How to Stick with Masters Swimming - Addressing Monotony

I agree with most of the advice already offered here, Jacques, so what follows may be a bit of rephrasing! 1) Mood improvement. I think a lot of swimmers swim, in part, because of the beneficial effects to stress levels, energy, mood, etc. You might try keeping a diary for a couple weeks noting how you feel before and after practice and how you feel on days when you don't swim at all. I suspect you might see that one of the main benefits of swimming happens not at the exact time of practice but in the aftermath. 2) Habitualize. I read someplace that to make something a habit, you need to do it 28 times! Not sure how they came up with this number, or if it's even true, but on the off chance it is, why not resolve to rethink things after you attended 28 practices? You say you've been swimming for around 2 months. Rough calculation: 2 months = ~ 9 weeks. Assuming you swim three times a week, you are pretty close to the magic number. Maybe try extending it for another 28 times! 3) Camaraderie. I think one of the best aspects of masters is making friends with your teammates. You can't do this swimming solo, which I understand some folks must do (no teams near by.) But if you can strike up friendships any and all teammates, plus possibly little rivalries with swimmers about your same speed, I think you will find this to be powerfully reinforcing. Our team periodically goes out for pizza and beer after Friday practices. It's a good way to get to know your teammates better with their clothes on. 4) The meet participation is, for many, another very powerful motivator. Once you establish your baseline times for different events, you will definitely be inspired to beat these times in the future, and working out hard and consistently at practice is the best way to achieve this. Good luck. I know everyone is different, but the more reasons you can give yourself to go, and the fewer reasons you give yourself to skip, the better the odds you'll become a lifer in this fantastic sport of ours!

I agree with most of the advice already offered here, Jacques, so what follows may be a bit of rephrasing! 1) Mood improvement. I think a lot of swimmers swim, in part, because of the beneficial effects to stress levels, energy, mood, etc. You might try keeping a diary for a couple weeks noting how you feel before and after practice and how you feel on days when you don't swim at all. I suspect you might see that one of the main benefits of swimming happens not at the exact time of practice but in the aftermath. 2) Habitualize. I read someplace that to make something a habit, you need to do it 28 times! Not sure how they came up with this number, or if it's even true, but on the off chance it is, why not resolve to rethink things after you attended 28 practices? You say you've been swimming for around 2 months. Rough calculation: 2 months = ~ 9 weeks. Assuming you swim three times a week, you are pretty close to the magic number. Maybe try extending it for another 28 times! 3) Camaraderie. I think one of the best aspects of masters is making friends with your teammates. You can't do this swimming solo, which I understand some folks must do (no teams near by.) But if you can strike up friendships any and all teammates, plus possibly little rivalries with swimmers about your same speed, I think you will find this to be powerfully reinforcing. Our team periodically goes out for pizza and beer after Friday practices. It's a good way to get to know your teammates better with their clothes on. 4) The meet participation is, for many, another very powerful motivator. Once you establish your baseline times for different events, you will definitely be inspired to beat these times in the future, and working out hard and consistently at practice is the best way to achieve this. Good luck. I know everyone is different, but the more reasons you can give yourself to go, and the fewer reasons you give yourself to skip, the better the odds you'll become a lifer in this fantastic sport of ours!