i swim in the medium to slower lanes at a very competitive masters team workouts in san diego, and am usually asked to slide down to slower lanes when the equal ability swimmers (vs triathletes) show up.
the funny thing is most of these swimmers use a pull bouy or fins for the WHOLE workout. i think it's a ego thing in la-la land.
i would like to swim with people who can push me harder, instead of down in the last slowest lane. should i just chalk it up to normal swimmers protocal? or find another team? :confused:
i swim in the medium to slower lanes at a very competitive masters team workouts in san diego, and am usually asked to slide down to slower lanes when the equal ability swimmers (vs triathletes) show up.
the funny thing is most of these swimmers use a pull bouy or fins for the WHOLE workout. i think it's a ego thing in la-la land.
i would like to swim with people who can push me harder, instead of down in the last slowest lane. should i just chalk it up to normal swimmers protocal? or find another team? :confused:
Sadly I think you'll find this at most masters teams. Talk to the coach and see if he is willing to impose "equipment free" lanes.
If you can keep up with them, tell them to beat it when they ask you to move. Also, like Pueblo says, request that equipment only be used when designated on the set.
If you can keep up with them, tell them to beat it when they ask you to move. Also, like Pueblo says, request that equipment only be used when designated on the set.
Ditto.
What I would love to see is for you to stay put in your lane, let all these swimmers that tell you to move go ahead, and then pick them off during the set one-by-one (draft as much as you can in the beginning of the set).
If the coach is asking you to move, insist to him/her that you can keep up and do what I suggested above - let everybody in the lane go ahead and then pass them as you go through the set. The goal is not to get passed. Getting passed makes it look like you can't keep up. Passing others, even if you start out last, makes you look better.
Normal swimmer protocol (by my definition) for organizing people into lanes for a workout would be to make sure that all lanes have people of similar speeds in them and that no lane is too crowded. If the lane really is too crowded when these other people are also there, and if you are really the slowest, then you should be the one to move. (Regardless of the righteousness of your position, you will never win the argument that "X should take off her fins and move down," so just let that one roll away.)
But some lanes are going to be more crowded than others, if you have a bunch of similar-speed people in the workout and only a few who are way faster or way slower. So even if you are the slowest, if you can keep up with the lane and it isn't too crowded, then stand your ground. Has your swimming improved a lot but these others don't realize it?
In cases of a toss-up, I would say that the regular should get priority over the drop-in.
This may not be helpful,but if I was in a lane with slower swimmers I'd use it as an opportunity to do speed work(which there often is not enough of in my opinion.)Be the lane leader and do hard 50s,let your lane catch up and start again.
You can always get inspired by these people by racing them from the next lane. You and only you can push you - not other people. I really think that masters swimming is what you choose to make of it.
It's frustrating to see people using equipment to swim faster when you know they are your equals when they swim "naked." But that has nothing to do with you. (I've even heard this called cheating!)
Decide what you want to get out of the workout and go for it. Don't worry about other people. The only protocol is that you're in a lane that suits your abilities and needs while respecting the needs of others. If it doesn't work out, be accepting of adjustments to make it fair to everyone. It's not a put down, it's just the nature of a swimming workout.
The response "Bite Me" comes to mind, but then I am not always on my best behavior.
If you want to remain on friendly terms, there are many strategies on getting faster.
If you truly belong in the slowest lane, work to become the lane leader. All the time, every set, without equipment, unless equipment is specified. Once you can do this, you are already in better shape then the guy in the next faster lane that never leads a set and is always using equipment.
Move up for a set, then move back. If you know the workout in advance, you can pick a set you know you will do well at, kill yourself doing a great job, then move back down and recover.
Cut kick sets short. If you are doing kick sets without fins and everyone else is using fins, then move down, do the kick set until everyone else is done, and move back up. When you are bouncing around lanes, you do the set the lane you are moving to is on. You might end up repeating and missing different parts of the work out, but who cares, you are getting a better workout that is going to make you faster.
Push the intervals in your lane. If you are doing 100s on 2:00, start doing them on 1:50, then 1:45, then 1:40, then you will likely get kicked out of the lane up to a faster lane.
I believe I have used most of those strategies in my swimming career, and I can promise you, I was never the most popular swimmer on the team, ever. But I always got faster.
Do these swimmers know you are just as fast?
If so - and it is just an ego thing for them - I'd say something like: "sorry guys but I can swim these intervals and want to stay in this lane. The other lane is slower than I want to swim."
Do they show up all the time? If not , then it's your lane !! Let them be in a triathlete lane for distance & toys - let them go off into the far distance!
If speed isn't the issue it's probably about familiarity. I know that I typically always swim with the same 3 or 4 lane mates. Maybe they are territorial like that. I personally don't care who I swim with as long as we are roughly equal in ability but I do know some swimmers who are a bit goofy on the territoriality.
