Pool closed????

I've become a fixture at my L.A. Fitness. However, although I had been to three spin classes throughout the week, it wasn't until I noticed the pool was empty Thursday evening that I stopped to ask at the desk about it. I had noticed several stacks of what looked like tile near the stairs, but I hadn't thought one had to do with the other. The young woman at the front desk seemed quite irritated when I asked if the pool was closed. She sighed heavily, picked up a sign that was turned toward the nursery and said "See, the sign says the pool will be closed until next Thursday. We have signs everywhere." I look for the signs. I don't see any. I look in the locker room and on the door to the pool. There are no signs. It doesn't really matter; it's just a good thing I asked because I was planning to swim at 5 a.m. the next morning. I would have been really aggravated to find out the pool was closed that early in the morning, and then realizing I could have slept another hour. It seems they had some ceiling damage in the swimming area during Hurricane Ike, and they are now replacing the ceiling tiles. I guess that means that I won't be swimming for the next week unless I can find another pool.

Even though I won't be able to swim for the week, I will be able to bicycle -- in spin class and on the road. Although today was quite cold, I managed to make it to Bike Barn for a 7:30 a.m. ride. Because of the wind direction we road to Liverpool, which is one of my favorite rides. And, because it was so beautiful, I got in a good 60-mile ride. We had a good group and finished with a 20-21 mph average. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to turn bad though so I probably will have to work out at the gym. At least, I got to ride today!

Come on into the water!

While in Jamaica, I decided I needed to put in some serious swim time. The resort offered several activities to get their guests into the water. One was a short snorkeling trip. Although I’m not completely confident in my swimming abilities, I decided the snorkeling trip was the one for me. I signed up for the 1 p.m. excursion. Ummm…what should I take? Will I be forced to leave my towel behind? Will my bathing suit cover-up get wet if I take it on the boat? I decided to only take myself in a bathing suit sans cover-up but wearing thongs on my feet. I can only imagine that the deck by the boat would be hot. At the assigned time, our guide greeted us – a local who worked for the resort. You could tell he’d done this a few times before. His instructions were straightforward. He told us to remove our shoes and get on the boat. I noticed he was not wearing a bathing suit, which meant he didn’t intend to get wet. After a quick trip across rough waters, we stopped at a reef. He said the tide was too rough to take us to the usual place, but that we should still see quite a few fish near this reef. He explained where Cuba was (we could see it I think) and told us to “not swim that direction.” ”Who can’t swim?” he asked. I raised my hand. “I don’t swim well,” I said. “Who’s never snorkeled before?” I raise my hand. “I’ve snorkeled once or twice.” “What are you doing on this boat? Why did you come out this afternoon rather than this morning? The water is always rougher in the afternoon,” he said rather disgustedly. After being reprimanded, I agreed to wear a life vest, which he put around my waist. I counted 11 of us in the boat – five couples and me. I told the lady next to me, “Make sure there are 11 when we head back.” She laughed. All in all, I had a great time. Most of the other swimmers wore life vests too after they saw me with one. I probably could have snorkeled without it. I noticed that a couple of the “stronger” swimmers had to get back in the boat early. I stayed out until the horn signaled us back. It was wonderful seeing all of the fish, and I really gained confidence in the water. Now, if only I could do that a few more times before March. I doubt I’ll get the opportunity. I’ll have to just keep swimming in my gym pool and pretending like it’s the Caribbean.

“Come on into the water!”
Chrissie Watkins
“Jaws” (1975)