I sometimes use a Tempo Trainer and the cap holds it in place.

I myself struggle with the project management of jobs/kids and packing the bag(s) for 5AM rollout. (I brush my teeth in the car to save time, but I do not chew gum while I do it). :-)

I second the capless lifestyle.

??? You don't have a bag with your swim gear in it?

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I actually found one. I did a drop in visit while working in San Francisco for a day and they required a cap. All my travels and random pool visits, that was the only one.

Swimmers hair is a badge of honor. Any male who was an age group swimmer in the 70s or 80s wouldnt be caught dead in a cap unless it was mandatory.

My exact experience and feeling on the matter.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

I'm mostly bald and do not wear a cap except on the coldest days or if the pool is very cool (for me). There is no requirement to wear one at any of the pools I swim. I do, however, appreciate it when folks with long hair wear one. Although I've never inhaled hair, it seems every other week I will catch a long strand in my hand and it feels both weird and yuck at the same time.

That makes absolutely no sense??

Better make sure no one who hasn’t shaved their arms, legs or pubic hair is allowed in the pool also...better also make sure that everyone has a shower before hoping in the pool to wash away all the sweat, faeces and urine.

Pools are disgusting places but I’d rather some hair from someone’s head in my mouth than the other items I’ve listed that the pool is full of.

You pull it down over your eyebrows?

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

You admit pools are disgusting places, yet you won’t take one simple step to be a part of the solution?

It is easy to complain, and damn near easier to do your part to make pools cleaner. Wear a cap, rinse off in the shower before jumping in, etc.

Everyone seems to have time for a 5 hour bike ride, but can’t spare 5 minutes to help with sanitation at their local pool

The Dad allowance for bags is 2 in our house. One is for work and whatever the kids forget, one is for the gym/pool/etc.

I think if I got a bag for swimming there would be a violin in it by the end of the week. :-)

I hear ya. That's why my bags live in the car. Which sucks a bit in winter when you get to the pool and your suit is frozen. :-0

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Exactly-I also don’t want pubic hair in my mouth, or hair from arms and legs, or hair from backs and chests, or urine or poo lol So am I really expect to worry about a few strands of short head hair when you have all this other stuff in the pool?

The point I’m trying to make is if swim caps are mandatory to stop hair then why on earth don’t they make a Pre swim shower also mandatory? Why don’t they make shaved pubes, legs, backs, arms and chests mandatory?

I’d love a policy of pre shower

’d love a policy of pre shower
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I've swam in literally hundreds of pools, all in the US, across several states. ALL of them have had a pre-shower policy (I'm pretty sure it's a law in most states). None of them, however, have had an efficient enforcement system of this policy.

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

Personally I had cold pools, so having the cap on traps some heat from the heat and keeps me mentally warmer.
Also, you'll use them on race day, so might as well train with them.

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Ryan
http://www.SetThePaceTriathlon.com
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I got plans - https://www.trainingpeaks.com/...dotcom#trainingplans

I swam in 2 different pools while I was in Italy: both required them. One of the pools I swam with in Germany required them too... This might be an international thing.

I see your point, but I can’t see why you don’t just suck it up and do your part? If you shower and wear a cap that is one less person polluting the pool. Maybe you will inspire others, like Hayley Joel Osmand in that lame “pay it forward” movie.

Err.. no? I was describing the effect the chlorine had on both my hair and eyebrows. They were so white I could have been mistaken for a geriatric.

And my eyebrows don't do that now because I am only in the pool for about 15% of the time that I used to.

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Strava

I see. I was wondering if you only now have geriatric eyebrows. ;-)
I've noticed (it's very evident) that my leg, arm and chest hair has been reduced in length by about 50%. And it's extremely thin and frail. I've never read that prolonged pool exposure is detrimental to health, so I'm hoping that hair is the only susceptible structure.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

I do shower before swims but wearing a swim cap to stop my 1 inch long hair from ‘politing’ the pool is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

All pools I have been to have a pre-swim shower rule, but I have noticed that none enforce it.

Same. In NZ summer I swim outside from December-April, and I'd have melanoma in short order if I didn't wear something. I carry it through to the pool over winter out of habit.

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Then don't wear a damn cap. What did you really think people were going to say here? That there is a correlation between wearing a cap and earning a kona slot? People wear them for a variety of reasons, you may not believe there is a sanitation reason for wearing a cap, and for someone with short hair it is probably a small one. But in my mind there are instances where the gesture means something, and I think this is one that has little negative effect.

I know it sounds strange , but this is actually a topic that really fires me up, I wish pools would grow a pair and enforce rules on showering, caps, etc.

I have really short hair (where I'm not bald) and just like others mention getting strands of hair caught in their hands I had strands of a hair getting caught in my short pointy hair, which I feel is disgusting, wearing a cap takes care of it.

One of the pools I swim in enforces the shower policy. I like to call them the shower police but they also enforce the "no shoes on the pool deck" policy and I'm really happy about that.