The short answer to this question is "absolutely, you can!". But the key to successfully accomplishing this goal is in your approach to swimming.
You're headed in the right direction by asking the good folks on the USMS forum for advice, and as you can see there are already plenty of encouraging answers and personal stories that will hopefully serve to give you confidence to start the journey.
The next step will be to decide whether you want to start out on your own or with a coach/team. If you start out on your own, you'll need to arm yourself with as much swimming knowledge as possible and then you will need to know how to apply that knowledge to your own specific needs as a swimmer. This is where things can get tricky - and why it is actually best to work with a coach from the start. You'll find plenty of self-help videos, apps, books telling you that you can go it alone. But since there are so many options, each giving different advice, it can get confusing. It can also be frustrating trying to apply the principles that you are taught in these self-help guides without being able to see yourself in the water.
This is why it is best to work with a coach, either through private lessons or by joining a team. Here, too, you won't always encounter smooth sailing. You only have to consult the recent thread about a "new masters swim coach" to see that there are differing coaching philosophies which are either embraced or rejected, depending upon the swimmer and his/her goals. You'll have to determine whether the coach you work with is right for you and your needs.
Avoiding injuries in this process is also key. There is nothing more frustrating than starting out too far and too fast on your swimming venture and winding up with a swimming-induced injury that could hold you back for months. You'll need to focus first and foremost on developing a technical base to your swimming before you work on increasing your yardage and intensity. This might be a good article for you to take a look at: swimswam.com/5-keys-to-finding-the-motivation-to-train/
The best part about swimming is that anything is possible. I've enjoyed working with triathletes who started out not knowing how to swim and are now completing Olympic or sprint distance triathletes with 1/2 mile or 1 mile swims. One of my favorite experiences was to work with a 29-year-old who initially could not make it past more than two lengths of the pool and see her, over the course of 2-3 years, competing in multiple events at a variety of different levels of meets. She has now even become a coach to age group teams.
There is definitely hope for competitive swimming at any age, as long as you approach the process slowly, steadily and wisely. Good luck!
The short answer to this question is "absolutely, you can!". But the key to successfully accomplishing this goal is in your approach to swimming.
You're headed in the right direction by asking the good folks on the USMS forum for advice, and as you can see there are already plenty of encouraging answers and personal stories that will hopefully serve to give you confidence to start the journey.
The next step will be to decide whether you want to start out on your own or with a coach/team. If you start out on your own, you'll need to arm yourself with as much swimming knowledge as possible and then you will need to know how to apply that knowledge to your own specific needs as a swimmer. This is where things can get tricky - and why it is actually best to work with a coach from the start. You'll find plenty of self-help videos, apps, books telling you that you can go it alone. But since there are so many options, each giving different advice, it can get confusing. It can also be frustrating trying to apply the principles that you are taught in these self-help guides without being able to see yourself in the water.
This is why it is best to work with a coach, either through private lessons or by joining a team. Here, too, you won't always encounter smooth sailing. You only have to consult the recent thread about a "new masters swim coach" to see that there are differing coaching philosophies which are either embraced or rejected, depending upon the swimmer and his/her goals. You'll have to determine whether the coach you work with is right for you and your needs.
Avoiding injuries in this process is also key. There is nothing more frustrating than starting out too far and too fast on your swimming venture and winding up with a swimming-induced injury that could hold you back for months. You'll need to focus first and foremost on developing a technical base to your swimming before you work on increasing your yardage and intensity. This might be a good article for you to take a look at: swimswam.com/5-keys-to-finding-the-motivation-to-train/
The best part about swimming is that anything is possible. I've enjoyed working with triathletes who started out not knowing how to swim and are now completing Olympic or sprint distance triathletes with 1/2 mile or 1 mile swims. One of my favorite experiences was to work with a 29-year-old who initially could not make it past more than two lengths of the pool and see her, over the course of 2-3 years, competing in multiple events at a variety of different levels of meets. She has now even become a coach to age group teams.
There is definitely hope for competitive swimming at any age, as long as you approach the process slowly, steadily and wisely. Good luck!
