Exercise and Aging Distance Swimming Trick

Exercise and Aging Distance Swimming Trick

Exercise and Aging  I decided to do an easy 2,000 yard swim, the morning of my 75th birthday, a couple of days ago. A party was coming, so I'd better be ready. Right? A fit young (50ish) swimmer in the next lane said, "How's it going?" I replied, "It's my birthday. I'm 75, can you believe it?" This guy was an excellent swimmer. I should have known what he would say. It always happens in swim ... Read more

Thoughts On Ironman Swim Kick By An Older Age Grouper

Thoughts On Ironman Swim Kick By An Older Age Grouper

Ironman Swim Kick Ironman swim kick? Having: reached the final stages of fixing a strained hip flexor (psoas) weak psoas muscles anyway just recovered from surgery #2 this year travelled with Deb to Europe, to visit the wife of my recently deceased friend, Frits (with an 's') almost recovered from a massive cold and bronchitis that caused muscle aches all over and encouraged my hip ... Read more

Body Awareness Training Allows You To Put The Load Where You Want It – To Swim Smooth

Body Awareness Training Allows You To Put The Load Where You Want It - To Swim Smooth

Your best teachers are often your students, which is true when it comes to body awareness training, because as you guide them it causes you to think, "That's great advice, but do I do that?" The best running book I ever read, 'Running With The Whole Body,' by Jack Heggie, showed me how to shift load, during running stride recovery, from my hip flexors to my spinal spring. Recently, I was giving some swimmers ... Read more

Disappointed With Your 2014 Maryland Ironman Swim Time? Don’t Be!

Disappointed With Your 2014 Maryland Ironman Swim Time? Don't Be!

Following the 2014 Maryland Ironman swim, especially as I was in the early stages of the bike ride, I heard people commenting on their swim time, and how slow they were. I had no idea what mine was at the time, but it is usually in the 1:15 to 1:20 region, with excursions towards 1:30. But this time it was 1:35, though it felt the same as usual. A quick look at the fluid mechanics of the swim course explained ... Read more

FitOldDog Teaches His Young Pup A New Trick At The 2014 Texas Ironman, Finally!

Hi folks, welcome! They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I think that it is harder to teach a young dog, so when I found out that my youngest son, Nigel, 6-times Hawaii Ironman, (and soon to be 7, whereas I still struggle to qualify) didn't know something that I did, it was exhilarating - how odd? My youngest son, Nigel, great Dad, dentist and Ironman Triathlete, got me into triathlons, and ... Read more

Blue Pill Of The Low-Fat Matrix Or The Red Pill Of Healthy Food Choices, And How To Build Swedish Goggles

I was horrified to see this double whammy product on the shelves in my local food store. Candy to entice the unwary, combined with low fat food, designed to force the consumer to seek addictive carbohydrates. You have to get your energy from somewhere, and there are only two real choices, fat or carbohydrates. Photo by FitOldDog. "The blue pill would allow him [Neo] to remain in the fabricated reality of the Matrix, ... Read more

Swim Video Demonstrates That Greg Will Drop FitOldDog In The 2014 Eagleman Half Ironman If He Learns to Reduce Drag

Hi folks, welcome! When training for triathlons, performance on the bike depends on power-to-weight ratio, with drag being somewhat less important. For the swim, performance depends on power-to-drag ratio, with weight being essentially unimportant (except for buoyancy and warmth). Either way, as you age you'll slow down, but that doesn't mean you can't give youngsters like Greg a run for their money, for a ... Read more

Combating Chlorine Irritation In The Pool – Listen To Derek

Hi folks! Welcome! I was itching like crazy the other day, and I thought, "It's just the old cold weather dry skin." But boy, was I itching - all over!!!! Then I remembered Derek, a delightful kid who visits our local pool quite often, and he always says (over and over and over), "Don't forget to use your lotion after you swim, or you'll itch." The most obvious problems with swimming pool chlorination, which ... Read more

Disclaimer: As a veterinarian, I do not provide medical advice for human animals. If you undertake or modify an exercise program, consult your medical advisors before doing so. Undertaking activities pursued by the author does not mean that he endorses your undertaking such activities, which is clearly your decision and responsibility. Be careful and sensible, please.