With this post I will present you with something special. This time it is not about us swimmers, but it concerns the ones that are, day in day out, dealing with competitive swimmers. The information below are most important for the spouses, partners and friends and for those who are seriously considering to date a swimmer.
Even if you have already experience in being together with an athlete before, dating a swimmer is something else, because they are a different species of athletes. If you want to truly understand what it means to be a swimmer, you either have to be one of them or you have to date one. They are athletes without this big head that comes from a pursuit of fame or too much income. Swimmers are dedicated and used to manage their training schedule, and they can handle quite a bit of pain by doing so. If you think that swimming is a sport without contact and bruises, then attend one of their trainings, where one splits a lane with 10 other swimmers, or witness the mass start of an open water competition.
Here are the things, you should make your peace with, when dating a swimmer.
swimmers are a dedicated
Most swimmers are training for almost the entire year. Yes, there are here and there a couple of small breaks but training season is from autumn to summer. Which means, if you are willing to fit to their schedule, you are in. Free time is a kind of luxury. Many weekends are either swim meets, or they are catching up on sleep and eating. During weekdays they train 2 to 3 hours a day going back and forth across the pool hundreds of times staring at the same black line on the pool ground. They like to be prepared and show up at the competitions with three pairs of extra goggles in their swim bag.
While your friends are going out on Friday nights, you might be watching a movie from his/her couch because he/she's got a 6am training the next day and they had one if not two practices today already. When they say "I'm too tired to hang out" or “I can’t feel my shoulders and can’t move anymore” they actually mean it. Bedtime is 10pm and you better get used to be woken up really early. A swimmers idea of “sleeping in” is different than yours. There is no such thing as a 7:30am wake-up call. So, don’t be a bad influence. The routine of a swimmer is the sacrifice they have chosen to make.
swimmers come always clean - and with chlorine
Swimmers are spending a significant time per day in the pool, so they are always clean but it comes with a price. The chlorine smell is the swimmer's natural scent and it isn't just going away. So, you should get used to it.
swimmers eat a lot
Eating with a swimmer is a fascinating experience. Firstly you should get used to the fact that a swimmer can eat twice as much as you (probably more if there is an opportunity). If you plan on inviting a swimmer for lunch or dinner, chose a place that has an "all you can eat" menu. Because underneath those tight, toned bods and rocking abs is something like an extra stomach. You do not know the concept of a large meal until you've broken bread with a swimmer. More importantly, being together with a swimmer might just be the thing you need to start with a healthy diet. Because they are, and have to be, very selective about what they eat and drink.
swimmers are nap artists
When swimmers are in heavy training season, their favorite part of lunch time isn't necessarily eating the food but being able to sneak in a quick doze or lunch nap. Swimmers can put their head down and fall asleep just about anywhere. So don't take it personally if he/she takes the opportunity, even in situations you wouldn't expect so.
that swimmer's body though
Swimmers are fit and unlike in most other sports, a swimmer's body is instantly recognisable. They are the only athletes that have a body type named after them. A "swimmer’s body" is an actual definition in dictionaries. With their lean frame, wide shoulders, and jacked up core, swimmers are supremely fit from piling up kilometres and hours in the pool and in the open water. Although they don't work out for your pleasure, you get to reap the benefits of dating someone who devotes a substantial part of his/her life to building the ultimate body. If you are dating a swimmer, you should enjoy those "side effects" of all this hard work. If you don’t like girls who have muscles or men whose shoulders are almost as wide as the doorway, than you should better move on.
be part of a huge community
If you are dating a swimmer, then welcome to a huge community. Swimmers are very connected with their teammates and competitors. They train and sweat together, swimming up and down that black line for many hours a week and see each other at their best or their worst. The teammates are there to celebrate with you when your partner does well, and help you understand how to talk to him/her when it didn't work out as planned. Don't be shy and be close with the teammates because he/she certainly is.
Swimmers spend many weekends traveling to compete in the pool or in open water events. Why not go on a watch-my-partner-dominate-the-competition date? Swim meets are the perfect occasion for you to support your partner and the other team members and to cheer your heart out. In the blog posts to come I will introduce to you some of the open water swimming competitions as well as the locations and places you should not miss while traveling there.