How bad is your local pool?
andiss
Senior Member
Can anyone beat my 20m long leisure pool which also is
Too warm - shaved head is recommended.
Too much chlorine
Only 2 swim lanes and these are narrow! you are afraid everytime you meet a person
3 days a week it opens at 7am the rest 8am. Like anyone working person wants to swim before 7am (Hello I want!!)
Kid lessons around 18-19 so forget about swim after work.
During the 2 late open evenings - the triathlon club trains
General disregard of lane rules and lane speed.
Other than that its a great pool - for example Saturday evenings at 2030
Too warm - shaved head is recommended.
Too much chlorine
Only 2 swim lanes and these are narrow! you are afraid everytime you meet a person
3 days a week it opens at 7am the rest 8am. Like anyone working person wants to swim before 7am (Hello I want!!)
Kid lessons around 18-19 so forget about swim after work.
During the 2 late open evenings - the triathlon club trains
General disregard of lane rules and lane speed.
Other than that its a great pool - for example Saturday evenings at 2030
Comments
Do you have some open water you can resort to a few days a week? Being cold is better than being hot and seaweed on your goggles is way less annoying than bad lane manners. >-
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Thankfully regulation 25 yards, and it's walking distance from me. Hours could be better but they're doable, especially since I also belong to another pool a little further away--the local h.s. pool--better weekend hours and cooler water.
The nearby pool... well, the aquatic director feels perfectly fine with suddenly, arbitrarily changing lap swim times w/out notice. Most of the time she doesn't but even so....
There used to be a nice masters' swim group--but she scheduled the masters' swim for 8:45 Monday evenings, pretty much, I think, knowing she'd have trouble getting people to come at that time--and then dropped it b/c ... Surprise! Not enough people were interested. (Of course the group had a decent following for a while--we had a terrific coach, a woman who worked well w/ people of all speeds. However, after she left, we had a succession of coaches who'd show up... or not.
Fortunately, now I'm in a group further from home that is great--wonderful coaching, committed swimmers. And so the other two pools are just for on my own workouts, for which they serve the purpose.
-green mold regularly floating on the pool deck (I NEVER sit on the edge of the pool!)
-old people who jump in with a heavy dose of perfume, polluting my airways
-hair, floating globs, and other things that do make me swim really fast to get it over with
-finally, the worst part is the chemical bath. I've stopped wearing my necklace because it turns black, but the chlorine is so heavy that it completely faded my new practice suit in 2 work outs!
Seriously- if anyone out there is in the pool maintenance business, please let me know what the "normal" amount of chlorine and other toxic crap should be allowable for an indoor pool.
Counting the days for my ocean to be warm enough again. I miss her sooooooooo much.
Our local health department requires between 1.5 and 10 ppm chlorine, so we try to keep our pools around 2.5-3 ppm. Another factor in pool water is the ph. As it gets higher (caused by more contamination, of which it sounds like your pool has lots), the water becomes more irritating. I get sneezing attacks when it gets up around 7.6, which is still within legal limits. 7.4-7.5 isn't so bad.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
And with more contamination and poorly managed chemical levels the chloramine levels are higher which is more of an irritant than the chlorine itself.
Besides that it was great!
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
You mean +650laps!?! :-)
Well for my long swims I have just stopped counting - i kind of know my hourly speed so I swim by time instead.
(i used to count up to 100 and then reverse again)
Went for a swim this Saturday - they have started with back to back Kids lessons all morning. Ended up doing kicking drills in the slow free for all lane.
What I wouldn't give to be back there today.
Editing is available for 24 hours after posting.
Thanks for the heads-up... Didn't have my reading glasses on!
At the age of 38 I was doing best times in the pool, and swam harder and faster workouts than I did in college. It was a badge of honor going to work smelling like bleach. It let me know that I was doing the work.
I've been dealing with a very frustrating back injury (6 surgeries so far) with no end to the pain on my horizon. I'd give nearly anything to train again.
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
I was hurt during the 2007 TBMS. The very same swim Dave Parcells died. I was there as a trainer for the female winner of the event. When the swim was over, I had to take the boat back to the marina with the young man who owned it. The swimmer, her husband, friend, and pool coach (who administered workouts I wrote) got out at the finish. My job was to show everyone else in the boat how to crew for her EC swim later that summer (successful in just under 11:00). Basic stuff like how to keep your swimmer happy after she barfs, navigation, swim tactics, etc.
The swim had a nice tailwind, which was in our face on the 25-mile trip back to the Skyway Bridge area. The tide was going out and the Sun was going down. The owner wanted to hit a particular channel in order to save time. It was a beating. The boat went head on into a wave that was a bit out of frequency with everything else. The driver and I were both knocked off our feet. My knees locked out when the wave hit and all of the energy found a nice spot in my L4/L5 to take residence and blow up the disc. We still had over an hour to go to the marina.
I've always been skeptical about people who say that their pain level was at a 10 on a 10 scale, because I achieved a 10. Or, so I thought.
When I got back to the hotel, the swimmer'a husband (an MD) gave me a few pills to take, which did the job for a few days.
Two days later I was at work and the pain began to increase. I was at an Applebee's (big spender I know) with a co-worker in Ft Worth, TX. My back was killing me. A thunderstorm brewed up and rain came down in sheets. My buddy went to get the car, because I was hurting it much to make the run. When he pulled up, I ran to the car and felt massive amounts of pain. I fell to the ground (tore my suit, dammit). I initially thought that I was hit by lightning. The neurologist I saw a few days later said that part of my disk migrated a little less than a centimeter when he read my MRI.
The evening I fell I tried to sleep, but it wasn't going to happen. I thought that the Lazy Boy recliner would make things better, but it made things work. I achieved a 10, or so I thought. I don't remember much that week because I blacked out for much of it. I couldn't get out of bed. My legs didn't work. To get out, I would have to roll to my left (into the pain). I sometimes would wait for a few minutes because I was scared of the pain. I would have to crawl to the bathroom to pee.
My daughter had just been born and my parents were in town for that first week. I don't remember them being their at all. My dad drove me to my swimmer's chiropractor (time to cringe) to see if he could do anything. The chiropractor wouldn't touch me. The swimmer was crying. She told me later that my dad was to.
The day after I saw the neurosurgeon, I had the blown disc cut out. It was just like the tv commercials. I was pain free for the most part. I took it easy for several weeks and started training again.
We had a new coach on our club and masters team, and our relationship took us to new heights. I started swimming harder and faster than I ever had before. It was during the suit era, but I would have been fast regardless. We did sets like 4x1650 on 18:00, 10x400 scy on 4:20, and gave them names like "The Firecracker", "Alpe du Huez", "Daytona 500", and the "Mayan Apocalypse". It was the most fun I ever had swimming to include open-water (sorry!). At 2008 USMS Nats in Austin I went a 9:37 in the 1000. It was a PR 20 years in the making. A few months later I laid an egg at the 25K Nats in Indiana. The water was warm, and I blew up after 5K. I barely finished. A few weeks later I swam USMS LCM Nats in Oregon. I swam in the last heat of the 1500 at 1AM EST, which was 19 hours after I first warmed up. I went back a few times that day to do some additional warm up sessions. I swam a 16:32, which was 16 seconds faster than my PR set in 1986 when I was in 10th grade. The best part was that it was a 35-39 WR, which had been held by Rowdy Gaines and set in 1994. A few months later I went a 16:28 in the SCM 1500 along with some USS meets with the kiddies.
Training and racing hard became like a drug. Workouts couldn't be hard enough. I wanted to swim a Grand Prix meet and be the oldest guy in the pool.
On Christmas Eve 2008, things started to get bad. My disc popped again on a flight to Boston. After being in Boston for 3 days, I caught a flight home. By the time I was in my house, I was back to where I was in Tampa. I was still swimming fast, so I started getting cortisone shots in my back. They were great; for a while. I was chasing the WRs in the 400 and 800 frees. I was certain I was going to get them. A few days before I left for a masters meet in the Woodlands, TX, I swam the set of a lifetime. 15x100 scy on 2:00 descend 1-15 while wearing my new LZR suit. I started off at :55.5 and finished on :51.1. (I wasn't doing all of this alone with the coach. A few other masters swimmers joined in on the fun. Four of us soloed the Lake Travis swim the year before and were doing great as a program.) I was faster than I was in 2008. It only lasted for two more days.
The day I was leaving for the Woodlands, I went to get a massage. Within 30 minutes of the massage, I couldn't walk. Something bad had happened, and the downward spiral began.
I hung on for a few months, but had to get L4/L5 fused in February 2010. I was sold on a new technique and instrumentation. I wish I could go back in time. It was one of those pivotal moments in our personal histories that can lead you down the path to be a rocket-scientist or a dishwasher. I chose what was behind door number 2, and got a goat. Within 6 months, the implant died and the screws came loose. I had that fusion revised, which turned out to be a very invasive procedure. That brought on new problems, to include new areas of pain. Surgeries 4 (10/2011) and 5 (12/2013) were to chase down sources of the pain. Both failed. Because of my back, my labrum tore in my right hip. That was fixed 12 months ago. It is again torn and may have to get that one done again. (You can't make this crap up!) The back pain kept getting worse. New doctors fused L5/S1 back in 11/2014 hoping to lock down on the pain. I'm worse now than I was then. WTF?
I have no idea when/if there's an end in sight. I haven't quit yet and refuse to say that I'm "retired" from swimming. It's my way of saying "F You" to the doubters and the pain. I get to coach the distance kids a few times a week in a top program in Northern Virginia. It feels good to stay connected and give back. I tell them that when they race that a part of me is swimming with them because right now I can't. I also tell them to get on it, because I'm looking forward to getting back into the water and make them suffer by example.
Some people ask me why I never mention the name of the swimmer I coached from 2006-2007. It wasn't her fault I got hurt. It was an accident. I never ask to be paid for my time when it comes to OW coaching or consulting. I made an investment of several hundred hours, countless discussions, and formulated a plan for her EC success in less than a year's time. She put her trust in me and did everything in my power to get her their. I left my wife and 3-week old baby against my wife's wishes to coach in Tampa Bay because I had made a commitment to the swimmer. I needed to train her EC crew. I wasn't going to bail out on her. (As a side note, I had a very nice talk with Dave Parcells right before the swim start. I'm glad I got to be there.) Do I regret going to Tampa? I don't know. Does it matter? Not one damned bit.
My Dallas pool coach's name is Tom. I haven't lived there for almost 5 years, but the time we had was special to both of us and our friendship will last a lifetime. I might have done all those fast times, but he's the guy who got me there.
I saw the woman I coached only twice after her EC swim and haven't heard from her in years. She paddled an OW workout swim for me in 2008, and seemed to be inconvenienced by it. Sometimes I feel duped and used because I felt that the bond we had was real. It turns out that it was as fake and artificial as all of the screws, rods, clips, and cages that reside in my back. Maybe I'm wrong. I don't know anymore.
I'll still coach you for free.
Chris
By the way, AWESOME swimming performances! I hope that you recover fully and can be back in action!
And BTW, that pool still is pretty bad. I get out of it, shower and put face cream on and it burns. The hair on my arms is all but gone. You'd love it.
I feel that not getting paid actually allowed me to do a better job. I felt more vested as a coach and overall had a better experience. It also allows me to walk away and not take someone on. I've had a few people ask for help, but they weren't willing to commit 100% and insisted on doing things counter-productive to their supposed goals. If I got a sense that the relationship would be like that, I had no problem saying "thanks but thanks."
gw
http://www.echo.net.au/2015/02/byron-bay-shark-bite-victim-saved-life/
We're all just carbon, water, starlight, oxygen and dreams
Not right now! I haven't been able to swim for 6 months. My wife likes that my hair is once brown again, and not coarse and nasty. Not all is completely lost.
Our local community pool is a six-minute walk from my house, and that's the only thing I can say for it. The full rant is here. There's a massive effort to renovate, but it'll take years. Ugh!
A question: some of you mentioned test kits for chlorine levels. Have been for some reason unable to find such via Google. Would anyone happen to have a link? Thought I saw one here but not seeing it now. Thanks!
http://www.lincolnaquatics.com/shop/catalog/Taylor_Test_Kits_and_Reagents/product.html?ProductID=23-040
It's always a bad hair day when you work at a pool.
Thanks, Wendy!
I bought mine at a swimming pool and spa supply store. The pool I swam at in Dallas was off the charts by over 300% above recommended levels. In that case I had to do a "cut test" using 50% pool water and 50% de-ionized water. To get more accurate results, one of the parents took a sample to a pool store and had a full work-up done. I don't remember it costing more than a few dollars, and it was money well spent considering what we had to deal with.
On the same topic, the head guard called the campus (local community college) police on me because I did the test on deck and that I wasn't allowed to conduct such an experiment. On top of that; one of the genius lifeguards said that the reason why my hair was falling out and skin all burned up was because of my diet. I didn't know that Krispy Kreme and In-and-Out would have such an effect on my health.
I could write a book on the insanity that was the Northlake Community College swimming pool and college staff. Look no further than the ISHOF pool and staff to see how things should be done.
My pool isn't nearly as bad as the one you describe but I've noticed of late that not only were nasal allergies worsening more than usual (including cough) after swimming there but I couldn't sleep due to skin irritation when I'd swim there. And then (maybe a coincidence) I came down w bronchitis and wheezing, had to phone off sick from work. Back to work again but now worried about getting in that pool again. With no separate lap pool everyone who swims at this y uses the same pool and it's kept bath water warm. I use it mainly b/c it's convenient and the hours fit my schedule some days. There's a h.s. pool a little further away that I like better and all likely now do as much of my swimming as possible there. Hoping though that if I have numbers to show management, they'll pay attention.
I work as an Infection Preventionist at a large hospital system....it happens to also own a fitness center with a pool. Pools in the US are only required to be tested by the health dept about 2 times a year. BUT, if your pool is as disgusting as several mentioned here, it would be worth it to give the health department a call. They can come and do a inspections and testing and it may help. I have nothing to complain about since this is where I swim....when I pool swim.
And Swimmer25K - Chris, I'm recovering from a discectomy that turned into a bit more, but not the fusion YET. I'd love to "chat" with you, both about the misery of the back, and also because I've got my first really long swim coming up in September and I'm a wee bit worried about how to handle some of the aspects. I do not know how you continue to be involved in the sport. Since I've pretty much given up running I am finding it hard to deal with seeing running, talking running, or thinking running...(Still hopeful that I will be jogging in August, but...)