{"id":146134,"date":"2015-08-05T09:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-08-05T16:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=146134"},"modified":"2015-07-28T19:12:51","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T02:12:51","slug":"filling-the-void-in-life-after-swimming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/filling-the-void-in-life-after-swimming\/","title":{"rendered":"Filling the Void In Life After Swimming"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Eric Bugby, Swimming World\u00a0Contributor<\/em><\/p>\n

Swan Song<\/strong><\/h3>\n

My last race came in the spring of 2007. It was over eight years ago, but it\u2019s seared in my memory. I was tired, not just from a four-day prelims and finals meet, but also from a five-year collegiate career that included transferring schools, a red-shirt year, and a deep bag of mistakes.<\/p>\n

I was swimming well that year; training hard despite labrum surgery in the summer and adding the 200 fly and 200 IM to my meet lineups (two events I had never raced).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m behind the blocks with Eminem on my iPod (no iPhone yet) and tightening my Speedo Fastskin II (no FS Pro yet and let\u2019s not talk about just missing the polyurethane suits).<\/p>\n

\"Eminem<\/a>

Photo Courtesy: DMA<\/p><\/div>\n

The plan was to lead off the 400 free relay and make NCAAs.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the season.<\/p>\n

Now, the plan was to lead off the 400 free relay and not complain in front of my teammates. There were too many emotions. The main one was fear. It was the fear of failure and fear of fatigue, something I fought my entire career. I also felt pride. I was proud of my team and teammates. They were swimming fast and I wanted to contribute. I remember being happy. I was thrilled because it was my last race.<\/p>\n

As soon as I finished, I didn\u2019t smile, I laughed. It was a laugh shrouded in \u201cwhat ifs,\u201d the worst feeling a swimmer can have. I cheered on my three other teammates. We won that relay, but the most rewarding victory was releasing my cap and goggles into the trash located 10 feet behind lane four.<\/p>\n

The Emptiness<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Based on that day, I should have been forever satisfied my swimming career was over. I wasn\u2019t satisfied. It could have been the \u201cwhat ifs\u201d or coming close to my goals or something else, something metaphysical.<\/p>\n

Not everyone ends their career under duress, but it eventually ends and leaves a hole, a void. Some voids start small. You don\u2019t feel its pull immediately. It can mask itself as euphoria: the free time, the food, the extra hours of sleep, the food.<\/p>\n

But the void expands, engulfs the euphoria and pulls at past memories. It invokes a mental and physical response. Swimming is a sport, not a game. We don\u2019t \u201cplay\u201d swimming. We train and work hard at it. It\u2019s an endurance sport, regardless of race distance. With all those yards, the early mornings, long weekends, weights, dry land, core, stretching, \u201crecovery,\u201d etc., our bodies become accustomed to that lifestyle. We yearn to fill that void with what we know.<\/p>\n

Swimming was my addiction. When it was removed, the void grew and manifested itself as a lack of energy, an apathetic attitude towards exercise, and an overindulgence in food. I couldn\u2019t pinpoint the root of these feelings, so it continued.<\/p>\n

Self-reflection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It wasn\u2019t until graduate school that I began to self-reflect.<\/p>\n

It started when I was approached by a few masters swimmers to stop by the pool. I had free time after classes in the evening, so I showed up for a practice. My thought process was na\u00efve, but it worked: \u201cIt\u2019s only an hour long, how bad can it be.\u201d It was only eight months since my last race, but that practice set everything in motion that would determine then next eight years.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t swim well that night, but I met new people, struggled with vigor to make intervals, laughed with the coaches, and shook with a fatigue that only swimmers know. Swimming was the missing link, but \u201cswimming\u201d is vague and encompassing, so I need to asked myself two questions:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Why did I swim?<\/li>\n
  2. What did I miss about it?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    These are very simple questions, but they are the most important in self-reflection and evaluation for any swimmer at any level at any time in their career. I surmised that I swam for the meets and everything that came with racing: accomplishment, adrenaline, relays, teammates, all of it.<\/p>\n

    \"Jul<\/a>

    Photo Courtesy: Rob Schumacher\/USA Today Sports Images<\/p><\/div>\n

    What I missed was winning. Winning is like Thanksgiving dinner with an endless appetite, each bite better than the next, each spoonful fueling the next. I didn\u2019t always win, but each victory invigorated the next practice or early morning wakeup or weight session. It\u2019s different for each person. Here are a few reasons that may resonate:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. The thrill of racing.<\/li>\n
    2. That winning feeling.<\/li>\n
    3. Doing whatever you can for your team.<\/li>\n
    4. The camaraderie of teammates.<\/li>\n
    5. Swimming is actually fun.<\/li>\n
    6. Staying in shape.<\/li>\n
    7. Looking in shape (very different than staying in shape).<\/li>\n
    8. Scholarship money: access to college and graduating college.<\/li>\n
    9. Having a professional career.<\/li>\n
    10. Achieving your goals.<\/li>\n
    11. Keeping your word.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Solutions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      The only comparable feeling to the personal thrill of racing is the watching swimmers succeed. The look on their face after they see their time is priceless. It\u2019s an amalgamation of relief (from all the hard work finally paying off) and bliss (of doing something you\u2019ve never done before). Coaching is just one outlet for former swimmers. The void can be vast and may take a unique approach to subdue. The following three approaches are a good start:<\/p>\n

      \"fun_of_coaching\"<\/a>

      Photo Courtesy: Eric Bugby<\/p><\/div>\n

      The masters practice was fun, but I didn\u2019t want to swim every day. I needed a new outlet that continued to spark my drive for success, winning, and love of swimming. I initially found my solution in coaching.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Coaching<\/strong>. At any level. Find a demographic that you are passionate about. It ranges from summer league and learn to swim programs to college and masters. Each possesses its own challenges and rewards. Coaching is ultimately a teaching position where you give back to the swimming community and create strong teams. It takes patience, the ability to ask questions, and admitting that you don\u2019t know everything about swimming.<\/li>\n
      2. Masters<\/strong>. Yes, get back in the pool. The beauty of masters swimming is that you are in control. You can attend one practice per week or 10. You can finally swim all your worst events without the fear of being embarrassed or chastised by your coach. Masters swimming is low pressure and a great way to meet new people, enjoy your teammates, and attend meets with a team.<\/li>\n
      3. Triathlon<\/strong>. This includes any distance of triathlon (swim-bike-run), aquathlon (swim-run), and aquabike (swim-bike). You already possess a major advantage over the field as a former swimmer. We have a reputation for not being \u201cland athletes,\u201d but that\u2019s not true. Don\u2019t fall victim to the stereotype: strengthen your ankles. Sprint triathlons are a great way to enter the sport. Be careful because it\u2019s expensive and addicting. It feeds the desire to stay in shape and compete at a high level.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \"west_point_tri_2015\"<\/a>

        Photo Courtesy: Eric Bugby<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        By Eric Bugby, Swimming World\u00a0Contributor Swan Song My last race came in the spring of 2007. It was over eight years ago, but it\u2019s seared in my memory. 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Some voids start small. You don\u2019t feel its pull immediately. It can mask itself as euphoria: the free time, the food, the extra hours of sleep, the food. But the void expands, engulfs the euphoria and pulls at past memories. It invokes a mental and physical response. Swimming is a sport, not a game. We don\u2019t \u201cplay\u201d swimming. We train and work hard at it. It\u2019s an endurance sport, regardless of race distance. With all those yards, the early mornings, long weekends, weights, dry land, core, stretching, \u201crecovery,\u201d etc., our bodies become accustomed to that lifestyle. We yearn to fill that void with what we know.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/filling-the-void-in-life-after-swimming\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Filling the Void In Life After Swimming\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Not everyone ends their career under duress, but it eventually ends and leaves a hole, a void. Some voids start small. You don\u2019t feel its pull immediately. It can mask itself as euphoria: the free time, the food, the extra hours of sleep, the food. But the void expands, engulfs the euphoria and pulls at past memories. It invokes a mental and physical response. Swimming is a sport, not a game. We don\u2019t \u201cplay\u201d swimming. We train and work hard at it. It\u2019s an endurance sport, regardless of race distance. With all those yards, the early mornings, long weekends, weights, dry land, core, stretching, \u201crecovery,\u201d etc., our bodies become accustomed to that lifestyle. 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