So, after years of training in an Olympic-style pool designed for competitive swimming, I just moved to a small town with a "nice enough" leisure pool which ostensibly is supposed to be 25 meters long. The issue? I am just busting a gut to hold pace times which normally would be cruising for me. I am a full 5 seconds slow on the hundred across the board.
I did spend much of my summer working stroke correction in an outdoor pool without too much speed work, but I did rock-out quite a few hard sets to maintain fitness. I just cannot fathom how a change in pools can gut performance this much. Could it be the stress of the move (2000 miles and a whole new carreer) or perhaps the fact the pool is kept really warm? Its as if the pool is about one or two meters too long. (BTW: I usually go about 15 strokes per length and this pool has me working hard to get less than 17 strokes).
Any ideas or similar circumstances?
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Former Member
I'd bet that your pool is not exactly 25m.
Some pools have currents. In one 50m pool I've noticed 5 seconds difference going west than if I was going east. The effect was most pronounced in lanes 1 & 8 and not detectable in the center lanes.
Some outdoor pools I've swum in have little eddies and funky currents in the outside lanes that tend to pull swimmers towards the ladders. I'd call these slow pools even when the gutter construction is good.
I'd bet that your pool is not exactly 25m.
Some pools have currents. In one 50m pool I've noticed 5 seconds difference going west than if I was going east. The effect was most pronounced in lanes 1 & 8 and not detectable in the center lanes.
Some outdoor pools I've swum in have little eddies and funky currents in the outside lanes that tend to pull swimmers towards the ladders. I'd call these slow pools even when the gutter construction is good.
