Pool Cues

Greenlake Pool's closure has brought about a fun spate of puddle jumping. There are more terrific masters workouts in Seattle than you might expect, and it's fun to try out different pools from time to time. That said, there's no place like home.

MONDAY: MEADOWBROOK 6:30-7:30 PM
Even though it is located mere blocks from my house I typically avoid swimming at Meadowbrook. The water is just a nudge too warm, you can't count on the backstroke flags being up, and often the vibe is a little weird. I had a great experience there Monday night, however. I teamed up with two speedy women and we pushed ourselves fairly hard. The main set was a mind numbing 5 x 400 @ 6:00, which is the kind of workout I would be more likely to do alone as opposed to being in a group. It was much more fun with friends.

WEDNESDAY: MEADOWBROOK 6-7 AM
This is an honorable mention. Not a formal masters workout, but a decent lap swim opportunity. There was a guy in my lane that impressively swam nonstop butterfly for about an hour. He did not get out of the way for we faster folks but we worked it out.

FRIDAY: SEATTLE U 6:10-7:10 AM
I had a fair bit of trepidation about this workout, having had a really negative experience at Seattle U in the past (felt generally unwelcome and was amazed by how rude the other swimmers were -- leaving right on people's feet, cutting eachother down, etc.). Tatyana and Ruth encouraged me to give it a go, and man am I glad I did! Coach Emily did her best to make me feel at home (even gave me a free cap!!) and the workout was well constructed and smart. Loved the cool water temp. Tons of pink power in the lane with everyone rising to a pretty challenging pace. Main set was 5 x 250 @ 3:45. We were coming in on 3:15, give or take.

SUNDAY: QUEEN ANNE 9:30-11 AM
This workout got off to a shaky start but all went well in the end. Tatyana, Jan and I were dubbed the "Greenlakers" and were on the receiving end of some cranky "so are you taking over our lane, or what" kinds of comments during the warm up. I absolutely understand the territorial thing that comes with our swim routines and the "training community" each of us enjoys. There were just too many people in the lane. Once Tatyana and I moved over, things went better. We led the lane three times through a set of 6 desc 100s. I am afraid that we caused a little attrition in our new home, with the slower end of the lane moving down or leaving, but the rest of the group seemed to enjoy the challenge of raising the game a little. Compromise always comes into play when you've got a lot of people trying to get the most out of the pool time. The real benefit of this workout is the personal attention from Coach Ed who did not hesitate to make very helpful suggestions on my back and free. Rotate!

Judging the QA workout alongside the Helene Madison masters at 10:30-11:30, while equally challenging, I'd give Madison higher marks for its vibe but QA wins out for coaching (well constructed workout and 1:1 feedback). It also has the benefit of the extra half hour.

All in all, I swam well this week, my shoulder hurts less (thanks, Advil!) and my knee is...well...the same. Starting to think seriously about the cortisone on 3/23.