I have noticed that some (many?) of you swimmers have the opportunity to train with age-group swimmers. How did you manage to arrange that?
I typically train early mornings (5:30, as soon as the pool opens). The local Masters club only trains in the evenings while I am still at work, so the majority of my sessions are solo, trained in the "public lanes". This works out fairly well; I am a fast enough swimmer that I usually end up with my own lane or sharing with other like-minded people. The problem is that, left to my own devices, my work-outs are all about the same. Same times, same strokes, same distance. I always go about 4000 to 4500 meters, one half swim, one quarter kick, one quarter pull. I do some sprints and tons of traditional short-rest interval training. Ho hummmmm...
It would be nice to periodically (or routinelly) swim with the age-group swimmers of my speed calibre, but I just cannot see how to arrange that without coming across as just plain kooky (and not in a good kooky way either) Maybe it is just the very traditional, old fashioned culture in this area that makes this difficult.
As an example: I once asked why the masters swimmers do not share swim meets with the age group swimmers more often to defray the costs of pool rental and increase the number of paying competitors. The major answer was that many parents do not want a bunch of "dirty old men" warming up in the same pool as their young impressionable daughters. This took me aback: at the time my daughter was a competitive swimmer and I just could not fathom that anyone could have such a dirty mind that they could imagine anything sexual happening in a crowded warm-up pool.
For the swimmers that have the opportunity to swim with age group teams: was this opportunity offered-up voluntarily by the club, or did you have to campaign the club to allow you to join as a master swimmer?
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I have noticed that some (many?) of you swimmers have the opportunity to train with age-group swimmers. How did you manage to arrange that?
I got to know the club, the coaches, the swimmers and the masters program (swam on it for a few years) prior to asking about swimming with the kids. By the time I asked about it, I was told that "they would love to have me."
Some clubs and coaches are open to it and others are not.
I'm fortunate in that the head coach in my area (along with the rest of the coaches on his team) welcome adults who want to swim with the kids (and in total honesty, very few adults can hang with these kids). I've actually witnessed 20 to 30 something year old ex- Senior National top 8 finalists try and do a couple of practices with the SRI/ National team and not be able to do it. They did not return. So, if you can hang, you can work out a schedule with the coach. If you can't, you won't want to practice with them anyway. So it all really works itself out.
I would like to stress that I swam 6x/ week at 1.5 hours a pop for a few years (and mostly did distance sets coming in around 5,000 yds per practice) with masters prior to even thinking about swimming with the kids @ 2 hours a practice. Only when the masters practices felt EZ (and I could easily average 1:15 to 1:10 per hundred on free sets - and I would not be tired week after week), did I think about swimming with the kids. I think that as adults, we tend to think, oh what's another 30 minutes. But it is a HUGE difference b/c not only are you adding 30 more minutes, you need to remember that often the intervals are faster (it's more intense) and the kids don't die as easily as adults and they can really work the back half of sets/ races. PLUS, much of their 2 hours of swimming does not involve using equipment like paddles, buoys, and fins. Instead, there is more swim and more kick work.
I also pay the full price b/c I don't want anyone thinking I'm getting special treatment. However, compared to other sports I was in (triathlons for a short time), the price seems very reasonable. And I look at it as an investment in my health.
Can't comment on the dirty old man thing. I'd personally shop for another club if that's the kind of comments you've heard. Yuck.
The problem is that, left to my own devices, my work-outs are all about the same. Same times, same strokes, same distance. I always go about 4000 to 4500 meters, one half swim, one quarter kick, one quarter pull. I do some sprints and tons of traditional short-rest interval training. Ho hummmmm...
Same for me. Give me an inch and I'll take a mile. I needed/ wanted/ craved a more boot camp type workout. There is always something that not only challenges me but often shocks me during USA-S practices. :)
It would be nice to periodically (or routinelly) swim with the age-group swimmers of my speed calibre, but I just cannot see how to arrange that without coming across as just plain kooky (and not in a good kooky way either) Maybe it is just the very traditional, old fashioned culture in this area that makes this difficult.
I worried about being kooky for about 5 minutes. Change can be good.
For the swimmers that have the opportunity to swim with age group teams: was this opportunity offered-up voluntarily by the club, or did you have to campaign the club to allow you to join as a master swimmer? I knew that a couple of the masters men swam with the kids on occasion. So, I made sure to get myself in the best shape possible; proved myself in the pool during masters practices and meets; and then asked if I could join in. Then the hard work began. Although I must give credit to my coach for reigning me in and not allowing me to overdo it. He's made it clear I just don't recover like the kids. Ain't that the truth!
I have noticed that some (many?) of you swimmers have the opportunity to train with age-group swimmers. How did you manage to arrange that?
I got to know the club, the coaches, the swimmers and the masters program (swam on it for a few years) prior to asking about swimming with the kids. By the time I asked about it, I was told that "they would love to have me."
Some clubs and coaches are open to it and others are not.
I'm fortunate in that the head coach in my area (along with the rest of the coaches on his team) welcome adults who want to swim with the kids (and in total honesty, very few adults can hang with these kids). I've actually witnessed 20 to 30 something year old ex- Senior National top 8 finalists try and do a couple of practices with the SRI/ National team and not be able to do it. They did not return. So, if you can hang, you can work out a schedule with the coach. If you can't, you won't want to practice with them anyway. So it all really works itself out.
I would like to stress that I swam 6x/ week at 1.5 hours a pop for a few years (and mostly did distance sets coming in around 5,000 yds per practice) with masters prior to even thinking about swimming with the kids @ 2 hours a practice. Only when the masters practices felt EZ (and I could easily average 1:15 to 1:10 per hundred on free sets - and I would not be tired week after week), did I think about swimming with the kids. I think that as adults, we tend to think, oh what's another 30 minutes. But it is a HUGE difference b/c not only are you adding 30 more minutes, you need to remember that often the intervals are faster (it's more intense) and the kids don't die as easily as adults and they can really work the back half of sets/ races. PLUS, much of their 2 hours of swimming does not involve using equipment like paddles, buoys, and fins. Instead, there is more swim and more kick work.
I also pay the full price b/c I don't want anyone thinking I'm getting special treatment. However, compared to other sports I was in (triathlons for a short time), the price seems very reasonable. And I look at it as an investment in my health.
Can't comment on the dirty old man thing. I'd personally shop for another club if that's the kind of comments you've heard. Yuck.
The problem is that, left to my own devices, my work-outs are all about the same. Same times, same strokes, same distance. I always go about 4000 to 4500 meters, one half swim, one quarter kick, one quarter pull. I do some sprints and tons of traditional short-rest interval training. Ho hummmmm...
Same for me. Give me an inch and I'll take a mile. I needed/ wanted/ craved a more boot camp type workout. There is always something that not only challenges me but often shocks me during USA-S practices. :)
It would be nice to periodically (or routinelly) swim with the age-group swimmers of my speed calibre, but I just cannot see how to arrange that without coming across as just plain kooky (and not in a good kooky way either) Maybe it is just the very traditional, old fashioned culture in this area that makes this difficult.
I worried about being kooky for about 5 minutes. Change can be good.
For the swimmers that have the opportunity to swim with age group teams: was this opportunity offered-up voluntarily by the club, or did you have to campaign the club to allow you to join as a master swimmer? I knew that a couple of the masters men swam with the kids on occasion. So, I made sure to get myself in the best shape possible; proved myself in the pool during masters practices and meets; and then asked if I could join in. Then the hard work began. Although I must give credit to my coach for reigning me in and not allowing me to overdo it. He's made it clear I just don't recover like the kids. Ain't that the truth!
