USMS Fall Fitness Challenge (1 Mile swim)

I'm primarily a recreational swimmer, but did join a coached masters team last year. I have attempted to keep up with the workouts but at 70 I can sometimes only complete half what the others (30 & 40-somethings) are doing. It has given me less incentive to enter meets, knowing I would finish poorly even if I did my best. But a self-regulated thing such as this where I compare me to only me, does have an appeal. At 70, why are you comparing yourself to swimmers half your age? At meets, you would compete in the 70-74 age group. The way to know how you would finish compared to your own age group is to time yourself in practice "races," and then look up how your time would compare to others in your age group. You can check them out in the Event Rankings on this site at www.usms.org/.../eventrank.php , Here, for example, is a sampling of the 2017-2918 results for the 1650 Freestyle in your age group: #1- 21:46.42, Last (#49) 40:36.58, and the middle of the pack came in at 28:54.45. Time yourself on a 1650 and see where you would rank. I would like to suggest, too, that if you only think of meets in regards to how you would perform, you are missing out on A LOT! There are so many more benefits to participating in swim meets than just how you finish in a race. :agree:

These are geared for the fitness swimmer, not necessarily team swimmers. The idea is to get more recreational swimmers involved and active in the sport. Hopefully, they will become ​team swimmers! This. I don't have a group of my own, but having a fixed goal (in this case, a mile swim logged between 11/15 and 11/30) gives me something to work at that isn't just swimming between walls. The written workouts USMS offers have been very helpful for me, as far as how do I get better, what kinds of things can I try, and a taste of what a workout group might be like. I know personally I've felt better in the water, and that makes me feel more confident about perhaps joining a club or group or even competing at some date.

None of these "Fitness Challenges" have made any sense. All of them (set lasting 30+ minutes; set totaling 2000+ yards; set totaling 1+ miles) are things that normal USMS teams do at least once a week. These are geared for the fitness swimmer, not necessarily team swimmers. The idea is to get more recreational swimmers involved and active in the sport. Hopefully, they will become ​team swimmers!

I looked at last years USMS results and I would come in last even in my age group. For instance 1000y has 48 swimmers from 12-23 minutes. I generally swim 1000 in 28-something. An all-out 1000 might give me 2 minutes faster but that's it. I might expect to do 45 or 46 for 1650. I'm a veteran of about 500 road, track, and triathlon races, and now 3 swim meets. I did not get the same feeling of camaraderie in the swim meets as with running. I felt very much out of place.

I'm a veteran of about 500 road, track, and triathlon races, and now 3 swim meets. I did not get the same feeling of camaraderie in the swim meets as with running. I felt very much out of place. That resumé sounds a lot like me. Nothing against any swimmer. I just don't feel like I'm a "swim meet" kind of person. I wish I did. Open water swim events...that's a different story. Dan 11732

Right, as Dan says, OWS was a different experience for me as well. My profile pic on the left is from the Betsy Owens 1 mile OWS in Lake Placid, NY (48:44 at age 68). I was indeed DFL by a long margin, but felt welcomed from sign-in to finish.

My experience is that open water swims are fairly welcoming to members, such as myself, of Team DFL. I got to shake Mark Spitz's extremely large and warm hand immediately after finishing in a sTunNinG 2:29:12 in a race with a 2:30 cutoff. I did not know who he was until someone told me, but I appreciated the heat transfer involved. It was a high point in my extensive DFL career. I don't think he shook the hands of each of the many 1:20-something swimmers. Sumorunner, you can be my Team DFL buddy.

..... There are so many more benefits to participating in swim meets than just how you finish in a race. :agree: Yeah! Like donuts and coffee before, and the occasional libations afterwards!

If I remember -- 1,650 is the total distance of a H S dual meet/

If I remember -- 1,650 is the total distance of a H S dual meet/ The pool's length is honestly less of an annoyance (I was swimming there for a long time not realizing it was meters), rather it's just the nicest of the pools I don't have to pay for. One entire wall is windows and the natural light makes such a difference for me, personally.