Swimming

Pacing has gone to pot, partly due to my stamina disappearing with no swimming for 4 months.

I used to do most of my swims (up to 5km) at ~115s per 100m (~1h15m for an IM swim). All with a pull buoy, no kicking at all. No trouble with pacing, I'd just start off and magically was doing 105s/100m. Over the lengths i'd slow to 120s/100m (see the attached pic*) but it was nice and steady and consistent, I didn't have to look at a clock (and don't have a watch that can do swim stuff anyway).

Today I set off doing what I thought I usually do. Nope. First 50m at 86s/100m pace. No wonder I couldn't keep that up, soon slowed although my slowest length was 116s/100m. Bailed after 700m (but that's still an improvement on the 500m of the last swim).

Will aim to sort out pacing and add 250m each week, and I get a Sunday morning swim back now that I've done my share of the weekends on call for a while. Never really got on with the early (6.30am) Tuesday morning swims.

All of this should mean I'm back to regular 4k swims by January.

* The first 9 lengths are a warm up in the 33m lanes before they switch over to the 24.5m lanes (it's a L shaped pool thanks to the diving area) but Swimtag can't handle two different length pools in one swim so it just looks like I was slow for those 9 lengths.

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Had a spare hour as MiniGB had an after school club. Binned the idea of a run as it was shitty weather and my ankles were aching from two nights of 5-a-side in a row.

1066m and got the pacing right from the start (117.6s/100m). Still tiring at the end though, a long way to go to be able to do 5k in one go.

Will have more time on Friday so I'll hope for 1500m and with another 1500m on Sunday I might be close to a 5k week.

(Looks like it's just a thread for me)

That didn't take long to build back up. 2352m this morning, all nicely clicked into place. Only stopped as I wanted to have time for a blat round Richmond Park this afternoon.

Another 2k on Sunday should give me 6k for the week.

Couldn't be arsed on Sunday but did another 1600m on Wednesday and decided to keep going today until I felt tired.

5488m at 119s/100m avg pace. Oof.

Are your sessions primarily aimed around bashing out long distances or do you do any interval type sessions at all?

Had someone get pool rage with me this morning for going too fast in the fast lane.

I chose not to be rude and tell him he was more of a medium swimmer and should move himself but he suggested I should swim outside of the lanes area as that's where "Olympic speed swimmers should be" I was averaging 1:30 per 100.... This is not Olympic speed as far as o know.

It's all relative innit? He may well have been the 'fastest'...before you got into the pool.
Don't know how someone can get angry at someone for going too fast -The mind boggles.

The crazy thing was that he got in after me. Completely agree it's relative and I was extending/rushing rests to minimise impact to him heifer he started whinging...

He started go on about how he swims every morning - had to bite my tongue about how he should be faster and less fat by now if that's the case...

You should have suggested that he incorporates some recovery into his training as swimming every day has obviously made him slow and tired :)

Stupid suggestion about swimming outside of the lanes though - wut where the little kids swim? If you can't take the speed get out of the fast lane.

I've had a similar experience - was told to move out of the medium lane as I was "too fast". I am very definitely a medium swimmer, they were in the wrong lane and should have been in the slow lane. But men pretty much always refuse to go in the slow lane...
I'd love to say I chose not to be rude. But that would be a lie.

Are your sessions primarily aimed around bashing out long distances or do you do any interval type sessions at all?

Was building up the distance first (I only managed 600m first time back in the pool after three months off). I'd expected it to take a lot more than 2 weeks to get back up to 5k!

Friday will continue to be my long distance swim but I can now move to ladders/intervals/drills/etc on my Wednesday and Sunday swims (only have about 45 minutes in the pool for these swims).

I had the inverse today, when I got there:

• 3 people in the breast stoke only lane, doing breast stroke slowly
  
• 3 people in the slow lane, going slowly
  
• 3 people in the medium lane, going medium
  
• 2 people in the fast lane
  
  

I get in and I'm doing ~110s/100m, not fast but faster than the two women in the fast lane. I was catching one every 4 lengths and the other every 6 lengths or so. They were waiting at the end for me to go again when I was about to catch up with them and I could see them looking over at the next lane probably wondering if they should move down to medium, I simply said "there's more than enough space for the 3 of us, they're nice wide lanes, and you don't need to wait for me if I catch you, just do your swim and I'll find the right time to get past."

If there hasn't been any float throwing or deliberate underwater kicks then I don't count it as a swim.

Hey swimmers, what's the deal with the lanes and laps and stuff? I have never swum properly, and haven't been in the water in years, but fancy giving it a go. It sounds a bit confusing and overly full of politics. Any tips? My motivation is to help recovery from a shoulder injury, but don't worry, I have a physio to advise me so I don't rip my arms off.

Any tips?

Yes. Get in the pool and have fun!

The lane stuff is completely simple... There are lanes marked out for different speed swimmers. The lanes are there for everyone's safety because having people swimming different speeds in the same lane leads to frustration, foolish overtaking and an increased risk of collisions - either between the overtaker and overtakee, or the overtaker into oncoming swimmers. Mixed ability lanes lead to unhappiness all round.

There is nothing about lane etiquette that isn't covered by the sentiment: Be aware of others people and be considerate towards them. 99% of lane politics comes from people swimming in the wrong lane, and then being dicks about it.

Some things to think about...

1. Before you enter the pool, look at the other swimmers and pick whichever lane best matches your speed. If in doubt, pick a slower lane and move up later.

2. If there are faster swimmers in the lane then keep an eye on how quickly they are catching you and let them past at the end of the length. It'll cost you a couple of seconds at most, and being stuck behind a slower swimmer for lengths on end is massively frustrating. Don't stop in the middle of a length, even if the person accidentally (or deliberately) touches your toes. If you are being overtaken consistently then move down a lane.

3. If there are slower swimmers in the lane then chill out and give them time to reach the end and let you past. If they are being a dick and don't let you through then only overtake when you have plenty of time to make a clear pass and give them plenty of room... if the problem persists then feel free to have a polite word, but since the person has already revealed themselves to be a self obsessed twit you may be told to fuck off. In this instance move up a lane. If you have exhausted all other options and are already in the fastest lane then feel free to swim straight over the top of them... if they drown it was their own bloody fault.

4. Don't push off immediately ahead of other swimmers unless you know you are swimming faster than them. Don't push off immediately behind slower swimmers and then be annoyed that you want to pass after only 1 length.

5. Don't be afraid to change lanes halfway through a session. If you change to a faster/slower stroke then switch to a lane that better matches your speed.

6. If you stop at the end of the lane keep over to the side. The only thing more annoying than an inconsiderate slow swimmer is people hogging the end of the lane and stopping you turning.

7. Be aware that you are 3x as wide when you swim breast stroke. Be aware of others and don't kick them in the face.

But yeah... all that can be summed up by being aware of others and not being a twat.

All great advice!

Had a good swim this morning 4 people in the fast lane, 3 different degrees of fast but everyone following those 'rules', happy days!

Just need to get out of bed early enough to do a full 3k set rather than the 2k I did today!

If there are faster swimmers in the lane then keep an eye on how quickly they are catching you and let them past at the end of the length

Minor etiquette question...

Where should one wait? If the lane is swim to the right, do you wait at the end on the left (having moved over at the end of your length) or the right (as you would have ended up after your length without moving over)?

Or is there no correct answer?

errr... not sure... I've never really thought about it.

Off the top of my head I'd guess...

First is that for me I think I prefer it when the slower swimmer pulls over to the right hand side to wait as I'll probably be towards the left hand side of the lane and this gives me a clear run at the wall to make my turn. If the slower swimmer stops on the left (i.e. directly in front of me) then I need to suddenly switch course to avoid them. The other advantage of this is that if I'm the slower swimmer, then it gives me the space to double check the gap to the other swimmer and to push off ahead of them if I have space to get another length in.

Second is that if the swimmer is much slower (or hasn't been getting out of the way), and I've decided to overtake, then I'll already be swimming to the right of the lane while passing them and would prefer it if the slower swimmer kept tight to the left.

All assuming clockwise swimming.

Thank you @ewanmac for the detailed reply. That all seems very reasonable.

Is clockwise normal?

Absolutely - if you get into the pool and anyone is swimming the other way, ignore them and start swimming clockwise.

I think lanes are "supposed" to be organised so that the direction of rotation alternates with each lane. This means that swimmers in the adjacent lane, separated by lane ropes are always swimming in the same direction as you, and means that the only swimmers swimming in the opposite direction to you should be in your lane. The marginal improvement in safety seems pretty small to me but I guess it reduces the chances of painful arm clashes with people in the adjacent lane.

The reality is that I've seen all sorts of approaches in different pools and that there should be a sign at the end of the lane telling you which way to swim. One pool local to me is a free for all and you just have to go with whatever direction everybody else is doing.

I've always thought you should wait on the left or the right but not in the middle. This assumption being backed up by the signs at London Fields which say not to wait in the middle. My thinking on this being being based on the fact you are always swapping from one side of the lane to the other (due to the aforementioned clockwise pattern).

But I have no idea what I'm doing and as others have mentioned the reality on the ground overrules any theory anyway. I just always try to wait right over to one side out of the way if I need a rest.

Ewan's rules are good. At the Olympic Pool last night all was generally good and there was much 4. in evidence: almost to the point of "no, after you" moments, but of course I'd rather have that than the opposite. Unfortunately the odd no. 6 going on but only the odd person.

Either, just not in the middle - Whoever is overtaking will be able to see you and hit the wall where there is space.

If it's busy, queue up the lane if you have to, not across the back wall.

If you do decide to stop in the middle, or queue across the wall, you may find someone's feet kicking past your face at speed, or someone pushing off hard against your balls.

marginal improvement in safety seems pretty small to me

It probably only really makes a difference in squad sessions, so you can avoid smacking arms at full tilt.

Ta. Luckily I don't have to contend with busy. This afternoon there were just 3 of us in the fast lane (it's all relative, this was 110s/100m) and I was just faster than the other two and they (mostly) did the right thing the few times we coincided.

Forgot my paddles so I just went for distance again.