I just got back from the SPMS meet and I am in a funk. I have talked to several of my contemporaries who share my dysphoria at getting slower. From age 50-62 I slowed down very little. Ages 63 and 64 were one injury or illness after another, but at least there was a cause and I felt I would do better. Age 65 I aged up and for most of the year was healthy. That was a great year,but my times were all significantly slower than at 62. Since then it is very unusual to have one swim that is faster than I did the previous year.At 67(almost 68) I am notably slower than at 65. I have seen the graphs of how times slow with age, intellectually, if I am staying at the same rate of decline as my peers I should accept it, but I don't like it. I know most forumites are much younger and what I am saying may seem like something natural that I should just acknowledge and go on, that is what I thought until I was 63. I know that our having age groups every 5 years is a partial solution to the problem, but there is more difference between a 65 year old and a 68 year old than between a 40 year old and a 50 year old, in my experience. How do the other older swimmers out there cope and have a good attitude? The common saying in Masters Swimming is that "you are only competing against yourself",but my slightly younger self is kicking my butt and I am tired of it.
Thank you,thank all of you. I know aging is inevitable,but I am surprised at how much slower I am now than a few years ago. The most extreme example is my 200M LCM BR is about 10 sec slower than 5 yr ago. It is still really good "for my age",but it is hard not to compare it to even 2 yr ago when I was 3+ seconds faster. It is what it is and I'll accept it,but it takes some getting used to,hence the funk.
Not sure what you mean by 'funk', but if it means ' this HAS got to stop' and 'no more declining times this year' and 'look my pb this year is nowhere near world record for my age group - i am going to step up my training'
Its pretty obvious to me that us 'oldies' ( I'm 63) often give up the challenge by looking around at our local competitors, see that their times are regressing badly and take our cue from them. Ally to that Old Mens Niggles (and women's ) and we really have every excuse to stay in our armchairs too often and too long :)
I am feeling particularly good at the moment. After 5 years of shoulder injury, plus several other niggles, nearly all mended now, I recently posted my fastest 400, 800 and 1500m times since 2007! Yes, 9-year PBs!
This has taken some hard work. More training than i did in 2007 - more distance and more strength sets. Its also needed me to realise that if i want approach lifetime PBs then i must believe its possible!
I need to look at 'the best' in my age group and say to myself that i can at least track their declining times and NOT decline faster than them! This, I feel, should be the yardstick for us all as we age NOT absolute times, but relative times relative to the best in our new age groups.
We are aging but we do not need to think we cannot improve our times, especially if we never were world record holders. Old bodies are amazing and we can make them amaze ourselves if we give them a chance to maximise their potential.
Apologies Allen for going off on one, as we say around these parts :)
Thank you,thank all of you. I know aging is inevitable,but I am surprised at how much slower I am now than a few years ago. The most extreme example is my 200M LCM BR is about 10 sec slower than 5 yr ago. It is still really good "for my age",but it is hard not to compare it to even 2 yr ago when I was 3+ seconds faster. It is what it is and I'll accept it,but it takes some getting used to,hence the funk.
Not sure what you mean by 'funk', but if it means ' this HAS got to stop' and 'no more declining times this year' and 'look my pb this year is nowhere near world record for my age group - i am going to step up my training'
Its pretty obvious to me that us 'oldies' ( I'm 63) often give up the challenge by looking around at our local competitors, see that their times are regressing badly and take our cue from them. Ally to that Old Mens Niggles (and women's ) and we really have every excuse to stay in our armchairs too often and too long :)
I am feeling particularly good at the moment. After 5 years of shoulder injury, plus several other niggles, nearly all mended now, I recently posted my fastest 400, 800 and 1500m times since 2007! Yes, 9-year PBs!
This has taken some hard work. More training than i did in 2007 - more distance and more strength sets. Its also needed me to realise that if i want approach lifetime PBs then i must believe its possible!
I need to look at 'the best' in my age group and say to myself that i can at least track their declining times and NOT decline faster than them! This, I feel, should be the yardstick for us all as we age NOT absolute times, but relative times relative to the best in our new age groups.
We are aging but we do not need to think we cannot improve our times, especially if we never were world record holders. Old bodies are amazing and we can make them amaze ourselves if we give them a chance to maximise their potential.
Apologies Allen for going off on one, as we say around these parts :)
