Logistics for morning swims

Since the pool is only ten minutes from your house, I'd suggest throwing on a warm-up suit after your swim and heading back home to get dressed for work.

My gym is only five minutes from my house, and that's what I do.  I much prefer getting dressed for work in my own bedroom rather than in a gym locker room.  It also lets me grab something to eat and another cup of coffee at home before heading off to the office.

Mark

My gym/pool is on the way to work, so I go to the gym in my swim suit and sweats with work clothes packed in a bag.  I forego the hangers, even on days I wear a tie, but I work in a mfg setting.  I shower and dress at the gym and then head to work.  This cuts off some of the worst part of the morning rush for me.

I'll restate the importance of packing the night ahead.  If I haven't, it can become an excuse not to go.  Belt, underwear and towel are the things I've forgotten to pack, so I leave a back-up pair of underwear in my bag.

I prefer to eat a little something before I go  to the gym and then take something to eat at work around 9:30 - 10:00.

Sounds like your best bet would be to go back home to shower and get ready for work.

When I first got into tri's I would take the bus and swim at the downtown Y and then walk the 3/4 mile to work. When it got warmer, i would ride to the Y on my bike and get ready for work at the Y. Of course it is very casual where I work so jeans and collared shirt is the only requirement.  

But I have seen many people putting on suit and tie at my gym in the mornings.

Test out both ways to see what works best for you. If the gym is actually on your way to work I'd just get ready at the gym even if wearing suit and tie.  

I would prefer not to add another 20 minutes to my swim mornings (10 minutes back home to get ready, 10 extra minutes on the commute or whatever). I'd just get ready at the gym.

Consider yourself LUCKY that your workplace also provides a gym, lockers and showers. Great set up for lunch workouts or bike commuting! Jealous!

Thanks for the tips all. I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh I know it! I spend lunch every day either riding, running, or lifting. I don't know what I'd do if I got a job somewhere that didn't have a gym! It helps that my boss is an avid cyclist as well, so he's riding most days too.

For me, early morning workouts mean driving to YMCA dressed for workout with dress clothes on a hanger. Shower and change at the gym and head to work. Night before I make PB sandwich, some fruit and have my protein powder mix in a shaker bottle. After the workout I add cold water. That means no drive-thru breakfast, less temptation to eat crappy stuff.

When i did morning swims last summer my option was closer to work so I wore my work clothes with my bathing suit underneath.  So it was a quick change out of work clothes at the pool (less time changing) and because I was taking public transit I also wasn't carring extra clothes I didn't need. Yes, i did look funny but most people on the subway don't care much. Then it was shower and prep for work at the pool (which was an awful high school changeroom but it was fine). 

The trick is to remember undergarments ... pack those the night before if you're not going to go home.

My husband one morning arrived in his flipflops and forgot regular shoes and looked pretty funny in the elevator at work dressed in his business casual with flipflops.  He did have some shoes at his desk but he was embarrassed (not the end of the world imho but depends on your work environment)

X2

I'd pick #1.    No matter what, I recommend having everything laid out and just jump into your swimsuit and coverups in the morning.  However, I don't have to wear anything particular fancy for work. I am not sure if I could fit a pressed shirt on a hangar in my gym locker.

Some out of the box ideas:

1.  Bring a second lock so you can use two lockers, keeping your nice clothes separate.

2.  Leave your nice work clothes at work the day before.  Get dressed/do hair, etc, at the gym but put your coverups back on. 

MOST IMPORTANT:  DO NOT FORGOT TO PACK YOUR UNDERWEAR!

Less critical for men, but still...

I also don't need to be at work (most days) until about 8, and have the same commute and distance to pool as you.  What I do (and did this morning):  Get to the pool 5:30 when it opens, swim for usually around an hour, meaning I can be back home by 6:45, which is more than enough time for me to shower, shave, dress and even make breakfast for the kids before leaving for work . 

You have good suggestions here. I will beat the drum again that it is soooo important for these early morning things to pack a bag the night before. Otherwise you will forget important things like goggles and shoes. Not that I've done that more than once or anything. 

I can't eat before I swim so I grab my water bottle and fruit for after the swim.

I'm 2 minutes from my pool so I come home to shower but lots of guys who I swim with bring their work clothes and then after the workout get ready for work.

I used to have almost identical commute and drive to pool times as you. If I were to have come back home to shower/change/whatever I would have stalled out and wound up late for work. Also, I would have really hated the wasted time (even if it's just an extra 15 min of drive, it's also walking into and out of the house, etc.) and the wasted gas. But everyone is different.

The night before, I packed my swim bag (suit, goggles, cap, contact lenses, shampoo...) and work outfit bag (clothes, underwear, nice shoes, comb, hair product...).

In the morning I got up with the alarm--no snoozing--and eat a small bowl of cereal. At precisely the same time every day I stood up, but dishes in dishwasher, grabbed my bags, and shuffled out the door in my snow boots and pajamas.

At the pool, I changed into my swimsuit, contacts, etc.

After swimming, I went straight into the shower, rinsed my gear, and washed myself. Then all that was left to do was dry off, get dressed, and drive to work.

Then&Now - 2013-01-31 7:46 AM I have to share this because the irony is too great and it's so funny. Ok, a couple of days ago I shared my sage wisdom about packing your work clothes the night before. This morning was a swim day for me so last night I followed my advice and packed my clothes and put them in tha car. Got up this morning, completed my swim, went to get dressed and noticed there was something odd about my Dockers. Checking the tag I confirmed the problem. Instead of my 32 waist 32 inseam Dockers i had my wife's size 10 slacks. With no time to drive back home and then to work I tried them on. They are actually not a bad fit. The pockets are too small for my wallet, but other than that they seem ok. So I'm rocking my wife's Dockers cross dressing at work. The moral of the story is be careful what topic you offer advice on.

I wouldn't mention this to your wife.  No woman would be excited to hear her husband can fit into her clothes.