Newbie coming out of LONG retirement

I am 45 and 16 months back in the water after about a 17 year layoff with little or no fitness/cardio training, except for a brief 2 year stint of water polo about 15 years ago. I got back into swimming only to get myself into shape with no plans to do anything competitively. I got suckered into picking up the swim leg on a sprint triathlon relay and my competitive nature took over. I swam in my first masters meet last month and it was a huge eye opener. A few things about coming back to swimming generally and what I saw at my first masters meet. 1. Technique has changed a lot since we last swam competitively. Head position is different, backstroke turns are different, *** stroke is different. Be prepared to learn the new techniques or you won't be as fast as everyone else. 2. I was a distance swimmer in HS. I figured I'd ease back into competition with shorter distances, and realized why I was a distance swimmer. Also, there will be a lot more swimmers in the shorter distances and a lot of them have been swimming continuously. Being that you are a triathlete, you might have better luck at a little longer distance. 3. Dive off the blocks a bit in the weeks leading up to the race. I had not been off a block in 17 years, aside from about 8 times the week before the meet just to see what it would feel like. Plus, I had not really been focusing on turns in my 16 months back, just using them to turn around and not thinking about speed in and a good push, and not breathing inside the flags, etc. Starts and turns are important in the shorter distances and that killed my times. 4. I was not mentally prepared to "race". Have a game plan for each race. 5. Masters meets move very fast. Heats can start before the previous heat is out of the water. You need to be on your toes and alert and watching for your heats. 6. Have fun.

I am 45 and 16 months back in the water after about a 17 year layoff with little or no fitness/cardio training, except for a brief 2 year stint of water polo about 15 years ago. I got back into swimming only to get myself into shape with no plans to do anything competitively. I got suckered into picking up the swim leg on a sprint triathlon relay and my competitive nature took over. I swam in my first masters meet last month and it was a huge eye opener. A few things about coming back to swimming generally and what I saw at my first masters meet. 1. Technique has changed a lot since we last swam competitively. Head position is different, backstroke turns are different, *** stroke is different. Be prepared to learn the new techniques or you won't be as fast as everyone else. 2. I was a distance swimmer in HS. I figured I'd ease back into competition with shorter distances, and realized why I was a distance swimmer. Also, there will be a lot more swimmers in the shorter distances and a lot of them have been swimming continuously. Being that you are a triathlete, you might have better luck at a little longer distance. 3. Dive off the blocks a bit in the weeks leading up to the race. I had not been off a block in 17 years, aside from about 8 times the week before the meet just to see what it would feel like. Plus, I had not really been focusing on turns in my 16 months back, just using them to turn around and not thinking about speed in and a good push, and not breathing inside the flags, etc. Starts and turns are important in the shorter distances and that killed my times. 4. I was not mentally prepared to "race". Have a game plan for each race. 5. Masters meets move very fast. Heats can start before the previous heat is out of the water. You need to be on your toes and alert and watching for your heats. 6. Have fun.