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.
Former Member
Wow, pretty weird, I have vestibular neuritis. I'm fortunate because mine is pretty mild.
Denise, don't give up. And don't be afraid to let your lanemates know that you're kind of uncomfortable swimming in a group. They'll understand and they'll try to help you out.
I think "That Guy" has way too much time on his hands... :rolleyes:
:D I went back and fixed my post. ;) All I can say is that there is never a dull moment when That Guy is around. :applaud:
Hi Denise,
I want to share some good news with you:
1) Human beings can adjust to any thing causing discomfort.
Most of the pools in my country are crowded. If you share a lane only with 2-3 person - you are lucky. If you are alone on the lane - that's a kind of miracle.
2) I liked Amy's post - it's true after a while you become more skilled swimmer. Bumping each other is pretty common thing in swimming and after years I don't even don't pay attention if I get bumped because I'm concentrated on the task I do - usually it is limited in time and the only thing you think about is stopwatch.
If you have any occasion to participate in the swimming meet, when you plan to do your warm up you should be prepared to something like this - www.youtube.com/watch. Once during warmup I counted 30 swimmers on the lane and I literally couldn't find a hole to jump in :censor:. Nevertheless after such experience you don't care anymore about 5 swimmers on the lane in the your home pool and if you swim every day after a while you'll become good friends. :)
LOL 30 swimmers in one lane. That's amazing. Thanks, Debugger. The guy in the video had good advice. I don't intend to be a competitive swimmer. I'm not that athletic and I swim for fitness. But I know at some point I'll have to get used to sharing the lane and I appreciate the support everyone is showing me here. I'm going to try another group next week with the head coach who knows my fear of lane sharing.
Denise, I have been in masters for over 28 years & I still hit the lane lines & others. Don't worry about being foolish, most of are that all the time anyhow!. Team swimming is a contact sport unknown to others that do not team swim. We say "sorry" to the others that we hit on fly & back & *** stroke kicks that are misplaced. My pet gripe is the swimmers that wears the big watch that "clobbers" me with it in swimming!!!
Orca1946, I'm afraid of the folks who swing their arms way out like paddles. You probably know the type I'm talking about. I can't be too critical, because I can't see myself and don't know if I'm guilty of that. I try to keep my arms close to my body. I swim with a couple of folks who have those big watches, though, and I'm sure they hurt when one of them hits you. Thought about getting one, but it seems like a lot of excess stuff to carry into the pool. I don't even like to use fins or pull buoys. Maybe after I've been at it a while I'll want one because it would be nice to keep track of my time/distance. I guess it's what you get used to. When I swim on my own now, I practice staying close to the lane lines.
One of the ladies from last week's swim told me swimming is a contact sport. I just laughed, but maybe she's right.
Is there a pace clock on at the time you swim? It is a good way of keeping track of times.
Ask , they may have one that they can plug in/ turn on for you and other swimmers.
