United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

My husband swears I'm trying to get out of mopping the floors, but really, what's more important--a clean house or getting those swims & bike rides in:)

Ok i am confused.

I have always want to do a triathlon as i was an avid swimmer and biker before my injury. The run was always what i felt would kill me, but now it is all i can do. How does everyone swim?

With one arm? Freestyle?
I probably have more use of my affected arm than alot of people as i had a great surgeon but i can't understand how i could possibly swim freestyle for a mile.

If anyone could please let me know how you actually perform the stroke i will give it a try next time i am in a pool.

Thanks and i think you all are amazing for being able to accomplish this.

Hi!!!
Freestyle with one arm takes a little getting used to. My teamates who swim open water with me 2x a week have all tried it and they cant do it. The difference is, I have to do it or i dont swim!!! it does take a little getting used to, but you will be able to. The trick is to really let your body do the work. you really get the roll down. yes, i pull to the right using just my left arm, but you learn to adjust and correct. when i started, i did 10 laps at a time, then i did 20 and so on. do a lot of work with the kickboard. hold on with one arm and practice the kick. unlike most triathletes, we must depend on our kick to help propel us. i do not bilateral breathe now, i just breathe to one side. if you have some use of your arm then you will have no problem on the bike. dans sling made running possible for me, you might want to give it a try.

good luck and yes, you can swim. dont get discouraged if you struggle at first, because you will. then just think about all you've been through and had to overcome and tell yourself "this is easy!!". Be patient and never, never, never give up!!!!!

Robin

The Total Immersion DVD really helped me.

http://www.amazon.com/Freestyle-Made-Ea ... y_b_text_b

The most important part for me was learning the "sweet spot" which is floating on your side while you kick, with your good arm forward. That really helped my balance in the water, so i didn't feel like I was sinking. After that, it's easy to start adding a stroke in there occasionally, until it feels natural.

I taught myself to breath on the right side the same way. For some reason I would sink every time my arm was out of the water whenever I turned that direction. By practicing floating on that side, and then adding a stroke, I learned to relax and feel balanced as I did it.

Also, if you can train in open water, a good swimmer's wet suit really helps. It adds so much bouyancy that it makes you feel more confident as you try different things. I can't sink with mine on!

Heddi --
Good luck with your race this weekend!!! i dont know if you will read this first, but i'll be thinking of you!!! stay calm and have fun!! most of all, be safe!!

please let us know how you do!!!
you are amazing! you go!!!!!

Well I finished my second ever triathlon this weekend, and it was tough! It was much harder than Danskin, partially because the distances were a little bit longer, but mostly because it was a much more challenging course.

The swim took place in Puget Sound, with a strong current against us for the longest section. It took me twice as long as expected, and felt more like my last 1 mile swim! The current made it seem like I wasn't moving forward at all, and the time I spent trying to round the 2nd buoy took forever.

I left the water feeling pretty good, but more wobbly than expected. The bike ride was super challenging with one really good climb towards the beginning and another one later on the course. Both my calves cramped up on me on the second climb, which has never happened to me before. I'm amazed I didn't have to walk it, but I managed to keep going by flexing my feet until it passed--Ouch!

By the time I got running, my legs felt like toast, and I couldn't catch my breath. The course had 2 loops, and I wasn't sure I would make it to the second one. Luckily, my legs warmed up and breathing calmed down enough to enjoy the second loop, and I finally got into a groove.

I finished with a big smile, and was really proud to have finished after such a grueling swim:)

Thanks to you all for so much encouragement!

Heddi,

Congratulations for getting through this.

So proud of you girl.

Hugs, Karen

CONGRATULATIONS, Heddi!!
You are 1 tough lady and I admire you sooo much for fighting thru that pain to finish like you did.

LOTSA HUGS,
Carolyn j
LOBPI adult

Great job Heddi!

Way to push it. sometimes the tougher the race, the sweeter the finish!!!!! i am so happy for you. keep it up!

Robin

HI All,

I just did my Triathlon today, what a blast! For a little back ground, it has been a number of years since I have done an endurance activity and I let myself get very out of shape.

So about three months ago, I agreed to do a tri. I did a few really short ones back in college about 20 years ago, but nothing this tough. 1/2 mile swim in the ocean, 18 mile ride and 4 mile run. Half my training was loosing weight, the other half was really getting my miles up. As of today, I lost 40 pounds and I have a few more to go so I can really be prepared for my next event.

I signed up in the Physically Challenged group at Robin's suggestion, so I got to go out in the second wave, which was great since there were over 3000 people doing it today. It also meant I got to start with the celebrities, at Robins request, I did beat J LO, but I couldn't hang with Mathew McConaughey, that dude is in shape.

Here are my official times
Swim: 00:19:33.6 Transition 1: 00:01:41.5 Bike: 01:06:31.0 Transition 2: 00:01:11.9 Run: 00:39:50.3 Total: 02:08:48.4 (For some reason I think they messed up the transition times, not sure how they did this because we were wearing the electronic chips, also because my transition times were faster than the really fast people. I also think my bike was faster and also my run, but the overall time is correct)

Swim was tough, I had a hard time getting my rhythm down, so I did about 3/4 of it with the breast stoke and the rest freestyle. I will need to train harder on the swim for my next one.

Bike was great, went out first half slow and came back strong, was trying to save my legs for the run.

On the run, I kept thinking my legs were going to give out, but they didn't, which meant I could have gone much faster, oh well, next time.

Overall, the training was great, feels good to be back in shape and I am really looking forward to training for the next one.

Here is a picture of me just before I finished:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/athleticar ... 857988719/

I know Robin offered in an earlier post to help, and she is being very modest about not being great at this, she knows her stuff and I owe her a ton for all the advice she gave me.

I also met the people from the Challenged Athletes Foundation, they help people with disabilities get back into sports, if you are interested in learning more about them, go to: http://www.challengedathletes.org/

I know Robin has a big race next weekend, looking forward to having her post her results.

I will post when I sign up for my next event.


Dan