Lane swimming rants...

Sorry but I need to rant 'cause I went to do my swim today wanting to do 1600m, but it was cut short by doggy paddlers!

We only have 2 lanes, slow and fast. I'm too slow for fast and too fast for slow, so to begin with I always go in slow to get a continuous swim and warm up. Not today bl**dy head above water inconsiderate doggy paddlers who just continue like they have no care in the world-grrrrrrrrr!

It wouldn't be so bad if they pulled in and allowed you to pass, but NO do they heck!

I would have to turn before the end of the lane to get in front and then I'd catch them up again and even though this one women in particular had been resting when I approached her, she decided to pull out in front of me forcing me to stop as she was barely moving. She even had to stop a few times before the end of her coming back length as she couldn't quite make it. Come on now.....!


Went in the fast lane in the end, which I'm sure did me good as I had to do 2 lengths fast followed by a few secs recovery to allow speedsters to pass before repeating.

I know everyone has a right to swim and enjoy their swim, but for goodness sake stay in the main pool area if you can't swim properly!



Rant over and hope the said people enjoyed their leisurely swims!:o)

Didn't know they allowed dogs in the pool! ;)

Its worse in a Race. I am a slow swimmer as well - 10 minutes for 400m. At one race, I kept touching the blokes feet in front and would he let me pass? Like hell! I was well wound up for the Bike leg!

Remember good race manners, if someone touches your feet, let them pass at the end of the length.

My rant over!!!!!!!!!!!

Im lucky that the pool I swim at has four lanes (Fast, Medium, Slow, ‘Help im downing’) but that doesn’t stop me getting a bit irritated at times.

Main grievances

1) Children or novice swimmers in either of the 2 fast lanes when they clearly shouldn’t be there.

2) Fast swimmers that should me in Fast lane coming into the Medium lane when fast land is busy and carving there way through swimmers with no regard to courtesy or safety.


I to realise that we all have a right to swim but as long as people are curtious and fair there all is fine.

oooh Hilly poor you!!

I wish they'd have 'lane police' at our pool it drives me mad!
In the mornings there's two lanes marked off (one marked 'slow') and the rest of the pool is open for the 'swim up and down with my mate chatting and not getting my hair wet' brigade.
Most people are good about letting you past at the end, but i do hate those slow ones who start their next length just as you're approaching the end of your faster one - just how inconsiderate is that?

If it gets really bad I have been known to get out of the pool in a huff and go and demand my money back as I can't get a decent swim!

The pool i use doesnot do lanes - but have the advantage of being very large - so peeps normaly learn to keep out my way quite quick :o)

race manners? it's every man for himself.
save manners for club sessions when it's people you know ;)

I think manners are important in all pool swims whether racing or training. I ALWAYS allow faster swimmers through and even if I can see that I would impede someone faster should I start my length I wait for them.

Maybe I need lessons in being rude to inconsiderate swimmers!:o)

I nearly got out in a huff fraggle, but then I thought that's giving in to them! Mind it might make the pool staff a bit more 'on the ball' if I'd got out and asked for my money back!

ah well if everyone predicts swim time properly it shouldnt be a problem racing anyway.

the other day i ended up walking behind a convoy of breast-strokers as i couldn't pass and couldn't face trying to swim slowly behind them.

lol, could always try one of those water running vests and run behind them.

I pray for the luxury of lanes. Try putting up with the 'talk to my mate while swimming/drift diagonally', the 'I can't swim lengths so I'll do widths' and the plain 'don't care if there are some people doing some serious swimming I'll just get in everybodies way'. But when there are two of you hammering out a set of 20 X 100s side by side you do create your own space.

Try and find a time to go when the pool isn't so busy. Haven't yet tried an early 'before work'(planning to in near future) swim but at 9-10pm I sometimes get a lane to myself.

It is part of the lifeguard's job to be "lane police" for want of a better term - so if there is someone in a lane who blatantly ought to be in a different one, ask them to move them - if you can bear it!

A problem common to all public pools.

Why not join a tri / swimming club?

Dift wood!!

Just floating around getting in everybodys way!!

Sorry! thats Drift wood!!

i swim in a pool which is pretty quiet at lunchtimes so i'm lucky, plus my training partner works flexi so we adjust our times to the non peak bits. However i used to go to the local council pool which was laned, double width (ie 6 lane pool but was divided into 3 lanes, each being 2 lanes wide) so overtaking was no hassle at all. If i'm faster than people i'll overtake on the length as i don't see why they should have to stop at the end of a lane for me, i only do the tapping feet thing in coached sessions where we're all doing the same set.

Thing is i generally assume people don't mind if they get passed as long as you aren't holding them up. This isn't always the case though, once i was swimming with the mr, finished my set, waited for him to finish his, and he told me a guy had just been talking to him saying how rude i was for overtaking people in the lane. of course mr moose couldn't be bothered pointing out that he was with me. The guy at this point was swimming towards us, saw us talking, realised we were together and moved to a different lane (other half is a big lad). This same man had earlier asked me if i actually spoke english, i replied 'yes' and he swam off leaving me confused. If he had just said what his problem was then he would have saved his own embarrassment later.

I'm not rude swimmer, but i'm not going to say please and thank you each time i overtake someone, much as i don't expect people to do the same to me if they overtake, i won't cut people up, i won't squash them into a rope when i overtake, i just get on with my swim. The thing that annoys me is groups of people (usually girls) stood at the end of lanes having a chat. Obviously you need rest between sets, but it's as easy to squash into a corner so others can carry on swimming round you as it is to make yourself as large as possible and get in the way.

The only thing that bothers me about people overtaking me is that I'm not as fast as them. I wlways stop and let people pass at the end of a length if I'm holding them up. I know how annoying it is to get stuck behind a slower swimmer who won't let you pass.

I think it's fine to overtake mid-length as long as you don't hit anyone or get in anyone's way. You don't ask, say please and thank you to overtake in a car after all. Waiting to be let past at the end of the length is all well and good but if you're trying to do a timed 400 (for instance), that would still b*gger it up..

ps from when i used to lifeguard i used to get incredibly irritated at the early starts when i had to be at work for 5.30am, to open for 6am early swim.

guess who used to swim then?


RETIRED PEOPLE.


if you're retired you have ALL DAY to swim. ALL BLOOMIN DAY. why make the lovely lifeguard get up at 5am because you aren't taking enough sleeping tablets? hmm? i'd have sympathised if the pool was then full from 9am to 9pm BUT IT WASN'T.


grrrrrrrrrrr.

however school kids are dirty beggers. pool water is absolutely crystal clear in the morning. after a school session it is always cloudy. All of us at work would swim before schools rather than after. eugh.