How many of you have gone to a meet, without a lot of proper prep for the meet? Maybe it was a lack of training time, less than focused training for any meet, maybe you have been swimming a lot but no real speed or race specific training during your practice?
What were your expectations going in? Did you worry too much about times or just go to do some racing and swim the best that you can?
I am thinking of FINALLY doing some meets. Found a low key one in a few weeks. I swim 4500-5000 about 5-6x a week. The practices are mix of aerobic swims, a lot of drill work to fix some flaws on my free/back and high intensity kick sets. Not done a lot/any speed work in months but I figure if I don't suck it up soon and just start racing, it may not happen for a long time to come.
Any feedback would be great.
I am so happy that someone started this thread because this is exactly what I am deciding to do now.
I am recovering after surgery--and trying to get back into shape (not as slowly as my doctor would like though, what does she know about me :shakeshead:)
My whole thing that has kept me out of meets and probably swimming in general the past 8 years has been the fear of trying to swim and having to cope with not being as fast as I was in high school and college. I realize that my body is a lot different now, that my life is a lot different now, but I am still having a difficult time getting off my butt and just doing a meet.
What sort of things did you all go through when deciding to go back? I will do it, I know I will, I am just scared.
Best advice I received about times is that you should toss out the ones you did in a different age group. Really. It makes keeping perspective much easier. Very few of us train as many yards as we did when we were in high school and college - I think my shoulders would fall off if I did. I am swimming now to stay in shape, to hang out with my swimming buddies, and going to meets helps keep me motivated and working hard in practice. I did tell my husband after my first meet that I felt like I was working too hard to be swimming so slow - but I've improved close to every meet and am now much faster than I was at my first meet. But you need to go have a first meet - you will meet some of the nicest folks and it will be fun. And it will be the fastest you have swam at your current age.
Do it soon. You will not regret it.
--mj
I am so happy that someone started this thread because this is exactly what I am deciding to do now.
I am recovering after surgery--and trying to get back into shape (not as slowly as my doctor would like though, what does she know about me :shakeshead:)
My whole thing that has kept me out of meets and probably swimming in general the past 8 years has been the fear of trying to swim and having to cope with not being as fast as I was in high school and college. I realize that my body is a lot different now, that my life is a lot different now, but I am still having a difficult time getting off my butt and just doing a meet.
What sort of things did you all go through when deciding to go back? I will do it, I know I will, I am just scared.
Best advice I received about times is that you should toss out the ones you did in a different age group. Really. It makes keeping perspective much easier. Very few of us train as many yards as we did when we were in high school and college - I think my shoulders would fall off if I did. I am swimming now to stay in shape, to hang out with my swimming buddies, and going to meets helps keep me motivated and working hard in practice. I did tell my husband after my first meet that I felt like I was working too hard to be swimming so slow - but I've improved close to every meet and am now much faster than I was at my first meet. But you need to go have a first meet - you will meet some of the nicest folks and it will be fun. And it will be the fastest you have swam at your current age.
Do it soon. You will not regret it.
--mj
