Looking at one-hour results, and just finishing New England Masters SCY Championships at Harvard, how is it that older swimmers are getting faster and faster, and pretty much everyone is getting faster and faster compared to a few years ago when there seemed to be more mortal swimmers?
What are older (45+ women; at this point 65+ men) swimmers doing that keeps them at such elite levels? Weights? Extensive training? How much of both? How do they have jobs and families and train? The field of fast swimmers is getting deeper and deeper. Anyone have idea as to why?
I want to know the secrets. Are the people who race now self-selecting more and more as elite swimmers? Has everyone swum all their lives? I know to swim hard you have to train hard, but I am baffled by sudden increase in amazing fast times and so many records getting broken.
Former Member
Am planning on doing everything from the 50s to the 1500m long course. I think I can place top 3 in my age group in the Fina world rankings in the 1500 based on my 1650 time. . . I was also planning on swimming the 25K open water swim but that's a "maybe" depending on how my mind and body feel training with the kids.
Seriously though - I take it from the comments posted (by you uber fast people) that doubles would be a mistake. Would the 2 hours a day be too much? Seems reasonable for the 800/ 1500 and open water - but like I said, I don't want to overdo it!! I really do value your opinions.
On the basis of my experiences with running twice a day, I would guess that swimming doubles would help with the 25k swim and hinder on anything of 10k or less. (And yes I do mean 10k swim.)
Can provide the specifics, but of course, running and swimming are not quite the same, but doubles really only help you to write bigger numbers in a log.
Well, I see clearer and clearer the difference here between me and the elites.
My "age group" swimming was in the summers. I quit when I had to race 50 yards (too far). I regularly jumped the gun. We swam in an outdoor pool that was two feet deep with no diving blocks (thankfully) but nonetheless dove off the edge of the pool. Invariably someone knocked themselves out by clonking their head on the bottom. Parents did not stop our diving; perhaps it was like watching some sort of boxing match for them: whose kid would clonk themselves this meet?
Our coach was the Duke varsity swim coach and our team always won for the vast region of Durham, NC. Our scores were posted in the local paper.
In the winter my father took us swimming twice a week and played with us in the water. Afterwards we put on our jammies at the pool and then he made us cocoa at home before bed. I never did laps until I was in my 30s. I started masters when I was 46. I am more than 50. I love swimming. I am an avid swimmer but obviously not a serious swimmer. I skipped practice last night because I was tired, for example. I do well if I swim four times a week, 3200 to 4300 yards. My shoulders are fragile strings; I do exercises to help them. My back is fragile too; I do exercises to help it.
I still love swimming. I aim to improve.
Chris,
Paul and I have decide you are disqualified from masters nationals.
You train too much.
John Smith
Seconded.
And add Mel & Grace in as well.
(S)he...avoid any and all advice from these people...go to the dark (sprint) side and stay there.
On the basis of my experiences with running twice a day, I would guess that swimming doubles would help with the 25k swim and hinder on anything of 10k or less. (And yes I do mean 10k swim.)
Can provide the specifics, but of course, running and swimming are not quite the same, but doubles really only help you to write bigger numbers in a log.
Doubles are out! My bod just can't hack it! :violin:
Nah. Just old woman. I even have old woman hair and am not even 40 yet!
Oh, come on, Kristina. My wife (Grace) is almost 67 and she sometimes does triples with no ill effects. You're just going through a self-confidence phase at the moment. By the time you get to be 50, you'll realize that these limits are mostly mental constructs. The secret to training well is adequate rest and knowing when you are about to break.
Oh come on now, I know she sneaks in the occasional quad in between rearing four children and being the CEO of two fortune 500 companies!
She actually sold the companies, which is why we can afford to do nothing but train now. And, it was only two kids, one of whom is a presedential candidate in two different countries at the same time and the other nominated for a Nobel prize in a combination of rocket science and brain surgery. Just didn't have the time to impart that kind of success to two more!
I have seen her do a run, swim, bike and weights in a continuous 5-hour session before but I didn't want to lay too much on her.
