UGH! Sorry I have been MIA! I feel like I have a big chunk of blog SLUDGE in my brain!!!! A big cluster EFF of ideas to write about but they are all clumped together in a big ol’ mess of incoherent thoughts. Must clear mental hard drive and reboot!
I just got in from a difficult swim. Swimming has not been coming easily to me lately. I’m not sure what that’s all about! But, in true “Its never my fault” attitude….today I blame my crap-tastic swim on the man I affectionately call “tidal wave man”. He somehow magically shows up at the same time as me every.freakin.time I swim.
I swear, I have never seen anyone create such a massive wake that PRECEDES them like tidal wave man does! The pool is only 4 lanes wide, (but only has two lane lines up). Honest to goodness, this man’s wake stretches 3 lanes wide! I simply CAN NOT escape it, I’ve tried! No matter what lane I am in, I am overcome by the tsunami that he creates. Every time we pass, I get a mouthful of water, choke, bob up and down crazily….its redunkulous! I’m not exaggerating or being dramatic here people!
Actual real life sketch depicting pool conditions today (I really just don’t want to look like a creeper, taking pictures at the pool LOL!)
To make matters worse, it was “bring everybody and your teenage brother” to the pool day! I had to share a lane (which does not bother me) but because of that, I was crammed up against the lane line, swimming within inches of tidal wave man….right smack dab in the highest point of his wake. It was a solid hour of pure misery!
See! He’s drowning me!
I was not about to quit in the middle of my workout just because it was crazy busy or because I was slowly being drowned by tidal wave man! I had planned a certain workout and I was going to get it done! I actually had to stop and the end of the lane several times to cough and clear my lungs.
I have no clue what kind, if any, wake I produce. But I am quite confident that I am no where as obnoxious as this guy! It seriously precedes him by at least 15 yards! But I really don’t know what to do, he has as much right as I do to be there and its not like I can politely ask him to alter his stroke and stop slapping me in the face with a water wall. I guess I just deal with it.
I suppose swimming in this chaotic wave pattern helps prepare me for the unpredictable conditions of open water. But it really throws me off my game when I go to the pool expecting a serene quiet swim. I wish I could adjust my swim schedule to avoid “tidal wave” man, or that the Y would invest in some non-turbulent lane lines!
How do you deal with obnoxious swimmers (or runners, cyclists, etc)?
There’s a guy at my pool that I call “Slappy Man” because of how his hands *SLAP* the water, creating the same sort of tidal wave you drew. (Love the drawings, btw!) Mostly, I spend my swim hoping he’ll be done soon.
I am not sure how to deal with something like that! Luckily I’ve never had that issue. Throw a baby ruth under him and hope he gets kicked out? JK. Had to tell you though, I love your sketches.
Julie recently posted..Bondi Bands vs Active Bands
I deal by being even more obnoxious back (making even more wake myself – got to love sprint butterfly). Then they get out.
i think the girl in the far right lane was trying to do just that. she kept doing sprint butterfly…..too bad i was caught in the middle UGH!
First off, those drawings are great visuals! Perhaps you could fake drown in his wake? Gag and choke and cling to him as he swims by? Tell him the tsunami he created took you down and hope he gets the hint? My biggest issue is winding up next to chatty people who don’t understand I’m there to work out, not discuss the weather. I do have a grunter on the treadmill that disturbs me tho. I always switch to a new one when he winds up next to me but you can’t do this on a swim.
haha, that would be hilarious, although i doubt the lifeguard would appreciate that. thank goodness i have a waterproof ipod case. i could tell the guy i was sharing a lane with yesterday wanted to chat, but the earbuds in my ears deterred that.
LB @ My Reason to Tri recently posted..Holy Pool Pandemonium!
That seems pretty tough. I wonder what he’s doing wrong to create that sort of pandemonium. He certainly doesn’t sound like an efficient swimmer.
I always seem to be at the pool during oddly quiet times thank goodness, but I have had issues with treadmill neighbors. For weeks I ran next to a guy who would hang on to the top of the treadmill for dear life with both arms fully wrapped around the front of the machine. I couldn’t figure out exactly what bothered me about it but I think it may have been everything. His heavy footfalls could be heard over the music in my headphones, the frantic look in his eye creeped me out and it killed me to think that he might actually believe that he would go flying off at any second. I had to readjust my workout schedule to avoid this guy because in the end it was all I could think about. Very distracting.
I’ve also chosen to move away from extremely stinky people.
*Can’t run*… *air pollution*… *cough…gag*
i have no idea. he is the most inefficient swimmer i have ever seen though, he drags his legs sooo badly. he is almost at a 45 degree angle to the water. i think that same treadmill guy goes to my gym too!
LB @ My Reason to Tri recently posted..Holy Pool Pandemonium!
We should introduce him to Splashy McSplasherson. I actually think I know who Mr. Tidal wave is. I’ve seen him arrive as I was leaving a few times. Maybe they’ll both be there today? Won’t that be fun? We can huddle up in a lane together and hope we survive.
AshleyR recently posted..Lake Logan Aquathlon 2011
i think tidal wave man and splashy mcsplasherson were sharing a lane yesterday. it was awful yesterday. i am so sore today from awkward strokes fighting the waves in the pool.
LB @ My Reason to Tri recently posted..Holy Pool Pandemonium!
Is the pace the same between you and him? You can practice draft off the side, you will swim faster off to his side because of his style. Try it next time.
I hate Mr Annoying Cyclist, they never take a pull, they sprint off the front, they call it “an attack” and then realize the rest of us dont care to play games and comes back to sits in the prime spots in the pace line and ever does any real work.
BDD recently posted..Giant Eagle Olympic Triathlon Race Report
nowhere near the same pace. im a pretty average to slow swimmer, but this guy is like super slooooooooow moooooo! at one point i did wish were the same pace so that i could at least tuck into the wake and draft a little.
Hmm, maybe treat is as an OWS workout? ;o)
MCM Mama recently posted..TTT: fat, fatter, fattest
Your visuals are awesome! I love your yellow swim cap… and look how fit you are. ;P
I went to lap swim once right in the heat of open swim and got stuck in the lane closest to the shallow end where all the the kiddos where having a blast drowning the lap swimmers. Another time I got a lane in the deep end near the water polo team where I had to dodge balls on several occasions.
Hope you can avoid tidal wave swimming today.
Laurie recently posted..I could have died…
first, your pictures cracking me up. seriously!
Secondly, you found the silver lining- good practice for possible waves and tide in open water. I read somewhere that if you can practice in open water then a pool with no lines up is the next best thing.
your drawings are great! I’ve only dealt with a few people who are annoying at the pool, so I kind of just plow through and look tough so that they’ll back off.
Molly recently posted..Iron Girl Triathlon Race Report
Most hilarious drawings ever. What a great bloggy idea.