Kids, yes that's part of it for many. Burn-out from AG, HS, and/or College swimming is, too. For me, the big change was becoming secure in my career. I spent more time at work in my 20's and 30's than I do now in my 40's. Now I can take a long lunch to swim a couple times a week, or leave an hour early on Friday's to make Masters Team Practice. I used to work every Saturday, but do so only occasionally, now, so there's not as much family conflict with going to a meet or team practice or bike ride or triathlon on Sunday. I get more vacation, and, with seniority, priority choice of vacation dates over younger co-workers. In short, I don't have to put as much mental or physical energy into my career as I did when I was younger, and can re-direct the difference to swimming.
I'm also probably not alone in having had a "moment" when I looked in the mirror and thought "my goodness, If I'm this unfit in my mid-40's, what am I going to be like in my 50's, 60's, and 70's?" If you were athletic as a young person, you always feel like you can get back into shape "someday." For me, I finally got to the point where I thought "'someday' is today or never. If I don't do this now, I'll be too far gone to ever get it back." That was 4 years ago. I'm closing in on 50, and in better shape than I was at any time since I got out of the Army at 21.
Kids, yes that's part of it for many. Burn-out from AG, HS, and/or College swimming is, too. For me, the big change was becoming secure in my career. I spent more time at work in my 20's and 30's than I do now in my 40's. Now I can take a long lunch to swim a couple times a week, or leave an hour early on Friday's to make Masters Team Practice. I used to work every Saturday, but do so only occasionally, now, so there's not as much family conflict with going to a meet or team practice or bike ride or triathlon on Sunday. I get more vacation, and, with seniority, priority choice of vacation dates over younger co-workers. In short, I don't have to put as much mental or physical energy into my career as I did when I was younger, and can re-direct the difference to swimming.
I'm also probably not alone in having had a "moment" when I looked in the mirror and thought "my goodness, If I'm this unfit in my mid-40's, what am I going to be like in my 50's, 60's, and 70's?" If you were athletic as a young person, you always feel like you can get back into shape "someday." For me, I finally got to the point where I thought "'someday' is today or never. If I don't do this now, I'll be too far gone to ever get it back." That was 4 years ago. I'm closing in on 50, and in better shape than I was at any time since I got out of the Army at 21.
