Gear CHECK - Slogging

When you leave home to go for a run, you probably really only NEED a few things.  A good bra if you need one, a light if it's dark out, tall socks… hell it seems like shoes are even optional these days.  Oh, maybe a watch.

Slogging requires a bit more crap gear.

Slogging = Sucktastic Pool Jogging.

It might suck, but it is HARD if you do it right, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I did this all the time (which would be expensive as it would require a lobotomy and or a therapist and quite possibly daily medication) I would be SUPER fit.

1 shuffle iPod + plastic wrap + a little packing tape =
water resistant iPod shuffle.  I don't recommend using
your son's, like I did, because his taste in music is ... not
the same as my taste in music.

Anyway, after 1 week of slogging I’ve learned a few things.  When packing your gym bag, be sure to bring the following with you:

1)  A visor with an up grade – one of Those People took mercy on me the other day and gave me a hint on how to get my iTunes Rolling in the Deep end of the pool.  

“My loneliness is killing me… I must confess I still believe….”  

Yeah, trust me, when you’re slogging, these lyrics start to look down right Genius.  Of course, Interpol’s No I in Threesome is pretty genius too… for other reasons though. 

2)  Belt it Out – I tried “pool running” without floatation this summer.  Um.  You know what?  You need the floaty belty thingy so you can concentrate on form and counting.  Yes, counting.  I track my cadence in the pool, just as I do on land.  Ok, thats not true.  On land I don’t have to think about it.  But in the pool, I sometimes count to check it.  And frequent heart rate checks are another way counting AND the belt come in handy.  

3)  Intervals  - DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM.  They will SAVE YOUR LIFE.  I'm serious.  They serve as a way to break up the time blocks into bite sized pieces so you don’t choke to death.  Additionally, watching the clock gives you something to look at… other than the lifeguard who is pretending not to be looking at you like you’re insane.  Accidentally making eye contact with the lifeguard is to be avoided at all costs.  

Now, true, at some pools staring at the lifeguard could constitute a full body contact sport.  In my case, however, that’s not a plan.  At all.  I’m way better to stare at the clock and see that I have 1:30 left in my interval.  The other day I did 3X 5 min at Tempo.  But equally good is 1min Tempo/1 min recovery jog for 10 – 15 minutes.  Or today I did 1:30 Tempo with a 30 second recovery for 10 minutes and seriously, the 10 minutes vanished.  Speaking of eyes…

I googled "image sweat"
and got this, and...
you're welcome.

4)  Gonna Make You Sweat – I have it on good authority that if you have sweat dripping into your eyes, you’re doing it right.  So make sure you bring it to the pool.  And you might want to bring your water bottle too.  

5)  BRICK HOUSE – I found this UBER intense brick workout online.  It would be too much for the (novice) pool runner slogger like me, but it did give me some ideas.  I do some slogging broken up by swim sprints.  Or, some swimming broken up by Tempo slogging.  It's been a great way to make the slogging more appealing to me, a fairly strong swimmer.

…. I guess maybe "Properly Fitting Swim Suit" should be on this Gear List somewhere, huh?  I’m sure that as the weeks go on I will be able to add to this list.  Who knows what mental state I’ll be in by next Thursday.  Xanax could make the list...

Ok I'm kidding.  I find slogging weirdly satisfying.

As long as I am sweating and in a little discomfort I’m OK in the pool.  Okay, in a “If I can’t be outside doing what I really love to do” kind of way.  But then again, I’m the kind of stupid who thinks running 26.2 miles is fun… so I must really like being miserable.