So, as a know-nothing-newbie, I decided that I should swim most days, but with very modest session totals. Lately I typically swim 1200m-2000m per session. (I love the idea of 10km per week!!)
I've wondered if I would be much better off with 3km+ sessions, but maybe 3-4 times per week?
The thing is - I love swimming daily, and I DO NOT LOVE being in the pool for over an hour. I'm doing what I love, but sometimes love is blind!! :)
I'd love to hear from experienced swimmers if you think that most days per week at modest volumes is a better recipe than fewer times per week at much higher volumes. Maybe it depends on how newbie you are? Maybe it depends upon what you are training for?
Thanks for any thoughts you may have on this. I appreciate it greatly.
Parents
Former Member
...I never know what's going to happen.
Exactly! And isn't it wonderful? By that I mean when I was swimming HS/College there was so much pressure to do it all well, everyday, all the time. And now that I'm a wee bit older (53) I don't know what's going to happen but now that I have learned at least a little, I've decided to make this good news. I may have a fantastic pool day, maybe not. But how delightful it is to be alive and have the chance to find out. And those days where something fun (or miraculous) to me happens...well, they seem to completely make up for those off days.
I guess it is a matter now that there are a lot of things I want to happen but it no longer matters so much if they do happen.
Last Saturday, I swam my best time in two years in the 200 fly and 200 breaststroke. I came really close in the 50 breaststroke, and I swam faster than I thought I would in all four of my races and the relay.
I arrived at the meet on Sunday ready to duplicate Saturday's success. I swam the exact same warm-up as Saturday; however, my 200 IM felt like HELL. I almost scratched the remainder of my races. My husband was with me, though, and I didn't want to disappoint him, especially after our 1-hr drive to the pool each way. I also didn't want to disappoint myself by quitting; but, Saturday really took it out of me.
Immediately following the 200 IM, I swam the 50 backstroke, an off event I hadn't raced in two years. I thought, what the heck, I will swim this race and then see how I feel. I ended up only five one-hundredths of a second off my 2017 time at that meet, and I hadn't trained that race at all! After that, I was in a much better mood, and I even volunteered for a relay at the end of the day.
The moral of the story: Take it one day at a time, and don't let any one day in the pool define you as a Masters swimmer or a person! Keep an eye on the long-range goal.
Congratulations! Thank you for reporting on not only the successes but also how you felt & why. And also for the reminder about day-at-a-time and yet also focusing on the long range picture. I think I need to remind myself about this most days.
...I never know what's going to happen.
Exactly! And isn't it wonderful? By that I mean when I was swimming HS/College there was so much pressure to do it all well, everyday, all the time. And now that I'm a wee bit older (53) I don't know what's going to happen but now that I have learned at least a little, I've decided to make this good news. I may have a fantastic pool day, maybe not. But how delightful it is to be alive and have the chance to find out. And those days where something fun (or miraculous) to me happens...well, they seem to completely make up for those off days.
I guess it is a matter now that there are a lot of things I want to happen but it no longer matters so much if they do happen.
Last Saturday, I swam my best time in two years in the 200 fly and 200 breaststroke. I came really close in the 50 breaststroke, and I swam faster than I thought I would in all four of my races and the relay.
I arrived at the meet on Sunday ready to duplicate Saturday's success. I swam the exact same warm-up as Saturday; however, my 200 IM felt like HELL. I almost scratched the remainder of my races. My husband was with me, though, and I didn't want to disappoint him, especially after our 1-hr drive to the pool each way. I also didn't want to disappoint myself by quitting; but, Saturday really took it out of me.
Immediately following the 200 IM, I swam the 50 backstroke, an off event I hadn't raced in two years. I thought, what the heck, I will swim this race and then see how I feel. I ended up only five one-hundredths of a second off my 2017 time at that meet, and I hadn't trained that race at all! After that, I was in a much better mood, and I even volunteered for a relay at the end of the day.
The moral of the story: Take it one day at a time, and don't let any one day in the pool define you as a Masters swimmer or a person! Keep an eye on the long-range goal.
Congratulations! Thank you for reporting on not only the successes but also how you felt & why. And also for the reminder about day-at-a-time and yet also focusing on the long range picture. I think I need to remind myself about this most days.
