I swim for pleasure how about you???

i swim to: avoid living large Amen. I can't begin to tell you how much trouble I'd get in if it weren't for swimming and the discipline that it requires. :groovy:

Swimming is definitely pleasurable, even when you're pushing hard, muscles and lungs burning, etc. Pleasure also comes from going smooth in the water and feeling like it's just meant to be. It's also pleasurable to put in a good practice, and sleep like a baby that night (or sometimes, that afternoon). And finally, it's a pleasure to line up these emoticons… :groovy::banana::wave::applaud::groovy::D

Greetings I think about this question quite a bit. I swim now because in a life that is too busy it is MY time. Without it I am not very happy. I do have to admit that my times have suddenly become important to me to some degree but that is a new addition. I want a certain level of performance in three swims this summer. At the end of it all I am the classic "got the t-shirt" guy. Always looking for the next shirt...... Regards Spudfin

I swim because...... .....I get a kick out of questions from people at my pool, like " are you here for swim team practice", "what high school do you swim for" or " are you training for something". Anything that will instantly shave 20+ years off my age in other peoples eyes is worth doing:cheerleader: I have no illusions about how well I swim, but I have stuck with it now for close to 2 years and I still find that every time I get in the pool, I'm able to push myself just a bit further. Some days it takes serious effort to haul my butt to the pool and I dread the day when I hit the wall:frustrated: (physically and mentally).

Gotta get wet to do the SDKs!

I swim to help keep in shape. Along with running and weights, it helps to make up an overall fitness plan that works for me. A nice benefit of swimming at 6am is that I avoid most of the rush hour traffic (the pool is close to my office). My days of doing meets are long past (if they ever existed), but I do enjoy the coached workouts with the team to keep me going.

I started off similarly after a 20 year hiatus. Needed some additional exercise, lose some weight, etc., dabbled back in some Masters swimming, with no intention of ever competing seriously. Been there, done that, and it kind of burned me out. But I was talked into swimming in the 2004 USMS LCM Nats, and had a great time, and got the competition bug again. Now, I'm dragging myself to workouts at times when I'm beat and tired from travel or work, but I always feel so much better after workout, which that in itself makes it worthwhile. Now its all part of the regular routine.

I swim because it makes me happy(without exercise, I get crabby!). Because it keeps my pants fitting(was 180 in my 30's, upper 130's in my upper 40s!). Cholestral was never bad, 175 8 years ago, 145 now. Resting HR 50. I don't compete much, and am still motivated to swim, but before I learned to swim I was motivated to do other forms of exercise. I just like to work-out, and if it paid money, would do it all the time...that said, gotta go work-out!

I think I work hard. (Paul Wolf apparently thinks I'm insane.) As I said earlier, I'm not a fan of the fat burning cycle. But I can't do everything 100% as a sprinter. I do a lot of quality race pace work. But I also do a lot of drilling and technique work. Swimming is different then running that way. It's much more of a technique sport. But I love to race. If I didn't compete in meets, I would swim much less and do other sports. Makes sense. I probably should slow down some and work more on technique. Thanx.

George, Will there be video documentation? Skip Montanaro