OK NOT REALLY , what I actually did was get up at 5 AM (after a 3:30 feeding) and drove to the gym.. (well drove past it for starters, its been over 4 months since I've been there!) and jogged in the deep end of the water for 35 minutes.
HOWEVER --- my motivation for this feat sprang from the new knowledge that deep water jogging for 30 minutes burns over 400 calories!! That's like running on dry ground at 8 miles per hour -- I've never run at the 8mph pace even when I was skinny, and obsessive in my fitness...
400+ (453 to be exact) calories for moving my legs like Micah.. (my son, who is currently 14 weeks old, likes to kick like his life depends on it, even though it moves him nowhere..)....
I mused on that amazing calorie burn as I watched the octogenarian lifeguard sip his coffee and eat prunes. (SERIOUSLY!) And... as I watched the androgynous Masters coach post the day's work out... (Hmm short hair, ambiguous figure, voice that could be high for a man or low for a woman.....NOT SURE...)
I also mused on that calorie burn as I wondered if my ab crunches in deep water can count as much as they would on dry land.
Mentally I played a fun list of inspiring songs ("Lets Twist Again..", "Eye of The Tiger"," Chariots of Fire") as I moved my feet, legs and abs in a fury thinking this HAS to be some of the easiest calories I've ever burned... No weight in the deep water, and the pool noodle was actually more comfortable to use than the water belt.. not that I needed either, really. I have enough body fat and flotation devices built into my current body physique that I can do deep water running without either...
All in all it was a very successful crossing of the ocean. I started my day with the knowledge that maternity swimsuits will work as postpartum suits, that there is a whole lot less traffic at 5:15 AM in Winston Salem than in Charlotte at the same time...and that there ARE really good endorphins which come from even an "easy" running workout, and all that without shin splints!
