Swim happy

[ElaineK]

I dropped about 2.5sec off my 50 FR and 6 sec off my 50 Fly!

Those are awesome time drops. Congratulations!

[Bill Sive]

I have swim goggles. Lots of swim goggles. Yesterday, at one of the pools at which I swim, one of the older male kids (15 y/o) asked about my goggles. (I had four pair with me.) The pool is in an economically disadvantaged area, so the young adults here are not that well off. The young man is on the swim team and water polo team, but does not own any swim goggles. I gave him two pair, and told him not to worry about it. Felt good to do this little thing for him.

[tigerchik]

that is definitely a feel-good thing, Bill.
My swim happy is a 20k week... haven't had that in quite awhile.

[ElaineK]

My swim happy for today is about Swim Outlet, because they came through, once again, with great customer service. I had purchased a Tyr polyester grab bag suit that ended up being 94% poly/ 6% Spandex. Well, this Spandex really gave out fast! According to my FLOG, the suit only lasted about 80 miles before completely stretching out. And, it's a size smaller than I usually wear! My Speedo Endurance suits last close to 300 miles, so I figured a Tyr poly suit would last a lot longer than 80 miles. But, it started stretching out about 40 miles ago.

I wrote to Swim Outlet about the problem with my suit and this was their reply:
Dear Elaine,

Thank you for contacting SwimOutlet.com. I am sorry to hear that your suit
did not hold up longer for you. While we can not guarantee the exact
number of miles a suit will last, as a courtesy we can send you a replacement
suit or issue a store credit if you would like to try a different item. To
return the damaged merchandise, you will be issued a prepaid postage label
from FedEx. This label will be sent electronically to your email address
within the next 2-3 hours along with instructions on how to use it. When
looking for the emailed label, be sure to check your Spam filters and folders as
this message may be filtered out. Please let us know if you would like a
replacement or if you would prefer store credit once the suit is received.
Once again, I apologize for any inconvenience. Should you have any additional
questions please do not hesitate to let us know. Have a great day!

I replied with a request of a replacement suit and this is the e-mail I received today:

Dear Elaine,

Thank you so much for the positive feedback. It's always great to hear that our customers are happy with our service - it's our number one priority! Per your request, we have shipped a replacement suit to you at no cost. You should receive this suit within 3-5 business days. I hope that you're happy with the new suit - but as always, please let us know if you have any questions or if any problems arise. Thanks again for contacting us at SwimOutlet.com and have a wonderful day!

Now, that's GREAT customer service! I have bought a lot of gear from Swim Outlet and have always been pleased with their prices and customer service.

[geochuck]

Happy for you. You should not train in a tight swim suit maybe it was too stretched. I always suggest you wear a properly sized suit for training and race in one or two sizes down.

[ElaineK]

Happy for you. You should not train in a tight swim suit maybe it was too stretched. I always suggest you wear a properly sized suit for training and race in one or two sizes down.

Actually, I didn't buy it for training; I bought it for racing at local meets! But, it felt too large for racing; more like the 36 I usually wear for training. When I first tried it on, it felt larger than a size 36 Speedo Endurance. So, I put it to use as a training suit, instead.

I never train in tight suits; my shoulders can't stand it! If anything, I train in suits too large, because of my shoulder issues.

[philoswimmer]

Actually, I didn't buy it for training; I bought it for racing at local meets! But, it felt too large for racing; more like the 36 I usually wear for training. When I first tried it on, it felt larger than a size 36 Speedo Endurance. So, I put it to use as a training suit, instead.

I never train in tight suits; my shoulders can't stand it! If anything, I train in suits too large, because of my shoulder issues.

Elaine, I can't help but remember your story about your Endurance suit literally coming apart at the seams. Were there any warning signs? I've taken to looking at my seams before every swim -- some of them seem potentially suspect -- but the suit keeps holding on. Am I just tempting fate?

[ElaineK]

Elaine, I can't help but remember your story about your Endurance suit literally coming apart at the seams. Were there any warning signs? I've taken to looking at my seams before every swim -- some of them seem potentially suspect -- but the suit keeps holding on. Am I just tempting fate?

Yes, they did- after 262 & 297 miles for the two suits. That's a lot of miles for one suit, so it was bound to go bad, eventually!

The fabric was so durable, the seams did go first. You will notice them start to go, a few stitches at first. But, when I bent over, the suit split all the way.

You may be tempting fate, but what's the worst that can happen?

[philoswimmer]

Yes, they did- after 262 & 297 miles for the two suits. That's a lot of miles for one suit, so it was bound to go bad, eventually!

The fabric was so durable, the seams did go first. You will notice them start to go, a few stitches at first. But, when I bent over, the suit split all the way.

You may be tempting fate, but what's the worst that can happen?

Well, there can be as many as 40 people at one of my workouts, and my butt just isn't that pretty that I want to share it with all of them!

I'm not a seamstress, so I may be using the wrong words... but there is the stitching and then some sort of overstitching... the stitching looks ok but the overstitching is starting to go (it looks like it's meant to strengthen the main stitching?) Is that what you saw before it went splitsville on you?

[ElaineK]

Well, there can be as many as 40 people at one of my workouts, and my butt just isn't that pretty that I want to share it with all of them!

I'm not a seamstress, so I may be using the wrong words... but there is the stitching and then some sort of overstitching... the stitching looks ok but the overstitching is starting to go (it looks like it's meant to strengthen the main stitching?) Is that what you saw before it went splitsville on you?

Yep! So, you have been forewarned...

[philoswimmer]

Yep! So, you have been forewarned...

Forewarned is forearmed! Thanks, Elaine. I'm retiring the suit!

[arthur]

Forewarned is forearmed! Thanks, Elaine. I'm retiring the suit!

Fortunately for guys our Endurance suits seem to fail much less dramatically. For mine, my fingers went through the seam while taking it off.

[__steve__]

A jammer and brief as two layers of suit, though not a perfect suit, suits me fine.

[philoswimmer]

Forewarned is forearmed! Thanks, Elaine. I'm retiring the suit!

To bring this back to the "swim happy" theme -- I really enjoyed wearing a new suit today! I had forgotten that the Endurance suits actually have a bit of stretch in them when you first get them. So, I was more comfortable *and* I didn't reveal my butt to anyone. Win-win.

[no200fly]

Our pool began using the aerators this week. The water is cool and crisp. Sunshine and cool water - you can't get better than that.

[ElaineK]

My swim happy for the day comes on a day when I didn't even swim; I took the day off after training 7 days in a row.

Instead, I worked, today, with my swim "student"; my volunteer project, teaching a 66 year old gal how to swim. Gail had practiced quite a bit while I was away on vacation. And, today, she announced that, while I was away, she swam 300 yards of backstroke, non-stop, killing her previous record. AND, she is now consistently hacking off 5 strokes off her 25 yard stroke count that she was swimming when I last worked with her!

Gail is definitely ready for the 100 freestyle (as backstroke) at her second Geezer Games!

[Swimosaur]

... my volunteer project, teaching a 66 year old gal how to swim ...

Elaine, it is great that you are doing this!

[ElaineK]

Elaine, it is great that you are doing this!

It has been a lot of fun. Not only have I made a nice friend out of the experience; she has taught me a lot, too!

[ElaineK]

Swimosaur and I were on a 400 Yard Mixed Free Relay, at Georgia Tech, that made Top Ten; our first ever in SCY. Our relay, with Chris Eastman and Jennifer Almand, placed 6th! Here's to you, Swimosaur!

[jethro]

Swimosaur and I were on a 400 Yard Mixed Free Relay, at Georgia Tech, that made Top Ten; our first ever in SCY. Our relay, with Chris Eastman and Jennifer Almand, placed 6th! Here's to you, Swimosaur!

That's awesome! Which meet was that? I wonder how I missed something so close to home.