I don't want to age!!

I think this was the best slam I've received to date on this board. So Paul, let me get this right. I train HARDER than DARA = My times and USMS rankings OUCH!!! :laugh2: So basically, according to a USMS multiple national record holder, I SUCK beyond belief and had better quit this sport ASAP and move to Germany for noodling and supplements. Heck, I don't think even 90 caps of wheat germ oil a day or truckloads of Glutathione can help this poor soul. (S)he...the only person who should pursue a career of noodling, inhalers and German supplemants while residing overseas is Geek. Let me shae some thoughts on masters swimming which were brought back into focus at the meet. Far to many people get sucked into the masters swimming "black hole" because they either did OK or poorly...so they make the decision to follow the "more is better" regime. How many people reading this post got back into training on Monday or Tuesday? Forgive me for being blunt...but that was stupid. The older we get the more important it is we allow the body to heal...that means at least 2-4 weeks per year of complete rest. How many people reading this that swam poorly not only got back into the pool on Monday or Tuesday and felt it was going to take more/harder training to get better? Lots. The reality is it will take less time/training and far more specialized workouts...with more rest/recovery. Lots of people have heard me preach this for years, Floswimming has interviews with Rich A, SVDL & Josh Davis saying the same things...so how many of you will listen? Fort....you rested 3 weeks and said it was to much because you got tired at the end of the meet and ran out of gas. Newsflash...you got tired because your old and swam to many events. We all were exhausted and the reality is as we get into older swimming 10 races in days is to much if you expect to be fast in all of them. So here's the challenge/question...can any of you put aside the first and primary motivation that keeps you training which is fear of fat....and train specifially to RACE fast...not workout fast? Subtle change in mindset but significant in terms of how you approach your working out. It means that you will face ridicule when you move over to a slower lane, put on a snorkel, go last (which every single swimmer should own) and work on absolute perfect technique. It means instead of pushing thru a workout of garbage yards when you a feeling like crap you climb out and go home. It means more dedicated time lifting vs. swimming to get stronger, it means working on starts/turns 3x a week all season...at the beginning of practice when your fresh not at the end...same for quality days.

This is due in part to the high proportion of arginine contained in AMsport. Arginine is an amino acid that widens the lymphatic vessels.... Thanks to its related metabolic path (nitrogen monoxide (NO)), Yikes! ya, arginine and NO, I decided to stay away from those products a long time ago.

How many people reading this post got back into training on Monday or Tuesday? Ahem...no comment :) You make good points, Paul. I'm definitely planning to do some things differently with my training over the summer. One of my coaches pretty much laid it on the line for me a couple weeks ago when he told me I could train my ass off and it wouldn't really get me much further unless I make some basic changes to my stroke technique. The snorkel is in my equipment bag where it has usually languished in the past. This summer it will be coming out more.

You're totally right -- I am old! Glad that explains the last length of my 100 fly! I have no plans whatsoever to get back in the pool until sometime next week. I likewise have no "fear of fat" in the pool. I really do mostly quality sprint training. I'm fighting fat by cross-training. I was happy with my times at Nats, including that painful 100 fly, and think they reflect my training. However, I think I've had similar results in LC when tapering 2 weeks and doing a bit more speedwork. Fortunately, I don't plan on doing a full taper until maybe Indy! Many people doing hard core training like to train more than compete. So for them it makes sense.

Many people doing hard core training like to train more than compete. So for them it makes sense. This is a good point. For many who don't see a big meet as the only thing in their lives, getting back to training is just part of the lifestyle. Personally, I go nuts if I miss more than a day. I might go light or do something differently but sitting around just for the sake of sitting around doesn't work for many. For me, the day after a hard event is the perfect time for an EZ swim or a medium run.

There are two certain things in our lives. Death and Taxes. The Egyptians built Pyramids. Do I see a Pyramid - scheme?. I cleaned our carpets yesterday. I just found out that ageing is catching up. Hardest work I have ever done. It would have been better to pay someone to do it. As William Hung says “Whatever you believe in, and if you keep trying, you can eventually succeed,” tvguide.sympatico.msn.ca/.../080422_william_hung_teaches_MH.htm

Fort, your a stud and a rock star and you had a great meet...I think you are going 100% in the right direction. My point to you was that IMHO you weren't feeling fatigue at the end of the meet because you tapered to much...but rather because as all of us get older the reality of swimming so many events is that were going to feel it...hard...no matter how in shape and how much we rest/don't rest. Dennis Baker said at worlds that 1 event per day was it...pure focus, pure commitment to excelling at one thing...I admire that and am moving more and more in that direction. Listen...anyone who is a workout animal and is clear that is what they want to be I'm all for it...I struggle in my own training because I love to workout and less is more is a struggle for me....but I look at my own motivation/goals as a spectrum and remind myself that trying to train quality when completely broken down doesn't work. At the far end and the single biggest priority for me it's social, then racing, followed by general overall conditioning. So when and if I workout it tends to follow that order-progression. What I choose is completely different that a lot of folks and thats fine and what this is all about. I bring up the points I'm making because of the discussion being somewhat slanted towards competing...and if you want to improve in this area and are serious about it what many people are doing won't work.

A similar discussion going on a TRC, this link was just posted which I think is very interesting: www.flocasts.org/.../speakers.php Get...I agree but I repeat I'm talking from the perspective of just being at nationals and talking to dozens of people about how they swam and what they planned on doing next.

I'd rather age.

Funny that I see a bunch of the Dara worshippers on here bashing this....guess they missed her interview last night which touched on the massive quantities of this kind of stuff she takes. I like Dara. Doesn't mean I want to be her or train like her.