Summers in the Pool & Triathlete Gifts

Many of us associate summer with lounging by the pool, or taking a dip in the lake or sea if you’re lucky to live near one.

It’s a good thing there are indoor pools that can be used all year long, even during the dead of winter. But somehow, in the gym and pool facilities everywhere, the heat of the summer season encourages people to flock to the pool more than any other time of the year.

Outdoor or indoor, pools are a gift from heaven, especially for those who live in big cities. I love to swim, though I’m terribly guilty of having stopped swimming regularly, as well as no longer writing about my swimming progress in this blog.

Yet somehow this summer season I’m kind of hoping things will get back to the way they should be and I’ll start swimming daily again. And get to watch the various international swimming competitions.

Gifts for the Triathlete

Speaking of international competitions, the Yokohama Triathlon 2013 was held in the city last month, with athletes from all over the world. Unfortunately, the weather was less than friendly. It rained all day on both days, no fun for both athletes and spectators.

Watching the athletes, I had nothing but respect for them. Ironmen and ironwomen are so amazing! Swim for miles and miles, bike for miles and miles, run for miles and miles. They’re living proof that the human mind and body can be pushed to great lengths.

Needless to say, I can also do all three: swim, bike, run. But not for miles and miles, far from it! Instead, I decided to design some gear for the triathlete. I’m extremely lousy at sports, but I love to watch athletes and totally love to design gifts and other paraphernalia 🙂

One of the best sellers in my swimmers’ gift shop is the Triathlete Daily Life T-Shirt.

It’s a very simple design. “Eat. Work. Swim. Bike. Run. Sleep.” The daily life of a triathlete! The back part can be customized with your name and favorite motivational quote. The t-shirts come in all shapes, colors and sizes, so there are plenty of ways to customize.

Shown on the left is the version with the sleeping dog for the word “SLEEP” and open water swimmers for the word “SWIM”. The arrangement is “Swim, Bike, Run” like in a triathlon event. There is also a sleeping cat and pool swimming version. Also, there is a version with a “Bike, Run, Swim” arrangement (as in, bike to work, run to the gym after work, then swim in the gym pool before hitting the sack).

A Highly Personalized Gift

The other day I had the happy task of customizing a t-shirt for a customer. A father, whose son was a triathlon participant, wanted to give a personalized birthday gift.

Customizing the shirt design in Adobe Photoshop.

Since I offer free customization for the triathlete shirt, he asked me to use his son’s pictures (photos he took of the son training for a triathlon) in the “Swim, Bike, Run” part of the design. Also, the son had a dog so I got to put that on the “Sleep” part! And, since the son was a meat lover, I was asked to change the “EAT” salad image with a grilled chicken one! 😀

After making the changes I sent the father the private URL for the customized item, and he promptly ordered it. I was really happy to help make unique gear that will bring a smile to a triathlete’s face. I do hope they’ll like the personalized gift!

More Gifts for the Triathlete

There are also matching regular mugs:

These are fully customizable, so you can choose from among different styles and colors, and add your name, initials and inspirational quote, for an item that’s uniquely yours.

Aside from plain mugs and t-shirts, there are also travel mugs, water bottles and mousepads. If you want this design on other items (such as notebooks, pillows, iPad cases, etc) just let me know and I’ll put it up there for you.

I think these make the perfect gift for your triathlete friend or family member, a great way to commemorate their latest triathlon or other athletic endeavor. If you yourself are a triathlete, why, you deserve personalized gear! 😉