Quick and Dirty Suit Review

Life has been busy, so I'll keep this post consistent with how most of my runs have been- quick and dirty. I spend a lot of time in the pool, so this means going through a lot of swimsuits, Aussie 3-minute Miracle Deep Conditioner bottles, swimcaps, defogger, and goggles.  It amazes me at times how much work it takes in the pool to improve and shave a mere 5 seconds off of a base 100, but in the end, well, everyone knows that it's worth it.


So, the suit review.  I normally buy all my swimsuits at swimoutlet.com, which always carries the name brands at cheap prices.  I've consistently worn TYR and Speedo, just because of the butterfly backstraps.  You know, a girl's got to keep her tan lines consistent, right?  Each of these suits range normally around $75, so imagine my surprise when I saw a similar design (Sporti) for $25.  Score!  I ordered a Sporti suit and a Speedo Endurance suit in my usual size.  

Speedo Endurance suit on the left, waste-of-money Sporti suit on right

I first tested out the Speedo Endurance suit.  They advertise this as lasting longer, and I think they mean it will last longer because it takes at least 5 swims to stretch it out to a normal size so you are always reluctant to wear it in the pool.  The straps were so tight on my arms it felt like I was swimming with a wetsuit on because my shoulders felt so restricted.  Mind you, these were ordered in my normal size...so if you go with this suit, know that it runs small but is made with good material and hopefully will last you for a few months.


My second test run was with the Sporti swimsuit.  I was excited because of the cute hot pink color...like, "Hey! Look at me swim fast in my hot pink suit!"  It fit a lot more comfortably on land, but once you hit that water, my first thought was, "This would make a great drag suit!"  Except, this isn't high school anymore where you wear two suits (the suit on top is a 'drag' suit, normally a worn-out, stretched out number that acts as a parachute while you swim).  It was so thin, painfully thin, and already felt stretchy.  No bueno.


During my debut of this Sporti suit, I happened to be swimming next to a Chris Lieto look-alike.  No joke.  He was serious swimming business.  We both were even dorky and had our workouts typed up in little Ziploc bags with our water bottles next to each other on deck.  In between sets, he joked around and made conversation with me, but this Sporti suit made me feel so self-conscious, like I was naked!  So I blame my lack of conversation skills on the Sporti suit.  So, horrible reviews all around for this suit.  I'd rather spend $50 more on a better suit, and in turn, a better impression with Chris Lieto-look-alike.


On a more positive note, these are my tried-and-true goggles.  I've been swimming and racing in these goggles for almost 15 years and have never found a better pair.  5 stars all around...

Speedo Women's Vanquisher Goggles

So there you have it, folks.  My version of "What Not to Wear," swimming-style.  Spend those precious pennies on quality Speedo suits and goggles, not cheapo Sporti swimwear suits, unless you plan on sunbathing on the pool deck, watching Chris Lieto look-alikes tear it up in the water where you really want to be.