I was at work yesterday and got asked an unusual question: How do I stay motivated to swim hours a day, every day, year after year?
I told the person that I would get back to them while I mulled over the answer. I thought back to this forum and suspect that most of the folks here compete and the competition motivates them. Me, I don’t compete, in fact, I only know how to swim one stroke, at one speed, never stopping. I guess that I just like to swim and be alone for a couple of hours every day with my own thoughts. While that works for me, I doubt it will prove useful for many others. So, how about the rest of you: What motivates you to keep swimming?
Swan
Former Member
...
staying out of a wheelchair for as long as possible
(discreetly) oggling the the hot swimmer babes :blush:
the studmuffin body i get from it :D
... and the subsequent attention from the ladies :rolleyes:
...... though, unfortunately, not enough from the hot swimmer babes :eek:
it helps me keep my wig on straight ;)
...
.... No competitions........yet. Thinking about trying to learn the fly........at age 47. Sounds hard. I'm in!
Regards
Spudfin
Hey Spud the competitive bug will bite you then watch out.
I started swimming as a 48 year old with no prior competitive swimming background, swam my first meet ever at 49. I started to learn fly at 51 (still learning but it's getting better) and now swim all strokes in workouts and meets. It's a blast!! :banana::banana:
I just recently quit smoking so it helps me from going back to that. I am also happy with the way I look after only 2 months of swimming.
I plan on competing in a meet soon to see how my times compare with when I was in high school. I was actually going to compete this upcoming weekend but somethings came up so I am going to shoot for the next one.
It gives me a feeling of physical well-being and it doesn't get old. There are always old things to work on, new things to try and the occasional meet to see progress (or not).
Besides, all the cool people swim. :banana:
Thinking about trying to learn the fly........at age 47. Sounds hard. I'm in!
Regards
Spudfin
Right there with you! - Babs
Heck yeah! Even a 25 of well executed Fly is a thing to be proud of.
I have a sedentary day job so if I don't stay in an exercise routine I could wind up weighing 215 pounds again like I did in May (I'm 187 now). I never seemed to have time until one day I decided enough was enough and made fitness a priority in my life. I don't miss lugging those 28 pounds of fat around with me everywhere.
I like how swimming doesn't hurt my knees, back, and right ankle like running... and as my old age group coach Sam Jones said to me after he came back to SCY nationals after hip replacements: "John, you quit, you die!" Thanks, Sam! :bump:
I played soccer and lacrosse in high school and college. Then I raced bicycles for 5 years in Seattle. I raced track, road and cyclocross. Then I had three kids so I can't train 12 hours a week anymore.
Back in high school, I would see the swimmers come in to the cafeteria after morning workout and eat breakfast--huge breakfasts. I knew, I just knew that no matter how hard the field sports were--the running, the sprints, etc, it was nothing compared to what the swimmers went through. To me, the swimmers were super human guys who ate pain and didn't care about the cold.
I thought I knew what a tough workout was until I started masters swimming. I was wrong. Being a part of this group is very motivating.
It's all about setting a goal. When I was five years old, my goal was to beat a kid named Clay. He was faster, more popular, and funnier than me. Everyone like him, as nobody liked me. He had T16 times and AAAA's when he was 10. But when I started to work my ass off, doing 100 pushups a night, I got stronger when i was 13. I finally beat him. Everyone was stunned by the fact that I beat "the great clay". I wasn't suprised, however. I knew that since i worked hard and had a good attitude everyday to swim practice, I would eventually become extremely fast and would eventually beat clay.
In conclusion, using a person is a good way to motivate yourself. It has definitely helped me and I hope it will help you. Good luck
P.S. Im new to this site...I was wondering whether anyone could tell me how to post a new thread. thanks.
