A swimmer who doesn't swim

Earlier this week I began a new cycle of swimming. Before this week, it had been several months since I hit the pool. I needed a change of pace, and this was the first step.

This evening I witnessed something peculiar at the pool. After completing my laps, I was sitting in the hot tub after a stress relieving workout. A swimmer came out of the locker in his speedo with goggles in hand, scanned the empty pool, and entered the sauna. Five minutes later, he emerged and scanned the pool again. One lane was open. Seeming distressed, he left the pool area and disappeared back into the locker room. Minutes later, he came out again and sat in the hot tub. This pattern continued a couple more times, all the while lanes remained open. Apparently he was not at the pool to swim, but merely spectate.

For all the time and effort getting to the pool, it seems pointless to sit in the hot tub and watch others do what you also seem to enjoy. Maybe you're just there for the eye candy, or to prove something to your peers. Maybe you just weren't ready to swim tonight, as you perhaps felt earlier. Or, maybe it was much simpler. Perhaps you were gassy because you ate too many tacos for lunch.