Where to begin....

I, too, stopped swimming for over 10 years after high school and truly forgot how wonderful swimming can be. I would add some suggestions to the latest post. I would not work my way up to practicing with a team- just join. There will be slower, less experienced swimmers on the team you join so have no fear that you are not as good as other team members or as good as you used to be. In addition to motivating yourself to workout and get back into shape, you will be rewarded with many instant friends to push you along. Plus, you will rarely get the former swimmer turned lap swimmer mentality of "I just swam 1500 yards, I don't really need a better workout, I'm bored, that's enough, I think I'll go home". Your new friends will motivate you to really get a good workout. You do not have to mention how much you swam or how fast you swam when you were younger. Start off in a slower lane and work your way up. Your teammates will think "wow- what improvement". Do not focus on speed, but rather getting back into swimming shape. Focus on technique like good turns for a while, then move on to repeats on easy times, and finally move on to more yardage and speed. Getting back into shape takes months, but it sure is fun. You will be slower than high school and if your mother is like my mother, she will point this out. But, your new swimming buddies and your better physique will be worth your less than top speed swimming times. You also don't have to go to all of the workouts each week - start off with a few per week and then add more. Pain and injury will follow if you do not work your way back into shape and let you body recover. Also, warming up and down during each workout is essential. By the way, after my absence and my increased age, I find that I need at least 1000 yards (varying kick, swim, pull, stroke) to warm up. I also tend to cheat on the warm down and feel it the next day. If I have not convinced you to join a team, then the workouts on this forum are good. (Although, re-reading what I wrote, I am sure you will join a team right away) Start off with easy 2,000 yard workouts and move on after a few weeks to more yardage. Make sure you vary what you are doing. You do not want to get stuck doing the same workout and risk getting bored and go home. Before you know it, you will feel great, swim in meets, and have great friends. And, you will be the next person to write on this forum about the joys of returning to competitive swimming at the Masters Level.

I, too, stopped swimming for over 10 years after high school and truly forgot how wonderful swimming can be. I would add some suggestions to the latest post. I would not work my way up to practicing with a team- just join. There will be slower, less experienced swimmers on the team you join so have no fear that you are not as good as other team members or as good as you used to be. In addition to motivating yourself to workout and get back into shape, you will be rewarded with many instant friends to push you along. Plus, you will rarely get the former swimmer turned lap swimmer mentality of "I just swam 1500 yards, I don't really need a better workout, I'm bored, that's enough, I think I'll go home". Your new friends will motivate you to really get a good workout. You do not have to mention how much you swam or how fast you swam when you were younger. Start off in a slower lane and work your way up. Your teammates will think "wow- what improvement". Do not focus on speed, but rather getting back into swimming shape. Focus on technique like good turns for a while, then move on to repeats on easy times, and finally move on to more yardage and speed. Getting back into shape takes months, but it sure is fun. You will be slower than high school and if your mother is like my mother, she will point this out. But, your new swimming buddies and your better physique will be worth your less than top speed swimming times. You also don't have to go to all of the workouts each week - start off with a few per week and then add more. Pain and injury will follow if you do not work your way back into shape and let you body recover. Also, warming up and down during each workout is essential. By the way, after my absence and my increased age, I find that I need at least 1000 yards (varying kick, swim, pull, stroke) to warm up. I also tend to cheat on the warm down and feel it the next day. If I have not convinced you to join a team, then the workouts on this forum are good. (Although, re-reading what I wrote, I am sure you will join a team right away) Start off with easy 2,000 yard workouts and move on after a few weeks to more yardage. Make sure you vary what you are doing. You do not want to get stuck doing the same workout and risk getting bored and go home. Before you know it, you will feel great, swim in meets, and have great friends. And, you will be the next person to write on this forum about the joys of returning to competitive swimming at the Masters Level.