Why does it appear many masters swimmers are taking USMS so seriously?
What's the difference between the typical "selfish train all day", "it's all about me" triathlete and a masters swimmer who seriously trains as hard as they can.... particularly to focus on setting masters records?
Seems like there is a growing parallel between triathletes and many masters swimmers these days.
Isn't it just "masters swimming" for health and fun in the end?
Does a masters record really mean that much?
Is this a good thing? ..... or a turn off for those who look on with amusement.
Former Member
Mr. Thorton,
Stick to palm reading and astrology. It's more accurate.
Mr. Thorton,
Stick to palm reading and astrology. It's more accurate.
Nothing you have written in this thread calls into doubt Mr. Thornton's observations.
It is impressive, I agree, but the times/results that such person is able to achieve are dictated largely by the work that was put in as a youth and who is or is not still swimming...
What about people who never had the opportunity to swim competitively when they were young? Not every masters swimmer has that background, some of us could barely swim when we were in our teens.
I do not swim for vanity photos. Swimming makes me fat.
Swimming makes you fat? I assume the picture accompanying your posts is you. You consider yourself fat? You might want to either check your optical prescription or your mirror for faults.
I started swimming masters merely because my daughter was training at a God-awful time of day and I had to make the choice of swimming while she swam or fall asleep in public and slobber all over myself. I chose the former. My daughter has since moved onto boys and my OCD nature took over: I added another 8 hours of week of swim training to an already full platter. Who needs sleep? We can all sleep just fine when we are dead. I was slim when I started swimming again; now I am just plain thin. How does swimming make you fat? It burns calories (not as efficiently as running though) and it starts or finishes your day perfectly.
My answer to people when they ask me what I am training for: So I don't die young. I compete, but mostly against myself. I would like to improve all my times every time I swim. If I happen to beat a few people doing it I am unlikely to notice. I just don't care about how I measure up against other old has-beens. I do care how I measure up against my own goals and standards. Is that competitive?
Of course I did not care all that much about being a champion when I actually had a shot at being a champion in my youth; why should any of us care now when we are less than foot-notes in swimming history?
Same with my team ... same with forumites (e.g., Mike Ross, Chris Stevenson). It's truly astonishing how many former elites don't fall into the get it category. Maybe the club is limited to 2. Clydesdale, what exactly is wrong with a public blog? You keep bringing this up, as if it's a kind of super egoism. As for me, I gets extremely helpful advice and input on my blog. And do you want a merit badge for being anti-LZR, B70, Jaked and wanting the gut to hang out? Purists aren't morally superior. They're just purists.
Fort you know exactly what I'm getting at as I've described it clearly multiple times...but it is fun to see who gets worked up over what...and especially how the topic(s) gets twisted as each person weighs in/internalizes as if it is they are the ones that were personally called out.
Purists aren't morally superior?
Fort you know exactly what I'm getting at as I've described it clearly multiple times...but it is fun to see who gets worked up over what...and especially how the topic(s) gets twisted as each person weighs in/internalizes as if it is they are the ones that were personally called out.
Purists aren't morally superior?
Nice try. But my policy is not to "internalize" forum posts. Just wondering why the dig on public blogs generally. Which blogs do you consider over the top? If it's Jimby's, his is pure entertainment. Nothing wrong with that.
The word "twisting" has unnecessarily negative connotations. Everyone gives it their own spin or slants the topic in a way they deem "amusing" or useful, even you! For instance, I've caught you beginning a response by "twisting" and re-stating someone's position so that it barely resembles what they actually said!
Shocking, I know, but, no, purists aren't morally superior. Nor are dog owners. :P
When your best days are in the rear-view mirror you tend to strike out at those who still enjoy good hard work and competition.
Of course, except for when you find 4 guys to break a record and crow about it for 18 months, then it's ok, like a little hard core mulligan.
Now that's a stretch.
Not really. Learned my lesson a couple years ago, thanks to my gridge buddy and hard core triathlete blogger, Geekity. Really, Just because I enjoy responding to Smith postings and writing inflammatory responses doesn't mean I "internalize" them in the slightest. Don't flatter yourself, oh tattooed one.
If you are a grown man who took 20+ years to summon the courage to get a bovine tattoo on your body, you can no longer participate in a conversation about obsessed people.
