I quit elite level competitive swimming in May this year. The training and pressure I was putting on myself for racing was becoming more of a burden to me and my health then the motivation and enjoyment of the sport. So imagine the surprised looks of my old coach when he found out I was competing at the next State meet.
Three weeks ago, with the small amount of swimming I've done in the past 6 months compared to what I use to do, I decided to enter a 50m Free. I wasn't a sprinter when I was competitive, and I am no more a sprinter now, but 50m Free was always the race I enjoyed the most, so it seemed like the best one to go back to.
I walked through the doors of that stadium and it was like I had never left. There was the same smell of chlorine, sound of the starting gun and 8 people entering the water, with the pounding kick that would follow their breakout strokes. But all of a sudden there was also the pressure and expectations, the nervousness that builds while you sit in the marshalling area and the questioning of why you are doing this.
The swim turned out ok, slightly off my time but all things considered a decent race. And while I am glad that I come back to race, I am glad I made the decision to quit competitive swimming in May and this just confirmed it for me.
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