 13th. You go, girl. Thanks, Denise! :D I didn't mean for this thread to sound like I'm down on competition, because I'm not. I really enjoyed meeting ElaineK and Swimosaur at the Nationals. Watching the event was truly inspiring, and I could tell that everyone was having a great time. I was just hoping some of the non-competitors would weigh in here with their workouts, how often they swim, whether they set any goals, and whether they have been able to lose weight and keep it off. Denise, I didn't swim as a kid except on the high school swim team where our "coach" was a P.E. teacher who didn't know how to swim or didn't know anything about swimming. I learned breaststroke by watching the only other breaststroker on our team. We shared a lane, and I followed (and watched) her. I didn't get back into swimming until I joined USMS in 2010.

Hi Anna Lee. Regarding "Swimming to Lose" - mark me down for 65 lbs lighter since I started USMS. I am maintaining the reduction in weight too! I did that without any type of program. Just consistent swimming and better eating habits. I have something to send to the Fitness Committee in December too. They'll just have to wait until then.

I was just hoping some of the non-competitors would weigh in here with their workouts. Have you seen the workout forum geared to new swimmers? forums.usms.org/forumdisplay.php?96-Basic-Training-for-the-New-Swimmer-by-Wendy-Neely

So FindingMyInnerFish, do you still run, and does it help with your swimming endurance? I do still run, Denise, though I think it's more the opposite--that swimming helps my running. I did a lot of swim training during the summer for a long o.w. swim, and of late I'm doing more running. I notice that some of the hamstring and knee issues that I had in the spring were gone, and while I wasn't running very fast, I was running without the twinges I'd been having. I want to keep both because when I'm focused on running, I get more injury prone--and yet as I go back to teaching in the fall, time for swimming becomes more scarce and running involves only throwing on some running clothes/shoes and stepping out the door, whereas swimming involves getting to the pool when it's available for lap swimming or masters practice, remembering all my gear and such, showering/changing afterward... I sometimes wish I lived next to a lake or bay where I could just walk out of the house and into the water--with home as my "locker room." But that said, I love the challenge of swimming workouts especially with a compatible coach (the guy I found this past spring/summer s great--he pushes hard but he believes in me too, which is very cool, and gives me excellent technique feedback). I try to get in meets when possible, but there aren't many close to where I live. So whatever comes along, I'm ready to give it a try if time allows! And I'll set more personal goals, not for winning but just to improve on a particular race or "process" goals like trying to remember/apply the technique tips I've gotten through the years. Someday, if I win the powerball (ha ha), I'll do nothing but run, swim, and write a book. But meanwhile in the real world.... ;)

To give USMS credit, from what I'm seeing in replies to this post, pretty much everybody is in competition with themselves. What I don't see are articles in the magazine or online geared toward the fitness swimmer. I'd like some articles on nutrition advice, some easy drills to build up stamina, alternative exercises that improve stamina in the pool, and so forth. Maybe there have been but I haven't seen them since I've been a member. The Sep/Oct issue of SWIMMER magazine is in the mail. It is already posted online so you can take a sneak peek if you have set up your MyUSMS account. On Page 38 is an article titled "Swimming to Lose," with the subtitle "Swimming and a Healthy Diet Can Add Up to Weight Loss." Turn to Page 25 for a technique feature, "Get Hip With Your Hips," about the role that hip rotation plays in the freestyle stroke. It is accompanied by an EXCELLENT three-minute technique video, which can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch www.usms.org/.../usms_create_forums_acct.pdf ]