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I’ve had my new swimming toys for over a week now, and I’d review all of them most-favorably. The long hair swim cap never slides back on my head, the Vanquisher goggles do not fog or leak (though they leave some really crazy-looking rings around my eyes), and the kickboard has enhanced my workout exactly like I wanted it to. These few small purchases have made a pretty big difference in my workouts—less reason to stop, more variety to keep me going. Yay!

I also, on a whim, signed up to be a member of US Masters Swimming. It’s an organization for adult swimmers, and while many members swim with local clubs (as in, they practice with coaches and compete in meets and stuff) there are also benefits to being an unattached non-competer like myself. Their website has a great forum where swimmers can share recommendations on workouts, pools, and equipment, and there are competitions and challenges that you can participate in even if you’re not with a club.

For example… they have a year-long challenge called Go the Distance, which I have signed up for. You use their online fitness log to keep track of how much you swim from day to day, and you get awards for major milestones. They have awards at both 50 and 100 miles, and it’s now my goal to get both of those by the end of the year. At the rate I’m currently going (15 miles a month), I should have no problem. It kind of works on an honor system (there’s nothing to stop me from lying about my progress) and the awards are nothing fancy (certificates, suitable for framing), but hey! It’s a motivator! They’ll list my name on their website when I succeed! That’s enough for me.