Hey TSC crew,

I am sure you have all experienced this at least once in your swim career: you have gotten up at 4:30am, stumbled out of the house with your cup of coffee in hand, then driven to the pool only to realize that you have forgotten your goggles, swim suit, towel or change of clothes at the house. It is frustrating to say the least especially when you have put so much energy into getting to the pool.

It is times like these that I reach for my “Oh Crap!” Bag. Since I am a forgetful person even without the pre-caffeine haze and at the same time paranoid that I will forget something, I always need a backup plan just in case. This bag has saved many workouts and prevented me from either scrapping a workout or giving a subpar effort. I keep it in the corner of the trunk of my car and only reach for it when I need to. I may go for months without having to delve into it, but there is always that one time that I am thankful that it is there.

Here is what is in my bag:

• Two swimsuits/jammers: just in case and because I am paranoid one will rip
• Two goggles: in the event my back up leaks
• Towel: which also comes in handy after long bike rides and runs and I do not want to sweat over my car seat
• Empty water bottle: in case I forget water for a long workout
• Amrita or another bar if I am really dragging before a workout
• Tube of NUUN (electrolyte tablets) for unexpected states of dehydration before or after workouts.
• Change of clothes (one casual and one work set) since my workouts sometimes go long and I have to go straight to work or out

Make sure if you take anything out of it you immediately replace it; it’s even more frustrating to not only forget your swimsuit and then realize your backups are all gone as well.

Train hard crew!
Coach Chris and Kev