Video - Swim Gear for Tahoe

Follow us LIVE as we swim across Lake Tahoe this Sunday morning at JamiePatrick.com/live!

Fixing Yourself

Flying back from San Diego, I found myself sitting next to an overweight woman with a beautiful smile.  She said that she had gained all that weight after her mom passed away and it was especially painful because she used to be a model. 

We talked for the whole flight over California, Arizona, New Mexico, and most of Texas.  I told her how I had lost 50 lbs. after being a heavy smoker and drinker in college.  I told her I did it through triathlon and creating a group of positive friends around me using Twitter and the rest of the Internet.  By the end of the trip, she had written down all my contact info and was inspired to transform herself back into the person she once was.

The point is, I know she can do it.  She, of all the people I have ever coached in one way or another, has what it takes.  This is because she said without any prodding that it was up to her and she knew it.  She wasn't blaming anybody else for her situation, and that is critical.  To become what you want, you have to believe that you're already there in your core and you just have to polish up the outside a bit.

If you read this blog or listen to the podcast for inspiration, you are only halfway there.  The next and final step is to realize that you shouldn't try to be Brett, or Rich, or Jamie, or Angela, or Bruckner, or whoever...  Yes, you use the successful ones as inspiration, but the mature and self-respecting athlete with the great future ahead of her is YOU.  When you realize that, you can never turn back.

Podcast - Sink or Swim

Click here to listen!

Photo shot during two-hour open ocean swim in La Jolla, CA.

Join in as I try to swim thirty miles in three days as training for the Lake Tahoe swim crossing with Jamie Patrick!  I hit that goal and more when I total forty-two miles of swimming in just one week.

Also, check out the audio from TeamFeat UK as they finish second place in RAAM.

Looking for a challenge?  Check out ZenTri Epic Camp and earn yourself a belt buckle!

Click here to download or listen

Jello Legs Yoga Video for Runners, Cyclists and Triathletes

Fred visits us again with a great video of yoga techniques for those of us in need.  Make sure you give him a visit at the following locations!

www.enduranceyoga.com

www.tritrainingfrenzy.blogspot.com

twitter.com/enduranceyoga

www.youtube.com/enduranceyoga

Swimming 30 Miles in 3 Days

I tried beating Jamie Patrick's challenge of 29 miles of swimming in three days and it was BRUTAL.  I learned a lot during the process, including a tremendous amount of respect for ultra swimmers who do this on a regular basis.  There where many, many times when I thought, "This is freaking CRAZY!  I'll never finish this!"  But, I finally did and here's the breakdown: 

• I took my estimated pace and then slowed it down by a bunch.  Using that, I figured that I would have to swim 5 hours every day for three days in a row to do it.  That's around 10.2 miles or 16,500 meters per day!
• Swimming 5 hours is a lot like a 5 hour bike ride.  It's zero impact, so it's all about pacing and fueling.
• Jamie said to fuel and drink every 20 minutes.  I kept my fuel mix by the edge of the pool and wore a watch to keep track of time.
• I swam all but 1 hour of this in a 50 meter long course pool to minimize flip turns and simulate real open water as much as possible.
• I also learned quickly that bilateral breathing was the only way to go.  Breathing to just one side wrecks your neck in short order.
• Ok, go time!  Every swim was good for the first hour.  After that, it was a battle of willpower.  
• When fueling goes bad, your mind turns towards the negative.  In fact, aches and pains and negative thinking is a sure sign that you need to adjust your fueling.
• After the first day, I felt great.  I was only a little bit sore and I was doing it!  Still, it was pretty tough going.
• After day 2, I was beaten.  I finished ok, but it wasn't pretty.  This was getting really tough!  How was I going to finish day 3?
• On day 3, I felt amazing!  I attribute this to figuring out my fueling.  I actually swam faster on the third day than the first two!  Not only that, I felt great afterwards with tons of energy.
• I had sleep on my back every night.  If I rolled on my side, the weight on my shoulders when I woke up was like being shot with a rifle.  Ungh!

Ok, so here's the fueling breakdown:  

Day 1:  3 scoops of maltodextrin per hour.  Also, 3 servings of Hornet Juice, some flax seed oil, some sea salt, and one caffeine pill spread out over the 5 hours.  Felt sick to my stomach from overfueling.

Day 2:  2 scoops of maltodextrin per hour.  Also, 3 servings of Hornet Juice, some flax seed oil, some sea salt, and one caffeine pill spread out over the 5 hours.  Felt weak from underfueling, so added in some Perpetuem solids to get in some extra calories.  And felt sick from the oil.

Day 3:  3 scoops of maltodextrin per hour.  Also, 3 servings of Hornet Juice, some sea salt, and one caffeine pill spread out over the 5 hours.  Supplimented with Perpetuem solids on rare occasion in case I wasn't feeling super strong.

Using the Goldilocks method and three days of back-to-back long swims, I was able to finally nail the nutrition and felt like a rocket!

End the end, I was able to take years of bike fueling training and figure out how to do long swims, totalling 30.75 miles in three days.  Long swims are AWESOME for getting in aerobic work while giving your legs a rest.  And most importantly, it gave me the confidence needed to do the 20 miles across Tahoe.  Now, dealing with the cold?  That's another story.  Brrr!