Take me seriously, please!

I tried aqua jogging for the first time yesterday. I've been doing 200-yards of pool walking several times a week and have been hitting the pool at 24 Hour Balboa, since my parent's pool doesn't allow for a whole lot of walking without several [thousand] turn arounds to get in 200-yards.

Anyway!

I usually go in the evening, when it's dark and there aren't too many people waiting for lanes. Yesterday I decided to go around 6:30, figuring that people would be watching Olympic gymnastics and swimming. I was right! I was able to get in a lifting session and then hit the water at 7:00. However, at 7:05 a line had already developed.

Have you ever been in a situation when you are painfully aware that you do not fit in? I was in the right lane, an older gentleman was in the middle, and a woman who looked to be about 35 was in the left lane. The older guy was using a paddle board to immobilize his arms and practice his butterfly kick. The other woman was practicing her crawl stroke, which looked like it didn't really need all that much practicing- she was totally ripped. The line expanded to include women in their racing Speedo suits and caps, and even a guy in a pair of swimming shorts that look like bike shorts. The outfit resembled some of the Olympians I'd seen earlier on T.V., so I knew he was legit. And then there was me: walking, jogging but certainly not swimming, all while wearing a polka dot bikini.

I warmed up for 7 minutes by doing the usual walk routine and and leg raises. Then I spent the next 15 minutes running in the pool. It felt great, I tell you! There was no shooting pain in my hip when my left foot hit the ground, and the water helped me lift my leg without pain. I ran into some trouble when the depth hit 4 and a 1/2 feet and I had trouble staying on the bottom of the pool, but over-all it was a successful workout. I then cooled down with some more walking and leg lifts and hopped out of the pool.

The workout was challenging, but not as challenging as gathering your things and exiting the pool deck while avoiding the perplexed glares of eight other swimmers waiting to use the lanes for their intended purpose.

I may switch my pool workouts to early morning.