The BIG 40!!
“Jo Mitchinson 40 Stevenage”
I’d been dreading seeing the start list for Counties this year. The reality was no better than I had anticipated. There, in black & white- Jo Mitchinson 40 Stevenage. 40?? The sting of this is made slightly worse because I am not actually 40, yet. I’m currently enjoying my last 5 weeks in my 3rd decade to be exact!! And yet, there, for all to see- sandwiched between a 14 and 17 year old is a 40 year old woman who won her first county medal at this event 30 years ago. In short- it makes me feel very, very old.
Being older than my opponents is one thing. Being able to have given birth to any of the other competitors, finishing uni before most of them were born, remembering when every local pool was 33m & therefore racing over 3 or 6 lengths was the norm is another.
The support I’ve received from swimming parents has been amazing; the acceptance from my training partners who put up with my strange quirks is very appreciated. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said “40’s not that old”. Don’t get me wrong- I agree. In the real world it’s not old. I’m not even halfway through my working life yet. But there’s no escaping the harsh fact that I’ve been eligible to race at the National Masters now for more of my life than I was too young to do so and that racing ‘at my age’ against mainstream competition is a strange and sometimes stressful experience.
Each competition is a melodrama in its own right- a fortnight of faff, preparation & mini meltdowns. I thought it might be useful to break the process of racing down to explain each part of it.
Preparation: When I was younger I remember packing & going. Whether it be county champs, nationals or Olympic/European Trials. Pack & go. Now I need a list to double check my checking. Packing is now a process that takes days. I am the queen of the “just in case” pack & I could easily kit out an entire relay team single handed.
Swimwear decisions: I know what warm up suit I’ll wear (with 4 spare “just in case”) & what race suit. I am so fortunate to have the support of MP Swimwear who provide all my kit. If I am going to wear a new race suit I like to see what it’s like wet before I race. So I shower in it a few days out - “just in case”!!
Expanding bottom syndrome: There are a few problems I’ve noticed with ageing. The old injury sites, the wear & tear, the scar tissue which needs regular massage, the pinned shoulders etc. And all of these make the unbelievably tiny race suit even more of a challenge to put on & leaves me feeling that I deserve a medal for simply not dislocating anything in the process. I got pretty close to missing a race at Regionals last year when I seriously underestimated the effects of osmosis on my bum & hips after warm up, was trying to wriggle into a suit whilst still wet - without putting my back out or tweaking my 'niggle prone' shoulders. When I heard the gun go for the heat before mine I panicked & had to ring my best friend (& conveniently coach) for assistance!! The fear of my race suit splitting up the bum crack on the block is every bit as real as the fear that a swimmer in the 1990’s had of needing to retrieve their ultra high leg/bordering indecent suit from their bum crack discretely during the race after the dive. Strange how things change & there is a current trend for dental floss, thong style suits that I’d like to reassure my team mates & particularly timekeepers - I will not be partaking in!!
Call rooms: These are an unexpected problem area for me at competitions. I usually ask the marshals if I can get myself to the right place at the right time. As I teacher I experience the same frustration as the marshals from Monday-Friday. That sense of trying to herd cats leaves me feeling obliged to use my best teacher voice to assist!! I’m best left to sort myself out & I’m very grateful to every marshal that’s looked at me when I’ve explained my preference & simply replied “I understand”. I can then focus on deciding if I have enough time for a ‘panic wee’ before standing behind my block.
Being older than my opponents is one thing. Being able to have given birth to any of the other competitors, finishing uni before most of them were born, remembering when every local pool was 33m & therefore racing over 3 or 6 lengths was the norm is another.
The support I’ve received from swimming parents has been amazing; the acceptance from my training partners who put up with my strange quirks is very appreciated. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have said “40’s not that old”. Don’t get me wrong- I agree. In the real world it’s not old. I’m not even halfway through my working life yet. But there’s no escaping the harsh fact that I’ve been eligible to race at the National Masters now for more of my life than I was too young to do so and that racing ‘at my age’ against mainstream competition is a strange and sometimes stressful experience.
Each competition is a melodrama in its own right- a fortnight of faff, preparation & mini meltdowns. I thought it might be useful to break the process of racing down to explain each part of it.
Preparation: When I was younger I remember packing & going. Whether it be county champs, nationals or Olympic/European Trials. Pack & go. Now I need a list to double check my checking. Packing is now a process that takes days. I am the queen of the “just in case” pack & I could easily kit out an entire relay team single handed.
 |
| Pack and go days!! |
Swimwear decisions: I know what warm up suit I’ll wear (with 4 spare “just in case”) & what race suit. I am so fortunate to have the support of MP Swimwear who provide all my kit. If I am going to wear a new race suit I like to see what it’s like wet before I race. So I shower in it a few days out - “just in case”!!
Expanding bottom syndrome: There are a few problems I’ve noticed with ageing. The old injury sites, the wear & tear, the scar tissue which needs regular massage, the pinned shoulders etc. And all of these make the unbelievably tiny race suit even more of a challenge to put on & leaves me feeling that I deserve a medal for simply not dislocating anything in the process. I got pretty close to missing a race at Regionals last year when I seriously underestimated the effects of osmosis on my bum & hips after warm up, was trying to wriggle into a suit whilst still wet - without putting my back out or tweaking my 'niggle prone' shoulders. When I heard the gun go for the heat before mine I panicked & had to ring my best friend (& conveniently coach) for assistance!! The fear of my race suit splitting up the bum crack on the block is every bit as real as the fear that a swimmer in the 1990’s had of needing to retrieve their ultra high leg/bordering indecent suit from their bum crack discretely during the race after the dive. Strange how things change & there is a current trend for dental floss, thong style suits that I’d like to reassure my team mates & particularly timekeepers - I will not be partaking in!!
Call rooms: These are an unexpected problem area for me at competitions. I usually ask the marshals if I can get myself to the right place at the right time. As I teacher I experience the same frustration as the marshals from Monday-Friday. That sense of trying to herd cats leaves me feeling obliged to use my best teacher voice to assist!! I’m best left to sort myself out & I’m very grateful to every marshal that’s looked at me when I’ve explained my preference & simply replied “I understand”. I can then focus on deciding if I have enough time for a ‘panic wee’ before standing behind my block.
Then there's the race!! This is an interesting one. If we’re racing we’re competitors. My experience of other swimmers is that no one wants to be beaten by someone the same age as their mum. Which strangely makes me feel both an underdog & a focus. My
age makes me stand out on paper. In the pool however, I’m just a swimmer. I still have good swims & total stinkers- the good swims mean more & the bad swims forgotten quicker. I have health/illness, fitness/injury, confidence/self doubt in equal measure. But I
still feel every bit as comfortable in the water as I ever did.
I promised myself when I started ‘paddling’ again 5 years ago that I’d stop at 40. I simply didn’t want to see that number on programmes. But sod it- SE Herts put it there 5 weeks before I’ve even had the birthday to make it official. So I intend to make the most of it, grow old disgracefully & continue to race mainstream for as long my body lets me.
I promised myself when I started ‘paddling’ again 5 years ago that I’d stop at 40. I simply didn’t want to see that number on programmes. But sod it- SE Herts put it there 5 weeks before I’ve even had the birthday to make it official. So I intend to make the most of it, grow old disgracefully & continue to race mainstream for as long my body lets me.
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