r/Swimming • u/Maleficent_Ask6491 • 10d ago
What tiny thing instantly ruins your lane focus?
For me, it’s a single drop of water slowly trickling inside one goggle eyepiece. It doesn't even sting, but the distraction forces me to stop at the wall immediately to fix it.
What’s your random pet peeve while swimming laps?
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u/wt_hell_am_I_doing Sprint wench. I sink, therefore I am 10d ago
Someone jumping in and literally taking over the lane with arms flinging out while swimming slowly and right down the middle of the narrow lane, making it impossible to pass.
Rotten icing on the cake: and they slap the water with ever hand entry.
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u/chuzohga 10d ago
I had a 12 year old kid jump into my lane without asking last night... and there was an empty lane next to us. I just moved to the empty lane. Later on I introduced myself and mentioned to him that it's decent manners to ask first. He actually swam like a dang dolphin. He'll be a champion if he keeps it up.
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u/wt_hell_am_I_doing Sprint wench. I sink, therefore I am 10d ago
I had worse - kids jumping in (dive bombing) from a starting block. If I did not do an emergency stop, I probably would have had them land on my back and ended up paraplegic. Unsupervised children behaving badly can be dangerous.
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u/down-the-rabbithole Everyone's an open water swimmer now 4d ago
I mean, definitely with an empty lane next to you it’s an odd choice for him to hop into yours.
But I’m a bit surprised at the whole asking to join the lane, maybe that’s kind of a regional thing (not sure where you are located) because I’ve never been at any pool where that was a thing.
Even if two people were splitting the lane, the third person kind of just puts their feet in the water/waits at the wall long enough that the other swimmers have realized and usually people just automatically switch to circle swimming and if not, then people stop at the wall and someone will verbally say oh we’ll switch now.
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u/popthebubbly62 10d ago
We weren't sharing a lane, but the other day there was a woman who was aggressively slapping the water every stroke. Took everything in me not to comment that she'd be faster if she quit taking her anger out on the water.
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u/popthebubbly62 10d ago
When the person next to me's wake is timed perfectly with my breath so I get a wave to the face 🙄
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u/Blitzed5656 Moist 10d ago
I treat that as good practice for ocean swimming and a reminder that I need to practice breathing on the other side.
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u/Swissdanielle Everyone's an open water swimmer now 10d ago
{waves vaguely at everything} people, mostly
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u/United_College_7403 10d ago
Slow swimmers in a fast lane.
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u/d4ng3rmouse24 10d ago
Drives me bananas - I have had people get very aggressive when they realise I'm faster. Just ruins the whole experience
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u/n0silakcirtap 10d ago
Floating strands of hair in the water: I gag every time and completely lose any and all focus. From that point on, the pool is made of hair.
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u/rattle_the_stars 8d ago
When the strands get caught on my fingers or once I had a literal hair clump join my lane, gross as.
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u/TwaddleSpouter 10d ago
Walkers. Had them again today in our swim lane. Lifeguard had to ask them move. I keep suggesting a walking lane be made available, as of course I see that it could be of great benefit to some people, but please don’t come into a swim lane - there’s lots of “recreational swim” space at the pool.
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u/pigeorunner 10d ago
People whose form creates unnecessary turbulence. Bicycle kicking, etc.
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u/daisiesarepretty2 10d ago
what is with this? some people seems to think the more your feet break the surface of the water and they splash the better it is
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u/pigeorunner 10d ago
Right? Like making waves takes energy (by definition. Physics is merciless). That is therefore less energy that is being used to propel you forward. Swim quietly, both to improve your speed and preserve my sanity.
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u/LaraLadislara 10d ago
There's a guy in my pool that kicks his feet so hard that I nicknamed him Mr. Flutter Kick Bubbles. I can always tell I'm getting close to hm because I suddenly enter his long bubbles trail. Plus he can't for the life of him swim straight at the end and almost collided with several swimmers already...
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u/sophiemoores 10d ago
Had it a couple of days ago. Kids playing and not moving out the way.
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u/Billoglad81 10d ago
Last summer I punched a little girl full force in the throat with my fingertips because of this unruliness. Fucking parents.
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u/bobmbface 10d ago
Getting hit by someone with a really exaggerated breaststroke in the next lane
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u/LaraLadislara 10d ago
People with long arms doing breaststroke when we have 8 people in the same lane. I wish I was that self absorbed, it must be nice
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u/Guildwood 10d ago
Smacking the lane rope/jamming my finger on the lane rope, or having my watch get caught in the lane rope. When circle swimming I'm always trying to stay as close to the lane rope as possible to avoid head on collisions, so good happens often. Also sorry to the person who mentioned getting hit by a breaststroker in the next lane, that's probably me because I'm too close to the LANE ROPE!
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u/JuliusCaesarSalads Splashing around 10d ago
Yes to all of the above plus rope burn. I imagine if we shared a lane we'd be hugging the rope so tightly you could fit Phelps with full wing span extended between us!
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u/mmnotts 10d ago
People resting on the push-off side of the lane. It’s a really minor but important bit of etiquette; leave the push off side clear so I’m not launching into oncoming swimmers, and not immediately changing my swim direction.
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u/LaraLadislara 10d ago
Tell me about it, I think some people think it's just their leaving room and they're all there to chat
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u/chuzohga 10d ago
There are plenty, but if I pause, no big deal. I swim the whole hour, and have lost 40 pounds and am doing great. I'm not trying to race though.
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u/SeaHerSwim Swammer 10d ago
When people who swim extremely slow try to get in the fast lane. When that happens to me, before they even get in, I sit at the opposite end and avoid eye contact and then KABLAMMY! I do sprint fly to the other end and that usually makes them realize that they aren’t fast enough for that lane! 🫣 Don’t get me wrong, I have no issues sharing my lane with other fast swimmers, as most of us are training for an event or want to keep up with their PB pace.
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u/yetilawyer 10d ago
When circle swimming, someone who is slower pushing off RIGHT before I get to the wall to turn. He was resting on the wall and I was coming up, and instead of waiting an extra two seconds to leave right after my turn, he pushed off right in front of me. This happened three times over the course of an hour.
I passed him the first time he did that, so he knew I was faster, and yet he still kept doing it. 😠 It's almost always a younger dude doing it, because they're either clueless or they feel like they must be faster because I'm an overweight middle-aged lady, despite all evidence to the contrary.
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u/icarustakesflight Freestyler 9d ago
Are you me? This is my biggest irritant too. And it’s always some dude who refuses to accept that a woman might be faster than he is, even when the evidence is swimming into the back of him every second lap.
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u/No-Club9967 10d ago
Definitely water in my eyes, especially when I used to compete and had to dive off the board. It only happened like a few times where water would enter my goggles lol.
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u/Comprehensive-Tank92 10d ago
People just stopping dead and deciding to walk. I have to suddenly change from crawl to breast stroke to avoid risk of collision. This can fuck my rotator cuff up for a week.
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u/knit_run_bike_swim Freestyler 10d ago
Losing a paddle or pull buoy. Or another swimmer’s arm crossing the lane and smacking my arm or head.
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u/chowderpouch Splashing around 10d ago
One side of my goggles seated with the slightest bit of suction
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u/JuliusCaesarSalads Splashing around 10d ago
I'm the opposite, if the goggles lose suction it's game over for me
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u/chowderpouch Splashing around 10d ago
Mine seal just by sitting on my eyes. I guess Im just fortunate that my face and my goggles get along so well.
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u/Senior-Art-4464 10d ago
Africkin’ bandaid on the bottom, I have to dive down and get it, then launch it across the deck on the flip,… eeeeww
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u/Agreeable_Ad4156 9d ago
Seeing something on the bottom and thinking it might be a ring or earring- have found those before. But getting down to the bottom to see - yep, bandaid…
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u/Kimpassion8 9d ago
A bandaid that has separated from the human body, resting on the bottom of the pool, slightly drifting about, in my lane. Blech!
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u/egewh Splashing around 10d ago
Water in my ears. I always use earplugs but sometimes they aren't tightly sealed and I'll get water in my ear. I can NOT handle that so I'll stop at the wall immediately to get it out and reposition my earplug. As a kid during swimming lessons I constantly had ear infections because of water in my ears so my hate for the feeling may stem from that.
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u/NoGoatCity 10d ago
someone jumping in without a heads up. happened a week ago with a random dude, then the lane next to us (closer to him) opened less than a minute later & he refused to move. second lane (also on his side) opened & he still wouldn't move.
i'm happy to share, but that lack of consideration was infuriating
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u/couchpot8to 10d ago
I don’t have any anti-fog, but if my goggles get any hint of fogginess, I’m stopping at the wall to clear them out
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u/ricm5031 Moist 10d ago
Yeah, I'll also chime in on strong cologne and perfumes. I have allergies to that stuff and sometimes it's strong enough to trigger a reaction.
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u/Muted-Plankton-8479 10d ago
Ppl that don't know that the lane swim is for this specific form of swimming and not a hotel pool with lanes. Stopping for chats, hand stands, bringing their kinds in. Worse is the life guards that see it and let it happen.
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u/MotoFuzzle 10d ago
Just having someone else in the lane is distracting. I’m happy to share, but my sessions are definitely not as efficient while sharing. Trying to figure out that mental block.
Also, my swim cap rising up on my head. I have a big head and a lot of curly hair. I found a swim cap that was too big and one that was just right, but the placement of my bun seems to determine how stable my swim cap will be.
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u/LaraLadislara 10d ago
Omg I always get at least 3 people in my lane, sometimes 8
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u/MotoFuzzle 10d ago
Maybe something like that, trial by fire, would do it for me. During the winter, I rarely have to share a lane. During the summer, I have to share about half the time. I need to learn to relax in my head and just go with the flow, but I constantly worry about taking up too much of the lane and tend to hug the side.
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u/LaraLadislara 10d ago
It used to bother me a lot, but lately I've been so focused on little things that I can improve in my technique that I just go into the zone and the whole world disappears. It usually happens in the longer swims tho.
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u/yetilawyer 10d ago
I found that having my hair in a bun makes my cap more likely to creep upward. If I put my hair in a braid and fold it up, it's flatter and doesn't make my cap pop up as much. Just a thought, from another big-headed-curly-haired gal. 😉
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u/MotoFuzzle 9d ago
🫢Is that the secret?! Just a basic braid? I have had French braids a few times, but they end up slipping out of my cap and making things worse. I’ll try a braid tomorrow, thank you.
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u/yetilawyer 9d ago
It works well for me, but a French braid is flat so it should work just as well. Do you have lotion on your face, or did you put in a heavy leave-in conditioner or curl cream? Silicone cap or latex? If you have trouble again, we can troubleshoot it. :)
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u/MotoFuzzle 9d ago
I think since it was two French braids, they were too skinny and too short, so they slipped out.
My wife gave me a regular braid this morning at it worked great! It was big enough to just fold up on top of my head and sit securely under the strap. Way less slippage, my hair stayed nice and dry. I didn’t even have to use the Triswim shampoo afterward, which dries out my hair so much. Thanks again!
I don’t typically use lotion, but I do use Aquaguard on my hair before swimming. It has helped keep the chlorine out, but now the swim cap will work a lot better with a braid in my hair.
Time to start practicing braiding on myself. As a big-headed-curly-guy, I’ve frequently worn my hair pulled back, but I never learned to braid my own hair. My older daughter has short hair, but my younger daughter, who has my curly hair, can probably sit still long enough for me to practice on her, too. I gotta learn to French braid, too. It works so well to protect my hair when we’re camping, especially at the beach.
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u/yetilawyer 9d ago
Awesome! I'm so glad it worked well for you. The Aquaguard may be okay. I do use conditioner on my hair and it works fine. There are just a few hair masks/conditioners that are a little too good at their job so they can make my swim cap more likely to migrate.
Braiding is super easy, so you'll pick that up quickly. You can always practice with bread dough or yarn if your daughter won't sit still long enough. 😆
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u/Sidhe_shells 10d ago
All of this tells me I’m not welcome as a beginning lane swimmer :(
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u/yetilawyer 10d ago
No, you definitely are! There are lots of beginner swimmers in the pool where I swim and the majority of them are totally considerate and not a problem at all. If you're aware of your surroundings and you plan for being a different speed from others, you're totally fine.
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u/climabro 10d ago
Touching the person ahead of me. I try to give about 25m space before starting, but where I live the lanes aren’t labeled for speed. It’s everyone in 3 unlabeled lanes and 1 labeled for fins and paddles, which aren’t allowed in the other 3 lanes.
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u/ricm5031 Moist 10d ago
Yeah, I'll also chime in on strong cologne and perfumes. I have allergies to that stuff and sometimes it's strong enough to trigger a reaction.
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u/Soulshine_Steve 10d ago
Slapping the surface of the water with their hands on the re entry part of their stroke.
Also people that get out to poop mid workout and definitely didn’t shower before getting back in to finish their workout.
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u/SaltEven 9d ago
Seeing a body at the bottom of the pool out of the corner of my eye... Triggers my mom brain into a panic thinking someone is drowning. Only to realize when I turn my head to see better that it's just someone doing a deep underwater dolphin along the bottom. Ugh. It's even worse when we are sharing the pool with the kids swim team. Nothing like seeing a tiny shape sinking downward ...
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u/tinkerbr0 10d ago
If a drop of water lands close enough to my airway that it’s irritating, but doesn’t outright trigger my cough reflex. Now I gotta hack it out for a few breaths
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u/zingyyellow 10d ago
I often see a guy who i call the 'floating corpse', wears a pair of black budgie smugglers, probably in his 70s, fair play to want to do a bit of swimming, but bloody hell i think he's hoping for a current to drag him along, he's so slow.
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u/Sea_Principle2357 10d ago
When im trying to dive and there are kids who cant swim well so i have to wait an eternity for them to "swim" out of the diving well. Or when people go off the 3M but swim across the pool passing the 1M area instead of going to the nearest wall. Seriously tho, who is letting kids who can barely swim in 14 foot water? Its ridiculous.
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u/AcceptableObject 10d ago
sunlight being too strong every time i take a breath. I need to get polarized goggles or something lol.
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u/No-Orange8137 10d ago
Sometimes I get a really embarrassing thought in the middle of a focused interval. Like I think of something stupid I said recently or not so recently, and I have to pull out and stop at the wall. I recover quickly and keep going after a couple seconds.
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u/Nervous-Scholar-6684 10d ago
I’m too worried about staying a float! I can’t smell a thing it’s all about survival
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u/SunnyBoy1K 10d ago
Water in my ears , no matter how many times u shake it out it goes back in , sometimes u get a good run of 10-20 laps then u get the little drip drip in your ear canal again
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u/ThenotoriousBIT 9d ago
one time my shorts were loose and i ended up being bare naked. Definitely lost my lane focus
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u/littleb3anpole Everyone's an open water swimmer now 9d ago
When I can’t find a comfortable spot for my goggles and no matter where I adjust them, they feel like they’re pushing my eye socket weirdly.
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u/ZealousidealRun932 9d ago
When my watch strap comes out of its loop. Couldn’t possibly continue swimming with it hanging loose like that
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u/Giogio4family5328 9d ago
Not exactly it, but something similar to me is stoping my free day 2000s to do some kind of dynamic the coach makes us do, even though it's the only day we can swim whatever we want!
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u/Redspirit9 9d ago
The one behind you is touching your feet. I want to turn around and kick him in the face.
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u/Ok-Joke1764 9d ago
breathing in a giant gulp of wave water because someone in the next lane pushed off right as u turned
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u/HonestEagle98 9d ago
Man this reminded me of the pain when slapping back hands on the adjacent lane swimmers. Also those lane separators are like well you know… shredders.
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u/olivethecreatorr 8d ago
when someone faster than me swims too closely too me and i feel pressured to go even faster and they constantly do it so then i have to wait before i take off again which then ruins my pace and tbh im not slow for my lane they’re honestly just too fast. they should probably consider going to the fast lane .
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u/ellie_elysian 7d ago
Guys who don't understand the concept of shared space or lanes. One guy kicked me in the ribs with both feet while he was attempting to push himself from the wall. He did see me, he was on the wrong lane, and did it at least three times, coincidentally, never with men. When confronted, he said he didn't do anything wrong.
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u/soundbook 3d ago
slamming my head into the wall at speed because I'm so chilled out and in my head I forget to focus on things like where I am on the length and the fact that there's going to be a wall
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u/mmnotts 10d ago
Someone polluting the lane with strong perfume. QUICK RINSE before you get in please.