I had a thread a while back about time wasted training in the pool. I still stand by that. I’ve always told myself that I just don’t like it but I realized this week that that just isn’t the case. I do like swimming, I really do–it’s the associated pain in the ass that has jaded me. The steamy, dirty indoor pools, packed lanes and chemicalicious water just ruined it for me. I am in India at a hotel with an incredible 60m outdoor pool and guess what? I find myself swimming twice a day, even with all the great things to do here. The same was the case this summer in Phili when I found a beautiful outdoor pool within city limits.
Alas, winter is approaching and I’ll be stateside soon. The joy of swimming will quickly be replaced by the dread of visiting indoor pool facilities in the winter. The cycle begins again.
I’m the same way. But now I try to be a little more zen about it. Instead of worrying about the pain I go in with the mindset that this swim will be the easiest most relaxed swim I’ve ever had. It makes the workout a lot more fun.
If you swim enough to become one of the faster ones, people tend to avoid swimming in your lane - well, most will try to avoid it…
LOL! No one ever wants to swim with me, even when I stop and tell them it is OK. The only person that ever swims in my lane is a high school girl that is there once in a while. We just split the lane and go to town. Everyone else stays away.
Not sure if it is the flip turns, the speed, the tats, or what. Never bothers me though.
Good thread. And I am in agreement, I love to swim it’s a great workout. But most inside pools are dungeons and for some
reason I am not drawn to them…But get me outside in a nice salt water (as opposed to chlorine or bleach) and I’m a
happy camper.
Weird that the pool is empty enough to use. Indian people here love the pool. They can’t swim to save their lives, but they post up in the pool like it’s their job.
If you keep doing 100s on the :55 people are VERY reluctant to jump in with you.
waaat?
how many people can even do that?
Those of us who cannot run. =D
It’s not uncommon for DI / DII swimmers to hold such times in a short tank. I am lucky enough to have been pushed into swimming for most of my life. It’s ok though, I can’t run to save myself from the zombie apocalypse.
Heck, I make my high schoolers swim 100’s on the 1:05 before practice.
I have a otter box if anyone wants . If not totally dry when you open it it is like the water is drawn to your iPod like a magnet. I lost 3 that way :0( maybe pelican box is better.
If the boxes aren’t working out for you too well, give some of the SwimP3 players or whatever the generics are. They’re supposed to work well (heard from teammates). They’re a submersible mp3 player.
I hear you. With my current location, job and family life, swimming is simply too inconvenient, unpleasant or expensive for me to ever get good at it. Love swimming in open water, or in decent and not too crowded pools. Hate swimming in short, crowded and chlorine-filled pools with crappy changing facilities. Doubly hate having to take a load of time out of my day to get to said crappy pools, spending the rest of the day stinking of chlorine and having to carry wet kit around everywhere I go.
When I figure out a way of changing my lifestyle/location so that I have easy access to open water and/or good swimming facilities (or even my own pool…) then I may actually become a decent all-round triathlete. Until then I’m basically a duathlete who can just about survive a swim leg without drowning and is constantly on the lookout for innovative triathlons where you get to go rowing or canoeing instead of swimming!
My pool is empty probably 90% of the time I am there. If you see other swimmers, they are as slow as you can can find. Most times I wish I swim next to faster ones just to give me a little motivation to push myself more. BTW my fastest ever 100 was 1:14 this year. Still trying to duplicate that
Weird that the pool is empty enough to use. Indian people here love the pool. They can’t swim to save their lives, but they post up in the pool like it’s their job.
