Aqua Gear

Anyone who has been reading this blog for more than one post, knows I am prone to injury. It sucks. I haven't solved the problem yet, but I am finding more ways to keep going when I am forbidden, by Jesse, from running. One of my favorite alternative ways to burn, is to get wet. Putting my head in the water still freaks me out, so my swimming lacks a little something, but I do love water running. Yes, it can get boring (although, not as much if you watch the water aerobics class and gawk at the "real" swimmers) and it's cold in the morning, but I just can't beat the benefits. My hip doesn't hurt and it really stretches out the plantar fasciitis in my right foot. Awesome!

So, between Jesse's "real" swimming and my water running, we hit the pool 4-5 days a week and it seemed like a perfect fit when Aqua Gear asked us to do review of a few of their products. To be honest, I had never heard of Aqua Gear before. Usually, I settled on getting our water needs from Amazon or Big 5, settling on their low selection because I didn't know where else to go. Enter Aqua Gear.

Really, all you need to know about them is that AquaGear Swim Shop is a family owned and operated boutique with a focus on fast, responsive, and helpful customer service, which I experienced first hand. They were great to work with, and helpful in choosing the products we should review.  Founded in 1992 by Joanne Bullock, an Aquatic Personal Trainer, Life Guard, and Swimming Instructor, this swim store has gained a substantial following in the aquatic community for it's unique selection, and commitment to the highest level of customer service. Didn't know it before, but I do now! 

The hard task came when we needed to choose our products, and that is only because they had such a huge selection of lots of different products. Things I never would have thought of trying before, I now had access to. My browsing led to water weights. Brilliant! Just what I needed to step up my water workouts. I was sold. Because my legs aren't the strongest, I went with the Water Gear Aquatic Ankle Weight in the 3lb per pair option.  Like a dork, when they arrived I tried them on and strutted around the house. I looked pretty hot. They were easy to snap on and adjust, which I knew would be handy for putting them on in the pool (and it was). I liked the way they felt and nothing rubbed or hurt walking around so it was time to dive into the pool. It was easy to put them on in the pool and I started off, sticking to the shallow end since that is our pool's rule, and I instantly noticed the impact they were going to have on my workout. The extra resistance was perfect. I proceeded to run, high knee, butt kick, and jump my way up and down the lane. My little leggies were already more tired than they had ever been after a pool workout. Love! Now, I take them every time. They are the perfect way to step up boring water running, and they also have lots of other water exercise options. Sweating in the water is just so much fun!

Now, I will throw it to Track Coach, whom by the way just the Head Coaching job in Onalaska so send him a congrats! Hi there, long time no write... So thanks to the wonderful folks at AquaGear, I got a brand new pair of goggles. I got a pair of Speedo Air Seal Tri Goggles currently listed for $19.99. They were probably the most comfortable goggles I have ever worn! They seal very easily and stay sealed and are good for long sessions in the pool or lake. I also really liked the wider peripheral vision the goggles allowed. I could definitely see that being a bonus during a race. One note, the nose piece is not adjustable and I found it to be fairly wide so I would caution you about these goggle if you happen to have a narrow face as a couple of my swim buddies have (they tried them and had a hard time getting the goggles to seal). However, since I would consider my face to be medium, and they worked like a charm. I would say these goggles would work perfectly for anybody that has a medium to wide set eyes and would like to have a pair of goggles they don't have to worry about during a long swim session or a triathlete looking for a good solid set of goggles.

Right now is the perfect time to get to know AquaGear better, they are having a 40% off inventory sale! Yippee! Check them out here and/or like them on FB here and tell them Track Coach and Adorable Wife sent ya! I also want to mention a few other really great things about them. First, they have an A+ rating from the BBB. That's huge to me. I want to know I can trust a company before I use them, and the BBB is like a million good reviews! Second, third, and fourth, they do same day shipping (plus free shipping on orders over $75), they do a price match up to 30 days after purchase, and (this is fantastic) easy returns up to 60 days post purchase, no questions asked. So big for online shopping!  Seriously, check them out!