A place to swim

I was a competitive swimmer in high school. I know that doing laps will help my overall fitness.

The problem: where do you swim once you are out of school?

The summer time is easy. The city pool is open and has designated lanes for laps and rest periods for kids. The state park lakes are warm.

My city pool is half a mile from my house and fluctuates free/25cents/50cents and free year to year. Alum Creek state park is 15 miles away and FREE.

Spring, fall and winter are harder - the outdoor city pool is closed. The lake is cold and/or closed.

The city (of Columbus) has an indoor pool with limited hours for 50 cents. Suburb pools and private pools that offer kid lessons often let parents swim laps during kids lessons. Guest passes and trial memberships at gyms are great. <--I have used these options.

A health club membership can be a good investment IF the club has a pool. No pool = no reason to join. The Y is a good place to look for inexpensive membership.

Join a Masters Swim Club. You gain access to the pool AND get workouts and friends.

For me an additional problem is finding someone to watch my kids while I swim laps. that's a story for another day.