Lane-swimming etiquette (grrrrr)

[RevoltingPeasant]

Last night I was swimming in the lanes section of my local pool, and after I'd been going about 25 minutes these two blokes got in and lurked around end section for a bit. Just as I was approaching the end of the lane, they both pushed off right in front of me and started doing slow breaststroke, thus totally cutting me up and meaning I had to speed up massively to overtake or stop.

AIBU to think that this is really rude, and that getting into a swimming lane is like being at a roundabout - if someone is already going round at a decent pace, you wait till after they've gone so you don't make them swerve? If you know you're not a fast swimmer, shouldn't you wait if you see someone 5m away doing crawl at a reasonable pace?

YANBU, last time I went swimming there were 3 lanes for lane swimming an a large free swimming area. Three older men stood chatting right across the 3 lanes about half way along for 45min

Awww Clouds don't be put off. Really. That wasn't why I started this thread; it was just a laugh. And if you aren't in the fast lane you don't need to worry really.

My DP has psoriasis (sounds minor, but he has it quite severely) and for years would not go to pools because he was embarrassed about being pointed at. After we'd been together a few months, I bought him a swimsuit and 'made' him go. He was so nervous, he practically jogged from the changing rooms to the pool to get in the water before anyone saw him.

Now he goes every week (and does slowish breaststroke). Fine, whatever, he's getting exercise. Please don't give up.

Mind you last time we went a little boy shrieked 'Mummy, what's wrong with that man??'

I've been thinking that I might try to start going swimming again to try and lose some of the enormous amount of baby weight. I swim very slowly, bad breast stroke one way and bad back stroke the other, although I do go up one side and back the other not back and forth in the middle. My breast and back stroke are not the same speed. I can't do any other strokes and if I don't alternate them I end up with bad neckache (i'm not sure which one is responsible). Every time I go I go in the slow lane and still spend all my time avoiding kicks.
I did think that it was just accidents but reading this I strongly suspect I have been kicked on purpose because I am not doing what people want.
I don't think I will go back. I find it excruciating enough to be in a swimsuit with all my fat showing, feeling incapable and being kicked without suspecting it is on purpose.

When I used to swim in a public session at the local pool, I was lucky enough that the session I went to was fairly empty - timing helps though, as I swum at lunchtime and always used to aim at the end of the session when the slowcoaches were getting out. Didn't stop there being problems with too slow people in the fast lane though. Sometimes I used to swim all on my own in the medium lane (occasionally with one other person in, who I very carefully kept clear of), busy overtaking everybody in the fast lane - was always longing for the lifeguard to come and comment!

Was always really pleased when somebody else fast turned up - if they are a bit slower it generally isn't a problem overtaking as they'd be swimming narrow, and if a bit faster I'm more than happy to stop out of the way at the end and let them past (before drafting on their toes). Meanwhile the critical mass did sometimes result in other people moving down a lane. I hope others weren't offended at me pushing off right in front - I do this with slower swimmers so as to give myself the most clear space.

More recently I went swimming for a while in a mid-morning session whilst oldest son had his swimming lesson. Much more hassle - one woman did perfectly decent speed front crawl one length, then switched to wide slow breaststroke the next. Meanwhile she had a friend with her who presumably chose to swim in the fast lane out of companionship - she was slower than most in the medium lane (and also swam wide breaststroke).

Wrigglers/Clouds: The difference between you and the people that we're talking about is that you know your capabilities in the swimming pool. From what you're saying, you go straight for the slow lane and get goin and do your best. This thread also works the opposite way, if people are going too fast in the slow lane, they shouldn't be in there. Please don't be disheartened, it's just ex club swimmers like me who get fed up at the other end of the pool when people don't get that actually, as well as you are doing my friend, you shouldn't really be in the fast lane.

People aren't looking at you wondering why you're in the pool, they're applauding you for getting in the pool and getting fit. Please don't let all our rants put you off.

Not read all the thread but can I add...

If there is a BIG sign in the changing room saying 'NO outdoor shoes past this point'...

TAKE YOUR F*ING SHOES OFF.

This drives me round the bend, I really do not want to walk barefooted in the crap from the bottom of your shoe.

Sometimes I have to stop myself from having a rant at people.

My pool is outdoors. The lanes are not labelled so we all share and ask and cooperate. Everybody is welcome. Ladies in their 50's learning to swim, chaps getting fit before and after hip replacement, ex national team members. We all say hello. We all fit in. Rude people find their way blocked.
Very civilised.

I hope this thread doesn't put people off swimming and second everything TopsysMum has said....get in the water and have a go.

OP you asked about open water training...it's something I've just started to do and I took part in my first ocean swim event yesterday (it's summer here and I live in a city by the sea). Completely different from pool swimming...much colder and the water was extremely choppy, which has made me realise that you need a different technique completely for open water (and I don't yet have it, in fact am a pretty nervous sea swimmer) and a decent wetsuit (which I also don't have). Are you by the sea? Can you find a local group of people who do open water training and join in? Round here it's mostly triathletes but I'm hoping to find something a bit more gentle! Good luck.

Not the best time of year to be recommending open water swimming (at least for those of us in this hemisphere)! Definitely recommended though - I get really bored by pool swimming and only go if I'm injured and can't do any other form of exercise, but very happy to go "wild swimming" (as it's now trendily called). You don't need to be by the sea - plenty of lakes around too (the one I use has "no swimming" signs, but I understand that's more to put off the drunken yoofs than serious swimmers).

Pool swimming - I'm mad not stupid
keep the tan topped up year round
and it fits neatly between the school run and yoga and then time to work in the afternoon

is your outdoor pool open all year Talkinpeace? If so
We have a great summer pool right by my work, and I really miss it in the winter. It was open a few winters ago as a big indoor pool was being renovated and had a lot of use. Would be great if they could regularly open it for the winter. I'd be in like a shot....

Never heard of "wild swimming" notinbed but it conjures up images of rays, sharks and jellyfish circling round!

Legpinner
Every day except Christmas.
I'm in it five days a week.
Kids are allowed in it from March to November.

Wild Swimming - www.wildswimming.co.uk/

Apologies for re-opening an old thread, but I feel I have to add this! DS recently started swimming lessons somewhere new to him - his new swimming teacher seemed strangely familiar, and I spent the whole session trying to work out where I recognised her from. It was only only on the way home I realised she was the person I mentioned above in:

"More recently I went swimming for a while in a mid-morning session whilst oldest son had his swimming lesson. Much more hassle - one woman did perfectly decent speed front crawl one length, then switched to wide slow breaststroke the next."

Fortunately she doesn't appear to have recognized me yet

I must add to this, having had a swim lane meltdown a few weeks earlier.

I'm in the slow lane, putting in mileage rather than speeding up and down. There's several much older people in the lane - one guy is not even using his legs that much - but the etiquette is: no over taking, don't swim right up behind someone, give them a bit of space, don't hassle them etc. So I'm quite happily doing my lengths in this lane with about 5 or 6 other people, all getting on wonderfully.

Then most of the other people leave until it's just me and this one guy. Who proceeds to speed up and down, over-taking me, coming right up behind me. It's really irritating me so I stop him and suggest he moves into the medium or fast lane - because it's not like there's no accommodation for his wanting to go fast!

He says those lanes are busy, and the slow lane is empty so he's staying here. I think it was pregnancy hormones but I just exploded, saying he was completely selfish and you didn't pick a lane based on traffic, but speed and if he wanted to go fast, he should get the hell out of the slow lane. Then I threatened to tell on him to the lifeguard, at which point he backed off and said he'd go slow.

Fortunately two older women got in and slowed the lane right up again anyway so he had to move but just....GRRRRRR! He couldn't even swim properly anyway - that awful showy, splashy front crawl, and he could only do one length at speed before needing to stop.