Swimming for fitness (part 4). Everyone welcome.

[TheOrigRightsofwomen]

Old thread here

Anyone interesting in swimming for fitness welcome here.
Newbies, experiences, the fast, the slow - we're all sharing, learning and most of all supporting each other.

I had a swim in an outdoor pool on Weds, was lovely. Had to book to go in a certain lane and no swapping (fast lane was anything more than 2 mins per 100m). Had a nice steady swim but couldn't do anything approaching training.

My local pool opens on the 3rd August but not seen the details yet. I'm in Denmark this week so hoping to get to the pool a few times here ( they've been open for weeks)

My daughter & I had a lovely lane swim this morning everyone was very courteous, two double width lanes, one fast one slower max 10booked into each lane. Passing only at ends. Very nice think everyone was just grateful to be allowed back as it was a community run outdoor pool in a small town/village in rural countryside. All our local ones either aren’t open or not taking under 16s, which I just don’t get. There were two including my DD, swimming fast and well disciplined in our lane. Better in fact than a couple of older ones. We have booked to go back again next weekend whilst our two local pools can’t decide whether to open.

No sign of bloomin pools opening much here
None here either. The gym I'm a member at is opening but not the pool yet but they've agree to freeze my membership for a few months (it's next to work rather than home and I'm still WFH). The leisure centre where I live is showing no signs of opening and I can't find a pool opening anywhere locally.

No reopening date here either (Wales). I am longing for a swim and 20 minutes from the beach but having talked to relatives who do tri, there are loads of jellyfish this year (again) which puts me off. I used to love swimming in the sea.

I went river swimming today, tired legs now! And cold. So I welcome tomorrow heat. :) Pondering getting a wetsuit to wild-swim in (madness that way lies?)

....Decided against wetsuit... every source says you need to try it on to get right fit and trying on is too impossible right now. Plus the ruddy things cost like £200 each.

I may 'splash out' for some swim socks and gloves, though. Might get those for a mere £60 or so. It's my hands and feet that go numb and horrible in the river.

I swim in the sea in my costume or wetsuit ijkk I prefer my costume now I’ve acclimatised. I did buy a swim wetsuit last year but equally I can swim in my cheap £20 Tesco shortie so that maybe a punt for you. We also got cheap gloves and swim socks off Amazon for less that £15. Worth a try?

Our main pool is finally opening next week but no U14 in lane swimming my DD is 13 and competitive club swimmer who could out swim most of those adults so that’s really flipping frustrating as she’s desperate to get back to som form of training but club aren’t planning now to start till Sept. I’ve managed to book a ‘family’ session so really hoping we can actually swim in that rather than splash around....

Do you have swim socks like these, TriSkiRun?

I have been 3 times now and it was bliss. Only about 10 people in the pool at any one time and often less. People are being responsible and keeping distance. No idea how this is viable from a financial perspective for the leisure centre but I will enjoy it while it lasts.

I got in the sea today for about 1/2 hour (whee!).
Every time I have a long sesh in sea someone+ comes up to ask if I'm ok. I pointedly asked why today... they said I looked tired. I thought I was being sensible to swim-pause-swim so as to not tire myself out. I hate salt water taste so probably looks bad how I swim, tbf, and it was high surf so yes a challenge, but I know I wasn't tired or struggling at all.

Anyway, today I battled high surf. Yesterday I risked Weil's disease, giardia, E.Coli & crypto in the river. But all that is still so much better than risking covid at the indoor pool, or so I'm told....

ps: still thinking swim gloves. Sea was warmer than the river, but chilled hands are no fun.

I think the main risk in the pool is the changing room. Risk I guess I am prepared to take. And with so few people I have been on my own in the changing room each time.

Hi everyone. I tried open water swimming for the first time last week and quite enjoyed it. Off to Scotland tomorrow so may brave the sea there...

Yes that’s the type of swim wetsuit sock.lijjk

I had great sea swim lesson today my third, I was out for an hour did about 1.2km really pushing my comfort zone as it was outgoing tide as well so we had some tide pull to swim against but great buzz. Then it was a pool swim in afternoon with the kids so I’m pooped out now .

Another half hour in river yesterday :).
I'm going to come down with some strange horrible diarrhoea, aren't I? Oh well. Guess I'm a risk taker!

Had a fab lane swimming session with just me in the lane yesterday clocked up 60L I was really pleased with that.
Took the kids to a family session today which was well organised but a shame they couldn’t put a lane up for those that actually wanted to swim lengths. Both my kids wanted to swim lengths but they won’t let U14 into the lane sessions 😬

Another great swim just me in the lane 1.2km swim lovely and quiet. The pool are going to let my 13yr join me in the lane next week Yah but my 9yr is still not allowed which is a shame as they are both great lane swimmers.

Our pool is only having 2 sessions a day, pre bookable only, and no spaces left for any of the sessions released for booking - pretty rubbish

Can we talk lane discipline. I think we all know that people don't always know their own speed and that it can irritate people when there is someone too fast or too slow in whatever lane. But now with COVID there is greater tension.

Today when I got into the pool the fast lane had 2 fast people and one very slow person. The fast people were overtaking the slow person which undermines the wide lane to ensure social distance. So I moved to the medium lane which had pretty good discipline but had one swimmer that really should have been in the fast lane. He probably moved because of the very slow person. He was overtaking people and one swimmer got really irritated.

So I am curious - why are people so oblivious to their speed and the speed of those around them? And do you think the lifeguard should say anything? Should the pool people do more to encourage better lane discipline? It seems to irritate people more now because of social distancing and COVID.

I had my first indoor swim back yesterday, which was ok but could have been better.

I think the lifeguards need to be more proactive asking people to move lanes and there should be some guidance on what constitutes fast/medium/slow. I had to get a lifeguard to ask someone to move yesterday, but it should really have been dealt with sooner.

Agree tiz . In my pool lifeguards are usually young so probably don't feel comfortable talking to customers. I am just baffled that people can be so oblivious to their surroundings

In my pool they have opened one lane for family swim and then here is one other wide lane and one narrow lane. There are no guidance re abilities and which lane to swim in. This week the narrow lane was always taken by one extremely slow swimmer. One of those who swim on their back with arms wide with no awareness there may be other swimmers in the same lane. I wonder if it’s actually a clever plan to swim really anti socially so you get the lane to yourself.

The wide lane was then filled with people of all abilities but also people with different purpose. Some people had come to cool down and liked to hang off the side to chat. It was really difficult to swim fast and stressful when trying to overtake. The lifeguard told me off for overtaking once, but what am I supposed to do when behind slower swimmers? I am not sure if I should have a word with the club or not.

It's really tricky isn't it. I was once told I should be in the fast lane by two young men. I tend to use the medium lane as I do quite a bit of back stroke. I am much slower doing back stroke than crawl. I didn't feel I could explain that to them. They weren't cross more amused as I am quite fast doing crawl. I tend to hop between lanes.

It feels very personal to say to someone that they are too slow for the lane they are using. And it could get confrontational. I still can't understand why people aren't more self aware.

People don't like being overtaken but they don't take it as a sign that they are in the wrong lane.

It’s putting me off and I have deferred my gym membership. I have one shoulder that doesn’t function well and I’m much slower than I should be as a result I’m happy to plod in a slow lane but can’t cope with people swimming up behind me as it makes me feel harrassed and try to swim faster which then hurts my shoulder.. But ... the exercise is good for my shoulder. My gym has a family lane, a fast lane and a slow lane but I’m afraid I’m too slow at the moment for the slow lane.

I don’t understand either how folk can’t be aware of their speed. I’ve done one communal lane swim at a community outdoor pool and the lifeguard said he would move people between the 2 lanes to balance out if required. It wasn’t needed though and everyone was really considerate.
I’ve been really lucky since and used my local club pool where we get a lane each for 45mins, it’s heaven knowing you have the space just for your family. My 13yr is coming for the 1st time at lunchtime with me since they are now allowing her back into a lane. The poor swim club kids have been completely forgotten in all this. Both my DDs were swimming multiple times a week with club but locally unless I booked a private half pool use they could only swim in the family session where there was no lane swimming available. The club aren’t starting back yet. Luckily we live near the sea so they have both been in water but not done any of the volume of swimming they were used to. My eldest really needs to swim for her mental health as much as physical.

Best - that is tricky. I know swimming is beneficial for shoulder problems as that is what got me back in the pool a few years ago. I also know how disconcerting it is with people overtaking or right behind you and how it can affect your technique. Any chance you could go when it is quieter?