Swimming Blind (without the pace clock)

So the pace clock at 24 hour fitness wasn't working today. I tried hitting the power switch a couple of times, but the second hand only moved a few clicks, then stopped. At first, I was a little annoyed. How would I do my workout if I did not have a clock to work from? There is a little clock on the far side of the pool, but with foggy goggles, it is almost immpossible to read. And I could not get mid-set splits from that clock. Then I remembered I had my watch on. Small, but enough to get the intervals. I still would not be able to mark each 100 like normal, but it would be easier to read then the clock. Besides, in an open water swim, I don't have someone telling me my split every 100. Swimming the workout blind would be a good marker to see what times I hit. And it was good. I just looked at my watch at the start of each interval and the end. I was hitting good times, but I do need to work on faster without the clock. I found I had a tendency to settle into a comfortable pace without the pace clock. Pushing to that next level in the swim will be easier if I do a few more "blind" workouts. It will help develop a better sense how fast I am moving, which will translate well into the open water.