Just as an aside, my wife was saying this morning on her way out to the pool, "You know, the fitness center pool will be closed for cleaning all next week." I shrugged, so what? I can go several other places.
How many pools are within easy driving distance from you. I feel I'm pretty lucky in that I have access to no less than 7 pools within a 30 minute drive in New York's capital district. There are 5 YMCAs, 1 town fitness center and my college alma mater. Our health insurance pays for access through a program called Silver Sneakers, so they're all free to me as well.
I have the fortune to work part time at a chain gym, which affords me access to all their locations. Three of those gyms with (real - the 16yd doesn't count) pools are within a 15-20 minute drive of my house, and there's two or three more further afield (30 - 45). There's a YMCA with two pools 10mins away, and a couple of Lifetime Fitness locations. The city's HS has a pool (open to residents at limited times in winter for a fee), and in summer a cool $45 gets me access to both a pool (10min walk) and a whole lake (pond) (10min drive) from June to Labor Day. A number of local HS's have pools open to residents and nonresidents for laps and open swim. So. Um. A lot of options?
As a sidenote, Silver Sneakers is a wonderful program that lots of folks at my gym use. Most insurances will also reimburse (to a point - usually $150 or so) the cost of a yearly gym membership, which I think more people should know about and take advantage of.
There are several pools within 20 minutes of driving, but only one that is worth it to me to go to. I’m not sure if I’d swim at all if it wasn’t available. The next closest equivalent pool would be a minimum of 30 minutes driving high speed down two toll roads, assuming no traffic.
We have two pools at our facility, a 50M pool and a smaller 25 yd teaching pool. Our Masters group occasionally gets bumped to the teaching pool due to scheduling or maintenance issues the big pool. Our club also has an agreement with a nearby 25M pool that we can use if our home facility is completely closed.
Beyond that, there couple of 50 meter pools and severai 25 yd/meter pools within 20 miles of my house, though with limited open swim hours.
If I really get stuck, I can pull out my wetsuit and head for the beach, though the red tide has made that option a bit less enticing this year.
There are some pools available, but they are less than 25y, or too expensive, or too packed or not open early enough for me. I swim with a masters team at a local school, so when schools are closed, so is the pool. Its annoying. I am a member of another gym that has a 25m pool. But it's 4 lanes, so it gets packed at peak time, or they have a class and they would close down the entire pool. Though, they are open at 4am, which is good.
I strongly recommend against doing so. Aside from being trespassing, and the facility potentially being liable for anything that happens, if anything were to happen, you'd (likely) be alone with no one to help or send for help.
There isn't anywhere to go that's open between your anchor/sleep time and when you have to go to work?
Has anyone swam in a pool during hours when not open?
Yes. You can find details on those excursions in the historic files from the 1970s at the police department in my hometown.
Dan
