The failed pool substitution experiment

As you may remember, I absolutely loved the private pool at a vacation rental in Tucson in August. I did not want to leave!

But I don’t have a pool, and I don’t live in Tucson. And it’s not August anymore. So I wondered if I could somehow substitute something more realistic than the private, outdoor pool in Tucson.

New Mexico is significantly colder than Tucson, mostly due to the high elevation. And we are heading into the winter season. So finding a local outdoor pool is not an option, at least not until next summer.

So that meant an indoor, public pool. I was not enthused by the idea, but I thought maybe I would like it if I tried it. I was hesitant to even try. But my mother-in-law visited in September, and she really likes her YMCA pool where she lives. So she agreed to go with me to try out my local public pool.

(Photo from google – I didn’t take photos, and never saw the pool empty)

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Monica lives in a much warmer location than I do, so her local pool is an outdoor pool, whereas mine is an indoor pool. That’s a big difference! But we thought it was still worth a try. I am intimidated by indoor pools – to me they smell weird and I don’t like the echo noise, which can trigger a migraine. So I appreciated her willingness to go with me; it made it easier for me to go.

The first time we went just to take a look around. We didn’t bring our suits and didn’t get in the water. It was an initial reconnaissance mission. We asked questions about the schedule and planned our next visit. My big concern was how crowded it was. We went around lunch time, during lap swim, and not only was every lane in use, they were all being shared! Two or more people per lane. The pool was full of people, all much better swimmers than I was.

The next day we went with our suits and attended a water aerobics class. Where Monica lives the water aerobics class is held in the deep water, and they wear flotation belts. They use resistance weights, that are lightweight and made from some sort of foam, but as you move them through the water, the water causes drag, and it turns out to be quite a workout. It actually sounded like a lot of fun!

Unfortunately, the Albuquerque class was held in the shallow end, and they didn’t do special exercises for the water. They did land based exercises except they just happened to be standing in the water. And that wasn’t the worst of it. When it came time to use the foam weights, they held them over their heads, out of the water. There’s no point in that – they don’t weigh a thing out of the water! It was just silly. I’m sure Monica was disappointed with the class, but she was a good sport about it.

I, on the other hand, got bored and started swimming laps instead. The class only took up about half the pool – the other half was being used for laps. But it wasn’t crowded with experienced swimmers. Instead, there were older people with kickboards. That gave me what I thought was a good idea. I could swim laps with a kickboard during the aerobics class.

I knew that if I was going to actually enjoy the pool, I had to get used to it first. So I was determined to go back the next week. And I did. Twice.

One time there were no lanes available and I had to wait. I really cannot share a lane because I thrash around too much. And if I start getting overwhelmed in middle of the pool, my safe maneuver is to roll onto my back and put my arms straight out and float. Then I can relax, and breathe, and get my act together. Problem is, when I’m laying on my back with my arms stretched out, I’m taking up the entire lane and no one would be able to get around me. I’m basically a hazard unless I have my own lane.

Even when I did have a lane and could slowly make my way back and forth across the pool, I just wasn’t enjoying the experience. Both times I went were various amounts of awkward. My swim caps were failing to keep my hair dry, I didn’t like the locker room, I didn’t like the noise and echoes, I couldn’t see very well without my glasses, and I didn’t like really anything about it. And I had a hard time imagining convincing myself to get into the car and drive over there later in the winter, and put on a suit and get into water when it was below freezing outside, regardless of the indoor temps.

By the end of the week, after the two trips to the pool, I had a rash from the heavy amounts of chlorine they have to put in public pools, even though I did everything I could to wash thoroughly immediately afterwards. And, at the risk of TMI, I’m going to tell you that I also ended up with a UTI, which I never, ever get. I don’t think I had one of those since I was a kid. I was like, WTF? Then John read an article saying it could be from the public pool and I was just grossed out. I wasn’t enjoying the pool anyway, and it just wasn’t worth it. It was NOTHING like my experience with the private, outdoor pool in Tucson.

So that’s the end of my pool experiments for now. I still really want an outdoor pool of my own. Maybe someday. Here’s a picture of one at a house for sale we looked at in Tucson. But we aren’t actually moving anywhere (or buying any houses) in the foreseeable future.