FEATURES
Should Triathletes Date Triathletes?
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Monday, 23 February 2015 00:10
When dating a fellow triathlete, it pays to play by the rules.
By SUSAN LACKE (Triathlon.competitor.comt
Before I met my husband Neil, I had a very strict “No Triathlete” rule when it came to romance. My experience dating triathletes had ended poorly—in general, I found the men of the sport to be arrogant and selfish. Not my type.
But one day, I found myself explaining to a very lovely non-triathlete named Josh why I couldn’t accept his invitation for Sunday brunch (long run day). When he pointed out I had also turned down his invitation for dinner on Thursday night (masters swim) and had fallen asleep at the movies the weekend prior, it hit me:
I was peeing in the wrong dating pool.
My problem wasn’t just that the men of triathlon were arrogant and selfish—it’s that I couldn’t admit I was arrogant and selfish, too. If I was going to have any sort of romantic success, I needed a kindred spirit. Triathlon is a demanding mistress, and that’s hard for the average person to grasp. After all, hardly anyone wants to date someone who spends his mornings riding a bike and afternoons comatose except for occasional trips to the fridge for more cookie dough....
Stuff About Balance...
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Sunday, 22 February 2015 00:10
Image - Pretend that "Triathlon" is in the "Friends" circle.
By Justin Chester (usatriathlon.org)
I recently had a friend ask me, “You’ve trained for an ultra-distance race; are all IRONMAN triathletes completely obsessed and self-absorbed?”
Obsessed … probably, but more like passionate. Self-absorbed? That struck me as a little derogatory. But as I dug deeper, I found that her boyfriend was training for an IRONMAN and was completely ignoring their budding relationship (and in a few months they would eventually break up). Was there a communication problem? Probably. But it is easy to see that as he started training longer hours their relationship started to take a downward turn.
I could definitely sympathize with the situation — I’ve been on both sides. As an athlete, my wife and I have had some serious conversations about my triathlon habit. And as a coach, I’ve had to have long conversations with athletes (and their significant others). So let’s talk about balance.
Read any time management book and the first thing it will tell you to do is to establish priorities. So let’s put them in order....
Life Time & Ironman & Other Stuff...
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Saturday, 21 February 2015 00:10
By Dan Empfield (Slowtwitch.com - Jan. 29, 2015)
Announced at the TBI Conference this week was the rebranding of several races reminding me of a baseball card swap. Soma and Bend, former Life Time (or Life Time Fitness branded "Leadman") races will henceforth be Ironman branded. Soma will become a 70.3, Bend will likely become a 70.3 (rather than a full) and will be so-branded in 2016. Addressing the Conference were Ironman's Andrew Messick (right) and Life Time Fitness head of events Kimo Seymour. Slides below were among those presented to Conference attendees.
One takeaway is obvious: Ironman realizes its brand leverages down to 70.3 and no further. Life Time admits its brand leverages up to Olympic distance and no higher. Smart. This signals the end of the 5i50, even if that is unannounced. I'm not writing this because it's a stated fact, rather it's the obvious conclusion. But then some of us knew in 2011 that the 5i50 was a bridge too far and it just needed its contracts to run out; then it would be laid to rest in an unmarked grave...
Emergency Waxectomy...
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Friday, 20 February 2015 00:10
By Bonnie Cerumenclog
The good news is that I had my blood pressure checked today and it's never been better, even under stress, which leads me to the part of why I had come in, bursting through the doors of the medical center looking like a wild eyed and frenzied patient, soon to be admitted to the mental ward...
Some of you know that I love to swim. It's one of the few exercises I can do that doesn't hurt. With as many broken pieces, past surgeries and weird health issues as I have/had, it's a wonder breathing doesn't hurt. Wait... that hurts sometimes too. But this isn't about my lungs. It's about what I lost and why the nurse at the doctor's office didn't wait for the doctor to finish up with his current patient and get to my chart. She took action right then and there.
So there I was, innocently preparing to enjoy my 1700 meter swim, wearing my Ironman swim cap that had recently arrived in the mail because the last cap I had was actually molding over and I just couldn't bear to put it on and feel the slimy surface any longer. I am super stoked to be an Ironman, but compared to then and looking at me now... let's just say... I'm not exactly in tip-top shape with a low...
Watching Heather Swim...
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Thursday, 19 February 2015 00:10
Swimming Drills & a New Bike...
By Heather Lendway (heatherlendway.com)
I went to the pool this weekend to do some swim filming. I wanted to share a set of swimming drills to help with some common swimming problems I see in triathlon. Please note drills are not meant to be done at top speeds, oftentimes you’ll be swimming at a much slower pace, the purpose is to concentrate on the issue you’re trying to resolve and executing the drill properly. (Check out my new Blueseventy loop dot training suit, I love the cut, very comfortable and a flattering look)
Problem: Sinking hips, legs and feet....
