...are like driving on the freeway?
Well, I have. I swim the same way I drive - I just want to be left alone. But there are the tailgaters, the leap-froggers, etc. Sometimes I will adjust my cruise control down or get in another lane just to get some open space.
I had a guy doing *** stroke next to me in a 5 miler. Every so often he would kick me - with a mile of open water , why was he so close to the side of me ?? So after a dozen time , I just made a sharp left turn - OVER him, problem solved !! :D
I am most frustrated by the swimmer just a little more fit than me that continues to swerve in and out of my lane!
I had one at the Wild Fish Two-Mile Swim in Salem, MA last Saturday. We were probably within 50 yards of one another all race long, and 5 yards at race start and race finish.
I like the solitude of the sport - not to mean I want to be alone out there.
I used to not mind the scrum. I am 6'2", 230# ex water polo player, so getting bumped really doesn't bother me and I am good at holding my space... but... I just don't like the energy it creates and takes. Usually at triathlons I'll start wide, or a couple rows back, and just swim around you rather than fight you to the first buoy. If it's a tri, I am likely passing you anyway and an extra few yards isn't going to kill me. A pure swim event, on the other hand, I start a few rows back and stay there :)
I used to never mind the bumping and scramble at the start. But when I returned to swimming a few years ago after being out for over a decade because of a shoulder problem, I decided to steer clear. Even after my 2nd surgery last year I still try to stay clear. No reason to mess up my Dr.'s work. However, I find that in most open water swims people may swim close, but it is more like rubbing than bumping - of course there are exceptions. Experienced swimmers know that bumping only slows you down. Unless you are fighting to hold position on the feet of a specific swimmer it makes no sense. However in triathlons, they seem to think it is a winning strategy. I steer clear of those . . nuts. Even when in marginal swim shape, I could start wide and still end up in the top 10% or better overall.
