Fitness and Lap Swimmers - You out there?

Definitely for fitness, summer open water competitions help keep me motivated to keep at it. I would join a team though if it fit in my schedule though, i'm not good at programming my own sets and pushing myself above my comfort level....that takes a lot of caffeine.

I compete for the fun and camaraderie...I swim for the fitness--my main reason. My Times aren't worth getting excited about! What he said, only my times are less exciting than his.

Definitely for fitness, summer open water competitions help keep me motivated to keep at it. I would join a team though if it fit in my schedule though, i'm not good at programming my own sets and pushing myself above my comfort level....that takes a lot of caffeine. Ahh so true. I train with a team but sometimes swim on my own and caffeine definitely acts as a coach. I find mself swimming much better and faster when I have someone looking over me.

I think your problem in reaching the lap swimmers are they are happy where they are at. They don't want to be reached. They go to the pool, swim their laps for their work-out, and go. They may get to know the other lap swimmers around them and say hi and share short chit-chat. They may even have an organized breakfast once a month that the more social ones go to, but on the whole, they just want to keep doing what they are doing. It is like my weight lifting. I love weight lifting, and do it regularily. I have built my home equipment up over the last 15 years so that I can get good hard work-outs in at home. I get up and weight lift, and go to work. I don't want to join a weight lifting club and lift with others. I will read magazines(and ignore the awful ads), and read forums and articles on-line to educate myself about form and latest concepts in training, but I am happy just doing it on my own. I think the same thing with a lot of runners. Their fitness is going out and running their X amount of miles. They do it to stay in shape, it makes them feel good, but they don't necessarily want to join a group. So I think there in lies your reason you do not reach the lap swimmers. They don't want to be reached.

I think your problem in reaching the lap swimmers are they are happy where they are at. ... I think the same thing with a lot of runners. Their fitness is going out and running their X amount of miles. They do it to stay in shape, it makes them feel good, but they don't necessarily want to join a group. . The nut of it, IMO. Incidentally, there is a tightly focused thread on Swimmer that has been directed to editor: forums.usms.org/showthread.php

I'm not sure if I belong on this thread, maybe the OW threads, but I am also a lap swimmer, I just do it in the ocean. There is a place I train that is one-half mile around this bight, and that is my "lap." Training for a long swim, a 20 miler, so it helps to have half-mile laps. I normally swim four hours at a whack with hydration (crucial) every half-mile. The thing about lap swimmers is they are generating great fitness at the same time; cudos. My lap swimming may be a little extreme, but I still consider myself 1) a lap swimmer and 2) an open water swimmer. Speed? I just need to finish my long swim before the sun goes down because if not, I'll have to abort the swim due to boat/reef conditions. Usually when I am home in Texas, I go to a health club and swim for two hours. But pool swimming is a tad boring because there are no fish to watch, but I also know the longer I swim, the better my heart likes it! So when swimming in a pool, I look at it as fitness, in the ocean, I look at it as enjoyment and "longer" sets. Donna

I'm a fitness swimmer. I've wanted to join Master's since I learned to swim 2 years ago but I have a stubborn shoulder problem that leaves me only able to swim breaststroke and do kicksets. So I swim breaststroke and do kicksets and feel pretty happy that I can even do that. I don't worry about competition. I don't have much drive for or interest in speed, so while I check in here, I don't participate much because I'm just not on the same page as most posters here. Plus I have an ambivalent relationship with the internet anyhow... You just made my day!!! In my 2 years visiting this board I had yet to find another swimmer that is "stuck" doing *** stroke and kick sets like me! I have never competed and don't know if I would have the stomach to do it. I just about loose it when my kids are swimming, I get too nervous for them. If it were me I might leave my lunch at the block!:eeew:

I'd put myself into a fitness swimmer category right now. I was a competitive swimmer until my freshman year in college. I'm planning on joining USMS when I get a few extra bucks (hubby lost his job..gotta save $$). I would like to compete after I accomplish some things first...lose some weight and get a schedule that allows me to practice with the USMS swimmers locally. My goal is to compete again someday. I'm just not ready right now.

GTD = GO THE DISTANCE!! Check it out. Pretty amazing program. Very well run and supported. Probably one of the best programs for our Fitness Lap Swimmers! www.usms.org/.../gothedistance Ah, yeah ... sweet, i'm in for 2009.

I think I can be considered a fitness/lap swimmer. I started swimming 9 years ago (at age 48) just to lose some weight and improve my overall fitness. I had been a runner up until I quit while in my mid 30's. I turned to swimming since I had no desire to subject my legs and feet to the pounding again. I am also a member of USMS and do about a half dozen swim meets a year just for the fun of it and as a way to keep myself motivated to keep swimming.