19Feb14 - 24 hour gym

Interesting morning to say the least!
I got a week long membership to the 24 hour gym last night.  KEARNS is closed for cleaning and I don't want to take a week off from swimming.  I got a tour of the place and it is actually a pretty nice place.  It was only $35 for 7 days which is $5 a day and completely normal for any community rec center for a day pass.  I really like that they are open 24/7.  LOTS of machines, a basketball court/gym, free weights, etc.  The pool is even 25M.  That little extra distance adds up and I was hopeful.  Maybe when my membership at KEARNS runs out, I'll come here.  That way I can start my swim at 0300 and do REALLY long swims whenever I want.
Today was day 1....did not start off well.
Yesterday I went to the mens changing area and checked it out.  Lots of room, full length mirrors everywhere and the showers have COLD available.  Fantastic.
This morning I went in the changing area and put all of my stuff in the locker.  I went to the bathroom when I noticed something.  Next to the toilet paper dispenser was a female hygiene trash box.  Took me a few seconds to realize they ONLY have these in women's bathrooms.  I had to replay where I walked into in my head.  I thought I had gone to the same bathroom/changing area.  It looked the EXACT same.  Normally women's bathrooms are 300% bigger, have a sparkly fountain, and couches in them which gives them away.  This one was an exact carbon copy of the mens.  I was 99% sure I was in the wrong place.  No one else was there which was nice...don't want to get arrested this early!  I grabbed my swim bag and headed to the pool.  Once I was in the pool area, I looked behind me to see "Women's Locker Room" sign right there.  OOOOOOOPS!!!  Just because I'm half a man does not give me the right to use the women's changing area.
Great...Now I have to GO BACK and get my clothes!  I did with great caution and a little bit of speed in my step.
Went through the pool area and put my stuff in the men's locker room.  I STARED at the sign before walking in this time!
OK, got my gear put away and technically got away with a minor crime.  Time to swim.
Got in and the pool felt warm.  It read 82 which is not bad but still too hot for my liking.
Halfway through my workout an older lady came in.  She had the typical "gramma" look and swimming attire on.  I told myself to just swim away before she said what I KNEW she would say.  Don't do it Goody...don't stay here....DON'T!  I then made a bet with myself and couldn't resist seeing if I was right.  The FIRST and I mean THE FIRST thing to come out of her mouth, "Wish this water wasn't so cold".. DING DING DING  We have a winner.  I knew it.  I won the bet that the first thing that would come out of her mouth would not be Hello or Good Morning, it would be her bitching about the temp!  This is a 3 lane 25M pool.  This was CLEARLY built for lap swimming only.  It's way to hot for even that.  This pool is not meant for pool exercise or aquatic aerobic classes.  Anyhow...........

1000 WU  Mixed in some breast and back but mainly did free
500 with snorkel
10 x 50 pull on the :60                      
6(25k-hard then 50 swim) then 50 easy  
10 x 100 75% pace                
4 x 50 fly - not too bad but still a struggle
50 easy
200 pull
50 easy

4000 SCM

OK, here is the wrap up of the pool.  The gym itself is actually pretty nice.  A lot of equipment and is aesthetically pleasing.  Bathrooms/changing areas are nice...both of them! The biggest problem is with the ONLY reason why I'm there.  The pool was not that great.  25M is nice but the water was a bit too warm.  I could overlook this fact.  It would easily be replaced with me being able to start a swim at 2 in the morning and be alone for several hours.  What I could not overlook was how cloudy the pool was.  Visibility was 10M at best.  YUCK.  Even with that aside, the temperature also changed.  Half of the pool was cooler than the other half.  There is a hot tub next to the pool and the heat from it warms the air and thus the entire area near where my gear would be.  I could feel the water getting cooler as I swam away and warmer as I swam back.  I tried to overlook this too.  What I could not overlook and simply can not STAND was the parade of people coming in REEKING of perfume or cologne before they sit in the hot tub for 30 min.  I'm trying to breathe here and I'm chocking on your fumes.  If I were to swim here consistently, this would not be an isolated incident.  Over time, it would wear me down and piss me off too much.  I really started to miss KEARNS.  KEARNS is clean, has serious swimmers in it and besides warm water here and there, is an amazing place to train.
I will keep going this week and I know that I can use this place in a pinch if needed.
The gym, locker room, and showers I'd give an A
The pool I'd give a D.
I wish it was the other way around.  So much potential for this pool to be great to train in but the people that run this place clearly have the aquatic area on the bottom of their list.
I miss KEARNS and I am all the more eager to one day open my own pool.  Yes, my OWN pool.  It will be 25M, 2 lanes and be kept between 65 and 70 degrees year round.  All of my swim friends will be able to swim there for free.  I am debating whether I'd even let others use the place.  I think I'd lose my temper if I ever had someone come in and utter one word of complaint about the temperature.  REAL swimmers would LOVE it at that temp.
On a positive side note, I did get to walk around a women's gym locker room completely naked and got away with it!  Not many men can make this claim...I don't recommend it either.