Swimming gear

I totally love my running gear, and I've joked that my favorite outfits involve running clothes.  Really, what can beat a running skirt, racing shoes, and a good ponytail??!?  I've been more consistent with my swimming and feel like I should review a few pieces of swimming gear. After a very good morning swim involving plenty of breaststroke and some freestyle, I thought swimming deserved a blog post.

I have a Splish swimsuit that I love.  It fits well, it covers everything up, and it has a fun design. I rate it an A (it would get an A+ but their swimsuits aren't cheap).

I use Tyr goggles.  Part of the strap broke, so I have to repair it by tying a knot in the strap. Thus the goggles get a B/B- rating. But the goggles fit well and let me see in the pool.  I would NOT be able to swim laps without goggles.

I like doing some kicking practice with fins. The pool provides Finis Zoomers, which work great.  I give the fins an A+ and would like to get my own pair of fins at some point!

I do my swimming at Oakland's public pools, and I give them a hearty A- rating.  The pools are well maintained, and the staff is friendly.  Sometimes lanes get a tad crowded. And the bathrooms are functional but nothing to write home about.

Swim on

Happy National Running Day! Whether you're running a mile or a marathon, playing tag, ORsetting records, you ARE a runner. I truly believe that us humans are designed to run.

I celebrated my runner-dom by going for a swim at a public pool in Oakland :) Today was a rest day, so I took it easy and enjoyed swimming some laps of breaststroke . In the water, I could feel my arms, chest, and back working, and now my triceps and back are sore, but in a good way.Tomorrow's coach-prescribed workout includes a ladder at 5K pace....should cause some pain!

Yup, this is my swimsuit, cap, and goggles!

Lions pool

I decided to take advantage of today's warm and sunny rest day by going for a mellow swim. I've discovered that Oakland's public pools have reasonable facilities, are quite well maintained, and are a great value for lap swimming. All in all, a fantastic example of a public good. So I drove up to Dimond Park, parked in a lot, wandered around and down a path to find the pool's entrance. The pool is tucked into a canyon in the lower part of the Oakland hills. After paying the $3 entrance fee, I was soon easing myself into the pool's slow lane :O

Jenica motivated me to cross train, but we also know that cross training need to be pretty easy so the legs can recover. I warmed up with a few nice and easy laps of breaststroke. I did a few faster laps- a couple freestyle (I never know what to do with my legs while doing the freestyle) and a couple more breaststroke. Then I cooled down with some relaxing laps of breastroke. My lap swimming pace is slow plus my form is not at all professional, but this otter loves aquatherapy!