My local pool has just raised the water temp to 30 ' C ( 86 ' F ) ! At this temp I am exhausted after 4 lengths. A full workout of 60 to 90 mins is impossible without suffering heat exhaustion. They have already had 1 swimmer collapse on poolside after swimming hard for 40 mins.
This has happened because a ' disabled swim group ' who use the pool for 45 mins once a week keep complaining about how cold the pool is. The pool management can't figure out the pool temp software so the temp is set that high for 24/7. It used to be 27' C ( 80.6' F ) and was then raised to 28'C (82.4 ' F ) 1 year ago.
I can't set workouts for my club that cause heat distress if carried out so it is a nightmare. My training is on hold until i can change this and I will have to move my masters club to another pool if not changed. Maybe ' Shaky's ' pool has space for us ?
Emmet Hines in his book says that 82 ' F ( 27.7' C ) is ideal for training, and that anything over 84' F ( 28.4 ' C ) is too hot.
Does anyone else suffer through hot water temperatures ? Can anyone recommend online research that I can use to prove the dangers of excercising in hot water ?
There is an article in the current issue of SWIM magazine (the USMS publication) which discusses the pool temperature debate. I, too, swim/coach at a pool which is utilized by many different groups (all of which seem to have more weight than the Masters Group, but that's another story) and know the frustration of having to shorten sets, lower intensity, hose down the group, etc. I try to tell them it is an exercise in mental toughness, but that is a bit of a hard sell day after day!
Anyway, look at the article and see if it could help your case for cooler water. If nothing else, it tells you how to calculate how high your core temp rises during your workout - gives you something to do during those low intensity swims AND gives you reason to ponder the possibility of spontaneous combustion (how high can my temp go, anyway, before my head explodes?).
Good luck...
There is an article in the current issue of SWIM magazine (the USMS publication) which discusses the pool temperature debate. I, too, swim/coach at a pool which is utilized by many different groups (all of which seem to have more weight than the Masters Group, but that's another story) and know the frustration of having to shorten sets, lower intensity, hose down the group, etc. I try to tell them it is an exercise in mental toughness, but that is a bit of a hard sell day after day!
Anyway, look at the article and see if it could help your case for cooler water. If nothing else, it tells you how to calculate how high your core temp rises during your workout - gives you something to do during those low intensity swims AND gives you reason to ponder the possibility of spontaneous combustion (how high can my temp go, anyway, before my head explodes?).
Good luck...
