What are the odds of getting back to your high school or college times? I'm 40 and just got back into it 7 months ago. I was an age group swimmer from 9yrs old till 18yrs old.
Right now my freestyle is off about a second per 50yd. My 100yd *** was my specialty in high school and I am still about 5 seconds off that time... although I don't swim it nearly enough in practice.
How far off is everyone else off? Is there hope of being as fast as you were as a teenager?
I've got mixed emotions on this topic ...
On the one hand, I'm 100% in agreement with Wookie on this point:
I train to race the best that I that I can on a given day. If I go slower in a race, so be it. If I go faster, so be it. I don't get worked up over times.
On the other hand, I get motivated to get up early and do the workouts by setting goal times, so I agree with Tom on this point:
I like the challenge of trying to get near lifetime best and you don't have to do 8,000 workouts everyday to do like I did as an age grouper.
I think you can do both: set a goal time, but also not be too high pressured or care too much if you don't get it. Masters swimming is so much "less heavy" and fun in that respect than age group or collegiate swimming was where races and times seemed to have so much more "weight" and importance.
I've got mixed emotions on this topic ...
On the one hand, I'm 100% in agreement with Wookie on this point:
I train to race the best that I that I can on a given day. If I go slower in a race, so be it. If I go faster, so be it. I don't get worked up over times.
On the other hand, I get motivated to get up early and do the workouts by setting goal times, so I agree with Tom on this point:
I like the challenge of trying to get near lifetime best and you don't have to do 8,000 workouts everyday to do like I did as an age grouper.
I think you can do both: set a goal time, but also not be too high pressured or care too much if you don't get it. Masters swimming is so much "less heavy" and fun in that respect than age group or collegiate swimming was where races and times seemed to have so much more "weight" and importance.
