Fast fish in a slow pond

I was surprised this morning at the pool because I was treated reverently.  It wasn't that people were bowing or calling my by any worthy title.  I just got a weird sense of respect and maybe a bit of awe.  I noticed because something in my sleep deprived mind was telling me that things were wrong.

"Warning, warning, things are not normal!"

I couldn't figure out why a simple, "good morning" and discussion about how to share a lane gave me the impression of royalty but it was distinct.

I started swimming and soon came to the conclusion.  I am relatively fast, compared to my new subjects(s).  I was swimming between 1:30 and 1:40 per 100 yards.  My main set was a mind numbing 2500 yards today and I dutifully swam every yard and did my magical flip turns every lap.

For a minute I thought I was losing my kingdom because this guys was matching my pace.  I started to panic and thought about picking up my pace but by this time I was at 950 yards and still had 1550 left to go and I didn't want my subjects to seem me broken.  I just kept my pace and pondered my short lived reign.  Then I noticed he was wearing paddles and with those was barely holding my pace.  Suddenly I was king again and I felt strong and powerful.  

I think thats all it takes to be swim royalty during my swim time at my gym.

I love being a fast fish in a slow pond.