Warrior Dash 2012

Warrior Dash Ohio 2 North Lawrence Ohio.  August 25th 2012.

Chest mounted GoPro Camera, Sped up and wait times edited out.

Good Times at the Warrior Dash

BEFORE

AFTER

Warrior Dash 2012

Warrior Dash Ohio 2 North Lawrence Ohio.  August 25th 2012.

Chest mounted GoPro Camera, Sped up and wait times edited out.

Good Times at the Warrior Dash

BEFORE

AFTER

Learning to Swim-Well Sort Of

Ok so I already know how to swim.  I took lessons when I was younger and learned all the basics etc... Then I pretty much disregarded everything they taught me and made up my own style of swimming that I was more comfortable doing.  I call it "froggy style."  Basically Its a modified breast stroke.   If Michael Phelps were to see me do it he would look something like this picture below.

Recently I have more and more been wanting to learn how to swim freestyle stroke correctly.  My main reason for doing this is so that I can complete a triathlon.  I already bike and run a lot and figure that I could hold my own in those two events of a triathlon.  However if I mess up in those events the worst that could happen is that I would trip or wreck my bike. In this unfortunate event, I would simply get up and continue on to the finish.  Whereas with swimming if I "mess up"  I drown in a massive amount of white water while other participants are rapidly dealing me blow to the face with their feet as they try to swim over me in a desperate attempt to shave an extra second off of their triathlon PR (personal Record).  Not so fun!

I need to learn how to effectively and efficiently swim over a longer distance than the size of the tiny hotel swimming pool. So, I have been hitting the local High School pool at 6am twice a week for the last 3 weeks.  I feel like I have made some big strides, however I was so far gone that I am nowhere near feeling comfortable enough to take on a triathlon yet.  I am going to keep at it and hopefully continue to improve fast.

Swim Training Gear

I am a gadget guy and like to have all of the gear. Here is some of the Gear I am using to help make the process easier. Luckily some of this stuff is provided at my local pool and I didn't have to purchase all of it at one time.  I do plan on getting the stuff I don't personally own so that I can train on my own time in open water.  I do not use all of this equipment at the same time either because I would look like a mentally handicapped Aqua-Man. I use each piece for different training purposes and have found all of them very helpful.

Goggles

Aqua Sphere-Seal

These are great goggles that do not hurt your face and provide excellent peripheral vision view.  I have also heard that the tinted smoke ones are the best lenses for open water swimming.  The tint reduces glare.

Ear Plugs

Barracuda Ear Plugs

I have had ear problems ever since I was really little, including multiple ear surgeries.  These ear plugs do a good job of keeping the water out of my ears.

Swim Cap

Aqua Sphere Aqua Glide Silicone Swim Cap

I like this thing because it has the ear holes.  And, I hear that the silicone caps are better...Not sure why.

Snorkel

Finis Swimmer's Snorkel

This helps me concentrate on from rather than breathing.  It has a front mount design which is nice because it creates less drag in the water.

Nose Plug

Cressi Nose Clip

I use the nose plug only when I use the snorkel above.  For whatever reason I find it difficult to breathe underwater with the snorkel without breathing through my nose also.

Flippers

Tritan Swim Fins

These flippers are probably my favorite training tool.  It is just fun to wear them in the water because you can really propel yourself fast.  These particular ones are some of the only ones I could find that came in my size (15).  They are fairly cheap and do a great job of working the legs and ankles. And, they help keep my kick in line.

Kickboard

Speedo Kickboard

I use this a lot for training drills and warm ups.  It is a basic kick board.

Pull Buoy

Speedo Pull Buoy

This cool looking thing-a-ma-jig goes between your legs and helps to keep your hips afloat so that your legs don't drag you down and cause improper alignment.

Goggle Anti-Fog Spray

JAWS Quick Spit

Keeps my goggles from fogging up, which is a major issue.

DVD Training

Total Immersion Swimming: Perpetual Motion Freestyle in Ten Lessons

Really cool training program on DVD, everything you need to know about freestyle swimming.

Wetsuit

Xterra Volt Sleeveless

Technically haven't used this one yet but I will when I get up the nerve to do a triathlon.  It is a good tri wetsuit and is one of the cheapest I could find.  By the way, you cannot wear a wetsuit in a pool, it will ruin it.  (I didn't do this but the info that came with my suit filled me in.)

Wish me luck on my Quest!

Please share in the comments if you have any tips for me, about Triathlons or Swimming in general.  Thanks in advance!

If you would like to make me your fitness coach and join me in my quest for Triathlon domination or just lose a few pounds...You can make me your fitness coach for free by clicking here.

Learning to Swim-Well Sort Of

Ok so I already know how to swim.  I took lessons when I was younger and learned all the basics etc... Then I pretty much disregarded everything they taught me and made up my own style of swimming that I was more comfortable doing.  I call it "froggy style."  Basically Its a modified breast stroke.   If Michael Phelps were to see me do it he would look something like this picture below.

Recently I have more and more been wanting to learn how to swim freestyle stroke correctly.  My main reason for doing this is so that I can complete a triathlon.  I already bike and run a lot and figure that I could hold my own in those two events of a triathlon.  However if I mess up in those events the worst that could happen is that I would trip or wreck my bike. In this unfortunate event, I would simply get up and continue on to the finish.  Whereas with swimming if I "mess up"  I drown in a massive amount of white water while other participants are rapidly dealing me blow to the face with their feet as they try to swim over me in a desperate attempt to shave an extra second off of their triathlon PR (personal Record).  Not so fun!

I need to learn how to effectively and efficiently swim over a longer distance than the size of the tiny hotel swimming pool. So, I have been hitting the local High School pool at 6am twice a week for the last 3 weeks.  I feel like I have made some big strides, however I was so far gone that I am nowhere near feeling comfortable enough to take on a triathlon yet.  I am going to keep at it and hopefully continue to improve fast.

Swim Training Gear

I am a gadget guy and like to have all of the gear. Here is some of the Gear I am using to help make the process easier. Luckily some of this stuff is provided at my local pool and I didn't have to purchase all of it at one time.  I do plan on getting the stuff I don't personally own so that I can train on my own time in open water.  I do not use all of this equipment at the same time either because I would look like a mentally handicapped Aqua-Man. I use each piece for different training purposes and have found all of them very helpful.

Goggles

Aqua Sphere-Seal

These are great goggles that do not hurt your face and provide excellent peripheral vision view.  I have also heard that the tinted smoke ones are the best lenses for open water swimming.  The tint reduces glare.

Ear Plugs

Barracuda Ear Plugs

I have had ear problems ever since I was really little, including multiple ear surgeries.  These ear plugs do a good job of keeping the water out of my ears.

Swim Cap

Aqua Sphere Aqua Glide Silicone Swim Cap

I like this thing because it has the ear holes.  And, I hear that the silicone caps are better...Not sure why.

Snorkel

Finis Swimmer's Snorkel

This helps me concentrate on from rather than breathing.  It has a front mount design which is nice because it creates less drag in the water.

Nose Plug

Cressi Nose Clip

I use the nose plug only when I use the snorkel above.  For whatever reason I find it difficult to breathe underwater with the snorkel without breathing through my nose also.

Flippers

Tritan Swim Fins

These flippers are probably my favorite training tool.  It is just fun to wear them in the water because you can really propel yourself fast.  These particular ones are some of the only ones I could find that came in my size (15).  They are fairly cheap and do a great job of working the legs and ankles. And, they help keep my kick in line.

Kickboard 

Speedo Kickboard

I use this a lot for training drills and warm ups.  It is a basic kick board.

Pull Buoy

Speedo Pull Buoy

This cool looking thing-a-ma-jig goes between your legs and helps to keep your hips afloat so that your legs don't drag you down and cause improper alignment.

Goggle Anti-Fog Spray

JAWS Quick Spit

Keeps my goggles from fogging up, which is a major issue.

DVD Training

Total Immersion Swimming: Perpetual Motion Freestyle in Ten Lessons

Really cool training program on DVD, everything you need to know about freestyle swimming.

Wetsuit

Xterra Volt Sleeveless

Technically haven't used this one yet but I will when I get up the nerve to do a triathlon.  It is a good tri wetsuit and is one of the cheapest I could find.  By the way, you cannot wear a wetsuit in a pool, it will ruin it.  (I didn't do this but the info that came with my suit filled me in.)

Wish me luck on my Quest!

Please share in the comments if you have any tips for me, about Triathlons or Swimming in general.  Thanks in advance!

If you would like to make me your fitness coach and join me in my quest for Triathlon domination or just lose a few pounds...You can make me your fitness coach for free by clicking here.

Book Review- Push by Chalene Johnson

You have probably heard me talk about how much I appreciate Chalene Johnson's workouts (such as Turbo Fire, Turbo Jam, Chalean Extreme).  As you know, I am currently in my 2nd month of Turbo Fire and loving it. Well, I recently started reading Chalene's book "Push". I love the layout of the book.

 The first part of the book is a 30 day challenge to read a chapter for 30 days and each day do the exercises they suggest. Now, these are more mental exercise, not physical. She refers to them as your daily Push. For example,  the first  Push exercise has you thinking about and writing out your priorities. 

 The next section of the book after the 30 day PUSH shows different exercises to do, and then the final section of the book has tons of great, quick recipes. The books has pictures and it is an easy read. It feels more like reading a magazine lay-out rather than a book. Trust me, after my long days it takes a special type of book (like this one) to keep my attention and not make me fall asleep! 

This book has really, truly been the extra PUSH that I need to stay encouraged to stick with my Turbo Fire series. I have only completed three days of the push challenge exercises and I  appreciate the way they help me self-reflect and stay motivated to continue to make positive changes in my life. 


If you are interested in finding out more information on any of Chalene's Work-out DVD's follow this link and sign up for a free account.

Fit Radio Review

Anyone that works out and listen's to music should download Fit Radio.  This is a great smart phone app.  Unlike Pandora or Spotify or the like, Fit Radio is great for workouts because it supplies a continuous mix of high BPM music straight to your headphones.  It is easy to use.  All you have to do to get started is go to Fitradio.com  and you can use it right on your computer and it is great here.  However, the awesome sauce comes into play once you download it to your android or apple smart phone.  Having the app on your phone gives you your very own personal traveling workout DJ.

You can pick from all different categories of music.  They have it all from Classic Rock, Indie, Hip Hop and even Dubstep and Top 40.  Keep in mind that all of these genres are mixed into one continuous stream of music that doesn't stop playing until you turn it off. There is even a Party Category that is a mix of all types of songs.  It is my personal favorite. I haven't tried it for running yet, but I plan on it and I have a feeling it will make running really enjoyable.  (I hate having to skip through slow songs that come up on your shuffle list while running.)

In addition to sorting by Genre, you can also select favorites and add them to your list as well as sort  by DJ if you find one you love.  (They are all pretty good in my opinion.)  Overall I love this app and highly recommend it.  Check it out at Fitradio.com or search for it in your preferred app store.

Fit Radio Review

Anyone that works out and listen's to music should download Fit Radio.  This is a great smart phone app.  Unlike Pandora or Spotify or the like, Fit Radio is great for workouts because it supplies a continuous mix of high BPM music straight to your headphones.  It is easy to use.  All you have to do to get started is go to Fitradio.com  and you can use it right on your computer and it is great here.  However, the awesome sauce comes into play once you download it to your android or apple smart phone.  Having the app on your phone gives you your very own personal traveling workout DJ.  

You can pick from all different categories of music.  They have it all from Classic Rock, Indie, Hip Hop and even Dubstep and Top 40.  Keep in mind that all of these genres are mixed into one continuous stream of music that doesn't stop playing until you turn it off. There is even a Party Category that is a mix of all types of songs.  It is my personal favorite. I haven't tried it for running yet, but I plan on it and I have a feeling it will make running really enjoyable.  (I hate having to skip through slow songs that come up on your shuffle list while running.)  

In addition to sorting by Genre, you can also select favorites and add them to your list as well as sort  by DJ if you find one you love.  (They are all pretty good in my opinion.)  Overall I love this app and highly recommend it.  Check it out at Fitradio.com or search for it in your preferred app store.