Over the past few years, I've seen hundreds, if not thousands, of lap pools across the U.S. and the world--part of my job discovering hotel gyms, run routes, health clubs and the like for travelers.
Why?
1. It's outdoors - in the beautiful SoCal sunshine and year round moderate climate
2. It's huge - 12 lanes, 50 meters and runs long course (50 meters) at least 3x/week
3. It's new - dug and built in 2006
4. It's competition quality - backstroke flags, pace clocks galore, always around 80 degrees Farenheit, and good depth
5. It's not crowded - throughout the day, swimmers rarely have to share a lane & kids/recreational swimmers are kept in a separate pool
6. It's cheap - non-resident drop-in fees are only $5
7. It's friendly - even the former Olympians swim here with a smile
Anyone disagree? Take a look for yourself:



I could not agree more. The pool sits in between the San Diego Bay and Pacific Ocean and has awesome views of downtown San Diego. 50m pools are hard to come by, and this one has lap swim hours early in the morning, throughout the day, and in the evenings. I can't believe this one's in my backyard.