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Swimming and COVID-19
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My A-race is an Ironman in 11 weeks. It's not cancelled or postponed yet, but it's likely that it will be considering how fast things are escalating.

Regardless, I am not sure how to approach swimming. My pool is still open and people have been saying that swimming itself is considered relatively safe, but all the contact with people around the locker room etc seems a bit of a risk.

I am curious about How you guys are handling this? Just keep showing up until the pool closes and be careful? Stop swimming?
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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If you were not worried about contracting the flu, you are fine
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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I'm in the same position, IM Lanzarote 10 weeks away. I'm still swimming, expecting pools to be shut down soon though. Its a tough one as my swim pace will decrease rapidly if I don't spend time in the water. I am looking at what tool & exercises I can use at home to keep my swimming muscles in good condition.

Gym is not an option, looks like an ideal environment to catch CV-19. Any advice for exercises to do at home is welcome.

It's been a really mild winter, and getting warmer, hopefully OW swimming will start early, If I can get into the water in late April it would be great
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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I do my swimming at a gym and have the exact same concerns, particularly about the locker room. My solution is to skip the locker room, walk directly to and from the pool, and then come home afterwards to shower. I’m not even rinsing off in the locker room after the swim.

I live around 10 minutes from my gym and normally shower & change there, then head to work, but I’m okay with a little inconvenience under the circumstances.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [dktxracer] [ In reply to ]
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My routine is to go swim at the Y during lunch, shower, back to work.

A super chlorinated pool like the Y is the safest place there. The rest of the place, not so much. I’m going to avoid it for the foreseeable future. The place is generally very clean but everything about the locker room is a Petri dish. Plus the average age is like 70.

Favorite Gear: Dimond | Cadex | Desoto Sport | Hoka One One
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [mattsurf] [ In reply to ]
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If you are just bridging for a few 4-6 weeks stretch chords work OK. I use them a couple times a week when I'm swimming. I usually keep it simple and simulate a 20x100 set, by using my typical 100 time as my base. I pick a moderate resistance (20 - 40 lbs), and use a metronome set to my average stroke rate.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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My gym is far less crowded than pre Corona days and the pool has even fewer people in it. To me, it's no different than going anywhere else. Stay far enough away from people in the locker room, don't touch your face, lather up right before you head to your car.

I don't have a race for 3 months, but see no reason not to go, especially since swimming is a weak link. Now a restaurant, that's a different story......
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [SSMinnow] [ In reply to ]
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my pool is 17 minutes run from office and 22 min from home. I am running to pool and back and going directly into the chlorinated water. Shower at home or office (no one other than me seems to use the shower at office). I am about to shut our office and ask my employees to work from home. I bet the pool etc gets shut in a few days. Generally I am not worried but I want to do my part on the social distancing side.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [dktxracer] [ In reply to ]
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dktxracer wrote:
I do my swimming at a gym and have the exact same concerns, particularly about the locker room. My solution is to skip the locker room, walk directly to and from the pool, and then come home afterwards to shower. I’m not even rinsing off in the locker room after the swim.

I live around 10 minutes from my gym and normally shower & change there, then head to work, but I’m okay with a little inconvenience under the circumstances.

I was thinking of starting this same protocol at the university rec center where I swim, but I fear the rec center is going to be shut down soon as students have been ask to move out of the dorms. Stay healthy!
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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I’ve decided to forego swimming for a bit. I swim with Tower 26, usually have 3 or so lanemates plus 3-4 in the next lane over. We do a lot of aerobic and upper aerobic sets and are in close proximity. Noses running as they do in the pool, spitting in the gutter, heavy breathing on short rest intervals. I’m much further away from most everyone in the locker room. Just not worth it to me
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [Mark Lemmon] [ In reply to ]
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My local natatorium is now closed for the next 2 weeks, at least. I swim at a gym, so I still have access to a pool.

For me, the irony of all this is that I'm in the process of having a 20 meter pool built in my backyard, but it won't be finished until May. I'm predicting (and hoping) that all of these issue are gone right about the time my pool is ready.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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Ironically, I have a Vasa, but I'm almost not using it all in the midst of this outbreak, just because the pool is for once so empty and pleasant.

I've been using all my pool toys - PB, lava shorts, med paddles, big paddles, snorkel, and even wearing my full wetsuit in for shoulder training (which worked amazingly well to acclimate - landed in the top 15% in my AG in a legit tri recently, which is far better than this once-BBOP AGer ever thought I'd ever swim! Most of that gain was due to pre-race wetsuit acclimation rather than pure swim fitness in my case.)

Once it gets crazy crowded here again though, I'll be back on the Vasa again. For now though I'm gonna swim as much as I can with the pool toys as well to maximize that technical and coordination training of swimming, before adding more oomph from the Vasa for pure pull power.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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Pool is open and I'm heading back there today. The gym is closed (separate building) due to it being the main emergency tornado recovery lodging after last week's tornado.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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Yea my go to pool has been shut for next 30 days due to the COVID as interpreted by the State Proclamations. Since I swim 4x a wk that's a big loss. Leg still not fully recovered from TPF so cant just pick up extra run miles. Then had a full can of soda thrown at my head (just missed) for no reason an empty road while in bike lane on Tuesday.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for posting this. I swim in 2 different locations (1 with a master's group; 1 on my own). The pool itself does not bother me. But the risk everywhere else ??? Bad enough having to go to work and deal with that.

I am a BOP swimmer and need it. Those are my recovery days. I suspect USAT Off Road Nationals will be cancelled -- so will focus on bike / run and get those improved.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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Just back from Masters and there were probably 3/4 of a normal Masters noon group there. There are also a few lap swimmers which is about the normal number. We had one of the youth coaches filling in and he said his group and all of the kids groups are on hold because of the masses of parents that tend to hang around during their practices. Not sure of the numbers at the 5 AM Masters practices since I never go to them. I’m guessing that the kids going to Olympic trials are still training.

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [ironclm] [ In reply to ]
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All Denver rec centers will be closing Monday.

I was going to race Gulf Coast 70.3 on May 9th, but I don't know how that's gunna pan out now...

Best way to keep swim fitness? Stretch cords? (Had a vasa and returned it... it's useless for me.)

@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [vittorio] [ In reply to ]
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Typical pool free chlorine is far too high for the virus to survive. Also, the virus does not transmit well, if at all, beyond 6'. If you keep the distance in mind, the chance of becoming infected is probably somewhere between little and none.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]
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Our city closed all city run recreation facilities in line with the school shut down that goes from tomorrow for 3 weeks. They don't want all parents to get bored at home and show up at libraries, gyms, pools, arenas....so pool is shut minimally for 3 weeks. Kind of sucks. Its going to be the first time I miss more than 1 week of swimming in a row in 4 years!
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
Our city closed all city run recreation facilities in line with the school shut down that goes from tomorrow for 3 weeks. They don't want all parents to get bored at home and show up at libraries, gyms, pools, arenas....so pool is shut minimally for 3 weeks. Kind of sucks. Its going to be the first time I miss more than 1 week of swimming in a row in 4 years!

Went for my last swim this morning, along with my doctor buddy who trains most everyday. He says "in this chlorine we are good". But I don't buy it. My friend and I got soo sick once out of a pool session when we were kids. Lane swimming is the perfect exchange of breath contents. The virus would have to be killed instantly and I'm not sure that's the case.
However there were way less people in the facility, that is a plus.

Gym work has made my swimming better, without being in the pool much. Core and mobility work, loosening up the thoracic spine and shoulders. I think I am going to take it outdoors and just do the yoga-fusion thing we have been doing for the past 3 years. Doesn't need much equipment.

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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [SharkFM] [ In reply to ]
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He says "in this chlorine we are good".
---

I'd agree with your doctor buddy. The problem is that sooner or later, you have to leave the chlorine and enter the public area. Which has potential to be less good.






Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [Tri-Banter] [ In reply to ]
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This. If you use a public shower/changeroom before and after the pool, that area sure as heck is not getting cleaned/disinfected to the degree you want, if trying to avoid a highly contagious communicable disease.
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [surroundhound] [ In reply to ]
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I’d like to see some science behind that re covid 19 (as opposed to other coronaviruses previously evaluated, maybe it’s the same, maybe it isn’t)
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]
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I listened to Joe Rogan's interview with Michael Osterholm today while spinning regarding COVID-19 and I understood him to say that this virus is more airborne and that washing hands really isn't effective against it (although still a good practice). That leads me to believe that swimming may be just as dangerous if the virus is in the natatorium air and that you could breath it in. Not real reassuring...….
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Re: Swimming and COVID-19 [ChrisM] [ In reply to ]
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I don't need a study to tell me that if someone wipes their nose/face, then grabs the locker handle to open it, there's potential to transmit disease. Unless you have some sort of changeroom concierge following everyone with a Lysol wipe.
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