New Stuff

It's always exciting when packages come in the mail. I got two of them yesterday!

The first was a spiffy new swim cap from the USMS "Go the Distance" program. If you track your yardage on their "flog" site (Fitness log), they send you free stuff when you achieve certain milestones. The first reward is a swim cap when you complete 50 miles in the calendar year. Thanks mostly to the 100 x 100s workout, I passed that milestone at the end of January...but I'm just now getting the cap. They're not real quick about it, but I guess they DO eventually deliver.

My next "reward" milestone is 250 miles, which I'll probably reach in early June. I'll get a Nike drawstring bag for that one (whoo hoo!). The goal for the year is to log 500 miles (and get a free swimsuit), which I should be able to do because of the extra yardage I'll pile up when the Chatfield pond opens.

Anyway, the USMS GTD flog page also lets you track your other workouts (running, walking, cycling, lifting, etc) as well as your weight and resting heart rate. I know that most of you probably already have some sort of tracking system for your workouts, but if you're looking for a different method, well, here's an online option that's easy to use and gives you stuff. I think it's pretty cool.

The other online thing that I'm endorsing today is Active.com's "Schwaggle" shop. I don't sign up for many email lists, and as I've said in many previous blogs, I think all email spammers should be tortured with dental drills and blowtorches before being hung to death in the public square. But Schwaggle send me great offers on stuff I can actually use. I've bought a GPS watch, compression socks, and biking gear through their program, usually at about half the retail price. They also offer unbelievable deals on nutriton products, athletic clothing, and even the occasional race entries.

My latest Schwaggle purchase was the "Body Wrench", the odd-looking pipes-with-wheels contraptions shown in the photo above. I had been looking for something to target the knots in my legs and upper back, and this thing looked like it might work. My existing foam roller and "thumper" massage unit definitely have their uses, but they don't really help me release the kinks in very specific muscle locations. I'm hoping the Wrench's solid round rollers might do the trick.

And if rolling my back and legs across the thing isn't value enough, you're supposed to be able to use them to do core-strengthening exercises, too. If you hold the pipes in a push-up grip and roll the devices outward or forward, you have to really work your gut to keep from falling over. Sounds like a great idea.

Will I do all the exercises they recommend on the accompanying DVD? History would suggest not. But you never know. It might be fun. And because I have these chronic tension areas, you know I'll be using these doodads for stretching and recovery...so maybe I'll be motivated to do actual work with them as well. We'll see.

Anyway, thinking about new gear so soon after ranting about recycling made me wonder about the lifespans of swimming equipment. I know that some items can last a LONG time -- I'm using hand paddles that are at least 20 years old, and they work just fine. My good friend Bob McKenry still uses the same foam pull buoy he used in college, and since Bob was born before the invention of fire, well...that sucker has to be centuries old.

But people are buying new gear all the time. So what happens to all the old stuff? When I was swimming at KU, we all practiced flinging kickboards across the pool. One fellow became an expert at throwing his board up to the ceiling, kicking it before it hit the ground, and then catching it on the rebound. (This was probably the inspiration for the game of hacky-sack.) I never did understand how he could do that...or why he spent so much time perfecting such a silly activity. But I do wonder if any of those old kickboards still exist? Are they still in the supplies cage at the school? Or have they all migrated to a landfill somewhere?

Many of you won't believe this story, but it's absolutely true: During the early years of Wichita Swim Club's outdoor long-course pool, our kickboards were actually made of wood. I'm not sure what kind; I think they were heavier than pine, but probably weren't oak or anything. If I remember correctly, they were about an inch thick, 18-inches wide, and about 2 feet long. It hurt if you got smacked by one of those solid planks. They floated well enough, I suppose, and we put in plenty of kicking miles while holding onto the clunky things. During breaks, though, we also built makeshift rafts out of the things, and even tried to stand on them. It didn't work that well, but you couldn't even attempt such projects with today's wimpy styrofoam boards.

My guess is that the wooden kickboards were donated to the team by the Buck Alley lumber company. There were a bunch of Alley kids who swam with WSC (including at one time, Kirstie, who later achieved the American Dream of acting in a movie with Steve Guttenberg), and I think they were all related to Buck in one way or another. I had a minor crush on Beth Alley at one point, and Mike Alley lent us the Giant Laser Cannon we used to destroy airplanes in "Dr. Thunderfinger." Anyway, I would bet that every one of those kickboards eventually rotted after being eternally waterlogged.

My most vivid memory of those boards is when Neugent brought his car onto the pool deck so he could tow us across the pool for "kickboard surfing". That story is documented here. If for no other reason than that, I hope those boards were disposed of humanely.

Anyway, I plan to wear my "50 Mile" cap at the Chatfield pond this summer, and I plan to use my Body Wrench to get both ripped and loosened. And speaking of Chatfield, don't forget that Waterton Canyon is supposed to reopen on Monday. Maybe if the Wrench helps me fix my stupid crappy reatarded hamstring, I'll be able to start running long distances and can get into shape. We'll see. I'll definitely let you know how it goes. In the meantime, enjoy the spring rains, and then have a great weekend!