Tonight, for the first time in a long time, I was swimming in the same lane as The Torpedo, and it has already begun to wear on me. It's not because he's faster than me - I can handle that. It's the brash way that he just *is* that gets my goat.

This evening, we were doing moderately hard sets that are meant to slowly bring us up to a good fitness level. I was directed into the same lane as The Torpedo and one of the Two Broads as we started our first set (it made sense, as we are some of the faster ones in the group). As he is in better swimming shape, he was motoring by me for the whole set. I was working hard to keep on the pace that he set (I would leave a standard 5 seconds behind him, fall 5 seconds behind him for 150 meters, then take 20 seconds rest, then repeat eight times). By the end of the eighth, I was pretty tired. It is customary to wait for the last person in the lane to finish the set, then take a respectable 30 to 60 seconds rest before starting on the next set. Otherwise, the last finisher in the group (the one who probably needs the rest the most) can catch their breath and become aware of what the next set is.

The Torpedo totally ignores this common courtesy and hammers right into the next set, leaving Wendy and I gasping for breath trying to keep up. How rude. If you have to pass during a set, then pass. But you should wait for your other teammates at the end of a set or just do your own damn workout in your own damn lane, during a different freaking hour.

Although he's the best swimmer in the group, I don't see him as any kind of leader. In fact, I find it discouraging and demoralizing to swim in the same lane as him. I wish he'd just stay away from practice.