I'm a newbie and just had my first practice yesterday sharing the lane with other swimmers. There were five of us, and it was horrible. I could barely get across one length of the pool and I actually panicked because I've never swum with others in the lane, certainly not four or five other people, and I was afraid of hitting or being hit. I stayed close to the rope, so much that I hit it a few times. Now I'm thinking, should I have joined this program? Am I one of those people who just prefers to swim alone? It was pretty scary.
I know those of you who do this all the time probably think, pffffft. No biggie. But I've never been so tense in the pool and when I swim on my own, I'm fine, do lots of laps for about an hour with very few breaks, so I know it's not my skill level. But I don't even know if I want to go back to a practice. I got bumped a few times, bumped into someone else, and basically made a fool of myself.
I also noticed that certain people displace the water an awful lot, and that was a new sensation.
Hi Denise, I endured a similar experience. Unfortunately, I suffer from vertigo - so I'm extremely sensitive to motion, and what others call "waves" feel like tidal waves to my poor inner ear system. But on good days, I often have to share or circle and sometimes we swipe or brush arms/legs and it's ok. I actually feel the energy in the pool and it makes me push harder. But having said that, I've been an obsessive exerciser for nearly 40 years and prefer to do all forms of exercise solo. I ran solo (never liked races, but did them for the challenge), I do gym cardio solo and prefer to swim in my own lane -- no partners and definitely not with a team. That's just me.
I can empathize with you, Renie! I have Meniere's, so that kind of motion you are referring to = :eek: . Flip turns are out of the question, because the snap down makes me seasick! I can turn sideways without trouble, so I have to do a bucket turn on backstroke.
When the outdoor pool in our community has a water temperature lower than our indoor pool, I train outdoors. (The outdoor pool is only open in late spring/ summer.) There is a two-lane, 25 yard lap swimming offshoot to the free-form recreation part of the pool; however, there are no gutters and it's like swimming in a fish bowl! Swimming fly often results in drinking a bit of water when I take a breath, and sprint freestyle feels like I am swimming in ocean currents. I always end up feeling a bit dizzy, but the cooler water and fresh air is worth the trade-off.
I am also used to having my own lane and get anxious when I have to share with more than a couple of people. Fortunately, the only time that happens is at a swim meet. I always get nervous warming up backstroke in a shared lane, because I can't see what's going on with the other swimmers and fear having a collision.
Warming up at Nationals is a zoo in the pool! I always end up going home with a colorful array of bruises from hitting the lane lines, because I'm afraid of getting too close to passing swimmers.
Denise, good luck to you. I don't know what to advise, but I can relate to both you and Renie. :bighug: The only way I enjoy training with other people is if we each get our own lanes side-by-side.
Hi Denise, I endured a similar experience. Unfortunately, I suffer from vertigo - so I'm extremely sensitive to motion, and what others call "waves" feel like tidal waves to my poor inner ear system. But on good days, I often have to share or circle and sometimes we swipe or brush arms/legs and it's ok. I actually feel the energy in the pool and it makes me push harder. But having said that, I've been an obsessive exerciser for nearly 40 years and prefer to do all forms of exercise solo. I ran solo (never liked races, but did them for the challenge), I do gym cardio solo and prefer to swim in my own lane -- no partners and definitely not with a team. That's just me.
I can empathize with you, Renie! I have Meniere's, so that kind of motion you are referring to = :eek: . Flip turns are out of the question, because the snap down makes me seasick! I can turn sideways without trouble, so I have to do a bucket turn on backstroke.
When the outdoor pool in our community has a water temperature lower than our indoor pool, I train outdoors. (The outdoor pool is only open in late spring/ summer.) There is a two-lane, 25 yard lap swimming offshoot to the free-form recreation part of the pool; however, there are no gutters and it's like swimming in a fish bowl! Swimming fly often results in drinking a bit of water when I take a breath, and sprint freestyle feels like I am swimming in ocean currents. I always end up feeling a bit dizzy, but the cooler water and fresh air is worth the trade-off.
I am also used to having my own lane and get anxious when I have to share with more than a couple of people. Fortunately, the only time that happens is at a swim meet. I always get nervous warming up backstroke in a shared lane, because I can't see what's going on with the other swimmers and fear having a collision.
Warming up at Nationals is a zoo in the pool! I always end up going home with a colorful array of bruises from hitting the lane lines, because I'm afraid of getting too close to passing swimmers.
Denise, good luck to you. I don't know what to advise, but I can relate to both you and Renie. :bighug: The only way I enjoy training with other people is if we each get our own lanes side-by-side.
