Swim Rant

This is just a slight rant: people who want to stop you during your set and talk about whatever, "how long you been swimming," "how many laps do you swim," "I just swam down and back and I'm exhausted," and so on. I try not to be rude, but at the same time I'll set goals during my swims and part of that is trying to make a certain interval, which means: 1) I'm breathing too hard to talk, and 2) I can't stop to talk or I'll miss the interval. In the grand scheme perhaps I'm taking my swimming too seriously. :D No, you aren't taking yourself too seriously. You are there to work out, same as the people in the gym. Many people just are completely unfamiliar with interval training. I am friendly to people during the if I am doing some easy kicking or if I am between sets, but if it takes to long I tell them I need to get back to my workout. If they talk to me in the middle of a set, I tell them I'm on an interval and have to leave in 5 (or whatever) seconds. I can't see well without my contacts or glasses, so when I'm at the wall between repeats, I'm always holding my wrist watch up very obviously. I like to think that this helps to discourage conversation. But some people have never been exposed to the idea of interval training and it would just never occur to them that they are interrupting something. Just yesterday, I was right in the middle of a fly set when a very nice lady that I sometimes chat with started a conversation. When I (quickly!)told her what I was doing, she was amazed; she'd had no idea. I usually like to be a good ambassador for swimming--but I won't let it interfere with my workout. If it's the right time, I kind of like answering some of the questions. Some of the smartest questions come from new triathletes who are trying to improve their swimming, and some good questions also come from novice swimmers who are trying to burn some calories. Some of the not-so-smart questions come from the people who only use the gym for the steam room & hot tub--for them the pool is just a place to cool off, and conversations are just something to pass the time, since the pool area is the only place that has no tv's. I don't like it when they ask me how many laps I swam so far today (I don't know) or how many miles I swim.

This is just a slight rant: people who want to stop you during your set and talk about whatever, "how long you been swimming," "how many laps do you swim," "I just swam down and back and I'm exhausted," and so on. I try not to be rude, but at the same time I'll set goals during my swims and part of that is trying to make a certain interval, which means: 1) I'm breathing too hard to talk, and 2) I can't stop to talk or I'll miss the interval. In the grand scheme perhaps I'm taking my swimming too seriously. :D No, you aren't taking yourself too seriously. You are there to work out, same as the people in the gym. Many people just are completely unfamiliar with interval training. I am friendly to people during the if I am doing some easy kicking or if I am between sets, but if it takes to long I tell them I need to get back to my workout. If they talk to me in the middle of a set, I tell them I'm on an interval and have to leave in 5 (or whatever) seconds. I can't see well without my contacts or glasses, so when I'm at the wall between repeats, I'm always holding my wrist watch up very obviously. I like to think that this helps to discourage conversation. But some people have never been exposed to the idea of interval training and it would just never occur to them that they are interrupting something. Just yesterday, I was right in the middle of a fly set when a very nice lady that I sometimes chat with started a conversation. When I (quickly!)told her what I was doing, she was amazed; she'd had no idea. I usually like to be a good ambassador for swimming--but I won't let it interfere with my workout. If it's the right time, I kind of like answering some of the questions. Some of the smartest questions come from new triathletes who are trying to improve their swimming, and some good questions also come from novice swimmers who are trying to burn some calories. Some of the not-so-smart questions come from the people who only use the gym for the steam room & hot tub--for them the pool is just a place to cool off, and conversations are just something to pass the time, since the pool area is the only place that has no tv's. I don't like it when they ask me how many laps I swam so far today (I don't know) or how many miles I swim.