The only way I can get the time to swim every day is to sacrifice sleep by getting up at 4:30 so that I can be at the YMCA when the open the doors.
In general I have more pep all day if I swim on short sleep than if I sleep in and skip my AM swim. (I have to make the most of weekends to catch up on my sleep.)
Daycare is not an issue for me, SWinkleblech, but my YMCA has daycare (as well as short-term babysitting) right in the facility. Perhaps yours offers the same... It could cut out one extra stop, even if it's only two blocks away, and that could make your pool time all the more attractive. Even if not, it sounds like you have a pretty good setup for yourself as it is.
I go right after work. The little one is still at daycare and my older daughter can swim so she swims while I do my workout. I get to the pool three days a week doing this. It does help that the daycare is two blocks from the Y.
My daughter is already at daycare from me working. Our Y only offers a babysitting program in the evening that doesn't work for me. My set up is perfect for me. My daughter loves daycare so I don't even feel guilty for leaving her there for that extra time.
Originally posted by Fishgrrl
and then keep tapping your toes the whole time!! I've mentioned before that I can think of one person in particular who refuses to go ahead of me, then swims right on my toes!
Yet another side benefit of being a Southerner - manners and courtesy. For this person I'd suggest just moving behind them at the end of the rep or set and not give them the opportunity to touch your toes. Or, alternatively, you could use it as a challenge and try to keep ahead, really press yourself. I know I always swim faster when leading.
Fishgrrl:
There is nothing worse than an unkind lane mate, ESPECIALLY during an organized practice. My coach enforces the 5 second leave rule and insists everyone have a clean wall to come into at the end of a set. My suggestion is you tell your coach to casually bring this courtesy up. It also makes flip turns very difficult if he/she is following too closely. Our team is really good at knowing spacing. For instance, we have one person who leads kick, IM, free etc. It's really pretty neat, now that I think on it.
If all else fails, splash water in his/her face and say, GO AHEAD OF ME OR STOP HITTING MY TOES!
I work out at a gym that doesn't provide kickboards, pull-buoys, or a pace clock. It does, however, have a large number of what I call "water-walkers" - the people that bounce up and down a lane at a snails pace and call it a work out. Then, there's the lady that brings her stretch cords to the pool (at 5:00 pm, when it's crowded), hooks them up and does a VERY splashy backstroke in the middle of the lane, hooked to her cords. Don't get me wrong - those things are great for people who have small pools in their backyard, and want to get a workout, but the gym I'm at actually has a 25-meter pool! Why the cords?!
And, if you're going to "water-walk", get in a lane with other water-walkers -- you can fit a lot more of them into a lane than lap swimmers with vastly different speeds.
Thanks for the opportunity to vent!
Kae
Originally posted by jean sterling
Maybe you shouldn't be so polite. :-)
I agree! At my gym we only have 3 lanes and many people stand around in the lanes even though I'm actively doing laps. I simply do very sharp, forceful and accurately placed flip-turns inches away and they usually move into one of the 2+minutes per lap lanes.
As for people who sit on lane lines and keep "falling" in your path: just chop the water with the hand away from them as it enters the water. You'd be amazed how accurately you can peg them with a nice chunk of water without looking obvious! :D
Anywhere besides a pool, these people's actions would not be tolerated. It would be like leaning on a stack of weights to talk to your buddy while someone is using them or tieing your shoe on an occupied stationary bike. You'd be flogged!!!!
I haven't finished this thread yet, but how about the misuse of the term "Olympic Sized Pool"! I'm sorry, but your Hotel DOES NOT have an Olympic-sized pool and neither do most athletic clubs. If it ain't 50M long, IT AIN'T OLYMPIC SIZED!!
Ok, I finished reading this thread and I thought of another one:
People who steal the kickboard you had at the edge of your lane! People at my Bally's like to take the kick boards and sit on them in the sauna! :mad: "Oh, but it's too HOT in there, don't you know." I solved that one by bringing my own and keeping it at the far end of the pool.
