My first year was spent swimming with a small Masters group at Life Time Fitness in Gilbert while I focused on Open Water events. This second year I made the switch to an official USMS club, Sun Devil Masters, and to date, I've competed in 6 swim meets, one of which was an Arizona State Championship, and another being USMS Spring Nationals (a huge meet with 1804 swimmers!). I have two more meets to go, making a grand total of 8 for the year. I fully intended to include some Open Water swim events, but the desire just wasn't there.
Going into my third year, I'm hoping to continue refining my strokes and bringing down my times. It's incredible how hard it is to change muscle memories learned almost 40 years ago. I was a 25-yard sprinter in high school, and even though I'm now into my later 50s, my body still remembers what it did back in 1970. When I race, it's a battle against the clock and with my old memories. But, with the help of some private coaching, I'm finally making some good progress on creating new muscle memories. Repetition, repetition, repetition and practice, practice, practice. Eventually, I will have forgotten those old memories once and for all.
Here's a little photo montage of me and some of my lane mates, highlighting the past two years of being back in the water.
