Lane Etiquette at the pool

Every spring lane etiquette comes up for runners at the track, some community tracks get so crowded that making sure the whole place runs in sync is important.

I used to actually get annoyed by some lapses in etiquette, the examples are too numerous to list.

What got me thinking about etiquette at the pool was another workout that was marred by some poor etiquette.

Here's the break down:

I get to the YMCA at lunch hour (there is a 2.5 hour window of lap swim) thinking I won't have to wait long for a lane. As I'm waiting, I grab a kickboard, paddles, etc. and drop my gear off by the fast lane, thus staking it as I can see the person in it will be leaving soon.

Moments later some Microtard (slang for the tards at msft- o.k. I work there too but some of them bug) walks in, gets in the water and proceeds to split the lane w/the women who then leaves, so this tard has the lane. Said Microtard actually saw me stake the lane out too.

He gets in and does the "I own the lane body language" and proceeds to swim "fast"..

I finally manage a lane after a couple of side-stroking octogenarians who were sharing a lane pop out together and leave the lane free.

As an aside, normally I'm fine sharing a lane but with a seasoned swimmer or someone *not* paddling like they are going to storm the beaches of Normandy and kick the crud out of the Krauts.

So, just noodling through the warmup and not boasting at all but I'm just passing Microtard left and right. He goes Michael Phelps and starts walloping the water. At the wall he clearly went anaerobic and I send off for an easy kick set.

I'm thinking, "Oh boy.. Dude. Lighten up."

So, I'm nearly ready to start a set of 100 repeats on short rest which are at a pretty good clip and fast at most pools. And, hey I've swam at a few pools where it'd just be a mod-hard pace (Stanford's outdoor pool) so I've some good context for the speed I'm swimming relative to others.

As I'm getting ready to start a grumpy looking "swimmer guy" (the only other guy in a speedo, except for yours truly) is being told by an older woman that he can share a lane with me because as she says, (and points to me) "he's really fast"...

Except that I'm not, but it's the YMCA. And I'm not a 80 years old w/a Special Forces side-stroke and accoutrements such as snorkel and fins.

"Swimmer Guy" is also clearly a Microtard w/'tude. And he looks skeptical when this information about velocity is presented.

I start my 100's and they are going fine for the most part. I'm doing them w/30 seconds rest; I start the workout so that when I get rolling he's well away from me so I don't catch and pass him. Plus, I have this inkling he'll try and match me or "beat me" to the wall.

Sure enough.

At midpoint through the set "Swimmer Guy" is coming to the wall as I have to start the next rep and it's a fast rep... He matches my pace. And then as soon as I'm finished, goes back to his pretty poor looking stroke.

It gets worse, the last couple of reps when I send he tries to catch me.

I mean seriously, if I wanted to race, I'd signed up for one. OK, I have one in a couple of weeks..

What's annoying about this is that the guy clearly has some anger and rage issues with all the 'tude he had about sharing the lane with me, but it's not like he's even a good a swimmer; just some overly built annoying office worker who's doing *everything* he can to either catch me or match my pace.

People are weird, and some are strangely competitive to the point of rudeness.

I'm pretty particular about grabbing my own lane and swimming unimpeded or sharing w. a real swimmer. I have a friend who's a multiple time Olympic qualifier, All-American status who did all that at the winningist University (National titles) who laps me constantly, but when swimming with her the lane moves in perfect synchronicity. I have other swim partners that are my speed and guess what? No problems.

Good athletes have class *and* panache. You have to bring your game face to the races but you need to train smart, not on emotion. People who train on emotion maybe emotionally exhausted by race day.

I actually don't get people and their deals, sometimes I feel like just saying look, "If you want to race, let's have at it but in the mean time, can you be more respectful of my workout?"

So, simple tips for the pool:

-Give the person you're sharing a lane with some space on his/her interval sets; don't follow them two seconds after they leave the wall, give them 10-12 secs

-If you're two to a lane, don't insist on circle swimming if the other person is really much faster than you, you are slowly them down.

-Give people room to pass at the wall if you know you're being lapped.

-Don't race random strangers at the pool because you had a bad day. It's like road raging at the YMCA.

Yours in training and sport,

JKT