Wow! First time in a competition pool - what a difference. Anyone else?

I train in a pool somewhat similar to yours at Gold's Gym.  It's a 5-lane pool with two lanes roped off.  The depth is 5 feet at the deepest, and the water temp. is 83-84.  When I go to another pool to race, my times are always faster than my practice times due to the pool being faster and cooler.  I always love that! 

On December 9, I was in a SCM meet at Georgia Tech.  It was a big shock to the system to swim in a 78-degree pool with cool indoor air.  As much as I loved it at the time, my body didn't.  I have dysautonomia and Raynaud's, so my internal thermostat got whacked out.  I've been paying for it ever since with my body temperature ranging from 95.6 at night to a peak of 97.3 during the day.  (My normal is 98.1).  I also experienced 4 hours straight of severe muscle spasms and Restless Leg Syndrome late at night, the next night after the meet.  It was a living hell!

i've swan 2 meets in that pool. always cold, you have to dress accordingly. not a fan of Omega touch pad starting wall, nothing to grab on fly or breast and slippery as all get out. parking can be problematic. 2nd time there my stroke count to the walls for backstroke were different at either ends. spoke to the official, who was skeptical at first but they had move the bulkhead as it was set for yards. not at all impressed. don't plan on returning. north Charleston SCM is a better meet and facility.

Wow, my daughters have done several sectional meets there, and love that pool.

I am so sorry you had that experience. That sounds miserable .I haven't had any experience nearly that bad, I have always been sensitive to cold and have found warm ups in 78 degree water to be problematic. I agree 78 degrees is faster for racing and I have never noticed the water temperature during a race, but the warm up is another issue. As I get older I can't just warmup with any real pace at first and sometimes, if the water and air are cool, I feel colder by the end of "warmup", not warmed up. At my last meet I had a race I really wasn't satisfied with after such a "warmup" so for the rest of the meet I did dryland warmups and had much better results.

Interesting.  I guess I got somewhat used to colder water when COVID hit and I did a lot of open water stuff.  But I typically have the opposite problem.  The gyms here just keep the water too warm.  I tried one gym when Gold's was having issues.  3 day pass - day 1 was 88, day 2 was 89, and I was so dehydrated that I felt horrible, and didn't bother with day 3.  But now I love the cooler water.  At Gold's, Ill go through a quart water bottle in a 3-3500 yard workout.  Cooler water, less than half that.

But......I will say this (and I offlined with Elaine about this), fins are a problem.  I've done a bit of fly, and the intervals and distance with tthe "choice" sets are too much, so I've added fins so I can do more of the fly, and I have had issues with my calves cramping.  Never had that issue with the hot water.

Thanks, King Frog.  At 2010 Nationals (where we met!), remember how the dive tank was the warm-up pool?  It was warmer than the competition pool.  When that's the case, and when the air isn't cold, I'm fine racing in a cool pool.  I prefer it over warm water, for sure!  For this meet, they wouldn't let us get in the dive tank after the dive team that was practicing left, because there wasn't a lifeguard to staff it.  We were stuck (trying!) to warm up on the other side of the bulkhead in the 78-degree water.  Everybody around me in the bleachers complained about the cold air and water.

I'm still trying to recover.  My doctor had to put me on a prescription for Restless Leg Syndrome until it gets under control.  Thankfully, it worked; and, I finally got some good sleep the last two nights!  My temperature is still off, though; it was 96.2 when I returned from my morning swim (in the warm, indoor pool!).

King Frog, happy holidays to you, Seal Girl, and your family!

67King, I'm looking forward to seeing you and Princess at our pool tomorrow!

I am sorry you had a bad experience at the Georgia Tech pool. It is a great facility. That you cannot grab on for walls is actually something I welcome because no one can cheat pulling themselves into the wall. 

Regarding parking, there is a huge visitor parking garage just across from the pool. I am unsure why you find that problematic.

Tech is known to be a cold facility. Just plan accordingly. The water has also gotten a little warmer since AQUA raised their minimum temp for competitions.

Hi, Britta!  I hope you are enjoying time with your family!  

What is the new minimum temperature?  Just curious... 

At some of the GA Tech meets in the past, they let us dunk into the dive tank or even warm up/down.  I guess they were short-staffed on lifeguards this time around, once the dive team left.

I had never experienced it to be that cold at Georgia Tech.  I heard a lot of grumbling around me in the stands!  My parka and cap kept me warm enough when I was dry, but I got really cold when I needed to warm up a different stroke for another race.  (I swam fly, breast, and back at that meet).  It was also the longest meet we had that I can remember, so my internal thermostat took a dive...

I'm with you on the walls at GA Tech.  I never grab the walls when I train.  (It helps that the edge is too high in our gutter-less pool!)