We caught up with Alice recently, and she shared her personal insights into life after retirement from competitive swimming.
In her personal blog, SOUL CAP ambassador Alice Dearing reflects on stepping away from the structured demands of a competitive career and embracing the freedom to explore new interests. With honesty and nostalgia, Alice opens up about this new chapter and her evolving relationship with the sport she’s loved for so long.
Read on to learn more about her journey and how she's adjusting to life beyond the pool.
This September was the first time since I was eight years old that I did not start a new season in swimming. For 18 years that had been a constant for me. And the majority of it wrapped up with the start of the school year also. As the summer ended and the days grow ever shorter it's hard not to think about where I usually was and where I am right now.
Typically, the last quarter of the year was dominated by long sessions in the pool, DOMS, competitions around the country and managing a weakened immune system. I say all this with a tone of nostalgia, a fondness in my heart for all of the minor inconveniences and sacrifices. Because without all of those I would not be where I am today, sat in the present, feeling pride towards my career.
So how has it all been going since retiring? It’s great. I truly feel like for the first time in my adult life I have the time and energy to invest into the other areas of life which I had to neglect for so long whilst being a competitive athlete. And again, let me stress that this is not a complaint, just a comment on the nature of what that profession demands from individuals and their support networks. I have found myself able to try new things, sleeping better, happier and less stressed. I was always anxious about letting go of swimming (competitively) as it was a constant in my life. But I am happy I have embraced moving on and, in turn, it has embraced me.
And do you still swim? I have been asked this a lot recently and my first response is always ‘not as much as I would like’. I recognise my relationship with swimming has changed drastically over the past 11 months and I am grateful for that. I no longer look at a swimming pool and think I need to complete a 6k session for it to be a worthwhile swim. And thankfully, when I made the choice to end my career I did not leaving swimming hating the sport and never wanting to see a pool again. In truth, I am enjoying finding other ways of moving my body. But forever grateful for the fact that swimming will always be there for me to return to, be it on holiday or in the middle of a UK winter.
Written by Alice Dearing.
You can follow Alice on her social channel here to keep up to date with her life after retirement, and see what she is getting up to day to day.
