Unfinished business in the pool??

Same here. I don't need motivation to exercise, but I do need motivation to swim. My 24 year break means I never look back at times from my youth and always look forward. Plenty of goals to set here in masters and plenty of competition and racing. Plus, I would never want to go back to the yardage drudgery from my youth that made me avoid the pool for decades. I've enjoyed reinventing myself as a drop dead sprinter. I think we must be complete opposites :) I am so unmotivated to do any exercise whatsoever unless it is swimming - and it has taken a long time for me to admit that to myself! I only discovered events longer than 100m when I started masters (except for a once yearly 200 free) and at that point realised that I was relatively better at mid-distance than sprints, so masters has always been a new era. Right now I'm not so far off those PR times of 5 years ago. It does get harder as you get older, but I'm hoping my best is yet to come!

Agree Philo! Like you, fly was my best stroke as an age grouper, but now (while I love fly), backstroke is my best stroke. Why? Because, unlike when I was young, I can SDK. Love that new innovation! My breaststroke, however, has remained largely remedial. But, yes, picking your own strokes and your own distances and, often, your own workouts is fantastic. The phrase "masters prerogative" resonates with me. And it's another reason why I am not an old school purist. I'd rather be an old dog learning new tricks. Though I can't seem to master that dorkel. Being able to put my head under the water in breaststroke = heaven. Love the glide. It's a wonderful change to the rules, as is the dolphin kick on the pullout. "Remedial" is the perfect word to describe my backstroke. I'm like a turtle on my back. Maybe I should work on my SDK, there is more hope for it than the part where I move my arms.

As I turn 65 this April, I can tell you each year is different from the last! Whether you swam fast or not at all, Masters swimming is a way to keep in shape ,meet people & push yourself all that you want! I learned to swim in the waves of Lake Michigan by the dunes & have been in the lakes & pools all over since!

My unfinished business is to exorcise my demons. Still working on that.

Lap swimming with no racing goal would put me to sleep. Yep - tried that for a couple of months last year :yawn:, then got sucked into competing at kiddo's summer league, which was 50 sprints plus 100 & 200 free and 100 IM. Certainly focussed my mind, and proved that I was still a pretty rubbish sprinter when compared with my 200 time. Now I have my first ever 500 yd to look forward to at the weekend :banana:.

Being able to put my head under the water in breaststroke = heaven. Love the glide. It's a wonderful change to the rules, as is the dolphin kick on the pullout. "Remedial" is the perfect word to describe my backstroke. I'm like a turtle on my back. Maybe I should work on my SDK, there is more hope for it than the part where I move my arms. Breaststroke, Philo? :applaud: Join the Frogs! Like you, backstroke is my worst stroke. But, I have been determined to improve it, so I can get better at IM. I used to feel like :drowning: while swimming backstroke, but a nose clip and some coaching has helped a lot! I have to ditch the nose clip for the IM, though, because I can't get used to using it for the other strokes. Having the choice to work on my other strokes when/ how I want to is a huge improvement over my high school swim team days when the coach was all about filling lane slots. Backstrokers were plentiful on our team, so backstroke never appeared on the chalkboard for the breaststroke lane... :badday:

Though I can't seem to master that dorkel. Since you are already a nose clipper, the dorkel should be easy. The only tricky bit are the flip turns. YMMV.

But I did what I did and it is what it is and now I'm having fun in masters. You also rock! Watching (and recording) your world record-breaking 200IM at 2010 Nationals was one of the highlights for me! :applaud:

I think of myself as blessed and very fortunate, I'm pretty happy with my swimming experiences but I do feel like I never swam as fast as I could have. Here's my reasons why, I: + had spotty training from ages 8 to 11, then started with the Langley Blue Dolphins in Hampton Virginia which became the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins at a Coast Guard Base new Yorktown. + took a break from swimming from Feb 1977 to Sep 1977 after I moved from Hamption Virginia to Austin, Texas + didn't really get into a strong swimming program until I started Longhorn Aquatics in Austin in Sep 1977 + didn't break 1:00 in the 100 scy fr until I was 15 + didn't move up into the top age group program at Longhorn coached by Paul Bergen until I my High school jr year. + was a late bloomer, was 5'4" 120 lbs as a HS freshman, 6'1" end of my HS SR then grew 2 more inches in college to 6' 3 & 3/4ths + just turned 18 when I graduated from HS, so I was younger than most of my class. + should have kept training for the 200 & 400 IM's & the 200 & 500 fr + hurt my back in 1982, the summer after my freshman year at UT, & it kept hurting for 2 years and I didn't improve. Wasn't able to swim as hard or lift. but finally broke through this slump with My Best Season Ever + never got a swimming scholarship & never in NCAAs or Olympic Trials, even though I made cuts for both. + wish I would have gotten better sooner at streamline dolphin kicking + really wish when I was at UT, that we had 4 x 50 relays & tech suits. But I did what I did and it is what it is and now I'm having fun in masters.

My best 50 fr: 23.0x My best 100 fr: 50.0x My best 200 fr: 1:50.0x I believe that is the source of all my pent up frustration, jaded world view and occasional sarcasm. Those barriers are the only reason I train and as soon as they are broken I will never swim again having dissolved all frustration allowing myself to see the world in a new light and achieved divine bliss.Once you see 22+ in the 50 the siren song of 21.99 will draw you in ... same with 48.99, 1:48.99 ... and on and on and on. Enjoy the endless pursuit of happiness and divine bliss.