Have you improved over time? I'm talking actual time improvements compared to lifetime bests.
I consistently swam sporadically for several years. Get it?
For the past 9 months I have been training and racing fairly consistently and I finally feel like I'm on the verge of actually improving.
I have swam a number of best times in off events. I have not bested any of my big ones.
What has your experience been? I'm talking about lifetime bests.
I'm 33. I swam DIII in college. so, I was ok but not great or anything.
I'm mainly interested in your actual experience. Things that have actually happened. Rather than what is supposed to happen.
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Former Member
Good question. I've been wondering about the same thing lately; i.e., the boundaries of aging and the potential for improvement.
I'm a 43 year old female. I didn't swim competitively as a kid, although I did know how to swim as my mother enrolled us in the entire Red Cross series. I was a lap swimmer on and off from college to about four years ago. I competed in triathlons, and did fairly well in the water (compared to the other triathletes, that is :)). I joined a Masters team at that point. Switched to another Masters team and did a couple of meets two years ago. I've started to do meets again this year, and have noticed some pretty significant improvements from two years ago and also from this year's earlier meets. Some is due to fitness and training, I believe, and some is due to racing experience.
I'm currently at 21:22 in the 1650, a 1:05.07 in the 100 free, 30.48 in the 50 free, 2:21.17 in the 200 free, and 6:12.02 in the 500 free (pedestrian compared to most people, but a definite improvement over what I was doing before; all SCY). I also have been swimming 200 IM and have dropped time over the last three meets (2:57, 2:54, 2:50), but IM is clearly not my strength. I wonder how much more improvement I can expect to see. I'm guessing that given my age, gender, and lack of competitive swimming experience that I probably will level off soon, but I keep hoping!
Good question. I've been wondering about the same thing lately; i.e., the boundaries of aging and the potential for improvement.
I'm a 43 year old female. I didn't swim competitively as a kid, although I did know how to swim as my mother enrolled us in the entire Red Cross series. I was a lap swimmer on and off from college to about four years ago. I competed in triathlons, and did fairly well in the water (compared to the other triathletes, that is :)). I joined a Masters team at that point. Switched to another Masters team and did a couple of meets two years ago. I've started to do meets again this year, and have noticed some pretty significant improvements from two years ago and also from this year's earlier meets. Some is due to fitness and training, I believe, and some is due to racing experience.
I'm currently at 21:22 in the 1650, a 1:05.07 in the 100 free, 30.48 in the 50 free, 2:21.17 in the 200 free, and 6:12.02 in the 500 free (pedestrian compared to most people, but a definite improvement over what I was doing before; all SCY). I also have been swimming 200 IM and have dropped time over the last three meets (2:57, 2:54, 2:50), but IM is clearly not my strength. I wonder how much more improvement I can expect to see. I'm guessing that given my age, gender, and lack of competitive swimming experience that I probably will level off soon, but I keep hoping!
