Indoor Swim Question

I am surprised that you haven't had lots of responses to your question!

I come from a competitive swimming background. We used to put 20-30 people in a 4 lane 50 foot pool and swim all together! The "normal" way to do this would be to "swim circles". Meaning swim with the lane line always on the right (like americans drive cars). That said - the more people are involved, the more trouble there is. You get lots of hand slapping when people are going in opposite directions. This was good training for the open water swims, but different since you are swimming at opposite directions. Also, the pool gets rougher the more people are involved.

It is important that you get in a lane with folks who swim at about your pace so that you are not having to pass. Passing can really be difficult, because you have to complete the pass before the third person comes along! Meaning you have to make up two body lengths on the person in probably one length of the pool.

The other alternative is to be a slave to the pace of the folks you are swimming with.

How long is the swim? How long is the pool?

I do remember, especially early on, running head on into someone and both of us having to disentangle and move into position and try to fall back into line - tough when you are working on intervals!

If the folks you are with are considerate experienced swimmers, it will be no problem whatsoever.

My reply sounds discouraging - don't take it that way. I really don't think that 3 in a lane in a 25 yard pool will be a problem.

My daughter's very first tri was done this way and it was a pain in the neck! They had three per lane, one on each side and one in the middle and they all started at the same time. They were not seeded by times, so the two swimmers in her lane were much weaker swimmers than she was. She was very worried about running into one of them, especially since the one was all over the lane. She had a hard time swimming around them because they were not used to swimming with others in a lane. She almost ran right into one girl as she was coming off her last flip turn because the girl didn't stay on her side of the lane. My advice would be to try to get out fast and be careful on your turns that you don't run into a lane mate!