Seems inevitable, no? Even though my practice times seem to be pretty consistent with intervals I was able to hold 5 to 7 years ago (mid to early
30's), now that I am 40, my races just seem to get slower. Its an odd scenario to be in. As an age grouper and into college, the older you got, the more you trained, the faster you swam. Now, it seems, mother nature is kicking things in reverse. While I still love to train, I'm finding less incentive to compete.
Anyone else come to this conclusion?
Celebrating more "swimming faster than age" results, this time non-free, youngest only, all SCY::applaud:
100 back John C Smith, 67, 1:06.61 (2006)
100 fly Richard Abrahams, 55, 54.49 (2000)
100 IM Richard Abrahams, 62, 1:00.13 (2007)
I like Erik's list. I will say that -- barring injury -- I think flexibility need not be lost to such a great degree if you really work on regaining it, though it may take awhile.
I remember reading somewhere that max heart rate declines with age and there isn't much we can do about it through exercise/training. Seems like that -- and similar factors -- might provide the ultimate limit with age, though I agree that we are nowhere close to those limits yet.
I don't often train with the high school kids, but I do so every once in a while. I notice that there are some I can beat regularly in practice -- or at least keep up with them -- who can just thrash me in meets. Somehow they have an extra gear that I just don't have anymore, no matter how much race pace training I do. Wally Dicks mentioned to me that he has had similar experiences.
Celebrating more "swimming faster than age" results, this time non-free, youngest only, all SCY::applaud:
100 back John C Smith, 67, 1:06.61 (2006)
100 fly Richard Abrahams, 55, 54.49 (2000)
100 IM Richard Abrahams, 62, 1:00.13 (2007)
I like Erik's list. I will say that -- barring injury -- I think flexibility need not be lost to such a great degree if you really work on regaining it, though it may take awhile.
I remember reading somewhere that max heart rate declines with age and there isn't much we can do about it through exercise/training. Seems like that -- and similar factors -- might provide the ultimate limit with age, though I agree that we are nowhere close to those limits yet.
I don't often train with the high school kids, but I do so every once in a while. I notice that there are some I can beat regularly in practice -- or at least keep up with them -- who can just thrash me in meets. Somehow they have an extra gear that I just don't have anymore, no matter how much race pace training I do. Wally Dicks mentioned to me that he has had similar experiences.
