I am a Spoiled Swimmer Part 2 - Problem Solved!

After a second disappointing swim in the gym pool, where I luckily had the pool to myself but the water was way too warm for me to swim laps comfortably, I was thrilled to see the sign that said "pool closed for repairs week of 2/11."  It was the perfect excuse for me to check out an actual aquatic center.  Mountain View Aquatic Center was only about 15 minutes away, so I suited up and drove over there one morning that week to test the waters.

I knew it was going to be great when I walked in and immediately saw a news clipping from several years ago behind the desk boasting about when Michael Phelps swam there, and when I walked out onto the deck, it was even better.  The Olympic-sized pool had plenty of empty lanes, and the lanes that weren't were filled by lap swimmers like me.  There were backstroke flags and boxes full of equpiment- I've had trouble finding pull buoys this week but pull sets aren't my favorite anyways so I've been able to deal with that.

I swam there for my fourth time today and I have to say, it's been absolutely wonderful.  There are club teams there practicing in the mornings, so one of the sides of the pool is packed, but it's nice to hear the noises of swimming echoing off the walls.  Back home there were tons of days when I was the only person in the entire Olympic-sized pool, so it's nice to know the lifeguards aren't just watching you specifically.

I've also enjoyed morning swimming a lot more than I thought I would.  I used to go after lunch, but now I only have the option of going before or after work.  By the time the work day is done, I'm hungry and ready to just flop on the couch and watch TV, so I've chosen mornings.  It's actually a pretty good motivator- I came back my first day and said "oh, I've already swum 3000 yards today and it's not even 8am yet, I can accomplish so much today!" and I did.  As weird as it seems, jumping in a cold pool at 6am is a great way to start off my day.

Right now I just got the month-long pass.  I'm still debating joining a Masters team- there are a couple that are there at MVAC but I also like being able to do my own thing and have my own lane.  It's also more expensive, which is an issue for me right now.  But regardless of what I do in the future, I'm back to swimming regularly now, and I love it.  And that's what's really important here.