I hate swimming laps in a pool.  I don’t hate swimming per se just the lap swimming.  I liked being in water and partaking in indoor tri’s or swimming on vacation.  It’s the boring monotony of swimming back and forth for what seems a thousand times. It’s not have a view, I love everything outdoors and will choose outdoors any day over indoor training anything.  When I swim laps I get to look at a blue line at the bottom of the pool and maybe the odd swimmer in the next lane.    It’s the horrible chlorine that dries out your skin and hair and makes you smell all day.  It is goggle eyes.  Goggle eyes are the worst… or at least I seem to get them very bad, especially when I swim in the morning before going to my office job.  I have had colleagues ask if everything is ok thinking that my eyes are puffy from crying.

Since I’ve started to train for another Ironman (wisconsin 2015) after taking nearly a year off of triathlon (aka swimming)  I asked for a waterproof iPod for Christmas.  It won’t resolve the dry skin or puffy eyes but I thought if might alleviate the boredom. So without much research (when do i have time for research) I chose the audioflood.  http://www.audioflood.com/?gclid=CI7Piub7hMMCFQ6paQod0oYA5g

The iPod shuffle I got came in a regular case with its own headphones and charger etc. identical to my regular non-waterproof shuffle.

It also came with a cute little bag with waterproof headphones, a swim cap and various earbud attachments.  Pictured here:

AUDIOFLOOD

I tried it for the first time this past Sunday.  I got to the pool late and dreaded every minute of it. It had snowed the entire day before and I didn’t want to drive in the bad roads/ weather so my previous workout plans were put on hold as I figured out what I was going to do (or maybe it was just avoidance). Finally after spending the day indoors working and doing some wardrobe spring cleaning I had to get out.  So I gathered all my stuff put on many layers and my big winter boots and walked to the closest FFC location.  It was nice to get out and there was a sprinkling of snow coming down… so pretty.

At 4:30  ish I finally arrived at the pool deck.  Delaying as much as possible I jumped in.   I attached the headphones to the iPod and inserted them in my ears and pulled my cap over my ears.  Good so far.  I turned the iPod on and clipped it to the back of my cap.  Satisfied with the volume etc. I started swimming… all I could hear was a buzzing or white noise in the background.  I stopped to adjust the volume and this time clipped the iPod to my suit in front.  Starting to swim again I could sort of hear the music and it came in and out in line with my breathing.  Apparently when my head turned out of the water for a breath I could hear better…  I kept swimming, the earbuds fell out.  I pushed them in my eardrums and pulled the cap down again.  I clipped the iPod to the back of my cap.  I worked my way through myself made workout – of 200 swim, 200 breath left side only, 200 kick, 200 pull all x 2.  At this pool I do 10 lengths for a 200 vs the normal 8 because the pool is really short.  The earbuds fell out several times and I could sort of hear the music.

I was thinking maybe I could load it with some podcasts or something but if the sound doesn’t get much better I might just stick to music.

Next time I will try different earbuds.  It came with shorter ones so I think these might fit my ear better.  I hope it works!!!!

Well its noon here in Chicago and I’m already trying to prep myself for tonight’s swim at 8 pm… Its cold the pool is cold, it’s at a high school (think high school kids who have just swam in the pool- ewe!)

They don’t call it triathlon because there is no swim…

Stay tuned for trial #2. Anyone else out there have any thoughts on this? I would love to hear what others think.