I made it to the pool!

I finally made it to the pool.  I did a lot better than I thought I would.  About two months ago, I badly sprained my right wrist in a flag football accident.  It was so bad, I lost feeling and complete movement of my hand for about 15 minutes which was really freaky.  Luckily I regained movement and feeling of my hand, and there were no broken bones.  But to this day, I still have pain and limited range of motion, so I was pleasantly surprised when my wrist didn't bother me during the swim workout.  I almost forgot that my wrist was still messed up, until I tried to get out of the pool and my wrist almost gave out.

My swim stats
approximately 30 minutes in the pool
14:43 minutes of actual swim time
13 laps/650 meters with breaks of course

My arms were dead.  One tip I picked up when training for a sprint triathlon in 2008 was, less legs more arms, since you'll be using your legs in the running and cycle parts.  You can imagine by the end of the swim workout, my arms felt like jello.  One thing I know I need to keep working on is keeping my butt up and head down in order to maintain a streamlined form and efficient stroke.  I was happy with the results considering it was my first time back in the pool in a while.  I still have a long ways to go to complete a 1500 meter swim without stopping, especially an ocean swim.

So, what am I wearing these days?

2XU Endurance Compression Shorts are great TRI shorts.  They have 2 small pockets in the back and some cushioning for cycling.  Having a pair of shorts like these help with transitions, you don't have to waste your time changing, you can just get your shoes on and get moving on the bike or run.  2XU has additional products such as tops and full triathlon suits.  I have never tried them, but I hope to at least get another pair of shorts, and maybe a suit.  The shorts I purchased will run you about $50-$70 depending on where you get them.

I also have a pair of Speedo GCG competition goggles.  These were a huge improvement from my previous non-competition Speedo goggles.  The fit was better, the straps were better, the seal was better, and looked way better.  The goggles put me back about $16 at Sports Authority.

That's it for swim gear.  I've seen people workout in the pool with hand paddles or small flippers.  If anyone knows what those are for, let me know, should I be using them too?