A View From the Pool

This morning I headed over to the Wilson Aquatic Center in Tenleytown to meet up with a few Road Runners for some swim therapy. See pix of this beautiful facility courtesy of the DC government's website.

Since the pool is orderly divided into various groups based on self selection, I was thinking about all the interesting people who visit the pool. Who needs entertainment when you've got an hour at the pool.

With that in mind, here are my thoughts about the types of people who hang out at the pool.

The Fast Lane Folks
These are the folks with single digit body fat. An equal mix of guys and girls. They usually flock together in a single lane. Their warm-up set puts you to shame. They usually produce enough wake to push you into your lane line. Their fly and IM sets make you want to cry. They cruise through the water and you regularly take a peak at their stroke from your lane just to figure out their secret. I'll admit it, I want to be them.

The Medium Lane Folks
This seems to be the dumping ground for most visitors to the pool. It's the easy choice for average swimmers and you're still close enough to the fast lane to feel somewhat legit. Here's the problem --- this is also the "kitchen-sink" lane. The lane that on any given day could have a girl in a string bikini barely staying above water (seriously, she exists and I've had to swim with her on two separate occasions), the guy who's too proud to admit he needs to bump down to a slower lane and the faster person who's too scared to hang with the fast kids so they hang in this lane and annoy everyone else. As for me, I am right in the middle --- a true medium who dreams of being fast.

The Slow Lane Folks
These are the folks I have the most respect for. They know their skills and they are working hard to improve. They're a colorful mix of ages and abilities. I'll admit that I sometimes hang out here to do my kick-sets so I don't annoy the folks in the medium lane. Hopefully they're not talking shit about me for invading their lane.

The Leisure Lane Folks
These are the water walkers, the noodle users, the young, the old, the floaters, the new swimmers and the injured making their way back to full strength.

And last, but not least there are the whirlpool users. I'll admit that after a workout there's nothing better than relaxing and catching up with friends in the whirlpool, but beware of the old guys who sit in there a bit too long and the ones who are a bit too friendly.

All in all, who doesn't love the pool? Happy swimming!