Swimming for fitness (part 5). The pools are open again. Dust off your goggles and dive in!

[TheOrigRights]

We're so busy counting laps we didn't see part 4 fill up!

Everyone is welcome here.

Putting on eye cream under eyes before and after swim has been a game changer. No goggle marks!
I used Estée Lauder.

I'll heed the cream advice as a preventative measure, thank you.

Another daft Q.... Does anyone tumble turn...? I've only come across one person doing so in my couple of months of swimming so far, so surely it's a rarity? Then again I'm definitely on the younger end at the times I swim. But, I keep getting the urge to do so, and hear my coach of 25yrs ago (fuck I'm getting old!) in my ear asking me what I'm playing at when I turn in a civilised fashion. I've resisted the urge to try it out of a almost certainly justified fear I'll balls it up and brain myself on the bottom/get stuck arse up against the side/generally look like a right tit since I'm hardly troubling the world records or anything. I'm almost certainly not going to risk it, but just wondering what you all do 😄

I have no idea how to tumble turn, I actually went to a fun and floats session with DH and DD7 today and we were messing around seeing if we could do turns but can’t manage to get the twist part included so kept coming up on our backs!

There are always people tumble turning in the fast lanes when I go lane swimming, i’m quite jealous of their skills 😀

I would love to tumble turn. I could do it once. I have no memory of how it worked and I’m self conscious enough with the lifeguards watching without trying something so adventurous!

Has anyone here done a Swim Trek trip? I’m thinking of trying their intro to open water swimming when dd heads of too uni in a couple of years (and maybe they can teach me tumble turns as some of it is in a pool!).

I can tumble turn but I don't really like to.

I'd really like to do a swim trek trip at some point (Malta, Montenegro or Croatia) but I need finances and time off work to align first.

@atlaz I’ve got a couple of years to save for a trip. I live just with dd so when she heads off to uni it will be a nice thing to do. I think I’d probably stick to the short swim ones! Malta one does look very nice, some of the hotels aren’t that great but that one has a lovely looking one 😁. It’s a good motivator for keeping me trying to extend my distance.

It sounds like your DD is a couple of years older than my DS (year 10, 14).
It's also just me and him at home and I am both dreading (all alone) and excited (all the things I can do!) when he leaves.

I have never even heard of a swim trek. I shall add it to me list of things to do!

I cannot tumble turn. I ain't even gonna try!

Thanks for the eye cream recommendation. I have never tried that. I don't have eye cream so will have a look.

Sorry...I'm replying to all sorts of posts in this single one.

Off for the second swim of the week in about 40 mins 🏊

Swimmers elbow anyone? I was very pleased with myself last week when I managed 1500m of front crawl (with snorkel). I felt great.
But the next day I could not move my right arm to lift my duvet off me or lift a glass of water. I looked up pain in elbow and lower arm and discover tennis elbow AKA swimmers elbow. No help with how to change or adjust my stroke, just don't swim and massage it and take NAISDS.
I'm swimming because I have a back so painful walking is difficult, but it's better than sitting or lying down. I had surgery on my back L5S1 in 2022 and swimming has been my rehab. But now my arms don't work either.
I've mentioned it to my back surgeon who ignored it. I've not seen a dr, I've just taken pain meds and it's eased a bit.
But I need the feel of the water, the dopamine I get from swim. Is there a safe stroke (I know backstroke and breaststroke are out).
I cried into my goggles when I swam when my back was at its worst. I can't face weeping into again because of pain.

It would have been nice to go for a swim today, or on Monday but no, they still close the leisure centres every bank holiday!

Same problem here, but it’s open on Easter Sunday?? It makes no sense.

Really struggling with motivation at the moment. It doesn't help that they've kept the booking system post COVID and it's no longer possible to turn up on the day.

You could make this work in your favour. Sometimes to kick start the motivation and help you find your lost mojo is to 'make' yourself get back in the routine. So, by booking a swim you HAVE to go. You know you'll enjoy it and feel great afterwards, you're just giving yourself a helping hand to make sure you get there.

I do know what you mean though, it was nice to find you had a window in the day and pop down for a spontaneous swim.

My post covid sadness is that haven't reinstated the 9-10pm swim, or the woman only or the over 50s. I don't particularly have a need for the women or over 50s sessions, but they were always quieter.

You can always post in here if you want to be accountable. As much as we might all love our swims, it's very easy for us not to prioritise it among all the other pulls on our time.

Can anyone recommend some tinted prescription goggles please?

I’m overjoyed to be swimming in the lido again. At some point it’s actually going to be sunny.

Do you need ones that allow for different prescriptions in each eye?

I can manage with the same prescription in both eyes @atlaz .

I was going to recommend the ones I have but it looks like they've been discontinued.

We have the opposite with ours, they insist on carrying on with swimming lessons on bank holiday Mondays, even though hardly anyone turns up for them.

Is it compulsory to book ahead? We still have the booking system but you can also turn up and try your luck at reception (you can check beforehand to see if the sessions look busy/full).

It's not compulsory to book ahead but the sessions are nearly always full if you check on the day. I'm not sure where all these swimmers have come from as the pool always used to be half empty prior to covid.

50 meter lanes this morning which feel x 5 tougher then my usual 25 m. 😱

Was overtaken by. a charming 72 year old (who was very good to be fair)

Ooh, I've never even actually seen a 50m pool. Part of me would love a go, but part of me would rather not..!

I also got thrashed last week by a lovely lady who must have been near the top of the "could be my mother" age bracket 😆 #goals

Is it because they've reduced the public sessions to accommodate clubs and lessons, which give them a regular income?

I had lessons until recently but got bored with them (I'd been bored since before covid really) and also they were squashing us into 2 lanes to accommodate a local club, so gave up at the end of January and just go if I need to stretch out now. Monday lunchtime/early afternoon seems to be the time to go (obviously no good if you are at work though) as it is very quiet at my pool.

The amount of sessions doesn't appear to have changed. It's an 8 lane 50 m pool which can be divided into 2 x 25m pools so even if there's classes on it's rare for them to have the entire pool. Based on sessions I go to, I do think people book and don't turn up.

I am getting increasingly frustrated with the way our pool is managed. There seems to be a greater focus on swimming lessons and free swimming rather than lane swimming. Sometimes it means there is only one lane for lane swimming and slow, medium and fast swimmers are in the same lane causing chaos. Is it reasonable for me to expect more opportunities for lane swimming with 2 or 3 lanes? It's also not clear when booking a session what is happening in the pool. Interested to know other people's thoughts and experiences.