Hi everyone,
Next weekend is my very first Master's swim meet and I have to say, I'm really quite nervous! I've been a competitive swimmer all my life since I was 6 years old and growing up, competitive swimming was pretty much my life. When I was younger I was a great swimmer..qualified for YMCA Nationals at the Swimming Hall of Fame multiple times, swam for a Division I college, placed in top 10 at MAAC championships, etc
But now, almost 9 years out of college, I'm about 50 pounds heavier:afraid: and am nowhere near as fast as I was when I was in my best shape. I'm trying to get back in shape and lose some weight, and I'm really enjoying getting back into swimming again. I've been swimming with my local Masters team for the past 2 months now and have my very first meet coming up.
The thing is...I'm really nervous about how I'm going to look in my bathing suit compared to all the other swimmers and how slow I'll be. Am I going to be the only overweight and out of shape swimmer there? I'm worried that my times are so slow, that even if I'm in the slowest heat, I'll still be so far behind even the "slow" swimmers in my heat. (For example, one of the events I've entered is the 1000 free. My fastest time in college was 10:24 and I time trialed myself and was 16:02 :blush:)
I know I need to focus on my progress and not worry about everyone else, but I think I still have that old competitive swimming mindset. I'm envisioning all these fit, trim, ripped swimmers and then there will be me heading up to the blocks with my belly and cellulite!:blush:
How was your very first Master's swim meet?? Did you have the same worries/fears?
Thanks for your help, and please, this is my very first post so don't be too hard on me!
Erica :)
Good luck and don't worry about what you look like. All that matters is how you feel. As others have said, Masters swimming encompasses every body type and personality type. No one will be judging you. So go, enjoy and be sure to let us know how it goes.
Everyone has to start somewhere! You will get your start this week-end and it's all about what happens after the first meet!
Really I have never heard master swimmer's remarking on another swimmer's fatness. We are all out there in speedo's all wet and slippery! Most of us have at least a few imperfections. Hopefully as adults we appreciate each other for our unique personality's and love of the sport. Just be yourself, have fun, and the rest will unfold as it will!! :agree:
Good luck!
I agree with everyone else. Have fun, enjoy the experience!
I also swam DI, took some time off after college, and got back in the pool. I am no longer worried about how fast I am now compared to how I used to be; I just try to get better with each meet.
I hope that you have a very supportive team with you; if not, there are always wonderful people to talk to during the meet! You never know who you will end up talking to :)
The thing is...I'm really nervous about how I'm going to look in my bathing suit compared to all the other swimmers and how slow I'll be. Am I going to be the only overweight and out of shape swimmer there?
Absolutely not. There are lots of fit and trim masters swimmers and there are at least as many who don't exactly fit that description and, yes, they do swim at meets. I respect anyone who shows up and competes regardless of their body shape or speed in the pool and most other masters swimmers feel the same way. You've got to start somewhere, after all! :banana:
Relax. Most meets are seeded by time, not by age group. Some meets even seed both genders together to improve your chance to have a good race even if you won't be scored against the others in your heat.
Use a realistic calculated seed time, not your college personal best nor "NT", if you don't have recent official resut times to use. That gives you an achievable challenge and gives you somebody to race with and likewise for others in your heat.
Plenty of people get back into swimming when they decide they need to lose weight, get back in shape; and find that competition helps their motivation to keep at a lifelong fitness plan. You can't always tell who's fastest by how they look, either.
I've been swimming with my local Masters team for the past 2 months now and have my very first meet coming up.
The thing is...I'm really nervous about how I'm going to look in my bathing suit compared to all the other swimmers and how slow I'll be.
You wear a bathing suit at practice, right? The meet is no different, except that you have your own lane, and you have to wait to start until someone signals, and you can look up your splits later.
The people at the meet will look, and swim, and look at you, about like the people you already swim with. There is not some secret stash of super-ripped, super-fast, super-judgmental adult swimmers out there that you have never before seen at any pool. Ask your teammates what to expect, and make plans to go with one or more of them. You will have a good time.
Hi everyone,
Next weekend is my very first Master's swim meet and I have to say, I'm really quite nervous! I've been a competitive swimmer all my life since I was 6 years old and growing up, competitive swimming was pretty much my life. When I was younger I was a great swimmer..qualified for YMCA Nationals at the Swimming Hall of Fame multiple times, swam for a Division I college, placed in top 10 at MAAC championships, etc
But now, almost 9 years out of college, I'm about 50 pounds heavier:afraid: and am nowhere near as fast as I was when I was in my best shape. I'm trying to get back in shape and lose some weight, and I'm really enjoying getting back into swimming again. I've been swimming with my local Masters team for the past 2 months now and have my very first meet coming up.
The thing is...I'm really nervous about how I'm going to look in my bathing suit compared to all the other swimmers and how slow I'll be. Am I going to be the only overweight and out of shape swimmer there? I'm worried that my times are so slow, that even if I'm in the slowest heat, I'll still be so far behind even the "slow" swimmers in my heat. (For example, one of the events I've entered is the 1000 free. My fastest time in college was 10:24 and I time trialed myself and was 16:02 :blush:)
I know I need to focus on my progress and not worry about everyone else, but I think I still have that old competitive swimming mindset. I'm envisioning all these fit, trim, ripped swimmers and then there will be me heading up to the blocks with my belly and cellulite!:blush:
How was your very first Master's swim meet?? Did you have the same worries/fears?
Thanks for your help, and please, this is my very first post so don't be too hard on me!
Erica :)
You've almost described me in that history paragraph. I started masters meets this year after having duked it out with the USS kids last year. You get far less people, if any, paying attention to age or body type at a masters meet. The whole attitude and environment is different at a masters meet too.
If you're really worried about how your times would compare, go look at previous years results for the same meet. That should give you an indication of where you are in relation to everyone else. I think you'll find that you compare better than you think.
My advice and approach: don't worry about looks or weight, go smack around some thin people in your races and watch their jaws drop :) I say this in a fun, sporting, sort of manner of course. :angel:
I hope that you have a very supportive team with you; if not, there are always wonderful people to talk to during the meet! You never know who you will end up talking to :)
Or sitting next to in the 100+ heat of an outdoor meet :)
If you have been a competitive swimmer, this should be no big deal. You have to overcome your self image issues and expect to be treated as one of the "swimmers" with no other prefix or suffix. Masters are very social and accommodating. Have fun and use the meet as a reference point for your future training, instead of using it as a vortex of fear or dread. Even Michael Phelps has been beaten in races.
