Working out on your own!

I was swimming alone today , working on some interval stuff. As I looked up at the pace clock, some old guy in the next lane asked "Timing yourself?" It being 3 seconds to the top, I replied "Always!" and started another 100. Perhaps that was a tad rude; but I thought to myself if there wasn't a pace clock on the wall, I'd have to bring one. Trying to beat the clock is what has kept me going for 13 years. Always THAT familiar face!;)

I write up my workout the night before. I find this helps as I have a plan. Otherwise I might just loaf around. I have a book of workouts plus some that I have gotten from the internet - including this website. I print out the workout in a large enough font so I don't need glasses and put it in a plastic baggie.

hey- working out on your own isn't that bad... I do it, although I can understand what you are saying about healthy competition. I'm planning on joining a team when I get up enough nerve! Anyway, I found this link and thought that maybe it will help-... members.aol.com/.../MembersInfo.html (this is the homepage members.aol.com/.../ ) maybe this will help.... :) Good luck...

I had been going to a coached workout for 20 years at Caltech. Then, the powers that be decided that the Masters team had to change workout times from 6:00 - 7:30 PM to 7:00 to 8:30 PM. Getting done at 7:30, I could get home and still have a nice meal with my wife. However, getting home at 9:00 PM and having dinner was just not possible. So for the last year and a half I have been working out on my own - and I love it! For the first year I took the workouts off the web, mostly from Mountain View Masters. I'd make a copy, plaster it to the edge of the pool and consider it the coach. Whatever it said on the paper, I did. I have worked harder than ever and have enjoyed. For the last year I have been writing my own workouts. This has been great because I have been able to tailor the workouts to my needs. I don't do junk yardage but lots of "Choice Quality Stuff". I still post the workout on the edge of the pool and do what it says. It has worked well for me. So that I don't lose touch with my swimming friends at Caltech, I still go to a Saturday morning workout that is coached - the best of both worlds. Try it, you may find you enjoy it!! Glenn:cool:

Its sort of fun swimming alone. But I have more competition at the rec pool than the health club pool- most of them don't swim laps. And I swam more like 1:45 to 2:17 on a 100 yard swim in workouts depending upon the stroke and how slow or tired I 'am. So, when I do interval training on a pace clock I rest for 10 seconds to 20 seconds rather than do 10 x 50's at 1:10 or 1:20. It's easier for me. When I was a teenager I could do 100's particulary freestyle or butterfly or maybe breastroke on 1:30 but my best time for even freestyle now is probably around 1:24. I also do odd swims like 125 yards or 225 yards for meter training. As for strange lengths- the health club pool is only 15 yards and the rec pool is 25 meters by 25 yards, but the 25 meter part is not available for lap swim since they would be few lanes available swimming that way. In the 15 yard pool, I can do 15's or 30's 60's 90's or 120's, odd distances.

I found that site as well as many other OK sites about masters swimming. I emailed a woman about it. I guess she was the "go to" person (I dont remember her title). And the place she gave me was about 40-50 miles from where I live and they only practiced 2 times a week. I think what I might try doing when I get there. Is put up an add in the base paper and gym seeing if anyone would be interested in swimming 5-6 days a week. You never know there could be someone there with the same problem I'm having. Thanks. Kelli,

About 90% of my workouts. I have found it helpful to set time goals for specific sets. I do a 1000M swim for time every week and I always record my results. I also have an IM set: 4 100s, 2 x 200, and 1 x 400. I try to swim my 100's on 1:25, 200 on 2:50, 400 under 5:40 (stay the same pace throughtout). In order to do this, I look at the pace clock in the middle of the swims and make sure that I am on task. I think one of the reasons that I do not get "bored" or unmotivated is because I have such specific workout goals. One last thing, if you swim on your own, there is a chance that you are swimming at a health club (just a hunch). Believe it or not, those pools are rarely any regulation distance. My pool is just a few inches longer than 25 M (don't know why...) Good luck to you...

What I do in my solo-workouts is to imagine someone racing me in the next lanes. The good thing about imagination is that there is no end to your competition...from that team-mate who always gave you a run for your money back in college, to someone you have always wanted to swim against but never had the opportunity. The fact that you train a bit longer than 25 meter is good. Your body becomes accustomed to that distance and if you compete, the end of a race will seem that much better when your able to just kick harder than anyone else at the meet. Solo swimming is wonderful and a true meditative process. Just be careful when swimming striclty by yourself. If something were to happen, does anyone see you? Think before you sink Peace--Mark Urban of Illinois Masters:o

Is your problem motivating yourself during the workout, or motivating yourself to go to the workout in the first place? If it's the latter... This might sound a little weird, but that's because it is. Convince yourself that if you don't work out you'll die. That's what I did. I told myself that if I didn't work out I would contract a whole host of diseases and have heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, gout, ulcers, gall stones, brain tumors, diabetes and herpes. I have made working out a matter of life and death. I must go work out, as working out is as important as anything else I do (or moreso). Whenever I work out, I do feel better. That just adds to the effect. When I don't have that loose, relaxed feeling and clear head from swimming 3500m, I think I'm going to succumb and want to get back into the pool. Swim or die.:)

I recently joined the Masters. I am very happy I did. It gave me info onalot of swim meets. Also to compete you have to be amasters. I do alot of swimming. but all of it is alone. I only swim free style. As my shoulders wont, allow me to do any other strokes, but haveing said that. Iguess I got used to swimming alone. I really do not mind swimming alone. Although at times it is boring. But when you start swimming against the clock , it is alittle more fun. But since moving to AZ. I have competed in a few races. 1650 , 500 , 200 ,100, 50 free style. but I can tellyou , the enjoyment, of meeting people, and the spirit of competeing is awsome. Thank you MASTERS. DOM.