Hi all,
All winter I have been swimming in an indoor 25m pool. I have build up from about 2000 to 4000m per workout over the course of 4 months (April-now). So this summer I found an outdoor pool which I swim in from 6-7:30 pm. I think the water is cooler than the indoor pool, and there are no lane ropes that cut down on turbulence (though there are very few people swimming laps there at this time). I do tend to go to the indoor pool about an hour or so earlier because of the crowd and because the outdoor pool has all-lap-swimmers at that time. But that shouldn't affect anything.
The problem is that I always lack motivation and I have *yet* to finish a workout in this pool--for example, yesterday I was supposed to swim 3800m but only swam 1250 before I got tired and actually quit--and I've done this every time in that pool. I tried swimming the indoor pool the other day to test, and I swam the whole workout--4000m--without issue.
What's the problem? Is it the water temp, the turbulence, both, neither, or something else? Or could it be mental? I love the outdoor swimming idea but if I can't swim my workout, I don't know how to fix it.
Suggestions?
:yawn:
My workouts are best if the other people in the pool are swimming for exercise, not just splashing around or socializing or noodling (or all 3).
The first few times I ever swam long course I was daunted by how long it seemed and I really missed having turns to rest on.
Turbulence demotivates me. I don't like swimming in chop whether it's due to lack of lane lines, butterfliers, people diving/jumping in. It makes it harder to feel the water and it kills my speed.
If conditions are otherwise sub-optimal it also clobbers my motivation. Temperatures, water taste, wind/rain, being hungry, swimsuits or equipment that acts up, interference from other swimmers, funny water currents, odors, you name it. I also don't like swimming backstroke outdoors especially if there are no lane ropes.
I don't live near a 50m pool although I've gone to some meets held in one (not really convenient to travel there on a regular basis). The first time I did a meet in the LCM pool, it felt really strange... did a 50 freestyle as my first event and it felt like I'd never finish! I kept thinking, "who stretched this pool?" :)
Mostly, I swim in a 25 yard pool, but I can relate to the part about no lane lines. Even if others are swimming laps, the boundaries are less defined. During the mid-day lap swim period at my Y, there's only a single lane line to divide the pool in half, because many during that period want to just do water walking or chit chatting. The lap swimmers take the other side, and although we're pretty careful about circling and such, it still is harder to focus if the pool gets crowded.
I don't even like swimming backstroke indoors, but outdoors, I can imagine two major issues: no line on the ceiling to follow (more or less) and (on bright days) sun glare, which I doubt even tinted goggles can adequately correct.
My workouts are best if the other people in the pool are swimming for exercise, not just splashing around or socializing or noodling (or all 3).
The first few times I ever swam long course I was daunted by how long it seemed and I really missed having turns to rest on.
Turbulence demotivates me. I don't like swimming in chop whether it's due to lack of lane lines, butterfliers, people diving/jumping in. It makes it harder to feel the water and it kills my speed.
If conditions are otherwise sub-optimal it also clobbers my motivation. Temperatures, water taste, wind/rain, being hungry, swimsuits or equipment that acts up, interference from other swimmers, funny water currents, odors, you name it. I also don't like swimming backstroke outdoors especially if there are no lane ropes.
I don't live near a 50m pool although I've gone to some meets held in one (not really convenient to travel there on a regular basis). The first time I did a meet in the LCM pool, it felt really strange... did a 50 freestyle as my first event and it felt like I'd never finish! I kept thinking, "who stretched this pool?" :)
Mostly, I swim in a 25 yard pool, but I can relate to the part about no lane lines. Even if others are swimming laps, the boundaries are less defined. During the mid-day lap swim period at my Y, there's only a single lane line to divide the pool in half, because many during that period want to just do water walking or chit chatting. The lap swimmers take the other side, and although we're pretty careful about circling and such, it still is harder to focus if the pool gets crowded.
I don't even like swimming backstroke indoors, but outdoors, I can imagine two major issues: no line on the ceiling to follow (more or less) and (on bright days) sun glare, which I doubt even tinted goggles can adequately correct.
