Aqua Jogging, My Low Point

At any point in an athlete's career, one is sure to have a low point. Currently, I have a torn hip flexor, and it's been borderline hell dealing with and now 'just' cross training to stay somewhat fit.

Obviously, a low point can be classified in many ways, but in my way, it's 'different'.

As I write this next entry, please be sure to take into account 'my humor'. First off, even in bad times, I can usually joke around and keep a somewhat upbeat attitude about the current situation.... That being said:

After checking my options, the best thing I can do is aqua jog. What is aqua jogging you may ask? Agua jogging is also known as hell among injured athletes, in which, one puts on a floatable foam belt (typically, in a 'pretty' baby blue color), to which, a person is then easily able to stay upright in a simming pool. "Then what?" Then you proceed to run in the water. Typically the head and part of the shoulders are above water and one must stay thoroughly focused to move your arms and legs in a runinng-like motion. And it 'can' get the heart rate up and to some degree, stimulate running. Personally, I am able to get my heartrate up to over 200 beats a minute while on hard runs, and during agua jogging, about 160-180 beats per minute... "So, this will have to do".

As I make my way down to the local pool with a fellow friend in the area, which sits at 6000 feet elevation, I begin to wonder what workout I'll do. I decide on 10 minutes warmup (like 70% running effort in the pool), then 1 minute hard, 2 minutes hard, 3 minutes hard and then repeat 5 times (80-95% effort). And in-between hard sets, 1 minute easy at 70% effort.

Upon arrival, I see it's a country club pool with a lot of... "kids", 'Great'. As we enter the pool area, this is what I see: Kids running around and yelling, lauging, mingling from all directions, moms chit chatting about local gossip, dads saying nothing, as if to say, "this... this is what my life has become?!". There's also an overabundance of lifeguards... like 15. And "No", that's not an exaggeration. As I take a deeper look, I begin to see the kids appear to have their own coalitions. The cool kids, the nerds, the rich kids, and of course, evil little 'Timmy'.

As I fully take this all in, within a matter of moments, I turn to my friend and non-chalantly say,

"This is my low point".

As my friend is used to such a setting, living in the neighborhood, he responds with, "What?"

(With half a smile) "This is my low point in my career. It can't get any worse."

As I threw on my belt, which probably looked like a heavy weight boxing belt to the kids that looked on in wonderment, wondering what the 'big' kid in bright yellow running shorts was doing.


THIS IS THE TIME IN THE BLOG WHERE YOU TURN UP THE VOLUME ALl THE WAY UP ON YOUR COMPUTER AND SPEAKERS, AND RIGHT CLICK THIS LINK AND USE IT FOR BACKGROUND MUSIC. YOUR READING EXPERIENCE WILL BE BENEFICIAL IF DONE CORRECTLY. www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY3LAFJbKyY

I proceeded to hop in the pool with one thought, "Let's go". As I start my workout (also, when one aqua jogs, they move about 1 mph forward, serious) , focusing to the best of my abilities, "SPLASH!" as a young kid jumps in front of me and I get a small wave of water splashed in my face (also known as a "bitch slap" amongst the kids in the pool). With a smile, I think, "It happens, he's just a kid."

Now, It's time to start doing my hard timed intervals, as my legs quicken, arms cutting through the water with ease, "SPLASH!", as the 'same' kid jumps right in front of me, 'again'... with a smug look, but still in my mind, "Hey, remember... he's just a kid."

As I'm now starting to become more and more used to this, "aqua jogging" thing. No longer feeling 'too' awkward. At 20 minutes, in the corner of my eye, I notice a couple little girls pointing and whispering about me... as if they've never seen an agau jogger?!

"SPLASH!"... as the same kid, jumps right out in front of me... "IS HE DOING THAT ON PURPOSE?!"... "No, no, surely, he's not... again... he's 'just' a kid."

As I come through the halfway point in my 75 minute pool workout, I can feel my heart beat increasing, my breathing is starting to quicken, "Hey this isn't such a bad workout!"... My shoulders are starting to burn, hamstrings are tightening, quads feeling like they've been put through a hard hill run... and at that moment, I notice in the corner of my eye, the 'same' kid looks at me very quickly and jumps right out in front of me, "SPLASH!", "DAMN IT, HE IS DOING IT ON PURPOSE!!!" "COME-ON MAN!!!" I can't take these kids anymore! Why do people have kids!...

5 minutes later....

"Hey, Clay, this is your conscious... just remember, he's just a kid... Okay, I'm cool... It's all good"






"SPLASH"...

"I'LL KILL HIM!"




5 minutes later, I hear the kid's mom chime in,

"Hey Timmy, it's time to go".

I think, "So, Timmy is the name of the spawn of satan."

Timmy: "But I don't won't to leave my new friends!!!"

My thoughts: "FRIENDS?!!?! THIS KID IS TRULY A MASTER OF TORTURING SOMEONE PHYSCIALLY AND 'NOW' MENTALLY!!!"... Impressive.

As Timmy is escorted out of the pool area, with his mom forcefully pulling him away, I can't lie, "It was the 4th most happiest moment of my life". As for the other 3 moments, 'Another Day, Another Story."

That being said, as I'm chopping away at my pool workout, I still notice those same girls looking at me, and whispering. My thoughts, "Whatever."

As I hear the lovely sounds of the diving board throwing kid after kid into the air, into the water, kids running, yelling, screaming in a sense of ecstasy... "3/4ths done with this workout, then I'm free... FREE!"

And then one of the girls gets the courage to come to the poolside as I passed by, at my ferocious speed of 1'point'3 miles per hour. The little girl pipes up, "Whatcha dooooiin?".

Me: "Aqua jogging."

Kid: "Why"

Me: "It's a good workout, since I can't run."

Kid: "Why?"

Me: "B/c I can't run currently."

KId: "Why?"

Me: "I injured my leg a few days ago and can't run."

Kid: "OKAAAY"

The kid runs off to her friend, to reveal all the information she just learned... "Kids."

As the workout goes on, even the lifeguard begins to wonder what I'm doing. Getting curiously questioned, "What I'm up to"... and oddly, "What I'm doing later" gets brought up.

Questions are answered accordingly.

'Again', the same young girl comes up to me, and throws me one heck of a curveball... Perhaps, THE most random question I've ever received.

Without hesistion she asks, "My friend wants to know if you want to get married?"

As witty as those little kids are, and in the midst of trying to finish a workout... I pipe back, "YA, of course I want to get married! *pause* at least a few times."

The girl doesn't say anything.... for several seconds... "A few times?"

Me: "Yep, at least a few times, it looks like fun!"

She then gives a half nod and runs back over to her friend...

My thoughts: "That should keep them confused for a while."

As I finish up the last several minutes of the pool run and get out of the pool, "I'm glad that's over!"

I quickly dry off, and head out... "What, no funny ending?", "What happened with the lifeguard?" "Did the two little girls track me down as I was leaving?"

The world is left with many unasnwered questions.

-clay j. mayes the 3rd