Swim Wisdom

When I was learning to swim in college, I always carried a single gallon sized ziplock baggie with me. You could reuse it again and again with the workouts given to you. If I have a workout that I REALLY like, I print it out and laminate it! You can use dry erase markers and mark and erase, also it is always crystal clear. Most of the children's and teacher supply stores have laminators you can use.

I'm a bit embarrassed to mention this one, but I will anyway: I bring a sharpie to swim meets and write down all of my events with heat #s and lane #s so that I don't have to keep checking and don't blow it. Yes, like you would do for a child (or, more appropriately, for someone old enough to be losing their marbles...) Don't be embarrassed ... I know very talented swimmers (national record holders) who write their heat & lane assignments on their hands in ink prior to their events. Hey, it's one less thing to remember; you should be thinking about your race! Here's where to get embarrassed ... in a misguided attempt to mimic these talented few, one time I wrote it down wrong and wound up swimming in the wrong lane. Duh. :shakeshead: Fortunately the helpful meet official was able to straighten it out later ... I claimed senior moment ... :oldman: If you can do it right, it's a good tip!

Always check first; and find out ahead of time where the supply of toilet paper rolls is hidden. Keep an extra set of undies at work if you swim before work. So annoying to forget... Don't buy any clothes that won't be reasonably presentable after being rolled up and stuffed into a duffel bag. Keep wrinkle-free dress shirts buttoned up except the top 1-2 neck buttons and pull them on overhead. Sweaters rock. If you are really sleepy and want to snooze instead of going to morning practice, tell yourself that you can go home and back to bed after practice if you're still tired. You can get good deals at big generalized sporting goods stores at the end of the summer. Keep the swim gear mesh bag in the car and only bring in the duffel bag with clothes/towels/etc in and out of your house. Don't leave your swim bag in the lockerroom unless you can lock it in a locker. Keep it on deck in plain sight if possible. Even if it's just your team at the pool. A thief can break into a locked car and grab anything within arms reach in less than 30 seconds without making much noise. Don't leave anything that looks like it might have value visible and especially not on the car seat. Those swim chamois things divers use are good for sitting on at swim meets. They will help suck water out of your suit and protect your suit from snags. They help keep your "real" towels drier. Sham-wows help get your hair almost dry very quickly.

After melting a few Polar bottles in the dishwasher, I remembered my mother's trick for cleaning my lunchbox thermos. This works for even the nasty ones you left in the car for a week and a half, and without bleach. Tear up waxed paper into small pieces. Loosely fill the bottle with the paper. Put a drop of dish detergent in the bottle and about 2-3 inches of warm water. Shake like crazy. Dump out the soapy water and paper and rinse well. You might have to wipe around the inside of the top of the bottle and wash the lid, but this really gets the grunge out of the bottle. If you don't have wax paper, you can also use dry rice.

I can't read much of anything without my glasses so I write out my workouts on 6x8 index cards with a sharpie. When I get to the pool I dip it int the pool and slap it on a kickboard. Works great! I usually toss them after on workout, but they'll dry out just fine if you want to re-use them another time or two. TO protect my (expensive!) hair color: I wet my hair thoroughly in the shower before swimming. I read that if your hair is already saturated it will absorb less chlorine-laden water. Makes sense to me Shampoo ruins haircolor faster than anything...after swim just use conditioner. Leave it in as long as possible then rinse out. Use shampoo once a week or so.

Keep an extra set of undies at work if you swim before work. So annoying to forget... Shoes, too. I keep a full set of clothes at work, just in case. Before I started doing this, there were a couple of days when I had to make it through a workday in dress clothes & shower sandals.

I put my goggles in a case of some sort to protect them from scratching in my bag. Rinse goggles, suits, swim gear, hair and body with fresh water and soap after practice to reduce chlorine damage. Conditioner for the hair is just as important as moisturizer for the skin. Use powder on bathing caps to increase longevity. Do not use your tooth brush and tooth paste to clean the insides of your goggle lenses, it can cause scratches giving them a hazy look. Where flip flops on the pool deck and locker rooms.

I apply a dollop of olive oil to my hair before every pool swim. The heat from my workout keeps my hair heated under my cap and my hair gets conditioned every time I swim, as well as protected from chlorine. I have long color-treated hair and my hair dresser tells all his clients about using olive oil before swimming. He has seen the results from my hair. :fish2:

Always be ready to swim. You never know when a workout will fall in your lap. (i.e. in between sessions at your kids meet).

Pack more than you think you will need of everything for a meet. Make a checklist of everything you want to have with you, even for workout. Even if you don't swim before work, keep extra underwear and pants in your bag/locker/desk. I've had to go to school with my suit, sweatpants, and whatever shirt I did dryland in. I personally write my workouts on aluminum foil in Sharpie. It never comes off. For women, know the proper color foundation/concealer you need to cover up the goggle lines.