Not to rant, but today’s gym rant must be ranted and heard. The other day I was swimming in the pool at the Y near my house. (Unfortunately, said pool is often dirty — I only joined briefly so that I could swim during my first pregnancy — but the lack of cleanliness in the pool is another gym rant entirely.) I like to arrive at the pool on the later side — an hour or less before closing time — because it’s usually less crowded and much more quiet, and the chances of scoring a lane all to yourself (or even splitting it with just one other person) are much higher than during peak times.
Now, hardcore swimmers can be intense people, and there are a fair number of hardcore swimmers at this Y. (Maybe that’s partly because of the law school residence next door?) I’ve always loved to swim in any body of water, but I wouldn’t classify myself as a hardcore swimmer. I’m proficient, but I don’t do flip-turns at the wall (not at 34 weeks pregnant anyway). Because swimming at this Y is all about strategy, I find that sticking to the beginner, slow, and medium lanes is best for avoiding the hardcore swimmers, who, for obvious reasons, prefer the fast and super-fast lanes. And the less-intense lanes clear out faster, because the slower swimmers at this Y tend to be people who aren’t into working out for hours on end. (For my selfish purposes, I say: Yay for that.) More »
