I've been swimming masters now for well over a decade and I've hit a bit of a lull. Last year I set my Go The Distance goal at 550 miles and missed it, so this year I revised it downward to 500 miles and as of today I'm 66 miles behind the pace I need to be at to hit that goal. I just don't have the desire to get to the pool as often, or stay in as long, as I usually do.
With that introduction my question really is: how do YOU train long term? Do you try to stay consistent or do you vary from year to year? Historically I've been very consistent, but I wonder if intentionally varying things is a better long term strategy.
The problem with taking breaks from swimming altogether is that it is easier to get out of swimming shape and harder to get back into it after some time away. I know you said you were more interested in varying the amount of time spent in the pool as opposed to hearing about training variations, but maybe your break needs to be in the form of different goals for swimming, like what Swimosaur was describing. If your goal has been to get in the mileage in the past, maybe your new focus can be on technique work and increasing efficiency. Given what you've described and the fact that you've had a previous shoulder injury, learning new drills and techniques specific to your needs can definitely help stave off future injuries and give some variety which will in turn (hopefully) renew your motivation to train.
There are also other ways to take a break from your usual swim pattern without actually staying away from the water. You can focus on open water (if you don't already), or you can even try something like a swimming holiday. SwimTrek does great trips like this.
You've always given such consistently great advice on this forum - hopefully all of the great advice you're receiving on this thread will be helpful in getting your motivation back!
The problem with taking breaks from swimming altogether is that it is easier to get out of swimming shape and harder to get back into it after some time away. I know you said you were more interested in varying the amount of time spent in the pool as opposed to hearing about training variations, but maybe your break needs to be in the form of different goals for swimming, like what Swimosaur was describing. If your goal has been to get in the mileage in the past, maybe your new focus can be on technique work and increasing efficiency. Given what you've described and the fact that you've had a previous shoulder injury, learning new drills and techniques specific to your needs can definitely help stave off future injuries and give some variety which will in turn (hopefully) renew your motivation to train.
There are also other ways to take a break from your usual swim pattern without actually staying away from the water. You can focus on open water (if you don't already), or you can even try something like a swimming holiday. SwimTrek does great trips like this.
You've always given such consistently great advice on this forum - hopefully all of the great advice you're receiving on this thread will be helpful in getting your motivation back!
