I found it difficult to train hard without having a meet to compete in. setting goals for practice is one thing, but having goal times for races is what drives me.
I couldn't motivate myself to train hard if I didn't compete,but that's just me.Ultimately swimming is something you do for yourself,so do it your way.
If I were gifted, I would enjoy going to swim meets more.
Finishing DFL or otherwise finishing slower than people who do much less training lacks appeal.
I love to be in the water. I like the feel of it. I like how I feel as I swim. I sometimes compete, but I don't have to. I swim because I enjoy swimming. :fish2:
I fall into the train and non-compete category, like the majority (around 70-80%) of registered USMS members.
On my team, we have ample opportunity to do timed swims, before/during/after workouts, and I'll do those on a regular basis, and those are more than enough to satisfy any competition bug I may get. I used to do 2-3 meets a year, and did the USMS national meet when it was local, but I just saw little reason to compete when I'm not even close to NQT's.
The primary reason I workout is for general health and fitness. The results I see in the mirror and hear from others (especially my doctor) are far more important than how fast I can or can't swim. I swim with USMS teams 99% of the time, and if I don't show for workout, I'll usually get a comment from the coach or a fellow swimmer when I miss. Once I'm there, I'll do whatever the coach says to do. The coaches do a fantastic job motivating me--and everyone else--by recording times, keeping team records, etc.
I definately compete so I have goals to keep me working hard.
Ironically, most all of my measurable improvement is from workouts and not races. I have dropped my repeat times per hundred about 10 seconds with 30 seconds less rest - yet my 100 race time has only improved 1 second. I hope this improvement will at least manifest when I switch back to distance races this summer!
I don't care that much but I admit it is also a little humbling getting my butt kicked in meets. People at the Y call me Michael Phelps, but I have to explain to them how in reality I really suck.
People at the Y call me Michael Phelps, but I have to explain to them how in reality I really suck.
Yeah, I get some of that non-reality-based feedback too. Good grief!
But if I tell people that my swimming is just awful, that translates to them that they REALLY suck, a put-down for them. Most of the population can't even swim at all, so their even more humble abilities may still be something they are proud of (deservedly so). It could be convincing somebody who could enjoy swimming with a Masters group that they aren't good enough.
So it's best to just smile and just tell them they are being nice/generous; and that you've been doing this for a long time, etc.
