Pull Buoys

I'm convinced pull buoys were at one point a practical joke from some insane swim coach, and are now an elaborate hoax carried on my masters swimmers, authors, triathletes, lifeguards, etc.  Hell, it's a full blown conspiracy to make us aspiring swimmers look like idiots.  Here, stick this thing between your legs and try to swim.

The swim plan I'm following, when I actually do swim, is based on the book beIronfit.  The first 10 weeks rotated 5 different workouts, once I did them all I forgot about the book and just swam some variation of them.  Now that I'm (well) into the second ten weeks, I decided to pick up the book again and see what was in store for me.  Today, in the middle of my swim, was pull, 400 yards, a first for me.

It's a good thing I wasn't in open water, amongst the big fishes, cause swimming with a pull buoy equated to me doing my best dying/injured minnow imitation.  I managed to throw an arm completely over a lane line on several strokes, and I think at one point my feet were actually leading the way.

As I was leaving, the lifeguard got up to hand me my pool pass and asked how my swim was.  I threw her in.  It's ok, most lifeguards know how to swim, and besides, I know she's in on it.