Friday, January 21, 2011

How to Make Your Swim Goggle's Lenses Like New

You can make your swim goggle lenses so they are like new again by following the simple steps in this post.

When you use a new pair of swim goggles for the first few times, you'll find they improve your vision under water dramatically over your old scummy goggles. But over time, pool chemicals and water scum (white film) builds up on the lenses. Try this tip and you'll probably find you see a lot better underwater without forking out another $10 - $20 for a new pair.

Tools: toothbrush with soft bristles (tougher bristles might work, but could scratch the lens ... try at your own risk) and toothpaste (I used Crest paste with whitener).

Just apply a dab of toothpaste to the toothbrush and scrub for about thirty seconds, rinse and enjoy. Be sure to do both sides of each lens.

What's happening? The toothpaste has a mild abrasive which removes the built up scum that will not come off with regular soap and washcloth.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Martin Strel Announces His Next Challenge

Just finished listening to Martin Strel on a BBC audio stream (listen here) discuss his Guinness World Record breaking Amazon swim where he swam the infamous stretch of water from end to end. Martin's portion of the clip runs for about 10 minutes, beginning at about the 11:30 mark.

Featured in the BBC discussion, Martin talks about what started him swimming in the first place (sad story here); why he prefers swimming in fresh water over salt water (I figured the latter would be easier ... he says no and why); How the Amazon swim was his dream accomplishment (no surprise there); what he thinks got him through the Amazon swim alive and kept safe (touching story); how the whole trip came to a near disaster on the final day (didn't know this and I've followed this guy every day during the swim); the diseases he caught; his 24/hr a day elixir (this still makes me laugh); how swimming is a mind game; how long he took to recover; and most exciting ... his next challenge.

Well worth the listen!