Oh yes. One of the more unsavory swim world elements that nobody really wants to address. Maybe that’s why there always seem to be a continual need for “dialogue.”
Back at my home pool for practice this morning for the first time since being sick, I chose to swim down a lane or so. Kenny Allen recommended this maneuver to me last week: kinder than average intervals allow for the crucial endurance re-build sans relapse.
In any case, there I was in a stange lane with no real sense of anyone else’s pace or “workout personality.” Although there are many types of swim faux pas, in the interest in brevity, I will highlight only the flagrant violations witnessed today:
1) Doing your own thing: Absolutely, if you have the good fortune of having your own lane, go ahead and do whatever the heck you want. Stop at the wall in the middle of repeats. Ignore intervals. Use fins on and off willy-nilly during non-kick sets. Do whatever stroke catches your fancy at any given moment.
But if you are attending a “practice,” well, that implies other people will be working out with you. And that there may be a few common-sense rules in place just to ensure everyone gets in a good workout.
An easy, quick solution? Regroup before every set. It takes just a minute but if everyone waits until the last swimmer is in and then declares what they’re going to do next, (i.e. use paddles or fins, substitute a stroke, do all free, whatever!) you can arrange yourself according to speed.
The one exception to this “rule?” Warmups and cool downs that are “free form,” i.e. “swim until quarter-after.” Under these circumstances, swimmers can do whatever they please as long as they make an effort to stay out of each other’s way.
2) Arriving drastically late: It happens to us all: traffic jam, last-minute request from the boss, can’t find a parking spot, forgot suit in car, etc. It can’t always be avoided — sometimes by the time we finally get out on deck, warm up is over. But almost one-hour late? Even if you follow protocol and go last to allow everyone else to continue at their already established pace, it’s still pretty disruptive. All of sudden you run into someone who wasn’t there just a 50 ago…
3) Not knowing your pace: Heck yeah, every workout is different. Sometimes after warmup you realize you need to jump a lane or two because the main set really plays to your strengths or weakenesses. But after a repeat or two, you should be pretty aware that you are (or are not) in an appropriate-paced lane. For example, if I keep passing you on the breaststroke leg per 200 of an IM set while you’re swimming all free, with fins, you are in the wrong lane.
During practice today I kept looking longlingly at one of my usual lanes. They were so organzied, on interval and more… Oh well, more motivation to get back up to speed, right?
Until next time,
Rebecca, swim evangelist