How many times have you been in the middle of a 500+ yard swimming set only to ask yourself, “was that just 325 yards or am I at 275?” After scouring the recesses of your mind, you most likely gave up and decided to swim another 50 just to be safe. Combined with the monotony of swimming back and forth, this might be enough to drive you a little crazy. Instead of losing your mind next time you’re at the…
The date of my first triathlon arrived a bit before my ability to perform freestyle stroke for any significant distance—dang side-breathing. Beforehand, quite a few Google searches ensued such as “can I wear a snorkel in a triathlon?” and “can I swim backstroke in a triathlon?”. After scouring through lots of forum posts, I was able to find my answers. To answer the first question, most triathlons allow the use of a snorkel (check the rules of your event), but…
Last Saturday I completed my second marathon. It had been quite a few years since my first, so I had forgotten about the “post-marathon marathon”. That second marathon starts the minute you cross the finish line and suddenly realize that you still have to get back to your car, drive home, and survive the rest of the day. So, here’s a mile by mile breakdown of the post-marathon marathon based on my experience: Mile 1: Locating and then hobbling over to…
One day last year, my wife turned to me and asked if I’d like to do a triathlon with her. There were just two problems. One, I didn’t have a bike. And two, I couldn’t really swim. Yes, I was an elite dog paddler, but actually swimming with good technique for more than 25 yards? That was far beyond me. Next thing I knew, she had me signed up for an adult learn-to-swim class and I was back in the…