And you didn't snap a picture of this?!?!!?

This has been off the front page far too long.

Got raced by a couple body builders in the next lane over today. I was doing either a 200 or 300 and noticed one or the other was always pushing off at the same time every few lengths. A couple of times of this and suddenly the one guy is almost keeping up with me. I'm wondering what the deal is as both are clearly not swimmers (the one was wearing a scuba mask, the other had board shorts and no goggles) until I finish the set. He's wearing fins...

I also got some open water practice in thanks to another denizen who shared my lane briefly. Slightly bigger guy, takes off at what appeared to be about a 2:45/ 50 pace. The odd part was his freestyle, I don't know if he was taught to slap the water like it owed him money, but he was quite good at it. Given his size and the enthusiastic nature of his stroke it created a serious wake for me to deal with while I was cruising past him. I was almost sad to see him get out after only doing about 150 yards, it really was a good training aid.

I can't really say much, a bunch of people from our triathlon team ended up showing up around the same time, so half of the available lap lanes were taken up by us and all of our strangeness.

I have an elderly lady that I usually see Friday afternoons. She wears what appears to be a surf shirt over her bathing suit. Maybe to prevent chaffing from her going so slow in the water. The kicker is she wears legit prada or some name brand sunglasses for goggles. She doesn't go underwater at any point during her swim. He technique is almost like a modified doggie paddle. And honestly she brings a cup of coffee in with her as well. At no point should you ever even consider attempting to share a lane with her. She all but pretends you aren't there when you lean down to ask if you can share a lane. But hey-she looks good in her sunglasses and sips a fine coffee so what can you say!

This entire thread should be used as a marketing tool by Endless Pools.

Earlier this week... me and another dude are splitting the fast lane at the municipal pool. As I'm coming down towards the shallow end I notice my lanemate is treading water. An asian family has entered the scene. The father and 2 young children are swimming in the "medium" lane. The mother and oldest daughter (around 11-12) have entered the "fast" lane, where the daughter is doing a kick set and the mother is breaststroking beside her coaching her through the session. Needless to say me and my lanemate are no longer able to really swim in our lane. The lifeguard thankfully intervened and they moved to another lane. A while later "cologne guy" entered our lane, but that's another story...

Swam in a pool just cuz I was in that town at that time...walk on deck:assess situation: two lanes marked "slow" and "medium", "fast" sign in open area with noodles, bobbers, standees...sorta looked like a water aerobics class but many not doing what "instructor" is calling out. Go in "medium" lane assuming "fast" sign is not functioning....other guy in "medium" is s w I m m m I n g g g with head totally out, hair dry, arms hugging kick board while he inches forward with flailing legs. I pass him respectfully several times in my first 100m, his hair gets wet, he talks to lifeguard, class moves closer to instructor, "fast" lane appears (thanks dude!") We both continue our workouts with lanes to ourselves. It never occurred to him to move over to "slow" lane, cuz he's n---o---t. s. l. o. w. .....

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I'll see you in the run

In Asia light skin is desirable and "elite" so many people go to extreme lengths to avoid tanning. Around here it's not unusual to see women driving with thin cotton gloves on so their hands don't tan.

He could just get one of the "face bikinis".

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I've seen those fast-medium-slow lane signs in just about every community pool I've ever been in. And, 100% of the time, they mean absolutely nothing in terms of real-life application.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. Tonight, I was the denizen.

Today was only my third time back in the pool since summer so I'm still getting my bearings back. I was done with my main set and starting the cool down. All of a sudden, foot cramp!!! I tried to flex it and keep going, but it wasn't happening. Then my whole leg started cramping. I tried to walk it off but of course by then I was in the deep end. The lifeguard noticed something was up and hustled over to ask if I was OK. I started laugh-snorting on water because of how ridiculous it was and waved him off. I was able to float back to the shallow end and decided to get out while I was still ahead.

I took a few extra minutes to stretch out my foot and leg just to make sure everyone knew it was a cramp and I didn't spontaneously forget how to swim, lol.

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http://mediocremultisport.blogspot.com

So at the gym they have a nice new 4 lane 25M pool. And, it seems there aren't too many people in the neighborhood who know how to swim. So, there's people walking in the lanes, the occasional 200 M swim, and this denizen, that I'm about to describe. This one drives me nuts. She's about 55-60. She looks like the wicked witch from the Wiz, wears her swimsuit and also running shoes. Her routine is as follows: Go to the steam room for 10 mins., get sweaty, have a shower/rinse, and then do this ridiculous thing where she lays face down, has her knees bent, with her shoes slightly above the waterline, while she does some sort of scull-like maneuver moving for approx 12 feet. She stops mid lane when she can't hold her breath any longer, then repeats this again and again for about 15 minutes. Then back in the shower for another cycle. She continues this "Exercise" for maybe 2 hours. WTF? She'd likely burn more calories walking. Management has asked her about the shoes, but apparently they are for "Pool use only."

That wins. That is the craziest thing I've ever read.

I thought I'd get lucky last night with an empty pool with it being the last Friday before Christmas and it the first really cold night in a while, but, no such luck.

I hopped in a lane with a guy who proceeded to tell me all about how he was 72, his vitals were looking great, his doctor told him to keep doing what he was doing, etc. I mean, truly, good for him, but... can I start my swim set now?

Then the guy in the lane next to me was doing some kind of water tai chi???? I did a double-take under the water.

The gal in the lane next to me and I finished at the same time, got out of the shower at the same time, and ended up at lockers in the same bank. I got out of there as quickly as possible so she didn't think I was stalking her.

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http://mediocremultisport.blogspot.com

This is my favourite these on the internet.
I've been swimming and coaching in pools in GB and Finland for over 30 years and have met many
Of the same denizens. My most recent was in Finland.
I was about to go into the showers before my swim so I was naked and in ffront of me a very old man approached me (also naked) and gestured to his hand, I thought he'd found a sharp thing and wanted to show me that he'd picked it up to spare our feet. So I looked into his hand and it was full of the gnarliest yellowest toenails I've ever seen.
I must have looked a little shocked so he explained that he cuts them in the shower room as swimming makes them softer.
I reeled and almost paraded into the pool wearing only my swim hat and goggles.

tsk

you missed your big chance to take an all-powerful charm against the pool's Kraken.

Swam at the municipal indoor pool a few days ago. The crowd is normally a mix of water-walkers, adults of varying swim levels, and then a few school-age kids knocking out some extra yardage...it's always the same kids, and they're fast. They also swim at the same place where I swim masters (hopefully that speed will transfer to me someday).

On this particular day, there was a new kid in the bunch. He could swim--not quite like the others, but it was obvious he has some experience. I noticed a man standing awkwardly at the end of their lane. When I got out, he was still standing there staring. No problem, must be one of their parents. As I was finishing getting dressed, all the kids walked into the locker room closely followed by the awkward man. Awkward man walked into the shower area, turned on the water in one stall, walked out and said, "(Son's name), I got the water running for you." The boy was mortified, and the rest were quick to laugh. They were all 12-ish years old, btw, and only the one had a parent with him. Uncool parent move of the year. No idea what happened afterward. I think this helicopter parenting technique might have ensured we have one less person interested in swimming.

LOL. There is so much gold in this thread, thank you all for getting through the daily grind.



My pool has a hot tub and coed steam room on the deck. After swimming I'll often sit in the steam room for a few minutes. Over the years, an old hippy would come in, usually late in the evening. Probably early 60's, long curly hair. Always wears sweat pants, nothing else. Sometimes he would do some very sedate yoga or some Tai Chi movements, or some deep breathing exercises. Nothing very elaborate or dramatic. Not creepy, not weird. Just a fixture and doing his own thing. Always alone.
Yesterday as I was swimming, a woman came out on to the deck and sat down in one of the lounge chairs. She would glance over at the men's locker room as if she was waiting for someone. I finished my swim and went into the steam room. A few minutes later, the hippy guy and this woman walked in, holding hands. She was exquisite. Probably early 40's, long black hair, high cheek bones, fit body, slightly exotic looking. She had a slight accent, but I couldn't place it or her. She looked longingly at Hippy Yoga Guy and then they kissed. I don't think I have ever seen two people kiss this like this before. Incredible passion in just a few seconds. He started to tell her about a dream he had about her. She gazed at him and smiled and said something I couldn't hear.
I left the steam room and sat in one of the lounge chairs to cool off. A few minutes later they came out, holding hands. He whispered something to her, she gazed longingly up in to his eyes, and they kissed again. None of the most famous movie kissing scenes (From Here to Eternity, Ghost, Romeo and Juliet, Love Story, etc) compared to their few seconds. Blew me away. They separated, letting go of their hands at the last moment, and walked to their respective locker rooms.

I don't know what Hippy Yoga Guy's game is, but he definitely has it.

Yeah,

Junior water polo (approx. 6-8 year old kids) is at the same time as our Masters workout.

Always have a couple of "copter-dads" in the locker room.... handing the kids the towel, clothing, cleaning up after them.

Must be a more recent thing, as I have never seen this until a year or two.
Kind of creepy actually, and these kids do not appear to be mortified at all.

Did I post this already? Can't remember?

Young lady doing kick drills in the deep end. Okay so far so good. Vertical in the water, using the kick to stay afloat. okay seen that before.

Wearing a towel around her hair and reading a paperback book.

For 45 minutes. For as long as we swam, she was there doing her routine. The book did not get wet.

Black Haired Woman. I have never seen her, but she leaves a handful of thick, long, black hair in the soap dish mounted on the wall of the shower.
She seems to prefer my favorite shower stall, but I always turn around a use another one.

Stall, stall?!? For some reason my pool is on the second floor so you have to walk down slippery steps to the shower tree room with all the football players. I know they are there the second I open the door to the stairwell based on the smell alone. On to a new season at least.

I swim at a 24 hour fitness near my house and also one by my office. I've only seen maybe 5 or 6 other "serious" swimmers in all the times I've been. Not that I'm the best and not that there's anything wrong with their workouts, but it's more weirdos than anything.

One day my lane was closest to the steam room. Made it back for a rest and realized an old guy is in my lane just hanging out. Gives me the whole, don't mind me thing and I go on. Few intervals later and he's back in the pool. I catch on that he's building up a sweat in the steam room then coming cool his sweaty arse off in my lane.

Last week an older guy took up the entire end of a lane with the newspaper spread out. Just hanging out reading the paper. Luckily the other lanes were open, but it's not like I'm going to show up to the gym and take over a bench press area to read a book for the afternoon.

I was at St. Edward in Kirkland and an old man was shedding dead skin from between his toes onto the floor.

20x100 at a long course pool close to my home last night.
Doing really well, holding a rhythm & times were spot on.
On the 15th, I get about 15 metres down the pool, and....bang - some 8-10 year old kids in the play section had thrown a soccer ball at me & it hit me in the head.

Self Reporting: I went to the pool today with a pool buoy, hand paddles, and a kick board. I then proceeded to swim 2,100 yards straight without any of the pool toys, which was my entire workout. I then got out of the pool and put away the pool buoy, hand paddles, and kick board. As I exited the pool, people were puzzled and giving me strange looks, and rightfully so.