As Mad As A Hatter

As I have mentioned before, I am a hat fiend. I am a discriminating hat fiend, however, and can't wear just anything. First reason is because my head is large. For a woman, whose daintiness also comes from her frame and, ultimately, from the size of her head in relation to the rest of her body, I feel that I am also proportional but on a larger scale. My torso may be small but my extremities are unlikely for a person my height. My head, at 60 cm/23.5 inches in circumference, falls definitely into the large-extremities category.

I've decided that this post must be about the toppers we don in a triathlon, one for each event (in most cases).

 

We'll start in order.

Swim caps come in an array of colors and are usually one standard size for adults. I have long hair and what tends to happen in my case is that during training or competition, my cap starts to slowly slide back. I have ripped many a cap in competition (even my first 70.3 cap which are normally thinner, about as thin as aluminum foil) due to the fact that the cap is about ready to shoot off my head because of the tight bun of hair at the back of my scalp.

One recommendation was to wear two caps so that the sliding is reduced. That worked somewhat well but it wasn't until the good people at Speedo thought about us with long Rapunzel-like ringlets that salvation was found: the Speedo Long Hair Cap, a cap with a bit of a pocket integrated into the material for those awkward buns.

 

Sakes alive, I believe we have a winner.

There have been tons of innovations in terms of swim caps since Busby Berkeley but I still think that if I were a synchronized swimmer, I would at least invest in one of Speedo's Flower Caps, a cap that covers down past the ears and decorated with enough silicone flowers to make even a flower pot in a hospital waiting room jealous.

There is also a non-flower-adorned version which most of those who have put their flower-power days behind them would appreciate. This particular model comes in two sizes, medium and large. It covers the ears quite nicely and reduces drag in the water.

Next post: your choice in helmets.