May/June cover of USMS Swimmer

This thread is full of life! Where is *** in times like these? Regarding swim meets and getting your butt kicked by people twice your age...I have been shown up a few times in my 50 and 100 Free events by people in their 40's and sometimes early 50's (I am 31). What keeps it fun for me is that the people in my heat are of similar talent and fitness levels. I race in my heat and make that MY race for the day. I am not really concerned about the overall for the day, just my heat. Sure, I always stick around and get my ribbons for whatever place I happen to get in my age group (last time I got 1st in an event because I was the only competitor in that age group...:D ). But the nerve racking step up to the starting block, the semmingly endless wait for the horn to sound, and the eager anticipation to see who will touch the last wall first is what makes it worthwhile. Ribbons are nice but the feeling before, during, and after my heat race is what makes me come back for more. To touch on what Gull stated a few posts ago, the beauty of this whole thing is that while I have fun preparing for a meet, all the while I am actually doing my body a tremendous amount of good by staying active.

This thread is full of life! Where is *** in times like these? Regarding swim meets and getting your butt kicked by people twice your age...I have been shown up a few times in my 50 and 100 Free events by people in their 40's and sometimes early 50's (I am 31). What keeps it fun for me is that the people in my heat are of similar talent and fitness levels. I race in my heat and make that MY race for the day. I am not really concerned about the overall for the day, just my heat. Sure, I always stick around and get my ribbons for whatever place I happen to get in my age group (last time I got 1st in an event because I was the only competitor in that age group...:D ). But the nerve racking step up to the starting block, the semmingly endless wait for the horn to sound, and the eager anticipation to see who will touch the last wall first is what makes it worthwhile. Ribbons are nice but the feeling before, during, and after my heat race is what makes me come back for more. To touch on what Gull stated a few posts ago, the beauty of this whole thing is that while I have fun preparing for a meet, all the while I am actually doing my body a tremendous amount of good by staying active.