Earth Changes and Athletic Life

These are challenging and exciting times.  We are experiencing many changes - economically and ecologically:  Domestically in the US: Mortgage meltdowns, government bail-outs, rising unemployment, and a gargantuan oil spill.   Internationally:  The long overdue Mid-East “emancipation”, with the absolute certainty of higher oil prices.  Perhaps our days of

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Note:  The First installment of this series appeared here in late January. 

The Articulate Dialogue Between Body and Brain

Matt Fitzgerald has travelled the world seeking knowledge from sports physiologists, coaches and elite runners on training.  In his book "RUN, The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel"  he states that successful runners train and race most effectively when they rely on

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Triathlon 101: Biking Indoors

For those of us who live in the Great White North, cycling is often relegated to the indoor stationary trainer in the winter.  (And it’s been a great white winter in the northeast.  No complaints!)  While we may feel mentally engaged in the pool, as we pursue swimming excellence, it’s difficult to keep that kind of fresh awareness staring at a wall on nursing the

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Introduction

In the pursuit of athletic excellence, the most advanced and meticulously crafted training programs cannot provide guidance as accurate and appropriate as intuition and the pursuit of enjoyment and confidence.  

I just finished reading Matt Fitzgerald's "RUN, The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel".  Matt has written 17 books on running and writes extensively for Triathlete

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It has been 28 days since I rolled my car on to its roof.  I walked away with 5 fractures – 2 to my left clavicle, as well as my sternum, a rib and my left wrist.  During the ambulance transport, my pulse was 42 and blood pressure 120/70.  The attendants were curious about my calm nature and refusal to accept any medication for pain.  I spent less than 24 hours in the hospital for x-rays and CAT

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Balance is Profound!

Going Deep Part II

In the "Going Deep" blog, I summarized and examined some of the deep philosophical tenets and similarities between Total Immersion Swimming and ancient forms of "body-mind" practice like yoga and T'ai Chi.  I omitted a discussion on balance to keep that entry from turning into an epic.

Balance is the most crucial element of efficient swimming.  In freestyle

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The weather at Lake Anna State Park in Virginia was absolutely perfect last weekend (08-10 October) for the Virginia Double and Triple Iron Triathlons.  The Triple began Friday morning at 7, the Double on Saturday morning at 7.  Both events officially ended Sunday evening at 7.  This was to be my first Triple, since I had completed the Double in 2007, and was eager to step into new

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First, "BIG PROPS" to TI Master Coach Dave Cameron for producing an excellent Coaches Summit in Minneapolis, and to the Minneapolis YWCA for hosting it.  Our summit - held 30 September through 03 October - included roundtable discussions, as well as presentations by several of our coaches.  My favorite was "Grace and Speed", presented by both Dave and Shinji Takeuchi.  In my experience as a

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Recently I competed at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Long Course World Championship Triathlon, in Immenstadt Germany. ITU uses a "Triple Olympic" (a.k.a. "O3") format for long course: a 4-kilometer swim, 120-kilometer bike and 30-kilometer run. (OK, if you do the math, the swim should be 4.5K. That would be just fine with me!) This

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There is a distinction among avid endurance athletes: those who race and those who don't. We who choose not to race will cite our disinterest and even disillusionment with racing. "I'm just not competitive." "I exercise for my mental and physical health." "I don't need to pit myself against others to gain benefit and satisfaction from my

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