Hi Folks & GTD Fans,
The USMS Fitness Committee has asked me if the USMS fitness event "Go the Distance" should be offered next year (2008) ... Hmmmm? I promptly responded with I'll try and find out!
I'm interested in what aspects of the event you like and don't like if you are currently participating. If you aren't a GTD participant - it would also be extremely beneficial to hear why not- or better yet - what could be done differently so that you would want to participate!
If you would like this fitness challenge to be offered in 2008 - what would you keep the same? What would you like to do differently? Would you add/change the distance milestones? I'm interested in any and all ideas you have to offer. Now I can't promise that all of your ideas will be implemented - but let's see what you think!
I will compile all of your recommendations and offer them to the USMS Fitness Committee in September at the annual convention. This is when the committee will decide on the future of GTD.
Your help with this is greatly appreciated!
Your GTD pal,
Mary
I think it's great as well (I'm somewhere between a fitness swimmer
and a competitive swimmer). Mary sent the same request to the current
GTD participants. Here's my reply:
I say keep it. I'm training for the postal series which offers five
goals through the year, but they are generally pretty far apart and
making time for swimming with family committments and what not is more
difficult than I'd like. It's easy to rationalize like so:
Eh, it's only mid-June. I'm not swimming the 10k until late
August. What's the harm in missing today's practice?
OTOH, In GTD every day is a mini-goal. So it goes like so:
OMG! If I don't put in at least a few yards today I'll have lost
that mileage forever!
This week is bike-to-work week in Chicago (maybe across the country?).
I rode in to work every day (13+ miles one way). I added the extra
challenge of trying to get in some swim yardage all five days as well.
Not full workouts, more like 1500-2000 yards, fairly easy either as a
warmup before a ride or as a way to limber up afterwards. Without GTD
as a motivation I might well have taken the whole week off from
swimming. GTD to the rescue!
So, I think it's a great program. Assuming USMS keeps it for 2008 I'm
going to try to get more of my teammates to participate.
Along the lines of things you might use to embellish the event...
Maybe offer a monthly relay challenge. Each LMSC could put together
one or more relays much the same way relays are created for the postal
swims. I don't know how complex you'd want to get with it. The
postal series offers men's, women's and mixed relays. The age group
is determined by the age of the youngest relay team member.
Skip Montanaro
I think it's great as well (I'm somewhere between a fitness swimmer
and a competitive swimmer). Mary sent the same request to the current
GTD participants. Here's my reply:
I say keep it. I'm training for the postal series which offers five
goals through the year, but they are generally pretty far apart and
making time for swimming with family committments and what not is more
difficult than I'd like. It's easy to rationalize like so:
Eh, it's only mid-June. I'm not swimming the 10k until late
August. What's the harm in missing today's practice?
OTOH, In GTD every day is a mini-goal. So it goes like so:
OMG! If I don't put in at least a few yards today I'll have lost
that mileage forever!
This week is bike-to-work week in Chicago (maybe across the country?).
I rode in to work every day (13+ miles one way). I added the extra
challenge of trying to get in some swim yardage all five days as well.
Not full workouts, more like 1500-2000 yards, fairly easy either as a
warmup before a ride or as a way to limber up afterwards. Without GTD
as a motivation I might well have taken the whole week off from
swimming. GTD to the rescue!
So, I think it's a great program. Assuming USMS keeps it for 2008 I'm
going to try to get more of my teammates to participate.
Along the lines of things you might use to embellish the event...
Maybe offer a monthly relay challenge. Each LMSC could put together
one or more relays much the same way relays are created for the postal
swims. I don't know how complex you'd want to get with it. The
postal series offers men's, women's and mixed relays. The age group
is determined by the age of the youngest relay team member.
Skip Montanaro
