I kind of think it is a bit acquired, but I think about swimming like a time to meditate.
After the initial focus on my technique, I begin to use the time to reflect on different topics.

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~The Diesel~

I actually never considered swimming to be "staring at a black line" until I heard the phrase on here. I don't feel that way about it, and I swim decent volume, mostly alone.

IMO, with swimming, there's far too much to think about to be bored. I'm constantly thinking of some aspect of technique, whether that's turns or EVF. I recently realized I drop my left elbow terribly, and it's probably holding my speed back. So, when I swim, I don't think about the black tiled line, I think about my left elbow.

I don't think there's any reason to be bored while swimming. I actually think that unless you're one of the fish who spent 15-20hrs/week swimming in their younger years, it's hard to make a claim to being bored. Or at least, don't get indignant when the swimmers don't want to hear about your struggle for entertainment in the pool. (Eric, you know this isn't directed at you, you love swimming more than arguably anyone else on this site)

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"Don't you have to go be stupid somewhere else?"..."Not until 4!"

I agree. Since I developed carpal tunnel, my time on other hobbies(viola, fiddle, and computer games) has been severely diminished. Pair that with dissatisfaction from being fat, and I've turned to fitness as a hobby. So as an adult onset swimmer, having so technical a thing to work on really scratches that 'learning a skill' itch that I used instruments&games for previously.

If I was only chasing endorphins I wouldn't bother swimming, I'd stick to running&riding. But that's because I'm a slow&shitty swimmer. But I get a lot of joy out of improving my swimming.

Thankfully, I've got a lot of enjoyment left to go. /pink

As a lifelong swimmer, up to D1 and Masters beyond that - I've stared at many a black line (and some blue ones, too)
When you spend up to 6 hours a day in the pool, staring at the line is a big part of it.
There are certainly some parts you enjoy, but at the high levels; there is a lot of drudgery.
Very, very few runners would spend anywhere near that kind of time on a track - but many might go for long runs.
It's just a different animal.

One could enjoy a good set, or a good repeat, or a good battle against a teammate.

I used to see the sun rise and set about 250 times a year from the pool.
Those could be very good moments.

The pool is as boring as the dreadmill (which i also refuse to do) Add in chlorine and the logistics and for me it was easy to give up.

I ride and run outside and only do occasional duathlons anyway. I swim in a lake and the ocean for pleasure. I don't ever see myself swimming laps again. Too many things I'd rather do outdoors.

Certainly, there is always the "too much of a good thing" syndrome but I purposefully did not include any skill or performance levels in my post, and I'm just talking about enjoying a 1 to 2 hr workout, once per day, 6 to 7 days/wk. I think anyone can enjoy swimming if they have the proper mindset, and/or the "swim enjoyment gene". Also, even at the D1 level, I would guess that you loved swimming back in the beginning, when you were a young 7 to 11 yr old, before the 2-a-days started at age 12-ish:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

So, you have never ever had even the smallest sense of pleasure from the water flowing across your body in the pool??? Have you ever even thought about or appreciated the feeling of the water??? I'm betting not. Also, what about swimming in an outdoor pool on a sunny day??? IMO, swimming is diff from the dreadmill b/c you are actually moving thru the water, not just running on a machine. Also, remember swimming in a pool has a very low chance of being hit by a car:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I think we tend to like things that we are better at, and for many of us, the swim is our weakest discipline. I hate doing the drills I suck at, but their the ones I need to do the most to improve.

A grain of truth in this ya but I can run and bike about as well as I can swim (not that I'm that fast in any of them), but to me swimming has the distinct difference of occurring in a medium wherein you can not talk to anyone else, where you are truly in your own world. Now, I can get in that state also on the bike on the road but it's dangerous to space out on the bike. Plus, in swimming you have so many diff ways of experiencing it, i.e. swim, pull, kick all 4 strokes, w/ and w/o paddles, fins etc. All told, there are about 44 diff ways to swim, plus no cars, potholes, rocks, etc, to worry about. Also, I always feel nice and "stretched out" after swimming, vs feeling kind of stiff getting off the bike, and hamstrings tight after a semi-hard run.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I think that Macaroni Kid has a point re: enjoying things that we are good at. The feeling of knowing that you are doing something well is enjoyable, surely we can all relate to that?

I think that there is also a big element of having the required fitness/experience to truly enjoy something. I'm not sure if you kept up with the "Do elites feel pain...?" thread a few days ago, but somebody made a really good point about how we perceive/process pain based on how used to that specific discomfort we are.

I think that for a form of exercise to become meditative in the way you describe, a few things are required:
One is that the core techniques have to be second nature to the point that you will do them without concentrating on it, thereby allowing you to switch your brain off at times.
The other is that you have to be accustomed to the discomforts of that exercise to the point where they are accepted, and not perceived as something that makes you want to stop. I think of both running and cycling in the way that you talk about swimming (although I suspect that I'll never be as good at either as you are in the water), if I'm in the mood then I can go do either for hours and just meditate on my day. Any hard efforts from climbing a hill or a steep trail can be zoned out because I'm used to it, and so do not break my enjoyment.

Swimming for me is almost the opposite. I have to concentrate almost constantly to maintain technique, and my body just isn't used to the discomfort enough for it to not be a factor.

My 0.02

I consider myself a ''swim lover'' i enjoy the process of training, putting the time in and feel of the water. The pool is a necessity as our lake are frozen for 6-8months of the year. I do like the pool.... it does the trick. But it dosnt match the open water, clear water, clean water, quiet water....mirror like.

Show up at the lake at 6am, jump in and get the work done in one of the most majestic environement that put our brand new swim pool to shame. So much that in the past 2 years since i run a full time program in the lake, the 25 year old master swim program in town at to close door as all the pool swimmers want to be part of the lake program. They have discover a new way to train and challenge themself. Many of them still very much love the pool, but they do enjoy a change of pace for a few months of the year!

Coaching and quality program might be a reason so many triathletes do not like swimming in a pool. A coach that can transmit the passion for swimming, the passion for the process and daily grind of showing up and getting the work done. that is what is lacking.... Coaching adult onset swimmers is very different from coaching kids....you need to guide them into loving this sport/process, challenge them, keep them engage and striving for more.

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Jonathan Caron / Professional Coach / ironman champions / age group world champions
Jonnyo Coaching
Instargram

I myself only have a good swim one out of three or four sessions, and for me it's not unlike rowing--once in a while the rhythm and relaxation and power and hydrodynamics are in sync and I feel smooth and powerful.

The other times, I feel like a three-legged cat that someone tossed in the tub.

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What are you people, on dope?

—Mr. Hand

That's one of the few things I dislike about swimming: The tension and aggression caused by lack of communication. Because we're all in our own bubble - and, if flip-turning, without a break either - there's no clear, friendly way to communicate in the water. I swim in a university pool with pensioned seniors, middle-age-crisis'ed professors and fellow students, with speeds varying from decent to might-as-well-float. If one of these floaters wants to breast or classic-backstroke in my fast lane, there's no gentle way around him nor a way to signal your presence that's not aggressive. The middle-age-crisis population, meanwhile, will fight you for every pass and try to save their egos - which again turns the swim into a super-aggressive, super-tense environment. On the track or out on the road, the worst I've had to do was give a whistle as I approach.

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ZONE3 - We Last Longer

this is around how i feel. back and forth in a pool, doing something i'm not good at, yeah, not my thing. i don't know how i'd feel if i was good at it. and when i run, i really try to mix up my routes. yeah, i go to the track sometimes, but that's never more than once a week. i've tried doing slow runs at the track and felt around the same level of boredom as i do in the pool.
not sure what i'd do if i had the optoin of a lot of interesting open water swims, something worth pondering for the future. but for now i'm gonna skip the back-and-forth of the pool and just run around the hills.

I love swimming. As someone else posted, there is so much to think about, I'm rarely just on auto pilot wishing the time would end.

Is it my favorite? I don't know....I love triathlon for the balance. I get to swim, bike, AND run....three things that I really love to do.

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Chris Harris

I am writing this as I contemplate whether to join my tri club in a 1.5 hr pool swim in a windowless hot pool, vs going out front of my house to a clean clear mountain lake and doing an hour on my own. I like swimming but the pool itself leaves a lot to be desired. In the winter the pool is OK, but compared to the outstanding OWS I have it seems crazy. The only benefit of the pool is the coach can stand on deck and give feedback. In my lake swim, I can leave my swim toys on a sunfish sailboat and do every workout between two bouys spaced 100m apart.

I am one of the 'I will never be fast' adult onset types. While I have seen improvement I am just slow. I do enjoy swimming - but the process of getting to the pool etc sometimes interferes.

Looking forward to the next year or so when I build my own pool - then we shall see how much I like it!

I was an exponentially better cyclist than runner and at least that much of a better runner than swimming. I hated it for 20+ years and went to the pool b/c I had to. That said I did it 3-4x a week. At some point a switch flipped and I decided I wanted to give swimming a real shot b/c I was so tired of sucking at it. I'd done more triathlons, road racing etc to satiate myself and my back revolted from running. So, ''let's give this swimming a shot!'. On the flip side of doing things we are good at I get even more satisfaction and enjoyment out of seeing progress come from something I'm horrible at. My body can just take SO much more abuse in the water. I can swim 8-10 hours a week as hard as I can and my body doesn't hate me. In point of fact for a guy with 2 discectomies and sciatic nerve damage there is no place my body feels better than the pool. I was chuckling just a couple of weeks ago. I was warming up, sleepy and groggy, wearing a drag suit just trying to get it moving. I don't warm up or cool down to a clock, but rather let my body tell me when it's ready. I looked over at the clock every 50 after the turn and I was thinking to myself how I'd of killed to be swimming at that pace for an all out 500 back in 2010. That is a serious kick to me b/c I was a water plow.

I think this pretty much nails it. I always enjoy going out to ride because I am a strong cyclist. I also enjoy running immensely as I am not all that bad at it. But swimming took me a while. I swam as a kid, never did competitive swimming, but I spent every summer swimming laps and my HS was fortunate enough to have a pool so instead of "gym" I took "swim" for my PE credits (got life guarding cert, etc).

So when I got into tri swimming was not a struggle, but I didn't exactly like it. I was slow. Therefore it frustrated me. I also hated that I could run or ride ride out of my house with no overhead, but the pool required driving to the Y, dealing with all the crazy people there, worrying about getting a lane, etc. Made swim training generally frustrating.

Now I am much faster, but still have a lot to work on, and I find myself enjoying the workouts. I even have thrown in a few voluntary "shakeout" swims from time to time. I actually went to the pool on a day my coach said I didn't have to and would swim a short session. Just because I wanted to. Never thought that would be me.

Boy do I agree. In the pool, it is counting laps. It is what will I do next. It is well how fast or slow did that set take. For some, great.

But when I jump off my dock and swim for a hour in the lake, it is great. I can just get into the grove. I can feel and focus on my stroke. I can look around and see everything around me. There is no black line.
There is no well here comes that stupid wall again. Their is not counting strokes. It is just I get to feel my breathing, feel the pull of the water. And at times, feel the stupid weeds get in my face. :(

Oh well, I race in a few hours and I guess I will have to try and swim fast. :)

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

Boom Nutrition code 19F4Y3 $5 off 24 pack box | Bionic Runner | PowerCranks | Velotron | Spruzzamist

Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I don't enjoy many aspects of swimming like the chlorine, water in your ears, etc. the days that feel good are nice, but generally outweighed by the not so good aspects.

I do know that a lot of former swimmers are just that, former swimmers. I know a lot of people that never swam again after college. I think it is much more rare to truly enjoy swimming in the same way people enjoy running, biking or other outdoor activities.

This might apply to doing laps in the community pool. Get on to a competitive team and it's a different story. There's all kinds of swimmer interaction, communication, and feedback- most of it while not at the wall. No one teaches it, it just happens. Plus, you'd be surprised as to how much can be said in the 8 seconds at the wall before your next send off.

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

I'm kinda the exact opposite of this. I have a swim strength and a run weakness. I rarely get to the pool (coupled with the amount of guilt that goes with this) and I often run. Here's the thing- I love running. I suck at it but I view it as the original freedom.

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

And you'd be wrong. I spent years at it, learned to enjoy it and got pretty good improving my IM swim from 1:20 to 1:08.

Perhaps I burnt out but there's more do it. First, I used to belong to a gym. I was there so I swam. Don't belong anymore and as I said earlier logistics are prohibitive. 2nd, for me triathlon is no longer fun. Hence, no "need" to swim