Gear Rundown -- Swim

Here's the stuff I currently use, along with some of my notes and ideas.  Enjoy!

Goggles:  Speedo Speedsocket Mirror
I use these for both training and racing.  They are pretty dark, and I also have a lighter colored pair of goggles (different brand) in my bag as a backup.  I don't put my goggles under my cap, but these are pretty low profile and tight, so I'm not as concerned with them getting knocked off.  The only downside is that I get serious raccoon eyes that last for hours after my workout.

Wetsuit:  Foor HQ1
(I know, you've never heard of it, right?  At least that makes it easy for my husband to spot me when I'm getting out of the water.)
I got this wetsuit from triuk.com, which was one of my go-to resources for triathlon stuff in English when I lived in Poland.  They had a "rent it for the season" policy and I figured this was also a good way to test drive a wetsuit.  It fit well and I liked it, so I decided to buy it at the end of the season.  Pretty easy.
It keeps me warm, it is buoyant, and I don't feel like it impacts my stroke.  So I don't really see the need to find another wetsuit for the time being.  I can spend that money on plenty of other things.

Other swim-essential things:
1.  Plastic grocery bags.  For me, this is the easiest way to get my wetsuit on quickly.  I put the bag over my foot and then slide the suit over it, basically to the top of the bag.  Repeat with other foot and then hands.
2.  Lubricant.  No one sells Body Glide in Poland.  The grocery stores don't have Pam.  I was not going to pay a boatload to ship it to me, so instead I made my own, out of beeswax and sesame oil.  I now have enough to last probably the rest of my tri career, but it does smell a little like peanut butter.
3.  Lap counter.

(By Sportcount)
I have one of these somewhere.  I recently misplaced it and I really miss it.  It goes on your index finger and you hit the button with your thumb and since I tend to zone out, it is pretty helpful.

Since I can't find my counter, I've had to use my own methods for keeping track of my laps:  the alphabet.

For me, this is a lot easier than counting.  I always count by 50s, so if I need to do a 400, that is 8x50 and the 8th letter of the alphabet is H.  As I swim, I think of things that start with the letter lap I'm on.  It usually winds up being food (mmm!), but I've also used cities, animals, team names, etc.  This also helps to keep my mind occupied because I get really, really bored while I'm swimming.

That's about it for my swim gear.  My pool has the pull buoys and kickboards, so I just use the ones there.  There a few other things I'm thinking about buying, but I'll save those until they're in my hands.

Thanks for reading!