A few days ago I stopped doing a particular type of set in my workouts because I wasn't enjoying them. I have done that a couple of times before and several times I have changed sets or dropped out sets due to injuries/pain.That got me thinking about sustainability. I have been swimming Masters and competing for 43 years. About 25 years ago I set my goal to set World Records in the 3 Breaststrokes in the 100-104 age groups. To do that I must first live that long. That is certainly not something I can count on, and many things are out of my control. I can control what I eat, how much I sleep, what supplements I take and what risks I am willing to take. Then I must get to that age without any disabilities that preclude my swimming. That is a similar mix of things I can control and things I can't. Lastly I have to still want to swim and to compete. That is the purpose of this post. If you are in it for the long haul, your workouts must be sustainable both physically and mentally. Can you imagine doing the type of workouts you are doing for 60 or more years? Can you imagine enjoying them. If not,maybe you should be doing different workouts.
On the other hand, I'm still a relative newcomer to swimming. Running was my forever sport until arthritis put a crimp in those plans. I ran for 40+ years and swam on and off only for cross training. It would have been very nice had I been able to continue doing what I wanted, but as a chronicler of the sport I knew that very few people continue even as long as I had. Then there came a time to say, what else can I do to remain active and vital.
I was a writer for the local runners club and a couple times even wrote about longevity in the sport, so I did a lot of research into the subject. One finds that distribution by age group has been fairly consistent over decades, meaning that as one ages there is diminution in physical as well as psychological abilities to continue. There are illnesses and accumulated overuse injuries that are unpredictable, so some are forced out at 45, some at 65, and a lucky few keep going seemingly forever. Almost all long-term athletes feel as Allen does. We hope and pray to keep going, but the odds are stacked against us in the long term. What we can and must do is resolve to remain fit by whatever means our bodies will allow.
On the other hand, I'm still a relative newcomer to swimming. Running was my forever sport until arthritis put a crimp in those plans. I ran for 40+ years and swam on and off only for cross training. It would have been very nice had I been able to continue doing what I wanted, but as a chronicler of the sport I knew that very few people continue even as long as I had. Then there came a time to say, what else can I do to remain active and vital.
I was a writer for the local runners club and a couple times even wrote about longevity in the sport, so I did a lot of research into the subject. One finds that distribution by age group has been fairly consistent over decades, meaning that as one ages there is diminution in physical as well as psychological abilities to continue. There are illnesses and accumulated overuse injuries that are unpredictable, so some are forced out at 45, some at 65, and a lucky few keep going seemingly forever. Almost all long-term athletes feel as Allen does. We hope and pray to keep going, but the odds are stacked against us in the long term. What we can and must do is resolve to remain fit by whatever means our bodies will allow.
