All,
I have decided to get back into swimming primarily for fitness, but also for a hobby and competition. I turn 36 in July and really haven't been back in the water since I was 18.
I began competing at 5 and continued through my Sr year of high school. I can't believe that I have been out of the water longer than I was in the water. That is dissapointing to me.
I am in good health at 5' 10" 165 lbs. I have done spurts of exercise my entire adult life. Most of which were 4-6 months of cardio work either on a treadmill or in spin classes. But find myself getting bored and lose focus.
Swimming has always been in the back of my mind and I feel that for me to stay committed to exercising, I need extra motivation. Therefore, I am determined to compete in a SCY meet in late February.
My initial focus will be on conditioning and stamina. My last attempt at swimming was somewhat shocking at how little I could do. I thought I would be able to jump right in and do 1500 yds on day one. Didn't happen. In fact, the most I could go without stopping was a 150. I ended up doing a set of 6 x 75's sloooow and then 2 x 100's.
This was 3 years ago and I did build it up some, but my commitment wasn't there and I only last about 3 months.
Now that you know my background, I have some qustions on how I should start.
What should I do to build up my stamina, endurance, and conditioning? I figured that I would spend about 2-3 months focusing on conditining and then be in a position to focus on training for events. Is that a good plan? I f so, how do I go about it?
Any advice would be great. I plan on leaning on you guys for answers and support. This seems like a great community.
Thanks in advance.
Nathan
Parents
Former Member
I was out of the water much longer than you - from 18 like you until I was 45.
I agree that joining a team is one of the first steps. I did it mostly to have some people around me even if I didn't swim their workout. The first coach was awful and I ignored everything he said. Hopefully you can find a team with a reasonable coach. If the coach is bad - ignore him and do your own workout. (Our small masters group has a very good coach now). Ande has an apparently good coach but it seems he ignores her workouts most of the time!
I would NOT delay returning to interval training. I get really bored with long swims. I would much rather do 15 x 100 than a straight 1500. The total elapsed time would not be that much different for me.
I was out of the water much longer than you - from 18 like you until I was 45.
I agree that joining a team is one of the first steps. I did it mostly to have some people around me even if I didn't swim their workout. The first coach was awful and I ignored everything he said. Hopefully you can find a team with a reasonable coach. If the coach is bad - ignore him and do your own workout. (Our small masters group has a very good coach now). Ande has an apparently good coach but it seems he ignores her workouts most of the time!
I would NOT delay returning to interval training. I get really bored with long swims. I would much rather do 15 x 100 than a straight 1500. The total elapsed time would not be that much different for me.
