speedy non competitor..

i was just wondering if it was possible to train up to such a standard where winning becomes possible without having to enter loads of competitions,or if the adrenaline rush of competition was a good element for speed progress.The pool is at a health centre in barlby,uk. but is not 24 hour,opens at 6am till about 9pm but schedules public swims for about 2x2hours morning and night,there are classes and clubs but they only seem to cater for non-swimmers or fast schoolkids.I think the nearest larger pool is about an hour or more away and my time schedule is tight,still i'm not complaining i enjoy swimming and only started for fun,it's just i need direction from time to time and my speed is improving(but so is my age)i tried the new workout tonight 1x25 free,1x25breast+1x25free,1xbreast +1xfree +1xbreast,1xfree+1x ***+1xfree+1xbreast..warmups then main sets 1xfree+8xbreast+1xfree=250metres ten lots of these=2500,then warmup in reverse=250m total=3000metres,seemed to test me having the rests in between because i normally do them all at once,i started to sprint a bit more and the additional freestyle lengths made for good exercise and speed,very tired now but not excessively.

i was just wondering if it was possible to train up to such a standard where winning becomes possible without having to enter loads of competitions,or if the adrenaline rush of competition was a good element for speed progress.The pool is at a health centre in barlby,uk. but is not 24 hour,opens at 6am till about 9pm but schedules public swims for about 2x2hours morning and night,there are classes and clubs but they only seem to cater for non-swimmers or fast schoolkids.I think the nearest larger pool is about an hour or more away and my time schedule is tight,still i'm not complaining i enjoy swimming and only started for fun,it's just i need direction from time to time and my speed is improving(but so is my age)i tried the new workout tonight 1x25 free,1x25breast+1x25free,1xbreast +1xfree +1xbreast,1xfree+1x ***+1xfree+1xbreast..warmups then main sets 1xfree+8xbreast+1xfree=250metres ten lots of these=2500,then warmup in reverse=250m total=3000metres,seemed to test me having the rests in between because i normally do them all at once,i started to sprint a bit more and the additional freestyle lengths made for good exercise and speed,very tired now but not excessively.