I knew a woman who as a young girl was raised in a particular religion and with that religion came dogmatic beliefs.  When walking down the street in her hometown her mother instructed this young lady she was not allowed to look into the local church of a different religion.  I know a lot of people, including triathletes, who treat Crossfit the same way.  In discussions with athletes the word “cultish” often comes up.  Many make the decision to stay away and not even go to their local box to see what, if anything, they could possibly gain from the experience.

Back to the idea of cultish, really?  You mean more then training 15+ hours a week in three disciplines along with spending a small portion of your yearly income on running shoes, bike part upgrades, nutritional supplements, training and racing gear, etc.  Really, cultish?  By our very nature we have the tendency to condemn what we do not know and fail to take the time to understand.

So, I feel compelled to list ten reasons why you would want to incorporate Crossfit into your triathlon training.

1.  Triathletes, by their very nature, live and die by the clock.  If that is the case, you will love the Crossfit WOD (workout of the day).  They are measurable.

2.  It is a way of life.  No different then tri training.  It defines who you are.

3.  It incorporates performance-based racing against the clock which is a great benchmark on overall performance,… Read the rest

With the holiday season rapidly approaching and we start to contemplate our next race season, what a good time to put together our holiday wish list. You know the stuff you would like to get for your racing and training needs but not necessarily running out to your local store or online shopping site to purchase. Plus, you will make it so much easier for good old Aunt Mable if this year you actually know what you want. What a great way to avoid that holiday-themed sweater!

Let’s proclaim that this will be the year of the improved swim! Everything on my wish list has been tested and evaluated for its efficiency and effectiveness and worthy of your consideration. I know that advice is worth only 55 cents which will get you a cup of coffee; but, trust me on this one, these wonderful swim toys will be worth seeing under the Christmas tree.

For many of you bored to tears with those swims that seem to go on forever, there is the Swim iPod from Swimman.com. It is completely self-contained and waterproof and one of the easiest to install on your swim goggles. Just put it on and off you go.

The drag suit for men and women has returned. What an ideal way to help increase your strength, power and endurance during your training sessions. The very nature of the drag suit is to increase the amount of water resistance and challenges you to swim faster.… Read the rest

by Bob Young, columnist – Nov. 12, 2011 05:05 PM
The Arizona Republic

Just over a year ago, former Diamondbacks outfielder Eric Byrnes had never run more than four miles in his life. His swimming was limited to catching up to his surfboard after a biff. His only bike rides were an occasional spin on a beach cruiser. Then three of his middle-school classmates talked him into competing in a sprint triathlon. “I showed up with my surfing wetsuit and my beach cruiser and ran in board shorts,” Byrnes recalled. “I was kind of the joke of the triathlon. “People were yelling, “Go beach-cruiser dude!’ as I was getting passed by 16-year-old girls. “I did OK in the run, probably because I couldn’t feel my legs.”
All three friends beat the baseball stud.

Somehow, though, Byrnes, who lives in Half Moon Bay, Calif., was hooked by the sport. “I told each of them, ‘That was awesome, thank you, and I want to let you all know that will be last time any of you beat me in a triathlon.’ ”
Byrnes bought a triathlon bike. He started training seriously. He contacted Frank Sole, a Valley-based swim and triathlon coach who operates Sole Swim Solutions. He beat his three friends in a rematch.

And on November 20 in and around Tempe Town Lake, Byrnes will compete at Ford Ironman Arizona, a soul-stealing 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run. And you thought he was off playing beer-league… Read the rest

“Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.” –Napoleon

When sitting with a potential triathlon client a discussion will always take place concerning the athlete’s experience and background revolving around the three disciplines of swim, bike and run. When asked about his/her background many times the conversation goes like this: “All seems to be going really well with my run and bike training. It’s the swim that I am having the most difficulty with.” Swimming seems to be the most taxing for most triathletes at all levels and where the desire is to improve overall aquatic abilities.

Swimming, not unlike golf and tennis, is very technique driven. When standing on the fairway with a couple of your buds it seems horribly unfair that you notice someone driving a golf ball right down the middle of the fairway with the utmost of elegance and ease and as often as you play the game you seem to spend so much time amongst the trees. There is little difference when standing on the pool deck. Just as you are ready to get into your lane to start your workout a fellow triathlete swims by in the most efficient, effective and effortless way possible. Critical aspects of the freestyle stroke such as body positioning, balance, timing, recovery and breathing all by design and working together are to create a fluidity of motion and all parts working together. With that being said how does the… Read the rest

I recently read an article asking the age-old question that has plagued any and all triathletes: Do you really need a swim coach? And the answer should always come back as a resounding yes. It’s the same reason why we will spend the money to install titanium screws to hold down the water bottle cage, carbon fiber forks for the front wheel and $130 running shoes vs. $49 specials. You get the point.

Many times I witness triathletes with their workout in hand unloading their workout bag in front of their respected lane ready to go. They lay out their written swim plan so carefully prepared for them by their tri coach or their freshly printed off cookie-cutter workout not really sure if the distance is even right for them. They are ready, willing and not so always able to accomplish the workout they so want to complete. They laboriously move from one set to the next working much harder than necessary. Just the satisfaction of reporting back to their coach they successfully completed the workout sometimes is more satisfying and more important than the content of their swim. I have witnessed time and time again swimmers who clearly have an understanding of the basics of swimming, the conceptual ideas of drills and why they do them, though when they get into the water and “practice” they have no real idea they may or may not be doing them correctly and think it is all going well!

I continually use… Read the rest

Harvey MacKay, motivational speaker, business owner and author of Beware of The Naked Man who Offers His Shirt, once indicated that his successes over the years was built on having a coach and that in business as well as in life practice makes perfect. Though he did add one important and dramatic word: perfect practice makes perfect. So the question to ask is this: In the world of swimming how do we take that advice and create success? MacKay goes on to tell an interesting and relatable scenario: “If you are a golfer and go out and play/practice seven days a week and have a loop in your swing, what are you doing? You are perfecting a practice era. You have put a ceiling on how good you can become.”

Now back to swimming. Many swimmers I have observed over the years have put self-imposed limitations on their swimming success. Many show up at the pool diligently prepared to swim, workout in hand, to implement the golden rule of “practice makes perfect.” Reflecting back on MacKay’s ultimate wisdom and insight, he indicates one needs to practice the right concepts over a long period of time in order to obtain the success one is striving for – perfect practice makes perfect. But, if you don’t know what to practice other than a prescribed workout determined before you set your head on the pillow to sleep that come hell or high water you will get your 3,000 meters in this very day,… Read the rest

Happy New Year and Welcome to the Inaugural Issue of Sole Swim Solutions Newsletter!

January is here. With that benchmark (protruding like a speed bump on the calendar) comes a determined and focused approach to a New Year of training. “This is the year that I……………….” – you fill in the blank. As the month joyfully proclaims, it’s a new year and with that comes all kinds of promises and proclamations. Just step foot in any gym or health club. You will be exposed to a world of maybe, could be and want to be. My hope is that we will all stay on track, creating the habits of a healthy lifestyle.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no pill or “5-minute workout a day” to a slimmer and faster you. There is only hard work and a wax-on/wax-off mentality to a more efficient and productive swim stroke. Einstein summed it up best when stating the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

In this inaugural newsletter I want to urge you to back away from the endless yardage in the pool and create a paradigm shift in your training regimen. Consider slowing down your swimming and focusing on your technique. This is a great time of the year to create a plan to finally fix that cross over, dropped elbow, poor balance, body positioning and a plethora of other inefficient swimming habits. You must identify technical issues that could be… Read the rest

As someone who has been active in the endurance community for a long time, I felt an obligation to my younger competitors to pass along some sacred words of wisdom to live by. These 10 rules are designed to help create harmony and balance with your spouse or significant other in an already chaotic and busy world.

1. Communicate, communicate and, when you are done, communicate some more!

2. Contrary to popular belief, the weekend is not designed only for long rides and long runs. I know it is hard to believe but for the longest time I was perplexed.

I swear somewhere in the Old Testament God mentioned something about Thou shalt go long on the weekends and who am I to argue with the big guy. But, believe it or not, other things get done on Saturday and Sunday – time with the family, yard work and shopping.

3. Your word needs to be your bond. Picture this: “Honey, I am going out for a three-hour ride this morning” and six hours later you return and you wonder why he/she is not happy. He/she says: “But I made plans for us today.” You throw gas on an already five-alarm fire by responding: “Oh, what’s the big deal, it was only an extra three hours.” Stick to your time schedule!

4. Try doing your own laundry. Each day workout clothes pile up (running apparel, bike kit, swim towels, a litany of jackets and sweaters) and start to take… Read the rest