Just Keep Swimming
I'm turning 47 in a few days. And I can’t shake the idea that I should be constantly improving, or at least holding steady. Getting slower means I’m getting older, which means at some point I might totter to a complete stop....
I’m So Sick of the “Gym Bro” Culture
Growing up in the 1980s, I saw strength training the way many of us did back then, as a male-dominated pursuit that would only serve to give us delicate ladies bulky, unsightly muscles. I was on a competitive swim team during high school, and our coach never discussed resistance...
The Purgatory of Youth Soccer Tournaments
Yesterday, I was driving my 12-year-old daughter home from her second soccer game in roughly 24 hours so she could take a quick rest before heading back for game #3 later that day. She sighed. “Soccer tournaments are taking over my weekends!” “Not just your weekends,” I said. My...
On Open Water Racing, Risk, and Responsibility
On June 9th, I rose before my 4:30 AM alarm with a mixture of excitement and trepidation buzzing through my veins. In a few hours, I would join 2,500 other wetsuit-clad competitors for a dip in the glistening waters of Lake Monona — the starting point of the Ironman...
Sometimes It’s Good to Shake Up the Routine
If you are one of those rare souls who can roll out of bed and immediately go for a run, you have my admiration. I’ve always found it challenging to go out and pound the pavement first thing in the morning. It’s almost as if I need to work...