Body Glide, Triathletes best friend

Shortly after I started training for my first triathlon a couple years ago, a good friend told me about Body Glide. I was complaining about some minor chafing issues and I was told this was the product I needed to try. Fast forward a couple of years and I have now done/competed in over 6 triathlons ranging from sprint distance all the way up to a Half Ironman. I won't ever race or train without it. I believe in it so much that when I went to my season ending Blue Water sprint triathlon and realized the evening before that I had forgotten my stick of Body Glide, I drove all over Port Huron Michigan looking for a sporting goods store that carried it. I ended up buying the last stick of it they had at a Dunham's store. It would have been ugly if they had been out.

The reason Body Glide works so well for me is it's wide variety of uses and ease of application. The product comes in "deodorant" like stick which makes application and storage a breeze. It is not messy to put on like Vaseline or many of the "whatever butter" products can be. Body Glide has never stained or ruined any of my expensive tech clothing. It retains its lubricating effect even through long hours in the saddle on training rides. During my Half Ironman race, I applied it generously in the normal "chafe sensitive" area (read that as inner thigh, saddle contact location, rear end, crotch or what ever your preferred term is haha). Then I applied it just as generously around where my shirt would rub on my shoulders, my nipples, and in my shoes where I know I have a tendency for blisters. 6 hours and a ton of sweat later, I was chafe free. I only had a couple of blisters on my feet from my cycling shoes, not my running shoes where I had used the product. In fact, had I not used it in my running shoes the blisters from my cycling shoes might have caused me to quit had they gotten worse on the run. I had been sweating profusely and dumping water over my head all day and Body Glide just kept on doing it's job. I can honestly say the when I am wearing Body Glide, I don't even think about rubbing or chafing issues. I have enough to think about while training or racing and I am thankful worrying about rubbing or chafing is not one of them.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was sent a couple of samples of Body Glide prior to this review. However, I was a committed customer well before I received the samples and I will continue to use it to literally save my rear end at every race.

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It's all about the goggles.

Let me just start by saying that I am an "old school" swimmer. I grew up in the pool and have been a Speedo goggle wearer as long as I can remember. That has changed this winter. It was time to replace my current goggles about a month ago. So off to the store I go to take a look at the latest and greatest Speedo, TYR and Nike had to offer. I haven't been exactly pleased with my most recent Speedo goggles. They seemed like the most uncomfortable pair of goggles I had worn in a long time. The problem I have is that I miss the old days with the soft neoprene foam gasket around the lenses. It's hard to find a pair with that anymore that fit right or the neoprene doesn't obstruct the view. This time I decided maybe I'd go a new direction. I checked out all the Nike goggles, they looked cool and seemed ok but nothing really caught my attention. I looked at TYR and that's when I found what had to be one of the coolest looking pair of goggles I had seen in quite some time. The rubber they were made from seemed soft enough so I had to give them a try.

What I bought was the Nest Pro, Blue made by TYR. Here is TYR's description from their website.

A performance goggle that transcends traditional design. Inspired by the unique bird nest architectural design of Beijing's main stadium for 2008. The structural elements of the Nest Pro's frame creates a unique grid-like effect, similar to the way a bird's nest is intertwined for support. TPR frame/gasket features dual-injected system with over-molded nosebridge. Patent Pending Nest Frame Technology.

• Polypropylene over-mold nest frame provides unique high-tech structure design.
• Headstrap features patented Glide Clip system which allows easy on-head adjustment.
• Double VTS (Varied Tensile Strength) silicone headstrap conforms to side of head while flat back straps allow for secure fit.
• Wide peripheral Cellulose Propionate (CP) lenses feature imbedded anti-fog properties and are UV protected.
• Soft TPR gaskets for comfortable, water-tight fit.

Now enough of the "company line" propaganda. What's the real story with these goggles?
Plain and simple. I LOVE THEM!!! The fit reminds me of the old school goggles of my youth. They look awesome and the comfort is out of this world. I am not sure what the heck "Soft TPR gaskets" are but where the rubber meets the face is the softest most comfortable fit I have found in a long time. The strap is easily adjustable. They are extremely fog resistant with incredibly clear and wide area of vision. I have had no issues with water leakage to date. The only con I have is the strap. I really, really like the old single, fat rubber strap. All the new goggles have a double strap of some kind and to me it is a pain in the rear end to deal with. Yeah, once they're on and set they, for the most part, are good but I would prefer the old single strap. I mean the double strap always ends up twisted around it's self and like a single strap by the end of the workout anyways so why bother. I have noticed the strap has a tendancy to slip up my head during flip turns occasionaly when wearing a swim cap. But if the strap is the biggest complaint I can find with these goggles then we've made huge strides.

This old Speedo goggle guy has officially become a TYR goggle guy. I can't wait to try them in a race or open water swim to see if they still hold up but as of now they have my vote.

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