Ya got trouble, my friends

With a capital "T"
And that rhymes with "P"
And that stands for Pool.

I swim every day before work. The gym is close to my apartment, so I'm usually in the water within fifteen minutes of waking up. I'm usually groggy. And I never have my glasses on. I normally don't talk to the other regulars for this reason, as well as I'm not there to make friends; I just want to get my workout and get out. Because I don't talk to the other people, I don't know their names. Actually most of them I wouldn't recognize if I saw them on the street. I usually recognize other swimmers by their swim suits or their movements - their gaits and strokes. Few of them have I been close enough for my near-sighted eyes to make out facial features. Most of them I have nick-names for, such as "Mr. Red Speedo", "Swims with Closed Fist", and "Little Napolean."

However, this has begun to change. One of them introduced herself to me. She's very nice. I always knew she was thoughtful, though; she's a good lane-sharer. Now I feel like I have to greet her every morning though. And it's a slippery slope. She must be the society glue of the 6:30 pool, because she seems to know everyone else's names too. And she uses them. And I think she's trying to get all of us to use them. This sounds fine on paper, but I don't really want to be chummy with my fellow swimmers. Besides the fact that I'm not there to make friends, the gym provides many awkward moments in the mornings. For example, I don't want to chit-chat about the weather with Mr. Red Speedo after he's taken off said speedo.

I don't mind pleasantries. I'm good at banter. But my main goal while swimming is to breathe, not stop and ask how the knee of the guy in the lane next to me is doing today. However, I'm worried that if I continue my solitude among all of the other regulars, I will come off as stuck-up and rude.