One foot in front of the other.
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Thanks so much for visiting my site! My name is Brandon Wood and I am an opera singer living and trying to make it in New York City. This site and podcast follow my adventures on the way to competing in and training for all kinds of endurance events, especially triathlon and running. Click the "About Me" tab for more info!
Hey Brandon,
Great show tonight and it couldn't have come at a better time. Next week I have my first open water swim. Three months ago I couldn't swim two lenghts of the pool because my technique was so bad but i'm determined to get into triathlon and have my first next month. The swim is just a charity fun swim with 1200 people swimming from Bournemouth Pier to Boscombe Pier on the south coast (UK) 1.4 miles.
You'll also be pleased to hear that the forefoot running is going well and I did my longest run since converting last sunday of 12.2 miles in 1 hour 36 minutes. I know longer get any aches and pains.
I had to switch to forefoot running because i'm training for a 100 mile ultra and the impact with heel strike would just be too great over that sort of distance it was bad enough with the 53 miler I did a few months back.
Regards
Matt
HI Brandon,
Another great Episode! Thanks for all the swim tips. Since I will be spending most of my time in the water nowadays, I will take in all the swim information I can!! I am heading to Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey this weekend and can't wait to get in a few OWS!
Take care,
Shawn
OMG, this episode convinced me of how little I know about good swimming form. The good news is that it means that I could really improve with the right technique.
But for now, I think I need to spend much more time on my feet. I have a trail marathon in September and it's going to take a lot of focused training to get my running endurance back up again. I've switched over to the Nike Free Everyday 2 shoes and they are really comfortable.
Speaking of comfort, I put in my new bike saddle this morning. It's a big improvement.
Sorry Brandon it's me again (Matt). One thing I forgot to ask in the last comment. Have you got any tips to deal with the taste of sea water or is a case of "stop moaning, be a man and put up with it". I wont be offended if that is the answer but remember this is good old dirty English sea water not the crystal clear stuff you have over there. Well maybe not you in New York but you get what I mean.
Thanks
Matt
Hey there Matt,
During a race, I don't really think there is a way to get rid of the sea water taste, so it is a matter of (with kindness) get over it!! If you're doing a full race, why not have a bottle of something to take a sip of or rinse your mouth with in your transition area or on your bike. Or maybe a piece of gum! If you don't want to do any of that, then you may just have to wait for water stations to rinse.
BW
Great podcast Brandon, and I hope that I wasn't forcing you into admitting that you are a runner. It almost sounded like a moment from a "Runner's Anonymous" meeting: "Hi, my name is Brandon… and I am a runner!"
All the swimming workout talk was great to hear, and for a moment there I thought you were channeling my old coach Mike from a verrrrry lo-o-o-o-ong time ago. For a future episode, maybe you can comment on pool swimming/training versus open water swimming, both the physical and psycological aspects. Do you think that it similar to training on a treadmil versus roadwork, or is the analogy a bit off?
Thanks again,
Jay
Not forced at all Jay! It was something that I honestly had not thought of. Just like the people that I complained about on Allan's show (#49), I was lumping myself in with those who "haven't done enough" to be called runners (or cyclists/triathletes/swimmers). My view on this has changed a bit, and while I do think that when it comes down to technicalities, it is important to add the qualifier "amateur", that doesn't make anyone any less deserving of the title, RUNNER.
Glad you enjoyed the swimming stuff! Even as I recorded it, I was thinking about more topics for swimming. I just think that it is SUCH a technical thing that it can be quite overwhelming to throw too much at people who (excuse the generalization) probably aren't quite as adept at swimming as myself. Good question about the pool/treadmill analogy, and I think I'll save it for the show!! Thanks!!!
BW
Hi Brandon – Thanks for answering my question on dropping elbows and hopefully my swimming will improve and I will let you know. By the way, you did guess correctly, I am female. Yes, I know my avatar (picture of the road) isn't very helpful.
Again, thanks for the help and keep up the great podcasting. I have just started my own podcast. It's Trifunster and can be found on iTunes. It's all about my fun in trying to be a triathlete. Very beginner.
Take care!!
Dawne