> "and from what I recall as a kid, the pool isn't exactly clean."
Sad but true, but any pool that isn't horrifyingly exclusive is going to be the same way. I spent years swimming competitively and have had the plantar warts (and the treatments) to show for it.
> "It probably doesn't help that I tend to sink like a rock so I have to work harder"
This is the wrong way about it. If you have trouble staying afloat, or moving forward, swimming harder will just tire you out and make you sink more - you need to swim smarter and with better technique. Swimming is really quite effortless if you've got decent technique. Flailing about in the water will tire you out quickly, and from an exercise perspective isn't as effective as simply going a couple of miles with good form.
I suppose a good analogy would be an untrained runner deciding to simply sprint his heart out - he's going to run out of juice pretty quickly, feel horrible, and not get as much exercise as if he'd paced himself.
Sad but true, but any pool that isn't horrifyingly exclusive is going to be the same way. I spent years swimming competitively and have had the plantar warts (and the treatments) to show for it.
> "It probably doesn't help that I tend to sink like a rock so I have to work harder"
This is the wrong way about it. If you have trouble staying afloat, or moving forward, swimming harder will just tire you out and make you sink more - you need to swim smarter and with better technique. Swimming is really quite effortless if you've got decent technique. Flailing about in the water will tire you out quickly, and from an exercise perspective isn't as effective as simply going a couple of miles with good form.
I suppose a good analogy would be an untrained runner deciding to simply sprint his heart out - he's going to run out of juice pretty quickly, feel horrible, and not get as much exercise as if he'd paced himself.