Low Tide Boyz, a Swimrun Podcast

Welcome to episode sixty of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!We close out our inaugural “Partners Month” with another edition of Advanced Topics in Swimrun. In this episode, we discuss team tactics. For us, team tactics mean the things that partners can work on in practice and in races to take their team performance to the next level by being more deliberate/tactical in how partners prepare and communicate with each other.In our view, we take it as a general proposition that the more prepared that teams are for the foreseen (and unforeseen) things that happen on race day the better the experience that the team will have. In this way, partners can manage their race and deal with adversity calmly and rely on their preparation to problem solve and continue to move forward. Below we break down some key aspects for improving team tactics.Partner ManagementThe main key to a good partnership is communication. Getting to the point in Swimrun (as in life) where you can have an honest and open dialogue with your partner is the best way to help take your teamwork to the next level. In endurance sports that are typically solo affairs, it can be uncommon to think about your teammate’s performance, let alone talk to them about it. So don’t expect to have your mind read by your partner or have them read yours. Talking about how you plan to communicate during training and racing is the best way to stave off passive aggression, bad vibes, and lack of stoke. By working on your communication, both verbal and non-verbal (listen to our show on Swimrun Flow and the all-important tether) with your partner, you really unlock the possibilities for having more fun and better race experiences. This also allows teams to visualize what their races will be like and be prepared mentally for the known and unknown. This advice has been repeated by many of our previous guests including Susie Moonan, Oscar Olsson, Johan Carlsson, Andy Blow, and Team Precision Hydration UK. To sum it up, the more that a team is mentally prepared for their race, the less mental energy is required during the race to deal with adversity.Food/Trash ManagementWhen we interviewed Rhian and Ben from Team Precision Hydration UK one of the things that they talked about was how they managed their nutrition during a race as a team. One partner would carry the caffeine gels and the other would carry the non-caffeinated ones. It was really eye-opening for us how granular they were in their planning. While this seems like a simple enough thing to set up before a race, during the event you can just rely on the preparation and not have it take away your focus and flow to think about it. That same is true with your hydration strategy. Our guest Andy Blow shared his detailed plan that he used at OTILLO Catalina to make sure he was set up for success.Trash management is another thing that teams can communicate about to have a plan before the race starts. Brooke from Team Swimrun Labs (and co-host of our Gear Talk shows) has a special pocket in her Lapa Bra undergarment that is just for trash and she empties it when needed at an aid station. The moral of the story being that she doesn’t spend any mental energy thinking about worrying about what she’s doing to get disqualified for littering at a race.Heat ManagementRunning in a wetsuit can get pretty warm. Having a plan for managing heat during a race is yet another way that teams can have plans in place. Taking a swim cap off, unzipping, and cabbing down are basically the three progressive strategies to help manage heat. If there’s a long run coming up and you know that you run hot, then plan with your partner to cab down upon exiting the water.Basically, there are a lot of ways that teams can step up their performance through applying a tactical mindset to race preparation and execution with the cornerstone of good open communication with your partner. Feel free to email or DM us with tactics that you employ that have worked for you and of course, we’re happy to receive any and all feedback about the show.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

25 Feb 202123min

Welcome to episode fifty-nine of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!Partner’s month continues with the return of the first team that we ever interviewed on the show: The Swimrun Monks. It was great to have our friends Sean and Phillip back on the show to talk about all kinds of stuff.More on our interview with The Monks later in the show.ShoutoutsThis week we’re shouting out Henna Rönkönharji all the way from Finland. We know that she’s been loving the show and we really appreciate her for listening. Adventure Time/Training UpdatesSpring racing in California is not looking promising so our unstructured training continues...except for pool swimming.Feats of EnduranceWe are happy to announce that Dave Gardner is this week’s Feats of Endurance winner. We hiked the Rocky Raccoon 50k race in Huntsville Texas like it was nobody’s business. Strong work Dave.Make sure to join us on Strava and cheer on your fellow Swimrunners as they train all over the world.This Week in Swimrun (Powered by Raceid.com)We have a couple of updates to share this week.Ödyssey Swimrun announced a new race this week. Mackinac Island, located in northern Michigan, is a vacation destination that looks like a dope place to host a Swimrun. There will be short and long course distances and both courses pretty much take all around and over the entire island. The race date is Sunday, August 29, 2021, and registration is open now!Looks like the results of Chipper’s forensic googling were correct and ÖTILLÖ’s new race for 2021 is in Gothenburg and the setting looks perfect for an OG Swimrun race. The race is on August 7, 2021, and you can register on Raceid.com for the Experience, Sprint, or World Series Distance. Just FYI, this will also be the last race to potentially qualify for the 2021 ÖTILLÖ World Championship.That’s it for this week. Feel free to email us to tip us off to any events or Swimrun news that you’d like for us to share on the show.UpdatesOur new “Super Stoked on Swimrun” stickers are in the mail for everyone that reached out who wanted one or several. Drop us a message on IG or send us an email with your mailing address and we’ll mail you a free sticker to anywhere in the world that accepts mail. Our latest episode of Gear Talk is out! We chat all things swimrun training tools with Brooke and Annie from Swimrun Labs!This Week’s InterviewIt was great to have Sean Coetzee & Phillip Saenkov back on the show. Like we mentioned at the start of the show, The Monks were the first team that we ever interviewed for the show (Episode 5) and we’re grateful to be able to consider them friends. They are great ambassadors for the sport and an easy team to root for. We brought them back for Partner’s Month to chat about how they work together and check in about their qualification for the ÖTILLÖ World Championship this August. This will be their third time racing Worlds together and we break down what they are doing differently this year in order to improve on their previous races. This interview was a lot of fun and full of tips for partner harmony and better race performances.You can follow the exploits of the Swimrun Monks on Instagram.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

18 Feb 20211h 3min

Welcome to Gear Talk: The Löw Tide Böyz and Swimrun Labs review show!In this episode, we break down all the different training aids that you can use to take your Swimrun training/racing to the next level.Before we get into that discussion, we have a few gear updates.GEAR UPDATESJust a few gear updates this week.Brooke finally tried some HOKA ONE ONE shoes (Speedgoats) and she’s really liking them as an alternative to her usual INOV-8 shoes that she uses.Chipper finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Red Original Pro-Change Robe for those chilly mornings on the pool deck. That leaves Chris as the only member of the group just using a towel.SWIMRUN TRAINING TOOLS DISCUSSIONSince it’s still the off-season, we thought that it would be good to talk about what people can do now to come back stronger for the (hopefully) upcoming Swimrun season.We all recommend that if you’re planning on trying to improve this off-season that you get an understanding of your fitness metrics. Whether that’s heart rate zones or RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion), understanding where you are at will help you get to where you want to go. Chris used to use songs to calibrate what zone he was in. For example, if he could sign Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” while on the bike it meant that he was riding his bike in zone 2. If he couldn’t belt out the lyrics, it meant he was above where he wanted to be.Overall, we recommend that athletes have a plan for what they want to work on. Having a purpose for each session will help keep you focused on your progress. Along with purpose, since this is a gear show, we thought that we would list some of the types of training tools that you can use to take your performance to the next level. Strength ToolsStretch cords, therabands and/or stretch bands are a cheap and effective way to add some resistance to your routine to add more strength that will help you become more injury-proof and, uhm, stronger. Check out the Swimrun Labs page of training tips for using stretch bands.Bosu Balls or other products that create unstable or wobbly surfaces are also great for working on the smaller muscles to prevent injury.There are also swimming-specific stretch cords that have paddles built in that are perfect for warm-ups before swims.You can also check out Episode 17 of the Podcast with Strength and Running Coach, Nate Helming for more training tips.Run ToolsNot a lot of tools here, just vary your stimulus by running hills or terrain that you’re not used to. Try different shoes, maybe load up a backpack with some water bottles, or work on downhill running. Don’t have a hill in your area? Maybe there is a bridge that you can do hill repeats on. Basically, where there is a will, there’s a way. You can also check out Episode 30 of Podcast with Running Coach, Mario Fraioli for great insight on how to vary your workouts while you prepare for a particular race.Swim ToolsSwimming has the most training aids by far. Here we break down the tools that we use. As we mentioned above but especially with swimming, having a training plan or focus for each swim will help you improve.“Essentials”Pool Pull BuoyAnkle StrapSnorkelSwim FinsSwim PaddlesDepending on what you're trying to work on in the pool, these essentials can really help you work on your technique to become a better/faster swimmer. Just like strength or running, adding external resistance will help make you stronger. Note: if you’re new to ankle straps make sure that you pair it with a pull buoy because it will cause significant drag. Wearing an ankle strap can also simulate the resistance of swimming in shoes.“Nice to Have”Multiple Sizes of Swim PaddlesKick boardNeoprene SIM shortsSwim bands/stretch cordsThese Swim toys are nice to have to mix things up and create new stimuli. If you’re Brooke, you can get a kettlebell and walk the bottom of the pool while holding it. (Just remember to drop it and get to the surface to breathe.“Baller Status”Dry robe Garmin Swim 2 watch (underwater wrist-based heart rate)Garmin HRM-Swim Heart Rate Monitor (to pair with your existing GPS watch) Dry robes are pricey but they are super comfy and easy to change underneath. There are several brands out there including Red Original, Dry Robe, and Smoc Smoc. Here’s a video with a review of all the dry robe styles out there.CLOSING THOUGHTSWe hope this episode gives you some ideas on gear that you can get to help make 2021 your best Swimrun season yet. Let us know if you’re using a product that you love that we didn’t mention and think that we should. Stay safe and happy training!That’s it for this week’s Gear Talk show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram and on Twitter. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback, suggestions, and/or meme suggestions. Finally, you can also support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

16 Feb 202152min

Welcome to episode fifty-eight of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!Partner’s month continues with a really fun interview this week. Today we have the Swimrun duo of Trista Mennen and Amy Bush, A.K.A Team ADORKable. Trista and Amy have been big supporters of the show and we’re super stoked that our listeners will get to learn more about their love for Swimrun.More on this later in the show.ShoutoutsWe have a very special shoutout this week for our newest Patron on Patreon: Mel Jensen. We really appreciate her support to help keep the lights on (and help cover our outsized sticker postage bills). You’re literally the best!Adventure Time/Training UpdatesThe unstructured training continues. We’ve been getting the bug to go out and do a Swimrun practice so that will be on deck at some point this month. On the adventure time front, our friends at Above Below in the UK sent us one of their uber-popular Ruckrafts to test out and review and we plan on putting it through the paces when we head back to Lake Sonoma in a few weeks for our first official test run of the course that we’ve been working on.Feats of EnduranceThis week’s Feats of Endurance winner is Scot Brockbank from Ontario, Canada. He’s been winning at Stava titles this week with such gems as: “Morning run through mud, I mean snow!” and “Wet feet and the gathering of eagles.” We’re not sure what that means but we’re loving it.Make sure to join us on Strava and cheer on your fellow Swimrunners as they train all over the world.This Week in Swimrun (Powered by Raceid.com)We have a couple of updates to share this week.Last week, ÖTILLÖ and the XTRI World Tour announced a new virtual challenge called the Ö till X Ultimate Endurance Challenge. This challenge takes participants on a global adventure to discover race tracks and sites of ÖTILLÖ and the XTRI World Tour. The global virtual event starts in February and participants will receive a new challenge to complete each month through the end of the year. In December, everyone that completed the challenge will receive a cool t-shirt and be entered in a drawing for a place in the ÖTILLÖ World Championship and the Extreme Triathlon Norseman. Sign up for this challenge on raceid.com.We have a mini-correction from last week’s edition: I had a brain fart and mentioned that Swimrun Lake James is on March 24th when it’s on April 24th. My bad on that one.That’s it for this week. Feel free to email us to tip us off to any events or Swimrun news that you’d like for us to share on the show.UpdatesThe people have spoken and the Low Tide Boyz trucker hats have been ordered. Now we wait 4-6 weeks.Remember to drop us a message on IG or send us an email with your address if you’d like a free“Super Stoked on Swimrun” sticker. The stickers are arriving this week from the print shop so be on the lookout for those in the mail by next week.This Week’s InterviewWhat can we say about Trista and Amy? They are literally “ADORKable” and it’s hard for us to think of another team that loves Swimrun as much as they do. We really enjoyed hearing how they met, found Swimrun, and the adventures that ensued. We covered a lot of ground in this interview from their first race experience all the way to how they set up their own Swimrun during the pandemic. You can follow Trista and Amy’s endurance adventures on their blog.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

11 Feb 202157min

Welcome to episode fifty-seven of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!We’re officially in February and this month we are kicking off a series of interviews all about partners. This month we will be featuring teams from all over the world to chat about one of the funnest aspects of Swimrun. This week we are chatting with Toby and G Flo of Team Max Mockermann from Germany. They have been supportive of the show since we started out and we were super stoked to finally get to sit down and chat with them.More with Toby and G Flo later in the show.ShoutoutsThis week we’re shouting Henrick Forssell. We’ve been connected with him on the internets and he regaled us with stories about Helas Frostbite Swimrun and his plans to host a fun monthly swimrun for folks in Stockholm all year. Keep up the great work!Adventure Time/Training UpdatesWe are still training at our own speeds but we’re starting to turn the screws a bit in the pool so we should have sore lats for the foreseeable future. Other than that, Chris is ramping up for some long runs and Chipper is putting in a ton of HIIT work.Feats of EnduranceThis week’s Feats of Endurance honoree is Alexis Humeau in Paris, France. He low-key threw down a 55km point-to-point run from Sarzeau to Vannes in Eastern France over the weekend. An impressive feat for sure...and the course looked Swimrunnable too!Make sure to join us on Strava and cheer on your fellow Swimrunners as they train all over the world.This Week in Swimrun (Powered by Raceid.com)We have a few race updates to share this week.Congratulations to everyone that qualified for the ÖTILLÖ World Championship! This is no small feat with a record amount of submissions for entry for the race that started it all. We look forward to cheering you all on from afar (and maybe from near) on September 6th.Swimrun Lake James, happening on April 24th, is officially sold out for both the short and long course distances. They do have a waitlist going, so sign up for that if you’re interested in racing. On a side note, they have the teams list on their site and some of the team names are 100% solid gold. Here’s a sample of what the race directors will be dealing with: Hold My Paddles While I Poop, Phyllis Hold My Shower Beer, Still Unsure Why We’re Doing This, Traveling Dingleberries, Vodka Juniors, and While our Bikes Gently Weep. If you’re listening and part of one of these teams, send us a message and we’ll put some stickers in the mail for you.The race date of October 3, 2021 has been set for Ödyssey Swimrun Lubington and registration is officially open with super early bird pricing that’s good through February 14th. The course looks dope but don’t take our word for it. You can check out the Short and Long Course maps on their website. We have a correction from last week’s edition: we mentioned that Hero Swimrun was an ÖTILLÖ qualifier. It was a qualifier in 2020 but it’s not one this year.That’s it for this week. Feel free to email us to tip us off to any events or Swimrun news that you’d like for us to share on the show.UpdatesWe’ve narrowed down the options for our forthcoming hats and will be posting the mockups up on IG for folks to vote on what they like best.We’re super stoked to report that we’ve passed 25,000 total downloads this week. When we started the show, we always hoped that people would listen but to think that we would also get so much support and encouragement from our listeners has been amazing. To celebrate this milestone, we’ve come up with some new stickers for everyone to slap on their cars, bikes, water bottles, etc. These “Super Stoked on Swimrun” stickers are free for everyone who wants one. Just drop us a message on IG or send us an email with your address and we’ll put one in the mail for you.This Week’s InterviewTo kick-off partner’s month, we have Toby and G Flo all the way from Germany. We first learned about Team Max Mockermann when we started the show but we realized what we were dealing with when they posted a video of them running and trying to swim in the snow the day before ÖTILLÖ Engadin last year. We knew then and there that we wanted to have them on the show.In this interview, we chat about how they met and decided to team up, how they train for Swimrun when they live in different parts of Germany, and how they are doing their part to build up the Swimrun community where they are. They also have their own podcast that they record while they are training on Zwift...so there’s that! This was a really fun interview and we think that everyone will enjoy it.You can follow Team Max Mockermann’s exploits on Instagram and check out their podcast (it’s in German.)That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

4 Feb 20211h 3min

Welcome to episode fifty-six of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!We travel across the pond this week to chat with Nicola and Chelsey Bailey, the mother and daughter duo at the helm of As Keen As Mustard Events. This was a fun conversation with two amazing women trying to do their part to grow the sport of Swimrun in the UK.More on this interview later in the show.ShoutoutsThis week we’re shouting out Amanda Gorman. If you don’t know who she is, Amanda quickly rose to international fame after reading a poem that she wrote at last week’s inauguration that stole the show. It was amazing and we think that everyone should check it out if you need some inspiration. The poem is called “The Hill We Climb” and you can watch and listen to it here.Adventure Time/Training UpdatesWe’re keeping on keeping on with training as we try to figure out what our race calendar might look like for the Spring. (Spoiler Alert: it’s TBD) We also have an atmospheric river hitting us this week so that should be interesting.Feats of EnduranceThis week’s Feats of Endurance honoree is Leticia Wirth of Porto Alegre Brazil. She’s been putting in around 37,000 yards of swimming per week while also running a ton. We’re not sure what she’s training for but keep it up!Make sure to join us on Strava and cheer on your fellow Swimrunners as they train for life and other stuff like races.This Week in Swimrun (Powered by Raceid.com)We have a few race updates to share this week.ӦTILLӦ recently announced their merit races for 2021. In the US, the merit races are: Swimrun Lake James, Ӧdyssey Swimrun Casco Bay, Ӧdyssey Swimrun Orcas Island, and Swimrun North Carolina.Registration is open for the Hero Swimrun in Brazil. The race is on April 10th and they have 3 distance options and a 1km kids race that looks like fun.Immeln Swimrun produced by AtoBe Events is open for registration on Raceid.com. The race date is set for August 21st and the event offers three distances including a new 113km ultra distance.Boras Swimrun has moved their 2021 race date from May 30th to the very special date of September 12th. Borås is a Swimrun put on by Swimrun legend and previous guest of the show Jonas Colting. This event is also a ӦTILLӦ merit race.That’s it for this week. Feel free to email us to tip us off to any events or Swimrun news that you’d like for us to share on the show.UpdatesIt looks like people want hats. We’ll be mocking up a few designs and will be sharing them on IG for folks to vote on their favorite.We mentioned earlier in the show that we’re not sure what our race schedule will look like in the Spring BUT we know what our schedule will be in the Fall. We’ve officially registered for Ӧdyssey Swimrun’s Orcas Island, Casco Bay, and Austin events.This Week’s InterviewAs Keen as Mustard events caught our eye pretty much as soon as we started following Swimrun accounts when we started the podcast. Focusing on entry-level Swimrun distances, their events allow for a supportive environment for folks to experience the sport for the first time. In the process, Nicola and Chelsey have built an amazing community of athletes and have been a key part in the growth of Swimrun in the UK.In this conversation, we chatted with Nicola and Chelsey about the origins of As Keen as Mustard events...including how they came up with the name, their vision for creating an inclusive Swimrun community, how they are managing lockdowns due to COVID-19, and their plans for the future.We had a lot of fun with this episode and we hope that you enjoy it. You can learn more about As Keen as Mustard events on their website or on Instagram.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

28 Jan 202148min

Swimrun Adventure Gear EssentialsWelcome to Gear Talk: The Löw Tide Böyz and Swimrun Labs review show!In this episode, we chat about all the things you should consider when planning, executing, and experiencing an epic Swimrun Adventure.Before we get into that, we have some gear updates.GEAR UPDATESJust a few gear updates this week.Chipper went nuts and bought an ARK Sports VIGG and KORP suit during their one day sale back in December. (Chris bought a KORP because #FOMO) Chipper also got a new Michael Phelps pool snorkel that was a huge improvement on his old one.In the cold Pacific Northwest, Annie and Brooke have found some new gear that makes the cold water temps slightly more bearable. Brooke got a red original Dry Robe (three-quarter sleeve) that she absolutely loves! She also got the NRS Maxim 3mm gloves that have been essential for some of the super cold swims that she’s been doing. Annie recently got some NRS Hydroskin 1.5 Wetsocks and they have been amazing in cold water.SWIMRUN ADVENTURE GENERAL CONSIDERATIONSA good place to start is with planning the route. Using existing maps from Google, Strava routes, All Trails, CalTOPO, or Foot Path. (Annie loves Foot Path)Below are some of the general things to keep in mind when planning for a Swimrun Adventure:Duration of AdventureMost Swimrun events are 80% running and 20% swimming so keep that in mind when planning the course.Location (remoteness, access to potable water, cell phone reception, the familiarity of trails/course/water currents)Time of year (water/air temperature, is it hunting or fishing season, marina/busy waterways)Don’t go aloneWhat are you going to do nutrition-wise? Static aid station (like a car), mobile aid station (friend in a car), or stashing nutrition somewhere on the course.GEAR CONSIDERATIONSGear should mirror whatever you would wear for any given Swimrun race taking into account all the things that you would for the race (water temp., terrain, nutrition/fueling demands.) We would also recommend using a brightly colored swim cap and use a Swim Buoy for visibility and some storage. Making sure that you have some waterproof protection for items like a phone or keys. Consider printing out maps in case there isn’t cell reception. Annie recommends using Rite in the Rain brand printer paper to make your maps.You may need to take on much more water and nutrition depending on the duration and remoteness of the adventure. Try to eat more real food if you’re planning a long adventure. We would also recommend some type of water filtration option in case there is good access to freshwater such as the Katadyn BeFree Water Filter.CLOSING THOUGHTSWe hope this episode gives you some insight into how to plan and execute an epic Swimrun adventure with your mates. Have fun and tag us in your photos.That’s it for this week’s Gear Talk show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram and on Twitter. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback, suggestions, and/or meme suggestions. Finally, you can also support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

26 Jan 202148min

Welcome to episode fifty-five of the Low Tide Boyz - A Swimrun Podcast!We have one of the legends of the sport on the show this week. We are super stoked to share our interview with 5-time ÖTILLÖ World Champion Annika Ericsson. We loved having this conversation and think that you’ll enjoy listening to it.More on this important conversation later in the show.ShoutoutsThis week we’re shouting out a newish listener, Tad Derrick. He’s been going through our back catalog of shows and we really appreciated this feedback on the show. Hope to see you at a Swimrun at some point dude!Adventure Time/Training UpdatesWe’re going back out to Lake Sonoma soon with our suits on to literally test the waters so we’ll hopefully have one Swimrun loop course mapped out before exploring other parts of the lake for maybe a longer point-to-point style course.In training news, Chipper has been loving his Peloton treadmill and has been putting in some good work on that thing. Chris is still on his bullshit and putting in a lot of volume.Feats of EnduranceThe Feats are back! That means that everyone in our Strava Club is eligible to win a very prestigious weekly award (of a bumper sticker) and our enduring adoration. This week’s winner is Christian Gotz of Munich Germany. Last week he did not one, not two, but three frigid open water swims in the Karlsfelder Lake outside of Munich. We were definitely impressed! Keep up the good work Christian and try not to lose any appendages out there. This Week in Swimrun (Powered by Raceid.com)We have a few race updates to share this week.Breca Swimrun’s Jersey race is set for September 4, 2021. They’ve only opened up registration for the Sprint Course and plan to open the full course at a later date based on the progress of the UK vaccination programs and easing of restrictions for group events. This course looks awesome and we’re definitely going to make it out to that event at some point. Listeners can check out Breca Swimrun’s provisional 2021 race calendar for the rest of their events.Another race on our long bucket list, Swimrun Costa Brava, has announced its 2021 race date for April 24, 2021. If you’re in Spain or can travel to Spain we would definitely recommend this race just from the photos alone.That’s it for this week. Feel free to email us to tip us off to any events or Swimrun news that you’d like for us to share on the show.UpdatesWe urge everyone to check out Adam Skolnick’s new story in the New York Times about how a group of Nepalese Sherpas climbed K2, one of the most treacherous climbs in the world. Adam was our guest on Episode 28 of the show and an all-around awesome dude.We’ve been thinking about making some hats for our swag shop. Let us know if that’s something that you might be interested in since our wives are already flush with LTBz gear and we don’t think that they want 10 hats to wear. Send us a DM with a thumbs up or down vote. This Week’s InterviewAs we mentioned at the beginning of the show, we were super stoked to be able to chat with Annika Ericsson and share her story with our listeners. It’s safe to say that she’s in the pantheon of Swimrun legends and we really enjoyed getting to know her a bit in this interview. In this conversation, we chatted about her elite athletic background, how she competed in the Swedish Classics events, and ultimately found Swimrun. We discussed her first experience racing the ÖTILLÖ World Championship and how she fell in love with the race, and what it’s like to not only have won ÖTILLÖ 5 times in both the mixed and women’s category but also owns the record for the fastest Women’s finishing time with her partner Kristin Larsson set in 2016. Finally, we chatted about the importance of having a good race partner and how to train for something like the World Championship while balancing family, work, and life in general.We covered a lot of ground in this interview and really appreciate Annika taking the time to speak with us. You can follow Annika on Instagram here.That’s it for this week’s show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star review. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram. Email us at lowtideboyz@gmail.com with any feedback and/or suggestions. Finally, you can support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.

21 Jan 202149min