.... and another thing... How warm does the water in your pools get in the summer? I am finding that the older I get (I'm 45 now) the less tolerance I have to swimming hard sets in hot water. It is as though my muscles are lulled to sleep, and at the same time that my heart starts pounding to hard to be able to put together a quality set. I need way more rest after hard 100s/200s and my endurance or ability to hold a decent pace on 400s+ seems to vanish. I start noticing this effect at 83 degrees. By 87 degrees, i might as well do the whole workout = drills and breath control. By October things have cooled down enough to not feel like I am hard boiling my eggs any more, and by December my pool is in the low to mid 70s again...so I'm happy again.
So, how hot are the pools you are swimming in, and do you have the same issues with warm water affecting your workouts as we do???
Former Member
that's probably my biggest frustration after moving. I'm used to training in an indoor college pool where not many swimmers would come in, so they left it the temperature at the swimmers' preferences, which was around 78. workouts were absolutely fantastic in that pool. i'm now training in an outdoor pool that's pretty shallow (~3 feet at the shallow end, maybe 4 feet at the deeper end. Meanwhile, Allentown has its share of heat waves recently. on a "cool" day the water T is around 82, which is fine for doing a workout in, but i still feel like the water is warm compared to my old pool. it's hit 87 before, and it was just impossible to do anything longer than 200m in that kind of temperature. on the hot days i actually do more kicking sets because at least my head is out of the water. but i can definitely feel it once it gets above 84. the way i'm able to survive in the pool is to freeze a 32oz of gatorade prior to swimming, open er up after warmup (by that time the ice should have melted enough to take a drink), and place your kickboard over the bottle so at least it's in the shade. i'm going to be getting a better insulated bottle soon to hopefully keep the hydration cool for a little while longer.
Former Member
I would just take the summer off or do kick only sets if the water temp was that high for me. I'm about to boil in 84 degree water right now.
Former Member
We've trained at a few high school pools where we would come in and the find that the boiler was broken and the water, as a result, over 90 degrees. Of course, you could guess what our coach would say.
"Guess it's going to be a warm one in here today."
78 is great, 80 ok above that fuggitaboutit.
i swam at a ymca that liked to keep the temp in the summer at 84-88. i felt like a soft boiled egg and never did hard sets.
as a result of swimming in this temp, i went to a meet, jumped in a 78 pool and lost my breath. hey, they call me the polar bear in fla.
Anything over 82 gets tough but can handle upwards of 85 since having to put up with outdoor swimming last summer. Ideal is 78-81 for me, colder side is always better.
Former Member
PHdude - sounds like our situations are similar. Our aquatic center closes down every August for maintenance, an extremely nice facility that is air & pool temperature-contolled. Now I find myself tapering in a shallow outdoor pool with air temperature in the 90s, heat index around 100. The pool temperature must be above 85 degrees. I just about had heat exhaustion the other night!
Former Member
above 80 is a bath.
Former Member
Our indoor Y pool's heater is broken and won't be replaced until Sept. The water temp is normally 82 (for the water walkers, noodlers, etc.) The temp is now in the mid 70s. Swimmers love it! :bouncing: Several of us have suggested to the AD to turn off the heater every summer, but the non-swimmers are pitching a fit. The other indoor pool is still heated at around 88, but apparently they don't like that pool because of all the "splashing". :shakeshead:
I love swimming outdoors, but the water is currently in the upper 80s, and I just feel ill in it.
