Pandemic

david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member
edited March 2020 in General Discussion

A few words of advice as we approach the 2020 season:
1. Travel insurance
Get it. Read the policy. Know what it covers.
2. Marathon swimming probably compromises one’s immune system to some degree.* Plan accordingly.
3. Avoid salad bars, hookah bars, swinger bars, monkey bars. (The latter for orthopedic reasons)
4. If you’re traveling to the US, bring toilet paper. We’re all out.... this cannot be explained.

*I’m not an MD.... so talk to someone who is.

...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

evmoKatieBunthelittlemerwookierlmIronMikemiklcctLakeBaggerSolowendyv34KarenTflystormsMvGdpm50ssthomasCopelj26ArgentJustSwimgregocStLucia_ChannelCathyInCABogdanZAlex_Arevalo
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Comments

  • Openh2oOpenh2o Member
    edited March 2020

    Barra all is true!
    But on my opinion the most important thing is GARLIC!
    Eat garlic and will swim well
    Eat more garlic and will swm more well!))
    He and Jack are the best insurance!)))

  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    100% agree with this. Especially with "Get it. Read the policy. Know what it covers." We got travel insurance for a trip my wife and daughter were to take when we lived in Russia. Then politics interceded and we had to cancel the trip. Guess what? Travel insurance didn't cover a government kicking you out of their country. So, yes, get it, read it, know it.

    miklcctdavid_barra

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    Ok here's my question 're all this. I'm 69. Now they're telling those of us over 60 to go home and shut ourselves in until the virus is eradicated. But no distinction seems to be made between those of us who are physically active and those who are sedentary and/or have underlying health conditions.

    The intent might be to protect us, but avoiding the very activities that help us stay healthy seems counterproductive and could cause more outbreaks than it prevents.

    Yet maybe it's selfish not to self-quarantine, as I could put others at risk?

    So, swimmers over 60, your thoughts on this?

    Solo
  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    First of all, to frame this correctly. I'm located almost in the epicenter of the outbreak in the US. So things are kind of on high alert here to begin with. Our pool is getting more and more empty as days pass. I've been going back and forth on whether to swim or not and recently have been cutting back. Reasons are twofold. First, I don't want to get c-virus. Second, I don't want to give anyone c-virus. From what I understand, many people could be carriers and not even realize that they have the virus. So the whole idea of social distancing is taking hold around here. I'm still really torn, but I'm trying to be a good citizen.

    dpm50Solo
  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    PS I don't have coronavirus, just thinking that if I'm out and about more, I increase my chance of getting it and passing to others.

    Still, swimming is my therapy.

    IronMike
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    @dpm50, everything I've seen has stressed those over 60 who are immuno-compromised and/or not healthy. Granted, I think much is an over-reaction and I haven't been following it as much as other (my opinion) more important news.

    dpm50

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • minamina Newton, MAMember

    I blissfully had a lane to myself today, as the number of people who want to go swim at the Y is dropping quickly. Also, the gym has never been cleaner than now -- every piece of equipment smells like alcohol and everyone's wiping up like they're leaving a crime scene. Makes dryland a little more tolerable.

    I'm quite enjoying this so far, but my conundrum is that I live with a spleenless fellow, and I'm not sure when to give up public gathering places like that, even if traffic is reduced, for his sake.

    Solo
  • MoCoMoCo Worcester, MASenior Member

    @IronMike said:
    @dpm50, everything I've seen has stressed those over 60 who are immuno-compromised and/or not healthy. Granted, I think much is an over-reaction and I haven't been following it as much as other (my opinion) more important news.

    The precautions are mostly to spread out the outbreak to a level where hospitals can handle the small percentage of people who WILL need help without running out of beds/supplies/staff (all this on top of a pretty big flu year, too). Most people will be just fine... but we need those folks to also stay away from large groups (etc) so they don't get more people sick.

    I'm asthmatic, so I'm staying as far away from people as possible. But I'm balancing that by still going to the pool, because my asthma is best managed when I exercise regularly.

    IronMikeCopelj26Solo
  • DuganaddyDuganaddy Needham, MAMember

    Anyone know if Corona virus is killed by chlorinated pool water? It is an enveloped virus - so it's more susceptible to inactivation by harsh environments and antiseptics as viruses go. Any virologists out there?

  • abbygirlroseabbygirlrose Los Angeles and Palo Alto, CASenior Member
  • PasqualePasquale Trento, ItalyMember

    I am following a lot what's happening in my country (Italy). They closed all the indoor sport centers and pool are no exception. Apparently chlorinated water is safe. The problem however is that you will still get in contact with other people in changing rooms, showers, lockers... All these are places where the virus can spread easily just like in other closed environment. I live in Belgium and here every thing is still open. For the moment they just ask people who feel sick to stay home in quarantine. I fear they will close all pools soon also here, as the virus keeps spreading, and ruin all my training.. here is still to cold to do serious outdoor swimming.

  • miklcctmiklcct London, United KingdomMem​ber

    @Pasquale said:
    I am following a lot what's happening in my country (Italy). They closed all the indoor sport centers and pool are no exception. Apparently chlorinated water is safe. The problem however is that you will still get in contact with other people in changing rooms, showers, lockers... All these are places where the virus can spread easily just like in other closed environment. I live in Belgium and here every thing is still open. For the moment they just ask people who feel sick to stay home in quarantine. I fear they will close all pools soon also here, as the virus keeps spreading, and ruin all my training.. here is still to cold to do serious outdoor swimming.

    My plan here in Hong Kong has been ruined. All the public pools are closed now (including outdoor ones). My plan is to get T.I. technique lessons in February and March such that I can rework all my swimming from the ground up, practice all the technique over in a pool before April or May before it gets too hot. Without a working public pool it is not possible to have the technique lessons.

    A lot of swim squads have been suspended operation for more than a month due to pool closure, however an increasing number of clubs, including the one I'm currently in, has moved to the sea for the training, especially triathlon clubs which now is the perfect season to train for wetsuit-legal events.

    Now although I still swim 4 times per week with about 15 km in total in the sea, it is for pure enjoyment only and will help nothing towards my next race because I haven't been able to get lessons to fix my technique.

  • kejoycekejoyce New EnglandSenior Member
    edited March 2020

    Just as I began upping yardage for this summer's long swim, my company sent everyone to work home for the forseeable future. Problem is my pool is across the street from my job... an hour from my house.

    I went to the Y first thing yesterday and got a membership... it's a place to swim but the pool is 84 degrees :s

    I went to the nearby pond second thing yesterday... still 44.8.

    Stay healthy out there swim friends.

    thelittlemerwookieSolo
  • KatieBunKatieBun CornwallSenior Member

    Our pools are still open, training is still on and I'm still going, although I'll have to up the sea swim distance if it all closes and the sea is still 49f. Not a lot anybody can do if it all closes down but if that's what it takes to slow down the spread and protect the more vulnerable, so be it.

    kejoycethelittlemerwookie
  • All is in our minds!
    Mindset is all!
    Why not try only imagine u swim.distans all? I know that be very difficult
    But maybe will be very interesting and fun!
    Everybody can do with open swimming pools ans sea!))
    Next month i have (if all is ok.i hope) one very hard ow swim!
    My pool is close.around me not lake or sea! I decite to go compet without swim more 30 days!)) Will be interesting for myself!
    My opinion

    Copelj26
  • rosemarymintrosemarymint Charleston, SCCharter Member

    My pool access has been very limited since summer thanks to construction, but the wakeboarding lake and the beach are all open with few, if any, people. Since I'm likely going into work-from-home/teach-from-home world, building extra swimming time in will keep me sane(r). I'm a high risk person due to asthma and autoimmune disease, so I am on pretty high alert (I'm the one who will be on a ventilator. I get pneumonia from the flu. I don't wanna know what this would be like.)

  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    And it looks like the decision has been made for me. The pool is officially shut down until the end of March. Lake is 46˚F which is so far out of my comfort zone that I can't even pretend that I'd do it. Not quite sure what the game plan is going to be here. What a time to be alive...

    wendyv34
  • EllisEllis Baltimore, MarylandMember

    I suspect as a group, marathon swimmers have pretty good immune systems. Swimming in lots of different bodies of water, some of which are rather dicey, certainly exposes us to a pretty wide range of pathogens, hopefully at a low enough concentration to stimulate the production of anti-bodies without contracting the full blown disease. Personally, I grew up swimming in New York Harbor in the 1950s, and I figure I'm probably immune to pretty much everything. I'm not a doctor, just an Engineer, so take it for what it's worth.

    PasqualeSolo
  • Ellis i hope u will be right!))
    OW swimmers are very interesting people!))
    U swam in 50s NY harbor! Fantastic!

  • KarenTKarenT Charter Member

    But the issue is those who do not have strong immune systems, not those who do. If a person has the virus and is lucky enough not to experience serious symptoms for whatever reason, they can still pass it on to someone for whom it could be fatal. We all have a responsibility to limit our contact with others to limit the spread of the disease; this is particularly important in the UK, where our government seems positively excited by the prospect of a significant number of older people dying.

    IronMikeevmoKatieBunslknightcurlyLakeBaggerKate_Alexanderemkhowleywendyv34rosemarymintdpm50
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    This just came out on this side of the pond re: COVID-19 and pools.

    Pasqualewendyv34

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • PasqualePasquale Trento, ItalyMember
    edited March 2020

    @IronMike It does not really matter.. virus can spread in lockers, showers, toilets...i dont like but understand it
    . Just got the news where I live all pools and sports centers are closed for who know how long.. i was building up nice.. i was feeling fast like never before.. now is all gone.. by the way i am quite sure i got the virus 2 weeks ago in a quite light form with a lot of dry cough but no fever...

  • MoCoMoCo Worcester, MASenior Member

    It's an easier decision for me since I don't have any big races planned, but I think I'm putting swimming on hold for now. I'm an asthmatic, and the risk calculation just doesn't work for me.

    Husband and I are both working from home for a while.

    Copelj26
  • evmoevmo SydneyAdmin

    South End and Dolphin Clubs closing their doors through the end of March, as of 5pm today. An unprecedented (and IMO necessary) move in the long history of these venerable institutions.

    KatieBunemkhowleyIronMikekejoycegregocCopelj26
  • brunobruno Barcelona (Spain)Senior Member

    In Barcelona pools closed yesterday.

    But too many people took the closing of schools as a vacation period, started moving around from big cities to recreational areas, thus helping spread the disease throughout the country.

    So the Government just established a sort of "state of emergency" starting today: 2 weeks shut away in the house, except for work or basic necessities. Of course no going to the beach to swim. According to all experts, this is the only way to prevent things from being worse, so we'll have to endure it.

    As of today, the 2020 season (if any) seems far away...

    PasqualeCopelj26
  • Openh2oOpenh2o Member
    edited March 2020

    Keep the faith and courage ow friends!
    Will swim a lot again!
    Now health and good luck for u and u family!

    dpm50
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    This will probably jinx everything but...

    My YMCA pool is still open!!!!! w00t!

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • LynneLynne Member

    As all our pools are closed, does anyone have a little set of dry land exercises with light weights and elastics they could share (preferably with pictograms)? I know I should have been doing these anyway but... ;)

  • @Lynne said:
    As all our pools are closed, does anyone have a little set of dry land exercises with light weights and elastics they could share (preferably with pictograms)? I know I should have been doing these anyway but... ;)

    Lynne, use your favorite search engine and search "TRX for Swimmers" for some ideas. Even if you don't have a TRX, you should be able to figure out some variations that work for you.

    Lynne
  • wendyv34wendyv34 Vashon, WASenior Member

    I work at a pool in Seattle (Parks Dept). All of our facilities have closed until at least April 13, (schools are closed until April 24). USA Swimming and USMS have cancelled short course season. It made me sad to see the swim team kids moping around as they came in for their last practice on Friday. The coaches had some fun activities that definitely cheered them up. Prior to our complete closure, we had bumped the chlorine up a bit and were saturating surfaces with heavy-duty sanitizers multiple times throughout the day. Unfortunately the weather has been breezy and ass-biting chilly, so I'm not keen on jumping into the Sound right now, especially having just gotten over a respiratory bug. Boo. :(

    LakeBaggerJSwim

    It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.

  • @SuddethB said:

    @Lynne said:
    As all our pools are closed, does anyone have a little set of dry land exercises with light weights and elastics they could share (preferably with pictograms)? I know I should have been doing these anyway but... ;)

    Lynne, use your favorite search engine and search "TRX for Swimmers" for some ideas. Even if you don't have a TRX, you should be able to figure out some variations that work for you.

    My trainer found a youtube video for making your own TRX out of things from Lowe's/Home Depot.... for something like $25-$30 vs. the $250 or so that you get for the "real deal". We use the one her hubby helped her make because her previous gym wouldn't buy them from TRX.

  • We are in pollen season here.....not even at the peak of it.....
    I swam today..... and am reasonably sure that some of that pollen made it down my gullet. I'm just hoping that that will mean that I'm a bit better inoculated against the seasonal allergies this year. Advantage of living in the US South is early outdoor swimming.....disadvantage is 85+ water temps in August and in to September.

    LakeBagger
  • smithsmith Huntsville, AlabamaSenior Member

    @IronMike said:
    This will probably jinx everything but...

    My YMCA pool is still open!!!!! w00t!

    Ours is open as well, although all organized group-oriented activities (swim lessons, aqua aerobics, etc.) are suspended.

    I tend to think this won't last much longer, and that's a good thing. I believe we're on the precipice of a significant spike in confirmed cases down here. Planning for lots of long hikes in the hills over the next several weeks.........

    Keep moving forward.

  • ColmBreathnachColmBreathnach Charter Member

    I don't wish to be the harbinger of doom, however:
    A lot of people posting here are in the US, so probably two weeks behind those of us in Europe (Ireland). I'm not a medic, however I can and do read, and not just fox news & facebook ;-)

    You can have had contact with the virus, have no symptoms and still pass it on.

    Social isolation and hand washing are the best things you can do (it's not just a useless duck and cover). At home we have a "disinfection station" inside the front door. Hands, keys and phones are cleaned on entry.

    While we're not on a total lockdown here, most businesses have advised working from home where possible. My work building is shut for two weeks, everyone sent home. No one in or out. Schools and colleges are also closed.

    All pubs have closed for two weeks (as of last night). A biggie since St Patricks Day is tomorrow. Café's and restaurants likely to follow today.

    All pools and gyms have shut, public and private. Team sport training has stopped.

    We are only testing people who have had direct contact with someone previously diagnosed or who has recently travelled from a known hot spot, so the actual numbers are more likely several multiples higher than those being reported.

    Please make informed decisions about whether you can and should go to public places for what is just a hobby. While you may not be affected you may pass it on to others who may not be so fortunate. It's not just the elderly who have been affected. And, of note for swimmers / athletes, those who survive an infection can end up with reduced lung function, so you may not escape with no ongoing issues.

    Stay informed and stay safe.

    PasqualeKatieBundavid_barrathelittlemerwookieslknightCopelj26LakeBaggerevmoSolodpm50KarenTflystorms
  • IronMikeIronMike Northern VirginiaCharter Member

    @smith said:

    @IronMike said:
    This will probably jinx everything but...

    My YMCA pool is still open!!!!! w00t!

    Ours is open as well, although all organized group-oriented activities (swim lessons, aqua aerobics, etc.) are suspended.

    I tend to think this won't last much longer, and that's a good thing. I believe we're on the precipice of a significant spike in confirmed cases down here. Planning for lots of long hikes in the hills over the next several weeks.........

    And the governor just closed all of ours... :(

    We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams

  • AnthonyMcCarleyAnthonyMcCarley Berwyn, PACharter Member
    edited March 2020

    We don't all know each other, but we all have a lot in common. We are marathon swimmers - we have great endurance and the ability to overcome incredible obstacles. I beg you to please err on the side of caution - for yourself and for others. Let's work on making this only temporary. Love you.

    gregocKatieBunsmithkejoyceCopelj26LakeBaggerJSwimj9swimdpm50wendyv34StephencurlyCathyInCA
  • KatieBunKatieBun CornwallSenior Member
    edited March 2020

    Absolutely right! My leisure centre is open, which surprises me, but I stopped going last week and all I'm doing now is driving to a deserted beach, separately from whichever swimbuddy I'm meeting. We get in, swim, get out, get ready again and have our coffee from our own flasks. Then we walk back to the isolated car park, wave goodbye and drive home. It does require sanitiser after handling the car park money, but I don't think we're putting anybody at risk. If we're told not to, we won't do it, but we're not even in contact with each other and I'm pretty sure it puts nobody else at risk.

    Please stay safe, good people. It's not scaremongering.

    A friend posted this from a US school. "In the end, it will be impossible to know if we overreacted or did too much, but it will be QUITE apparent if we underreacted or did too little."

    smithLakeBaggerJSwimangel55dpm50
  • smithsmith Huntsville, AlabamaSenior Member

    @IronMike said:

    @smith said:

    @IronMike said:
    This will probably jinx everything but...

    My YMCA pool is still open!!!!! w00t!

    Ours is open as well, although all organized group-oriented activities (swim lessons, aqua aerobics, etc.) are suspended.

    I tend to think this won't last much longer, and that's a good thing. I believe we're on the precipice of a significant spike in confirmed cases down here. Planning for lots of long hikes in the hills over the next several weeks.........

    And the governor just closed all of ours... :(

    Yes. Inevitable.

    I think our Y will be completely closed in a few days.
    They probably should've pulled the plug late last week.
    Our state has been slow on testing, which is part of the reason why our #s are relatively low.....for now.

    Keep moving forward.

  • miklcctmiklcct London, United KingdomMem​ber

    @KatieBun said:
    Absolutely right! My leisure centre is open, which surprises me, but I stopped going last week and all I'm doing now is driving to a deserted beach, separately from whichever swimbuddy I'm meeting. We get in, swim, get out, get ready again and have our coffee from our own flasks. Then we walk back to the isolated car park, wave goodbye and drive home. It does require sanitiser after handling the car park money, but I don't think we're putting anybody at risk. If we're told not to, we won't do it, but we're not even in contact with each other and I'm pretty sure it puts nobody else at risk.

    Meanwhile in Hong Kong, the pandemic is considered under control with no social outbreak. Some private pools have been reopened with reduced opening hours, but the public pools are still closed yet.

    The open water groups on weekends have grown much larger in the recent month and new faces are seen every weekend. Last year, in the same time of the year, there were sometimes only single-digit number of swimmers doing the group swims over the winter. Now, the group has already grown to nearly 30 people swimming together.

    As recreational facilities such as museums, libraries, sports centres, swimming pools and even sailing centres are all closed, and schools suspended, people have flooded to the countryside,
    causing traffic congestion and environment disaster.

    Luckily the beaches are not as full as on a normal summer weekend, and definitely nowhere near 140 thousand people on a single beach.

  • Copelj26Copelj26 ChicagoSenior Member

    My facility remains open, however I am choosing to not use the facilities. Its all in the interactions and touch points, even if safe while in the chlorinated pool, doors, lockers etc.
    This is not about individual preferences at this point, but is about our communities and what is best for everyone not an individual. People need to be smart right now so that we can all have years of swimming in front of us.

    KatieBunslknightdpm50
  • abbygirlroseabbygirlrose Los Angeles and Palo Alto, CASenior Member

    @Copelj26 I am shocked at how slow the response has been in Chicago. I am back in Los Angeles planning to hunker down with my family rather than alone in Chicago and everything is closed here while my pool in Chicago is still currently open.

  • All gyms, etc in NY, NJ, and CT will close tonight if they have not already.

    JSwimCopelj26
  • Tory1340Tory1340 Metrowest MANew Member

    Three pools around here are confirmed closed. I haven't checked the others. It's only been one extra day out of the water so far and: My technique fell apart, I got wicked fat, the cat couldn't understand breakfast at 6 AM not 4 AM, and on it goes...

    Stay healthy, my friends

    SydneDgregocSolokejoycewendyv34IronMikeemkhowley
  • abeabe australiaMember

    To all you swim lovers...so many tough nuts that inspire me.

    Tough times ahead and want to send my thoughts and prayers to you all - stay strong and when we get in the ocean watch out for the 10mile sprint

    God bless

    kejoyceSydneDdpm50
  • j9swimj9swim CharlestonSenior Member

    All the pools here in Charleston have closed and I'm a pool addict - the clock tells me I'm improving or not so it's hard for me to be confident without the feedback of the clock. But I try to remind myself that i've been swimming for 11 years and a lot of miles, I can always work on my fitness which will show up for a marathon swim, i've never really been hurt so my technique can't be that bad, and at the end of the day it's a lot more about my mental strength.
    I'm very lucky that I have an ocean ~ 60 and a lake about 40 minutes away ~70 degrees, i have a bike, some resistance bands and a beach to walk so i can continue to train albeit not as as i always have. I will try and remind myself to focus on about what I can do and not what I can't. Stay safe y'all XOXO

    kejoyceSolorosemarymintthelittlemerwookiedpm50SaraMcSwim
  • dpm50dpm50 PA, U.S.Senior Member

    PA ... stuff shutting down, pools included. Still have access to a local park and the roads, so I've returned to running plus strength training. Right heel isn't happy, but mind is at least placated for now.

    But as many others are saying, it's not about my immune system but about being careful not to potentially spread the virus to others. Even passing on cold germs could mean someone will be more vulnerable to covid19, as they then have 2 different viruses to fight.

    Don't know what will happen w the swims I'm planning, whether even if everything is back online, I'll be fit enough. But I won't be fit at all if I don't do what is available to do. Plus I'll be bat$hit crazy fr lack of exercise. So run, I must, plus play w my cheap imitation TRX set.

    Wishing us all health and, when available, good swims.

    Copelj26Solo
  • brunobruno Barcelona (Spain)Senior Member

    Today the Spanish Government has explicitly forbidden access to beaches. Which is a pity, because water in Barcelona is already around 14.5ºC (though for the last 4 days we had wind and rough seas, and the forecast is not good).

    And it's stupid, too, because people is still commuting in bus or tube; trains, planes and cruisers are still coming and going; and according to traffic figures, roughly 30% of the people, only, are working from home. Spread won't be contained unless we ALL stay at home for 2 weeks; but I think it will take 10 days (when the first 2 weeks confinement are over) for our politicians to realize.

    dpm50
  • curlycurly Issaquah, WASenior Member

    All our parks are closed. I lie in the bathtub and wear my goggles and cap. Yes, I'm going slightly crazy...

    dpm50
  • KatieBunKatieBun CornwallSenior Member

    I can take going crazy. I'd rather people weren't dying.

    emkhowleyslknightcurlyLakeBaggerSydneDdpm50
  • david_barradavid_barra NYCharter Member

    The only thing that is clear at the moment is that COVID19 is going to wreak havoc on the 2020 ow season.
    Social Distancing
    Travel Bans
    Shelter in place orders etc.
    Facility closures
    Etc.
    NY is getting hit pretty hard now... and it’s going to get worse before it gets better. Looking at data.... a lot of other places are posting numbers that NY was reporting just a week ago.

    The timeline to return back to normal is quite uncertain.... as is what will be the new normal.

    Anyone feeling optimistic?
    Genuinely curious.

    IronMikeSoloMvGJSwimdpm50

    ...anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

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