In this post, Community Member Nathalie Shultz from Michigan shares how her Personal Training Plan in the MySwimPro app has helped her get back in shape for competition season.


MEET NATHALIE:

Hi everyone! My name is Nathalie, I live in Michigan, I am married and we own a puppy Chihuahua that keeps life lively and interesting. 🙂 I have my degree in special education and I am currently working as a Director of Religious Education for my local Catholic Church.

MY SWIMMING BACKGROUND:

I started swimming when I was 4, competitive swimming by the time I was 6, and I continued to consistently swim until I graduated from high school. I swam both on a club team and for my high school team. I have attended approximately 12 state-level meets in individual and relay events (my favorites are the IM and Breaststroke).

Once I got to college I took a break from swimming and pursued running (mostly 10k and half marathon distances). Once I got married this past October I decided it was time for me to get back into swimming. I struggle with OCD and anxiety, and getting back into swimming has helped me take care of my mental health along with my physical health.

I would love to give a shout out to the people that have inspired me in my swimming journey. My husband – for encouraging me to get back into swimming. My parents – for all the sacrifices they made while I was growing up to ensure that I could get to practice and meets in order to reach my goals. And my coaches – for teaching me the foundational technique that my stroke is made up of and for instilling dedication to swimming within me.

BEFORE I USED MYSWIMPRO:

Before the MySwimPro app, I actually wasn’t swimming consistently at all – it was hard for me to come up with workouts because I had had 14 years of someone coaching me all the way to my goals. Without these workouts and a clear goal, it was hard for me to get back into a swimming routine.

WHY I LOVE MYSWIMPRO:

MySwimPro has brought one of my greatest passions, swimming, back into my life again.

I have had some tough times over the past few years, including my diagnosis of OCD, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to start swimming again as a means of taking care of my mental and physical health.

I used to think that I would never be able to compete again due to a lack of training, but the MySwimPro app has crushed that doubt and made my dream a reality.

I just competed in my first two meets this past weekend – the first meets I have participated in since 9 years ago – and now I plan to sign up for more meets throughout the year to help me reach my goal of swimming at the USMS Short Course Nationals.

HOW I TRAIN WITH MYSWIMPRO:

With consistent training, I have been able to get close to my previous times that I had back in high school (a time where I was training at least 12 hours per week).

While I don’t have the same amount of time to dedicate to training as I did 9 years ago, the consistency and broken down workouts from MySwimPro are helping me to monitor my progress and really listen to my body so that I can adjust my training as effectively as possible.

I followed the 8-Week Get Fit IM Training Plan included in MySwimPro ELITE to prepare myself for the 100 IM race I completed this past weekend. I went a 1:11 for the 100 IM and I couldn’t be happier!

The Training Plan is really easy to use, I just follow the recommended workouts, then log it in my iPhone after my swim so I can stay accountable and motivated.

WHAT’S NEXT:

My primary goal is to qualify and place in the USMS Short Course National Championships within the next 1-2 years. My short term steps to meet this long term goal include increasing my swim training to 1.5 hours per session, 4-5 times per week and increasing my cross-training.

MY ADVICE FOR OTHER SWIMMERS:

  1. Listen to your body – don’t be afraid to take a rest day!
  2. Watch other swimmers – the technique tips they can offer are invaluable!
  3. Watch yourself swim – whenever I swim at a meet I have my husband tape my swims so that way I can go back later and watch my own technique.
  4. Set high goals for yourself – while it will take a while to reach them, anything is possible with hard work, consistent training, and the support of the MySwimPro community.
  5. Have fun – at the end of the day swimming can bring nourishment to the mind and heart. Don’t be afraid to get in the water every now and then just to enjoy the feel of the water gliding over your body and through your fingertips. Go back to why you love swimming in the first place. 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Nathalie! We are excited to hear about your progress and cannot wait to watch you progress! 

Ready to start your Personal Training Plan? Download the MySwimPro app and start your free 30-day trial of ELITE COACH!

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4 Comments

  1. Nancy Stanbury on

    I am very inspired by Nathalee’s post because we have very similar backgrounds in swimming . I’m a lot older than Natalie but I am a retired special ed teacher also a devoted swimmer and happened to be a Catholic as well who never misses mass. all of that aside I swim five days a week and haven’t missed a master swim meet in a couple of years and I took swimming up again after a big break in which I had a lot of success in both age group swimming college swimming master swimming . Now that I’m retired I’m back at it full-time and I am in an ocean swim this weekend and have nationals coming up in about a month . I’d like to give my swim pro a chance since I making up my own workouts .

    • Nancy, thank you so very much for your heartfelt comment. Your story is a true inspiration, and I am so happy to hear that you’re back in the water swimming again! The water truly brings joy back to life 🙂 Good luck with your ocean swim and let us know what you think of the MySwimPro app! -Paige

  2. Stephanie Strom on

    Loved this article! Nathalie and I share very similar backgrounds so it’s cool to see that I’m not the only one getting back into swimming (and loving it) after 8 years!!! I swam the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke as well 😀 I’m really happy I found MySwimPro!

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