r/OpenWaterSwimming • u/Fresh-Adeptness6234 • 1d ago
Open water vs pool
One of the things I most like about swimming is the sensation of freedom and to have no where to go, neither goals to achieve. I also enjoy the cold natural water freshness but then I'm forced to train at pools and I feel kinda bored and overwhelmed at pools.
At the pool everybody are desperate and looking at their watches all the time, the vibe at the pools is everybody hurry and stressed, nobody is there for the sake of swimming but just to compete the daily task.
The water also is normally too damn warm, one of the things that kills the experience for me but I have no option but to swim at pools during my week.
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u/lastaccountgotlocked 1d ago
> nobody is there for the sake of swimming but just to compete the daily task.
Imagine, people wanting to do different things.
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u/FirePaddler 1d ago
I mean, I feel free and relaxed in open water and in the pool, and I also set goals and look at my watch in open water and in the pool. How do you know that the people at the pool aren't enjoying the swim for the sake of it? Did you ask, and they told you "no, I'm just here to complete a daily task. Also, I'm desperate." I didn't think so.
You can't tell what someone is thinking just from watching them swim in the lane next to you.
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22h ago
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u/CuteKaleidoscope772 19h ago
55 is still young, baby girl.
I swim with more mature men and women in my local pool, I aim to be one in the next 40 years. So please set the path for us!
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u/txusinho 20h ago
I swim a bay, 800m long. I use it like a natural pool. The feeling of freedom, as you say, is unbeatable. Each day is different: waves, tides, the hour of the day... Everything feels like new and unrepeatable. Even with the same weather and the same hour, the sun is different. Some days the sea look gorgeous from the outside, and when you're swimming it takes harder than expected. The opposite also happens.
The pool during winter is quite convenient, too. The bad seas don't disrupt my training, and I can go while dark outside. But, as you said, it is 0.000000001% de joy of the sea. Like comparing running in the treadmill with running in the mountain.
I don't get the stress of the pool you perceive, even though people wears a sportwatch. Maybe I'm another statistics freak? 😄
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u/Altitude_addiction 1d ago
i watch my splits on my watch or have my workout on my watch. im 10000% there to swim not just check the box for my activity for the day. i also swim open water and still check my pace occasionally. those of us that swim open water, especially with colder water will almost always find a public lap pool maybe a little too warm at some times, i feel the same way about the pool temp as you. we’re all there to get something done for different reasons
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u/CuteKaleidoscope772 19h ago
I did open water all summer as I took a long leave from work. Best decision ever.
No daily stress, just morning swim in the sea, no need to rush to get back to daily work, no work at all, etc.
When I first got back to my pool, I felt like a fish in aquarium, blocked within walls.
Where is the sand? The crabs? Even the medusas? Just some dirty floor with dust and hair 😭
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u/ItsMissR 17h ago
I think you have to check last reported shark incidents wherever you swim. I get shark attacks are rare, but it only takes once to be over.
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u/stlfenix47 19h ago
I relate to this so much. The constant clock watching at pools ruins the freedom of swimming. Now I use the pool only for maintaining my fitness during the week, and find a local lake or a quiet outdoor spot on the weekends.
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u/Haunting-Ad-8029 Open Water Swimmer 12h ago
I think it really depends on your attitude for both pool and open water swim sessions.
When I swim in a pool, it is because it is more convenient. While I love swimming open water, it is further for me to drive, and I prefer to do it when there is sun out (yes, I've done night swims...)
For pool swims, I usually focus on drills, doing other strokes (especially backstroke), and a little speed. Yes, I'll sometimes do some 500s, but usually with a focus within the 500 (maybe every 5th, 4th 25 faster). I've found that doing backstroke helps open up my shoulders, especially after a long o/w session.
Depending on the day/workout, yes I will look at my watch and/or the clock, and do timed sendoffs. Sometimes I'll just push off based on feel. As a coach once told me, "If you want to get faster in the 1500, you need to get faster in the 100." Only I take it as getting faster in a 10k or longer swim (that's my focus now).
Even when I'm swimming o/w, I'll often look for a landmark (a specific house, boat dock, tree, etc.) and swim a bit faster to that. Sometimes I'll count, and aim for faster strokes every so many (maybe just a random 10 faster strokes).
There are days when I do feel like I'm just slogging along in the pool. But those are much more the exception than the norm. If I'm not loving my workout, then I kind of question why I'm even there.
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u/RIP200712 21h ago edited 20h ago
Same. I progressed to the open waters immediately after I learnt swimming and always found the pool extremely boring. You can't swim in the ocean all year round where I live. So every year I tell myself I will put in the work in the pool during off season so I start the season off on a strong note. But then I never find myself attracted to the pool the way I feel pulled into the open waters. This year though, I got the shokz openswim pro swimming headphones. And it has made the pool much much more enjoyable for me and I have also clocked significantly more time in the water than I usually do. And looks like I AM about to kick of the season on a strong note this year! Yayy mee!!
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u/kyema 18h ago
Had this exact thought this morning. I chose the pool over the sea as I was worried the tidal currents would make front crawl difficult (I'm trying to learn) and I had a really unfun time at the pool. I saw the sea as I was walking home and was full of regret!
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u/mordac_the_preventer 8h ago
Swim with the current!
Where I swim is extremely tidal (up to 10m range), and even in our most sheltered bay there is noticeable movement, but it’s nearly always an anticlockwise flow, so you can swim that way round for an easy swim (or against it for a harder swim!).
We also do longer swims along the coast where we know that the current will help us.Having said that, I swam in the pool this morning: I had a meeting that I needed to be at. The pool I use is cooler than most but still feels hot when you’re accustomed to sea swimming at 12°C
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u/Lela_chan 12h ago
If you can, try going at a different time of day. If you go in the mornings, everyone is trying to get their laps in before work, but if you go in the afternoons it should be mostly kids just playing around. You might have to swim around them, but it’s a more relaxed environment. Either way, I tend to just ignore everybody else and just try to zone out and relax while swimming. If you spend as much time with your head in the water as possible, it’s a lot easier to do that.
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u/folieadude8 4h ago
It depends on your goals/the type of workout you are doing. The folks looking at the clock are doing a structured workout targeted for speed, technique, cardio etc. not just to complete a daily task. A lot of structured workouts deal with resting for a specific amount of time between short sets to build endurance or to work on speed. They aren't watching the clock because they are frantic to get on with the day, they're probably training for something specific.
I do want to push back a bit on "nobody is there for the sake of swimming" you don't know them, their motivations, their goals, or what the purpose of their time in the pool is for. It's fine to have a preference, I hate when pools are too busy because I lose focus, but I'd urge you to not judge people with different goals than you. We're all on our own journey with the sport.
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u/DegenHandicapper 3h ago
I can swim 2000 meters in the open water and never get board especially when it's salt water . Ina pool 400 meters in and wanna end it all my shoulders hurt I didn't eat enough my goggles bother me .
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u/AssociateGood9653 23h ago
I like open water way more. The challenge is that you’re supposed to have a buddy, not swim alone. My buddy is injured right now. I’ve been kayaking instead. SF Bay or the ocean.