Swimmingly

I finally used my "sponsored" CMU ID card to go to the fitness center this morning. The only morning open swim time is 7am-8am, so I had to get all my gear ready the night before and jump out of bed this morning. Wanting to pack light, I decided to leave my hairdryer and towel here thinking that of course they have towels and hairdryers!

I got to the parking lot at 6:55, and noted that the meters are only enforced after 8am. Surely I wouldn't be swimming longer than 30 minutes, considering I haven't done any prolonged exercise in well over 4 months. So I didn't feed the meter and kept an eye on my watch. BTW--there is a ton of parking on campus at 7am!

At the front desk I signed in and was given an armband that you have to wear while you're there. Also, I discovered that I could only have 1 crappy little towel, and the desk clerk did not give in to my sad face and pleas for a second one. ARGH! Not too awful, but next time I'll bring my own spare.

The women's locker room is pretty big, but it smells awful, and the carpet feels kinda gritty. The day use lockers are plenty big and have lots of hooks, but you have to bring your own lock. Fortunately I remembered to bring one, but it is a key padlock so I had to carry a key around, and when all you're wearing is a swimsuit and a watch that's no easy feat, so I put it on my watch band which is not as convenient as it sounds.

I was worried the pool would be packed, but there was only one other person there at 7:05. So I commenced swimming. Boy! when I haven't done any serious exercise in 4 months I get out of breath pretty fast! My heart rate immediately shot up over 170bpm (180 at one point) so I had to tread water after each lap to bring my heart rate back down. I did this for 20 minutes, and seriously that was all I could take.

I went off to shower with my one little towel. The showers are completely open in one big room next to the whirlpool, so that was embarrassing. The towel hooks are on the end of the shower room, so you can't even remain covered until the last possible moment. The soap was quite caustic so next time I'll need to bring some of that too.

Afterward I went in search of the hair dryers. There are no hairdryers, although thankfully there are lots of mirrors and outlets everywhere. Another thing to pack next time.

I got on the waiting list for a personal locker so I'd have someplace to store all this crap, and I was told that could take several months. I got back to the car well before 8. Fortunately it was not too cold out this morning or my wet hair would have been a big problem. I'll come fully prepared next time!