Hey all, forgive me while I vent.
First off, it's not swimming itself that frustrates me.
Today, when I went to the noon lap swim, the pool was divided in half, with half the pool for water walking, half for lap swimming. And in the lap swimming section--in half this pool, there were six people, which doesn't seem like much, but without lane lines, people wander into other lanes, even when they claim to be circling. There is chaos. It may just be me and the mood I was in, but after two laps, I was just beyond frustrated and got out. I'd asked the lifeguard why there couldn't be at least three sections as I've seen the pool divided at other times, and he just said, "I can't move the rope."
I've had so many instances of lack of concern for lap swimmers at this pool, that I'm on the brink of dropping my membership. Only one thin thread keeps me and I'm getting to think it might be too thin a thread to hold: there is a gym which I also use (weights, cardio, etc.) and there is a yoga class which I join on and off. Also, the pool is a ten minute walk from where I live, so the convenience is a big factor. I'm thinking though that the high school pool, even without a gym, might be more worth my while, since it's cheaper.
But the management of the pool favors EVERYONE but lap swimmers.
I left the pool stressed out--I've had other instances that have stressed me out at this pool, so many that I sometimes wonder if I'll ever enjoy swimming--if pool politics will always favor others besides lap swimmers. When I run, I can go wherever, whenever (although there are the crazy drivers, I can mostly avoid them by running at nearby tracks or parks).
But swimming, I'm hemmed in by available lap swim times which don't always work with my schedule.
There's much to love about swimming itself, but I'm getting very discouraged with how our pool is managed. I'm so tired of facing the ambush that is lap swimming. I don't want to finish a workout stressed out.
And I need to get more mentally tough, I suppose to just deal. But my life has its own share of stress, and I kind of like my workout time to be a way to free myself. And I want to be able to set some goals, go after them.
I seriously sometimes want to give up on swimming--not really... but today is one of those days I want never to swim another stroke in ANY pool. I'd love to live near open water. That's what I learned to swim in, and I loved it--would get bitten by crabs, stung occasionally by jelly fish, wonder if sharks were lurking nearby, push through seaweed... and all that was better than anything I deal with at the pool.
Okay, deep breath... move on. Let go. Got to get back to yoga class--but maybe somewhere other than my Y. :)
With a knee still sensitive from a fall, I should swim more often--if only it wasn't so stressful that I want to run the other way.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Our aquatics director can be very stubborn (don't get me started!), but the point about the safety issue is a good one.
Unfortunately, the lap swimmers take third place after (a) kids (camp and day care being cash cows) and (b) those who use the water walking lane exclusively.
We had a great masters' group started, which was abruptly canceled while the coach was away with his kids' team at a championship. We were told both that the masters team made things too crowded and that there wasn't enough interest to continue it. (???) The coach then started in a grad program so wasn't able to stay with coaching (wonderful guy--and just had a chance to pursue a career goal that was important to him--not anything related to the team... he still helped us individually whenever we asked).
But the masters' team was on hold for a while, so I swam with other masters' groups until my schedule conflicted with the practices, then worked out on my own.
They restarted a masters' swim program--at 9 p.m. on a Monday night. And then stopped it b/c there wasn't enough interest... well no... at 9 pm on a Monday night? Surprise, surprise! But we did keep it going for about 8 or 9 months with a terrific coach who helped us each progress at our own rate. When she moved on, a succession of two or three other coaches came in, and they did some good stuff but there wasn't the same level of energy (not that I held it against the coaches--I'm not sure how much support they got either).
Emails to the AD and suggestions in person either went unanswered (email) or "we won't be doing that." Or "I'll look into it"--which basically meant the same: "we won't be doing that."
I've mentioned the importance of adults staying fit, given the obesity epidemic and the need to provide good role models to kids. Nope.
I've suggested keeping a lap lane open during other swim periods as some pools do. Nope.
I try to keep a distance from her, but stay polite/friendly/impersonal b/c trying to convince her of anything has proven futile.
I wonder if this kind of thing is just something one has to live with in order to keep on swimming.
I'm fortunate that I have the running--after abandoning my swim, I headed out for a run, which went much much better!
Would love for them both to have space in my life, b/c I love both--but running has the advantage of simplicity and flexibility of scheduling. My daydream: to have a lake or bay in front of my house. But global warming has not progressed to the degree that I will have bayfront property in the near future. ;)
Thanks for the suggestions!
Our aquatics director can be very stubborn (don't get me started!), but the point about the safety issue is a good one.
Unfortunately, the lap swimmers take third place after (a) kids (camp and day care being cash cows) and (b) those who use the water walking lane exclusively.
We had a great masters' group started, which was abruptly canceled while the coach was away with his kids' team at a championship. We were told both that the masters team made things too crowded and that there wasn't enough interest to continue it. (???) The coach then started in a grad program so wasn't able to stay with coaching (wonderful guy--and just had a chance to pursue a career goal that was important to him--not anything related to the team... he still helped us individually whenever we asked).
But the masters' team was on hold for a while, so I swam with other masters' groups until my schedule conflicted with the practices, then worked out on my own.
They restarted a masters' swim program--at 9 p.m. on a Monday night. And then stopped it b/c there wasn't enough interest... well no... at 9 pm on a Monday night? Surprise, surprise! But we did keep it going for about 8 or 9 months with a terrific coach who helped us each progress at our own rate. When she moved on, a succession of two or three other coaches came in, and they did some good stuff but there wasn't the same level of energy (not that I held it against the coaches--I'm not sure how much support they got either).
Emails to the AD and suggestions in person either went unanswered (email) or "we won't be doing that." Or "I'll look into it"--which basically meant the same: "we won't be doing that."
I've mentioned the importance of adults staying fit, given the obesity epidemic and the need to provide good role models to kids. Nope.
I've suggested keeping a lap lane open during other swim periods as some pools do. Nope.
I try to keep a distance from her, but stay polite/friendly/impersonal b/c trying to convince her of anything has proven futile.
I wonder if this kind of thing is just something one has to live with in order to keep on swimming.
I'm fortunate that I have the running--after abandoning my swim, I headed out for a run, which went much much better!
Would love for them both to have space in my life, b/c I love both--but running has the advantage of simplicity and flexibility of scheduling. My daydream: to have a lake or bay in front of my house. But global warming has not progressed to the degree that I will have bayfront property in the near future. ;)
