Good morning! I have a question for any other US Masters swimmers. How long did you train before going back to compete again at meets? Did you jump right back into both or did you take a couple of years go get fully back into the swing of things? I have been out of the water for around 15 years, been back in for about a year but feel I am progressing slowly but surely. Thanks in advance!
I think it’s never too early to start trying to race to see where you are at in your training. I swam my first meet three months after starting my comeback. It wasn’t pretty! But after that I tried to do some sort of quality/race set every weekend that I didn’t race in an actual meet. The more racing you can do, the better!
(This is coming from someone who likes to be able to compete at a level approaching what I did 10-12 years ago, so not sure what you are looking to get out of competing.)
I knew I wanted an extra mental push when I got back in the water last year, so I signed up for a meet 8 weeks out before I'd even been in the water at all. Maybe not the best strategy for everybody but it helped me!
yep, it is probably ideal to plunge back into swimming from the blocks. So long as you can finish the event, it doesn’t matter what condition you are in to enjoy the beauty of competition. Also good to have a pristine baseline to build upon. Don’t laugh about the being able to “finish” part above, I once nearly drowned trying to complete a 200lcm fr, the 1st 50 was a split request for time, I breathed like once.
yep, it is probably ideal to plunge back into swimming from the blocks. So long as you can finish the event, it doesn’t matter what condition you are in to enjoy the beauty of competition. Also good to have a pristine baseline to build upon. Don’t laugh about the being able to “finish” part above, I once nearly drowned trying to complete a 200lcm fr, the 1st 50 was a split request for time, I breathed like once.
That's why I did only 50s at my first meet :P
Heck yeah! Find a meet 3-6 months out and just get to training. Use it as your baseline start and from there you can figure out what you need to adjust and change for the next meet. Don't wait for someday. And don't compare yourself to your times from 15 years ago. Race yourself.
On a side note, Master's meets are so fun as you get to meet new people and have competitive chill. :)
I started swimming again after a 34 year absence. My first meet was 6 months after I started and I swam 2 200 races. Finishing the races was more important. That was 3-1/2 years ago and I am enjoying it.
I really like how this one person put it (forgive me, I don't remember who exactly said this): "Many swimmers think you practice to compete, when in fact you are best off thinking of your races as a way to practice." When you race, yes there is nervousness and permanence to your performance, but in the thrill of it you usually do your best, and that is what's amazing. If you do your best in a race, you know what it feels like to do your best, then you should try to feel like your best at practice sets, too. I personally agree that for anyone who likes to compete, you will be most happy if you race as a way to practice. This mindset is a fantastic one to have in Masters, where you have an almost infinite amount of chances to improve your races. In high school and college, you're under the gun to perform before you age out. But in Masters, you only age up, so no need to put pressure on to practice enough before even trying a race. Just have fun at your meets. Take them seriously only if you want to. I personally try to attend every meet I can afford or am close enough to drive to.
When I started HS swimming at 16, I had little to no prior sports or exercise experiences. August of that year, I could not swim 25yds without my lungs feeling like they'd burst, and my body failing me. Shortly after, in November, I was racing other high school juniors and seniors in 50 and 100yd sprints. All that came between rust and competition was a few months of coached practices, 5 days a week most afternoons. I would say going immediately from learning competitive swim into actual competition was a fantastic idea. I did not have time to worry if I would be good enough, or had practiced enough, the choice to join swim team entailed race entries, once I was fit. For me it was very non-negotiable, especially at high school: "You're going to be a competitive swimmer and so you must participate in regular competition."
I love competing and participating in meets so I don't save this as the reward for the end of the road - instead I enjoy it as soon as the opportunity presents itself in my area. For me, practices are the "filler" between as many meets as I can make, and meets or races are "checkpoints" that are part of my holistic practice regimen. :)
