Triathletes Review an Endless Pools

by David Greenfield

Greenfield competing in Kona.

Some tri friends and I took a field trip to visit the Endless Pool people in Aston, Pa, this spring.

First thing I need to say is that the people who met with us and showed us around could not have been any nicer. They were very knowledgeable, informative, and were happy to let us swim as long as we wanted to.

To tell you the truth, we had a harder workout and a more productive use of drills than the Masters class we went to that same day.

The Pool is much smaller than I had imagined, but big enough so that you are never hitting the side (unlike lanes 1 & 4 at the gym). They have a couple of different styles with several optional features one can choose from. My favorite was the spa jet option, which was so nice after the self-punishing workout.

I got to see some photos of how people have chosen to finish their pools and the numerous locations in which people have placed their pools in and around their homes.

There are simply an endless number of ways to spec your pool. There's even an option for a deep section so you can do your running in the pool! It's worth checking out their Web site and videos to just see what money can buy.

Granted, I have never tried anything like it before, so I can only compare it to being in the middle of the pack in an Ironman swim or the steady current of a rushing river. I really enjoyed myself. It was like racing in the open water ... except that the water was a perfect temperature and no one was kicking me in the head.

Another cool thing is that it was very easy for my new coach to see what I was doing wrong and tell me how to correct it all on the fly. Combined with the help of the polished mirror on the bottom of the pool, I could monitor my stroke and catch myself if I started to go out of form.

All in all, I was very impressed with the pool. I can guarantee one of these pools would make a huge difference in my swim splits.

An Endless Pool is the only thing that can compare to a race-like environment, with the exception of jumping into a lake with ten of your friends. The best part, I imagine, is that you can train when you want and how you want. Intervals, time trial, water running, water weight training (very cool) or, what I think would be my favorite, The Triathlon simulator. I can only dream about it: an all-out sprint against the current, then out of the water and on to my Elite in the computrainer for a water-to-bike brick, and then back into the pool for an impact-free run. Ahh, now that would be great.

Another great factor is they now have a new staff member who used to own a triathlon store. This will definitely help them to understand the triathlon market! All in all, I think this is an excellent tool and something worth considering.

David Greenfield is a Philadelphia-based triathlete and president of Elite Bicycles, Inc.

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