Swim Etiquette – Do or Don’t?

Hey gang! I hope you guys had a good evening. It seems like most of the people in my Facebook to Twitter feed were busy watching the State of the Union. When dealing with time zones, I’m thankful for recordings and clips so I can feel as if I watched it, even though I was fast asleep. 

Yesterday morning’s early swim practice didn’t happen as the snow and ice made it virtually impossible to leave the house at 5:45am! In fact, at 8am when I left for work, the commute took over 45 minutes as I walked part of it! Talk about a core workout, trying not to slip in slush and ice will work your whole body!

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Instead of skipping yesterday’s workout, Bo and I headed to the pool after work. This is just another example of when having a training plan really helps keep me accountable.

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Our swim might as well have been a return to this Summer’s open water swim practice as I shared a lane with 10-12 people – far too many for my liking. Also, can we talk about swim etiquette for just a minute? Who the heck tries to swim breast stroke or butterfly when sharing with that many people? You know who does that – more than four different people in the lane. Also, one final point for the rant, these people who have no idea how to behave themselves in a lane are indignant about their behavior. In fact, I have heard many stories of fast swimmers kindly asking one of these lane loafers whether they might do their slugging in the open swim area to have their ear torn off completely. 

After our swim workout we headed home to enjoy dinner and Modern Family & Law and Order: SVU. Unfortunately I ended up working on a project most of the evening so it wasn’t exactly relaxing. 

Before turning on the television, Bo and I spent 15 minutes chatting and catching up. I really can’t stress to you guys enough what a difference this change can make in a relationship. A lot of time the day is busier than you think and suddenly you realize that you go to bed without really talking.  We’ve done a really good job sticking with the few changes we made in December. This week we have put time on the calendar for smaller, more intimate dinners with a few of our friends this week and next week. We also made sure to schedule phone and FaceTime dates on our calendar as it’s easy to miss a week or two and then forget.

Your turn – Do you follow the swim etiquette in the article when sharing a lane or do you fight for your space by throwing elbows?

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10 Comments

  1. Sabrina January 21, 2015 / 6:25 pm

    What a good reminder. We often go days without having a nice conversation together that lasts more than 30 seconds. Going to plan for a chat tonight!

  2. Pam January 21, 2015 / 7:46 pm

    Wow that is a lot of people in one lane! I do follow swim etiquette, although sometimes I like to alternate between freestyle and breast stroke. I don’t think there is anything wrong with swimming breast stroke as long as you are staying in your space and going at a decent pace. But sometimes that doesn’t happen for sure – I’ve definitely had people in my lane slow WAY down or take more than half of the lane while doing their strokes… not the greatest, but what can you do.

    • ashleyd January 21, 2015 / 7:55 pm

      I agree Pam! I think the biggest issue I have is when they do these strokes they often take up almost the WHOLE lane!

  3. Mandi | No Apathy Allowed January 21, 2015 / 8:11 pm

    Wow, I’ve never had to share a lane with that many people at once! I’m new to swimming, but what I’ve discovered here in Germany is that a lot of swimmers (even strong swimmers) don’t know how to swim freestyle. Unlike in the US, they grow up learning the breaststroke, and often never really efficiently learn the freestyle and so they avoid it altogether. I wonder if that’s also the case in Switzerland? And it that might explain why some insist on swimming breast stroke even in a full lane? Either way, props to you for not giving up and getting your workout in!

    • ashleyd January 22, 2015 / 6:26 am

      This may have something to do with it but the thing that irks me the most is how rude and indignant they are about it!

  4. flora January 21, 2015 / 9:30 pm

    Lane rage I call it…I am a runner but do a few triathlon/half ironman each year and am training at the moment. I got to the pool at 6 this morning battling the Scottish ice…my pool only has one roped off lane and there was ONE woman in it doing a flamboyant breast stroke. She would NOT let me past and eventually I stopped her and politely asked if she would swim up and down one side of the lane so I could do laps on the other side…she said “I pay my gym fees too” and carried on… I was soooo flabbergasted!! Can you sense my rage??

    • ashleyd January 22, 2015 / 6:25 am

      I love this Flora! This so describes what we deal with so often!!

  5. Lisa @ Exercise eat repeat January 22, 2015 / 3:05 pm

    I found this post funny. I am a really patient person normally, never have road rage or anything like that but when I get in the pool I get real swim rage!! I mean real swim rage. What is it with people who decide to go into a medium speed lane and so breast stroke very slowly. Also one someone once in very busy pool with no lanes in decided to do backstroke and really whacked me in the chest. I was not a happy bunny at all. The worst thought is something that I have only seen a few times but two people in two lanes swimming side by side very slowly so they could have a chat WTF!!! Like I said I have swim rage!!

  6. Laura February 2, 2015 / 7:10 pm

    10-12 people in a lane would stress me out! Not sure how you can even swim like that! I circle swam with 3 people a few weeks ago and I felt like that was a lot! Some people just have no etiquette. I like to swim breast stroke to warm up/cool down but I have the presence of mind to swim small strokes when someone is coming from the other direction so I don’t hit them. Luckily I haven’t had to deal with any rude people at the pool I visit.

    • ashleyd February 3, 2015 / 8:43 am

      Yeah Laura it’s crazy these days at the pools in Geneva. I’m going to start going to early morning swim practice once a week again JUST to avoid the crazy crowds!

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