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.

Oh no Tri hope it will work out with work.

I ordered new school sports bags for the kids from SportsDirect and somehow a new cossie and swim hat made its way into my basket...only £9 for a speedo suit so I basically had no choice...

Best swim yet today. Lane was really balanced so although 5 or 6 people got lots done. Fitbit recorded 2750m, plus I did another 150m kick. Next aim 3000m

Thanks Xiaoxiong it will be fine and hope you enjoy the new swim stuff. My DD bought herself a speedo mesh bag for swim floats and toys etc and it’s been quite good for the SD swim stuff as we just throw towel ponchos over and head out.

tiz I dream of being streamlined enough to do those kind of distances one day... I’m aerobically fit but my technique just isn’t there yet it may never be as I only learnt FC a couple of years ago but I’ll keep trying.

I had my first swim since March today. It felt amazing. We're limited to 45 minutes, and I was pleasantly surprised to manage 1,700 meters (I do breast stroke only).

We can get changed but can't shower. I've got sensitive skin, so I'm going to buy a dryrobe and just peg it home on my bike to shower in future.

How's everyone doing? I had my last outdoor swim of the year today in the sunshine which was a nice end to the season.

Swimming club has now resumed, so back training again which is great. Hate not being able to shower afterwards though. It's going to be even worse when it gets colder

My DDs are still waiting for their swim club to start back ,the club can’t get their usual swim lane times and the pool have only offered them 9-10pm which is just far too late on school nights. Such a shame.
I’ve been lucky I can book a lane at my sports club pool plus sea swimming continues whilst the weather is nice.

I still haven’t swum since early March. My pool membership is set to resume Oct 1 all being well.

I had to miss my swim on Friday but I managed to swim again yesterday. I'm up to 1,750 now. My aim is to eventually get to 2,000 in 45 minutes.

At least it's nice and quiet in our local pool.

Not showering is a pain @tizwozliz.

Someone mentioned Dryrobes earlier? I've bought one, so will report back on cycling home in it.

What a nuisance for your DD @TriSkiRun99. Have they said when it might change?

Hello hello hello!

Here are my people

I am not sure when I last posted here.

Lockdown was a bastard.
School summer hols weren't great either.
DS2 was at school for 2 days. TWO DAYS!! before it got closed due to the Rona. He's back now and I am cautiously thinking ahead to being able to swim and do other sport regularly again.

I did one OWS very soon after the lakes opened, but it's a bit of a trek so didn't happen again.
But I've been to the local pool at least once a week since it re-opened and hope to get back to my twice a week routine. It feels SO good.

No showering afterwards and I work from home so just come home and let my hair air dry. I will need to prioritise showering and washing my hair at home as it can't be good for it.
Boots no longer stock the shampoo for swimming.

Can anyone recommend a good one? I have big hair (lots of it rather than thick) and it's high-lighted and quite dry.

@TheOrigRightsofwomen you could try John Freida Hydrate. I started using it for peri-menopausal dry hair before I could get back in the pool and it still works.

Thank you Minnie
I did add peri-menopausal to my list of hair conditions!

• didn't!

Hello all! What a wonderful thread. I've started swimming again after more years off than I care to mention, and it's so great to find all this splashy chat.

@TheOrigRightsofwomen : Shampoo. There's a thing called Kit & Caboodle which smells slightly of coconuts, and that's nice. Aveda also do a fearfully expensive shampoo that's called Sun Care, but it deals with chorine too - very jazzy orange bottle.

Waiting to hear what the new covid restrictions mean for swimming - don't know why they can't just be clear at the time they announce. Suspect public swimming should be ok but not sure about club swimming.

I really hope they don't close down our sports centre again.
It is very, very covid secure.

I am so enjoying my swimming and body balance.

@pearlsthatwerent Thank you for that recommendation (the Kit and Caboodle one, the Aveda one can sit on the shelf!). I shall get some.

I think sports centres are fine, so I wouldn't worry there. It's whether club swimming is classed as an indoor team sport. Swimming is not really a team sport but it is a group of more than 6 people training together indoors.

Yes, now that the B has spoken it looks like it's fine.
I hope your club swimming stays in place.

DS2 plays football so fingers crossed they can keep playing matches.
Again, their training ground is very covid secure.

I also run and cycle so I'll be OK #MeMeMe

I'm also happy with the announcement because it means I've got a weekend to myself, so can fit in an extra 2 swims.

Oh well that's just showing off now Minnie!

I find the post-Covid swimming ritual strangely enjoyable: no dithering about when to go (booked slots), no ridiculous overtaking (end of lengths only), no leisurely getting changed afterwards (out in an hour). Seriously hope they don't shut things down again.

Has anyone successfully had swimming lessons as an adult? I can swim in a sort of medium-speed way (1k in just under 30 minutes) but can't seem to get faster; and I'm so malcoordinated I can only do breast-stroke. Is is possible to learn front crawl in your 40s?

(More shampoo news: Paul Mitchell Three ('Purifying: Removes Chlorine') was recommended by my hairdresser; it's about £10 so may try it.)

@pearlsthatwerent

YES! I am 50 on Saturday and have only learnt proper front crawl in the last few years.

I can't wait @TheOrigRightsofwomen

Thank you for the shampoo tip @pearlsthatwerent. I've bought some Kit and Caboodle too.

Club swimming is still ok :-) better cancel those public sessions I panic booked as insurance now!

@TheOrigRightsofwomen Well most importantly, happy birthday for Saturday! And thank you for giving me front crawl hope: when things are vaguely normal I'll get some lessons, and see if I can make it more than half a length without looking like I'm trying to drown myself.

@MinnieMountain No problem: I enjoy swimming, but I don't enjoy feeling like I'm wearing a crispy wig afterwards. Also researching post-exercise product (or swimming costumes; or fitness watches) feels somehow virtuous - almost as good as actual swimming.

Glad BJ doesn't seem to have stuffed up the pools again. Yet.