"I was blown away from the moment I jumped in"

I've seen the Endless Pool system advertised on TV for years, but as a swimmer I've always been extremely skeptical. So skeptical, in fact that I never even bothered to try it until a few months ago. At the risk of sounding like I am shamelessly promoting Endless Pools, my skepticism was blown away from the moment I jumped in. (Note: Endless Pools did not give me a free pool to say this, but that doesn't mean they're not welcome to). Now, this aquatic treadmill comes at a price, but if you have $13K you're dying to blow through, and you suck at swimming, the Fastlane can work wonders.

The Fastlane Pool was developed out of the Fastlane System, which is a device that you can install on the side of a home pool to create a current. It's a cool product, but it doesn't do you much good if you don't have a pool in your backyard. The Fastlane Pool is a miniature pool, which is surprisingly portable. In a few hours, you can set it up outdoors for the summer then move it into the garage when the weather turns south.

My favorite feature of the Fastlane is the ability to watch yourself as you swim using the optional floor mirror. For new swimmers it provides an opportunity to see those major flaws that coaches have been trying to fix. For more experienced swimmers, you'll be able to try minor tweaks to your hand position, catch and stroke to see what works best for you.

The Fastlane Pool makes triathlon's least convenient discipline incredibly convenient and lets you swim on your own schedule. No more driving to the pool, paying Masters fees and swimming in a lane crowded with Clydesdales sporting water wings.

- Brad Culp, Editor