Fit-at least I thought I was

After all of my knee surgeries, swimming is the one sport that I still love doing that doesn't leave me limping for days on end with pain. Swimming is the only sport that I can go hard enough to get a good cardiovascular workout before my knees give out on me. In my previous life, I loved to run. I love the freedom and the deep breathing and the controled isolation that I felt. I find that swimming is the closest thing to that for me now.
I have always known that I wasn't the strongest of swimmers. Despite a summer spent as a lifeguard, my cardio strength just isn't where it used to be. However, I thought I was decent. I really thought that I was in above average shape and was probably a better swimmer than most. Until this morning.
Since I have been in NZ, I have had the opportunity to sneak away whilst Gemma is with Nana, to go for a swim. This morning I got up early so I could get back before Nana goes to work. I was eager for a brisk morning swim and ready to feel alive and have my blood flowing. When I swim, I usually just see how many laps I can do. I take a breather almost every 2 laps. A few days ago, I did 60 laps in about 50 minutes and I was quite happy with myself. This morning, I was determined to pick up the pace a bit and swim further in the same amount of time. I showed up at 6:10AM to find the lanes full but there is always room for more. The lanes are labled "fast", "medium", and "slow". I walked my proud self over to the "medium" lane, figuring this was a good place to start an easy warm-up. I jumped into a lane with two other swimmers, an older man, and a woman a bit younger than myself, and started to freestyle the first 2 laps, breathless at the end, I was looking forward to my routine stop. I noticed that the older man wasn't stopping and neither was the younger woman. Determined not to be outdone by others, I decided that I could swim 2 more laps before stopping. So on I pressed. I was blue in the face after my 100m swim and absolutely had to stop, I stood to the side and admitted defeat as the other two continued to swim on by me. I looked over to the fast lane and noticed a group of about 10 men and woman, all about my age, swimming quite determindly. I thought they must be some kind of unofficial master's swim team. (Which I dream about joining when we move to Vegas). Resolved, I thought that if they can do it, so can I. So off I started on what turned out to be my near-death adventure. The group in the fast lane had a workout posted and I browsed over this and noticed that their warm-up alone was 30 laps - half of my previous work out! I began swimming and when my kicking started to fail me from tiredness, I would switch up my stoke to do a breaststroke, then on to a backstroke, and if I was really tired, a side stroke. (I like the side stroke because I can keep my head above water the whole time and catch my breath!) After 30 minutes- not only was I wrecked, but I had only done about 30 laps - I was way behind my goal and I couldn't see how I would be able to go on. The people in the fast lane were like machines! They would swim lap after lap after lap without stopping and they were swimming fast too! I decided to try and pace myself with one of the 'fast' swimmers figuring that that was my problem. I nearly drowned. At the end of 50 m, which he finished about 15 seconds before me, I surfaced and gasped for air in a way that made about 6 people look at me to make sure I wasn't really drowning. I stood in the water like a duck who couldn't swim. Breathing so hard I was sure that a lifeguard was going to ask me if I was OK. I decided that pacing myself wasn't the problem, I would try to only focus on myself and my swimming - yes- that would make it all better. So off I swam again, but not before ducking over to the 'slow' lane to regain my confidence. About 10 laps later, confidence reintact, I trecked back to the medium lane. I figured if I could do just 10 more laps, that I would call it good. This is the point where I nearly drowned. I must have looked like a wet cat trying to get out of the pool. Nothing worked right. I tried to kick my legs, but I never could get them to make a splash. I would turn my head to get a breath only to get a mouthful of water, waves made from the swimmers who were actually going somewhere. Then came my moment of humilitation. I was lapped in a lap pool- not once, but twice! In utter defeat, I stood for a few moments before giving up. I am not the swimmer I thought, or hoped I was. I swam 50 laps in 50 minutes this time. I listened in on the group of fast swimmers having a conversation: one was having his 30th birthday today. The other's chimed in that they couldn't remember their 40th birthday, let alone their 30th! Great- I was lapped by old people! Oh well. Kuddos to the Kiwi's who kicked my butt in the pool this morning. I have huge amounts of respect and awe for swimmers like these guys. I want to be like them when I grow up.