Making a Splash

I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to "A Lap, Or So" because I have spent more time in the pool than I have on the road in the last couple of days. Water + My Knee = Bliss.

I made good on my commitment to buy a pass to the local aquatic center, despite my hesitation to pay a little money to use a public pool (where you have no idea what people have done in it) when we pay a lot of money to have a private pool in our backyard (that is pristinely maintained by my live-in pool boy). That hesitation dissipated, however, when the posted temperature on their indoor pool showed that it was 82 degrees and our outdoor pool sits at a less-than-balmy 42 degrees. Definitely worth every penny to buy a quarter-year pass rather than heat the winter water storage. The pass will take me through the end of April which is about the time of the reopening of the "Hairibbean" (named after my pool boy/husband who, while wearing only his swimsuit/Speedo, looks like he is still wearing a sweater).

When I walked in to purchase the pass, the entire floor of the entry was covered in small children because apparently there is an elementary school who brings their students for swim lessons after school on Mondays. After hearing their leader remind them to go to the bathroom, blow their nose and stand under the shower before entering the pool, I made a mental note not to come for a swim on Monday afternoons. I think it would be mutually scary. Instead, I decided to go back later in the evening when I could have the place to myself. What I failed to take into consideration is that the aquatic center was not built specifically for me and has, in fact, stayed in business for many years without my business, so why should I think no one else would be using it?

There are two pools at the center - a competition/diving pool, and a leisure pool (translation - big people pool and swim-diaper-to-tween pool). The competition/diving pool consists of a deep water area, and several lanes for lap swimming.  I arrived for my "solo" swim to find two large groups learning to scuba dive in the deep water area and every single lap lane occupied. That left the leisure pool, which is divided into an area that has fountains, frogs, and slides and then an open area with depths starting at just over three feet and ending at just over four feet. The frog area was overrun with at least 1,000 kids (with a generous allowance for my exaggeration) - I had completely forgotten that Monday Night = Family Night and that apparently swimming is a favorite activity for this night of the week. The tween area was pretty empty, though, so I slithered into the deepest part of the water to begin my workout.

This would probably be a good time to mention that I really don't swim. Not in the traditional sense, anyway. I am extremely claustrophobic when my head goes under water, so "swimming" to me is a modified breaststroke with my head sticking out of the water. I consider myself the Princess of Whales because of my attachment to Lady Diana, but I would imagine that in the water I look more like a bloated alligator bobbing along the top of the water. This style of swimming also doesn't do well in a pool less than five feet deep, so I tried doing some water jogging but my boobage kept slapping against the water and stirring up turbulence to the point that the lifeguard kept looking over at me to make sure I was okay. I then tried doing some stretches but when I would lift my arm out of the water, I looked like I was rehearsing a solo synchronized swim or auditioning for the lead in Black Swan - The Water Adaptation. After awhile I just tried to focus on keeping all of my body parts under the water while still moving enough to consider it exercise, and if you know how buoyant fat people are, that was it's own workout. It wasn't easy, but it worked, and I was substantially more sore the day after my water workout than I usually am after a regular gym workout (sessions with personal trainer not included).

So I'll definitely be going back. Probably not on a Monday night, and I'm going to ask for a schedule of the scuba classes so I can avoid those, but I sure do like how I can move in water and completely forget that I even have knees. If I'm lucky to get in the big people pool, I might even be able to let my mind relax and think deep thoughts. I'm going to hope for that, because while I didn't freak anybody out in the kiddie pool (that I am aware of) I don't want to push my luck.