Paul Asay

Talked to a friend doing her first triathlon and what few tips I could offer in a few minutes at the side of the pool yesterday.  Thinking about it a bit more here is my top 10 tips for a sprint triathlon: 1       Relax in the swim and just enjoy it.  If it’s a pool swim or a wetsuit swim you have nothing to worry about.  In a pool if you get tight just stop for a second, stand up or grab the lane line.  In an open water swim with a wetsuit just stop and let the suit hold you up and float.  Biggest problem with the swim is just getting overly worked up about it.  By the way, get a wetsuit made specifically for triathlon that fits you.  Worth their weight in gold they are. 2       Practice transitions several times before the race.  The key to good transition from swim to bike and bike to run is simplicity.  Do as little as possible with an absolute minimum of equipment.  Run from the swim...

This year the Forward Motion Athletics triathlon team is being sponsored by the Indiana State University Physical Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation Clinic.  We have had the pleasure of visiting a couple of times already this year.  The first visit to the clinic was focused on using foam rollers and specific exercises to reduce and repair overuse injuries.   Very worthwhile visit and they also spent some time with each of us in testing for strengths and weaknesses.  Needless to say I have a few weaknesses they gave me some tips on improving. The second visit was a bit more interesting, especially for me.  The first part was to introduce resistance band exercises and show us how to use them.  We also did some knee and back strengthening work.  Now the fun part began.  After the clinic they asked if anyone needed some specific work, and they were offering to do some Graston Technique on us if we wanted to.  I’ve read and heard a fai...

On a flight to Port-au-Prince Haiti of all places, I had the great fortune of being upgraded by American Airlines to First Class. I was traveling with a group from our church, and volunteer nurses to spend a week on a medical mission trip. Dr. Mark was sitting next to me equally enjoying the experience. I’ve always found it interesting to walk by first class and imagine just who these people are sitting in such spacious seats. Now, lo and behold, I was among them. Did I like it? No, I loved it. With the leg room for 7 footer and a powered recliner was just the start. Next up, the fresh coffee before takeoff, followed by a warmed variety of nuts, who knew it was so good. It was a contest between Mark and myself as to who had the biggest grin on our faces. Besides the endless and most excellent service, we even had a nice small steak dinner to keep the energy levels up for what lay ahead. Dr. Mark did get put to task though as a lady in the first row had some stomach issues ...