Tuesday morning I met my swimming buddy at the pool bright and early at 6:00AM.
We completed a strange workout.
15 minute warm up of mixed strokes and kicking
30 minutes of 25 sprints (15 seconds to complete a 25 and 15 seconds rest)
10×100’s (Odd I.M. and even free drills)
100 warm down
I remember at about this time last year I was starting up “pre-season” swimming with my team and gearing up for a LONG season.
I look happy but I’m sure I was dreading practice 😉
Anyways, what i’m trying to say is that yes, I do miss swimming on a “real” team sometimes but I also like to participate in swimming (one of my passions!) on my own terms.
I might be way more slow than I was a year ago but i’m much happier being able to have time to have a social life do homework. I would go to so many practices and just hate them because I wasn’t in the mood to swim, I was tired, or had something else I wanted to do. Now I swim when I want to and I love that freedom! I like swimming 1,000x more now than I did when I swam competitively.
Have you ever felt burnt out or had to take a step back from a passion because you were “forced” to do it or felt as if you had to?
Have you ever re-kindled a passion?
Living My Full Life 
Amen. After high school swimming my sophomore year I had a meltdown and took several months away from the pool completely. I stayed away until I honestly missed the sport. Now, I like swimming but can’t say I really love competitions all that much…
Definitely! I go through lots of phases with workouts. The only one I felt really guilty about is running… I think I have it in my head it will take too long to build mileage back up.
Yes, the same happend to me with swimming, with kickboxing and even with ballet… I just think I am the person who needs to do thing for fun and not for results 🙂
For sure! I was the same way with softball. I played from 3rd grade up through my junior year, so I got burnt out. I still don’t really miss the team aspect, but I do miss the fun of batting practice 🙂
I know totally how you feel. I swam through college and it totally killed my passion for the sport. I am still trying to rekindle the love I had for swimming haha
Yay! I’m so glad that you enjoy swimming so much more now–it’s amazing how much more enjoyment we can have from something when we have freedom in it.
Right now I’m feeling really burnt out from my job! ahhh
It’s better to do it the way you enjoy it than letting it become something not so fun anymore by forcing yourself to swim on a team. I’ve never had to make that choice but I hope I can cut myself a break and just enjoy it like you do!
this is a great time for you just to enjoy swimming solo, enjoy the workouts, no pressure. I think we all need a mental break from real TRAINING. Its your no plan training. I like it!
That’s a really good perspective. This spring I was going to train for a 10 mile race after my half (like, a month after), and I ended up deciding not to do it and did a 10K a few weeks later just because my body couldn’t handle the rigors of that training without me losing my sanity! We have our whole lives to work out, and obviously as active people we want to anyway, so there’s nothing wrong with taking a day or two off so you can have a life :).
I totally understand why you miss the team aspect of swimming but it sounds like you made the right decision for you, and you sound so happy!
I kind of relate in a sense with school. I love being in class and learning, but since I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to academics, I have to be careful not to take it overboard. Kind of like you with swimming, I recognize that’s coming when I stop looking forward to things. It’s a sign to step back!
Are you in my mind. I literally posted this blog last night. HA-great minds think alike. I like the people and I just need to adjust to swimming again I think. If not I may leave this season.
Hahahaha I am cracking up at the goggle and jumping pics. Too hilarious!
I used to ride horses, and got super-competitive until I dreaded it. Stopped that and started just riding for fun and remembered why I loved it so much! And love the hilarious jumping pic, haha.
This happens to me all the time! I feel burned out about something and put it aside for a while and then go back to it and think, “how did I ever get sick of this?”
Acccctually, that’s how I used to feel about swimming. I swam on a swim team from 7-15 and once I was 15, I just had enough. I was no longer in an “age group” and just figured it was time to stop. Now, I love using it as cross-training. I find it so enjoyable to just swim without whistles and everything.
Definitely a re-kindled passion. 🙂 I’m glad you’re happier with it, too!
This is exactly how I feel about swimming. I love being able to swim on my own and not competitively!!!
Great workout girl! I used to love swimming and still hate it unfortunately… I hope to rekindle the passion on day though!
i have never been a super good swimmer at all, but i know it’s a great workout.
i used to be really involved in music and theatre, and those are passions i’d love to rekindle now that life has calmed down a little bit!
I love that you are loving life these days. It’s so good to have a social life…er…time to do homework. 😉
I totally know how this is!! There came a time while I was skating where training 9 hrs a day, working two jobs, going to night-college was just too much. I was always tired, cold, sore, and lonely. I had no social life. I became burned out. I missed my friends, I missed having a life, I missed my family especially. Happiness and mental health is SO IMPORTANT!!!
LOL! Lovin the goggles 😀
I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced burnout in a serious way, but I do have days where I can just tell my body doesn’t want to work out!