Articles in this NY Times series feature Beijing Olympic hopefuls who offer training tips for recreational athletes. Includes videos:

From a World-Class Rower, Tips to Sharpen Technique (Olympic rower)

( Read more... )

[Just did 12 nonstop pull-ups. Total today: 41.]

Last fall, I was swimming 2 km a week, using Total Immersion techniques. I miss swimming!

Coach’s CornerStronger kicking makes better, faster swimmers, said Gregg Troy, the head swim coach at the University of Florida and Ryan Lochte’s personal coach ( Read more... )

> Raymond:
>
> Thanks for sending this along. My New Year's resolution is to have my
> average weight be 40 pounds less than it is currently. Thus the Discovery Health's National Body Challenge could be a useful thing for me. I saw this on TV as ( Read more... )

Yes! I too use this "dissociation" technique when I run or swim long-distance! I ignore everything in the world---my pain, my exhaustion, the cold weather, and sometimes how far I have left to go. I mainly focus on each step, each stroke, trying to sustain proper form. And I count, count, count. I count swimming stokes: "One - two - three - four - ( Read more... )

A new personal record. Thursday night, I swam a total of 1.1 km (1100 m or 0.68 miles) for the first time in a practice!!! Rested after every 100 m, but I tried to swim the 100 m segments continuously this time. Swam 11 times back and forth (22 50 m laps). Took about 2 minutes for each 100 m ( Read more... )

Sorry for another vain post.

This morning, I ran 5 miles, the first time I've done this in a few weeks, due to my knee worries. Ran 3 miles in around 32 minutes (slow time), rested maybe 3 minutes, then ran 2 miles in only 18 minutes. Total run time: about 50 minutes. Ending heart rate: 156 bpm ( Read more... )

Oh my God. Although tonight's swim was disappointing, I set another personal record today---in my lowest body fat percentage (and weight) ever! And the side of my knee FINALLY did not hurt when I ran! (However, it does hurt when I press it now.)

Tonight I'm down to 12 percent body fat!!! And I weigh 131 pounds! (I always measure myself after a ( Read more... )

( Cross-posted on trigeeksI can't find a good LJ swimming community, so ( Read more... )

Tonight, I just set a new swimming efficiency record---15 strokes to swim 25 yards!!! Pulse now: 64 bpm.

Before I started the Total Immersion method, it always took me at least 26 strokes to cover one 25 yard length of the pool.

Two weeks ago (Oct. 16), I seriously tried Total Immersion after watching their DVD, Freestyle Made Easy. In just one ( Read more... )

[ Cross-posted on trigeeks.

Related post: "Running the Sahara" and "Expedition 360."]

Story of the world's greatest endurance swimmer. I just ordered his new book: The Man Who Swam the Amazon!

Watch the funny and touching trailer of his upcoming documentary, "Big River Man." Click on "pilot" link:A 3274 mile swim on the Amazon river in 66 days, piranha, ( Read more... )