I did it & now my stomach is in knots!

I practice with a USS team every chance I get (usually 3 days a week). There is a masters team here but their practices aren't as long as I want nor at the right time. So I get up at 4am and swim from 4:30-6am with the senior program. There is a higher level but it is super intense (some going to Olympic trials) and does dryland which I don't need. As for advice, just do what the coach says and enjoy it. If it's too tough, do what you can. I bet you will be faster and keep up with them better than you think. There are some on my group that are faster, some are slower. I enjoy the challenge and love hanging out with the kids (they keep me young feeling). The coaches I'm with have been super accepting and push me hard. I'm sure you will find that with your team, too. Good luck! Alison

You show 'em! :bow:

Oh man! I just got this email from the Coach in response to my question if I should bring anything beyond my suit and goggles: "The evening workouts change everyday. You will be challenged. When the first swimmer completes the set I move on to the next set. You probably wont finish most sets." :help:

Sounds like some sort of scare tactic from the coach. I have swam with our USS senior team before and there was none of this nonsense going on. There were some kids that were faster than me and some that were slower. No big deal. My suggestion would be to go and swim with them and put forth your best effort. Nobody can look down upon you for that. Chances are, you will be faster than some of the kids on the team anyhow.

and remember you have "Masters Power" just don't abuse it ;)

Wow! Good for you! We can share our summer experiences w/ the USS teams together. From the few practices I've done w/ Senior I my personal advice is: 1. Swim with them when you are feeling 100% or close to it; don't try and and swim with them if you are sick or recovering from a cold/ illness 2. Hydrate well before, during, and after the practice - consider an energy drink like Power Bar endurance (but try it out during masters practices and not when you first start up with them); this prevents me from cramping. Another must: good diet and enough sleep. 3. I noticed USS practices are much faster paced so be ready to jump into the next set - or wow, like your coach seems to do, be ready to not have much rest at all?! That's a new one I've not heard! Ouch! :whiteflag: Be ready for lots more yardage in a short amount of time. Often, the coaches don't repeat the set, so just ask your lanemates what's going on. Intervals are usually: TIGHT! 4. Don't be afraid to take a break during a set or between sets if you need to. You don't want to injure yourself. So - build into it. I think I'll shoot for swimming once or twice a week with the kids. 5. Build up to what they are doing. I'm used to 1.5 hour practices, so my first practice, I plan to swim 1.5 or at most, 2 hours with the team - even though their practice runs 2.5 hours. I will let the coach know that I'm shooting for 2 hours, at which point I will get out - even if I feel good. 6. Pick the right USS group and the right lane to swim with. Sometimes there are IM lanes/ Distance FR lanes/ Sprint lanes, etc. But don't be afraid to experiement with a couple of different groups assuming the coaches know and are aware that you are looking to find that right fit. There's often a big difference between Senior II, Senior I and National. The bonus: the kids are usually really, really encouraging. I was surprised at this! :cheerleader: It's sort of like cheating on a test - I get to watch their technique and see what they are doing to go so darn fast! I noticed that their streamlines and SDKs are usually amazing. Oh - I also felt very shrimpy and bulky compared to these tall Amazonian type young people. :laugh2: BTW, the clubs that do give the green light to us masters to do this are AWESOME! The head coach at the club I swim at always invites us Masters to join in if we want. He usually doesn't get too many takers. . . especially when their workouts are 10K, but. . . One other thing I noticed - their warm ups are pretty fast paced compared to masters. But if you hang during that, you most likely can hang for the majority of the sets. Will PM you soon! GOOD LUCK! Kristina

Susan- I just swam with my kids club team last night. It was my first workout with them post-nationals, and recovering from bronchitis. Needless to say, it was not my best ever practice as far as speed goes. I just let the lazy little brats (said with love) go first and pull me around the pool for a change. They actually had to work hard to stay in front and I had a blast riding the wave behind them! You'll do fine. It's not a meet, so there's no reason to try to break any pool records during practice. Ask the coach if you can look over the workout intervals so you can see which group you should start with. Don't be shy or embarrassed about swimming with 10-, 12-, or 14-year-olds. Some of these kids are really quick! There's also no reason you need to lead the lane (believe me, the kids will want you too because you're bigger than them. Stand your ground.). Also, I think you'll see that in the end, these are kids, just like any other kids. They like to goof around, complain about the intervals, and do short lane turn-arounds when they are falling behind. You will most likely be the hardest worker there, which will make a strong impact on the coaches and the kids in your group. You will do just fine! Remember to HAVE FUN!!!! Dana

"The evening workouts change everyday. You will be challenged. When the first swimmer completes the set I move on to the next set. You probably wont finish most sets." Boy, that coach sure does foster team unity.

Great advice one and all! I'm only committed through the summer, so I figure if I don't like the coach, I just won't sign up for the next session. Much to my chagrin, swimming is not real big in my area. My 100 Free time from high school in 1978 would have been the high school record up until 2005 so after reading your replies I'm going to go in with confidence (not arrogance) - so now that I think about it, I'm sure there will be some who are slower then me (and judging from last year's team picture I won't be the fattest either). :laugh2: First practice for me will be next Tuesday!

"When the first swimmer completes the set I move on to the next set." Sounds like quite a few people dont finish the set! Do your best and have fun are the best advice, and don't be hard on yourself. Realize 60% of the American population is overwieght from sitting on their duff watching TV and there you are - out there living life to it's fullest, maybe not the fastest, but your fullest. Bravo way to go, :cheerleader:let us know how it went.