Wetsuits serve multiple purposes. They keep you warm, they allow you to slip through the water better, and they add some boyancy (you know, sexy waterwings). I had a long john (sleeveless) version that I bought 14 years ago. But it was nearly impossible to get off quickly (which matters when you're racing) and when I went swimming in cold, cold, cold Lake Michigan, oh the pain of unprotected arms. (Sometimes it's balmy, but sometimes it just freezing.)

So I've been going into stores and putting on wetsuits and pretty much making myself crazy trying to find something I liked. Then a couple of friends recommended Xterra. That's a company in California that specializes in wetsuits and they only sell direct (you know, like Dell used to do). They figure by cutting out the middlemen they can offer more bang for the buck. I was nervous about buying something without trying it on, but they're got an excellent returns policy. So I went ahead and ordered one. Boy, it's one sweet suit. But then things got really strange. When I told them I liked their product I mentioned that I was coaching triathlon. They asked if I'd be willing to mention their company and offered to give anyone I sent their way a discount. I wasn't expecting much, but when they sent me the details sheet it was as much as 50% off. (And yes, they ended up giving me the discount too.) I guess they figure since they don't sell to stores, this is a way to get people in the door. But it's a wholesale price! So you know when you're on the ubiquitous order processing screen and they've got a place for a discount code and you haven't got one and you wonder what you're missing out on? Well, I can give you a code. It's

I'm not completely comfortable shilling for people, but my impressions of the company are incredibly positive so far. (If you give them a shot and are in any way not thrilled, let me know.) So if you've been looking for a wetsuit click on the logo below and see if they've got something that fits your needs. What have you got to lose?