I need some help here folks.
Those of you who "know" me know that I am a beginning "serious" swimmer. I've been slowly but steadily working my way up to swimming a mile as my first goal I'm pleased with the progress I've made, feel stronger, dropped some pounds, added some muscle - all good stuff.
Because I am a slower swimmer, I've tried to be careful not to get in the way of stronger swimmers' workouts. I try to enter lanes where I can match the pace and let people pass me if I get overtaken.
Usually, if I share with just one other person, we split the lane down the middle rather than circle swim. This works out great. If we add another swimmer, we circle. I thought this was the norm for two people.
This evening, though, I asked to share a wall lane with a man who was a faster swimmer. All the other lanes had 2 people. No one was circling. I suggested we split the lane, and he said, no - circle swim only. I warned him that I swim slowly, but no dice. Circle swim only.
So we circle swam - no, he circle swam, and I got out of his way every 50-75 yards. I'm mad at myself because I messed my own workout up as I was pushing myself to swim faster and exhausted myself far short of my goal.
So, please help me out here: is it wrong to split a lane with just 2 people? What is the "right" way to handle this situation? As I develop into a stronger swimmer, I feel I have a place at the pool. I'm just not just where that is.
Many thanks - Barb
I'm pretty flexible about circling/splitting lanes and have no problem going with the other person's choice. And possibly this fellow had some legit reasons for wanting to circle, but grabbing Barb's ankles seems a little over the top, esp'y if standard procedure is a simple tap on the foot.
One incident that came up for me involved a lifeguard who INSISTED on everyone circle swimming. The other woman in my lane wanted to split it, and I was okay with that but the lifeguard came over to me (not the other lady) and said, "you have to circle." I told him the other swimmer wanted to split. "well, you have to tell her it's circle only." I did, and she said, "nope, I'm not circling." So I had to get out of the pool and explain to the lifeguard what was going on before he approached the other person.
I'd had issues with him already because in a pool divided into three sections, one of the three sections was reserved for water walking. I had understood from other swim periods that half of the section was for water walking and the other half for slower paced swimming, so I entered what I thought was the swimming half and the water walkers said that I wasn't allowed to swim there; they told the guard I was splashing them. So he told me that I had to find another lane--it was a crowded day, and one man was walking in a swimming lane, so I pointed that out. "Oh well, he's on the Board."
Finally, I found my way to the above-mentioned lane and the guard by then saw me as nothing but trouble, I suppose. :rolleyes:
p.s. Barb, I see you're from the Philly area... so am I!
I'm pretty flexible about circling/splitting lanes and have no problem going with the other person's choice. And possibly this fellow had some legit reasons for wanting to circle, but grabbing Barb's ankles seems a little over the top, esp'y if standard procedure is a simple tap on the foot.
One incident that came up for me involved a lifeguard who INSISTED on everyone circle swimming. The other woman in my lane wanted to split it, and I was okay with that but the lifeguard came over to me (not the other lady) and said, "you have to circle." I told him the other swimmer wanted to split. "well, you have to tell her it's circle only." I did, and she said, "nope, I'm not circling." So I had to get out of the pool and explain to the lifeguard what was going on before he approached the other person.
I'd had issues with him already because in a pool divided into three sections, one of the three sections was reserved for water walking. I had understood from other swim periods that half of the section was for water walking and the other half for slower paced swimming, so I entered what I thought was the swimming half and the water walkers said that I wasn't allowed to swim there; they told the guard I was splashing them. So he told me that I had to find another lane--it was a crowded day, and one man was walking in a swimming lane, so I pointed that out. "Oh well, he's on the Board."
Finally, I found my way to the above-mentioned lane and the guard by then saw me as nothing but trouble, I suppose. :rolleyes:
p.s. Barb, I see you're from the Philly area... so am I!
