I would like to freestyle for at least a half mile. However, I have the hardest time maintaining my breathing after about 50m. I end up swimming on my back. What do you recommend?
Linda K.
Our Coaches’ Replies
Coach Kurt Madden
Linda,
I would recommend you start off at a comfortable pace which is aerobic and what we might refer to as a Zone 2 effort. In other words, not too fast, just comfortable and at an effort that you can maintain for 30+ minutes.
I would also add that you really want to make sure that you are exhaling and getting all of the air out of the lungs so your heart rate does not increase and slow down the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the lungs.
Another strategy would be to breath more often or every stroke rather than every third stroke, which allows you to breathe more often and should also delay any type of fatigue or breathing issue. This would be similar to breathing regularly when you are running as compared to holding your breath while running and breathing every three steps.
I would add that if your form is poor & you are struggling to turn your head to get a good breath, you might need to find a lesson or two with a swim coach. Generally someone who is quickly out of breath suffers from one or more of these issues:
Holding their breath between breaths. You need to be blowing bubbles constantly between breaths.
Body position is not good, making it nearly impossible to get a good breath.
Not enough shoulder rotation to allow a good breath.
Not breathing often enough, usually as it is hard to turn their head to get a good breath, so they just don’t breathe!
Poor or inefficient kick such as kicking from the knees and/or over kicking to try to go faster.
Linda, if you don’t have access to a coach for lessons, many of us can analyze a video of your swim stroke and give direction. TriDot Pool School is super beneficial if there is one in your area. You can see the next few months’ schedule here.
This is a challenge for many adult onset swimmers. Good body position is key. Rotating your head to the side to breathe with good shoulder and hip rotation can keep you level in the water without your legs sinking. A relaxed, bent elbow arm recovery in front of the shoulder will help prevent cross over. Underwater, pull with your arm bent, elbows pointing to the side of the pool and fingers straight down until your thumb hits your thigh.
TriDot Pool School has been very successful at improving your form and speed in the water. There are dates and locations available all over the country.
It is also Preseason time at TriDot. Get two months of free training to prepare for the 2024 season.
If you have been diagnosed with afib, is it worth training for multisport endurance competition, such as triathlon? This post, prompted by a reader diagnosed with afib, contains valuable advice from a cardiologist whose father is an ultramarathon runner.
Cardiologist Dr. Brian Saluck, Citrus Cardiology Consultants, P.A. describes atrial fibrillation (AF), or afib, as “a rapid heartbeat which is irregularly irregular. This means that the duration from beat to beat is different and the rhythm of the heart is not regular.”
He also noted three categories of AF:
Rapid AF, for which the heart rate is above 110 beats per minute (bpm).
Controlled AF for which the heart rate is between 60 and 110 bpm.
Slow afib for which the heart rate under 60 bpm.
The irregular-irregularity common to all types makes afib a condition to be taken seriously. According to StopAfib.org, “If you have non-valvular afib, you are nearly five times more likely than someone without the condition to have a stroke; if you have valvular afib, your risk is 17 times higher. In fact, about 15% or more of all strokes in the US are related to afib. You also have twice the risk of dementia, three times the risk of heart failure, and a 40 to 90 percent increased risk of death compared with people your age who don’t have afib.”
What Are Risk Factors For Afib?
Several factors contribute to the risk of stroke or heart failure in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF). These include the patient’s history with diabetes, hypertension, congestive heart failure, valve disease, and prior stroke or transient ischemic attack. Other factors include age, gender, and if the patient has sleep apnea.
Medical professionals often assign a number to each of the primary risk factors to arrive at a score called CHA2DS2-VASc. The risk score is used to define a treatment plan, including prescription of medications such as anti-coagulants.
Is endurance exercise a risk factor for producing an Afib event?
Is there such a thing as exercise-induced AF? “Yes, for some people, exercise can be a risk factor, ” according to Dr. Saluck.
“There is a thought that in athletes whose resting heart rate is too slow, exercise can induce an afib. A normal heartbeat, over 50 bpm, suppresses other irregular heart beats. However, if the sinus heart beat, that originating from the sinus node of the heart, is low, the irregular heartbeats can take over.”
Planning To Start Triathlon But Have Afib?
“The potential risk of exercising with AF is heart failure, ” stated Dr. Saluck. “As you demand more oxygen to the heart, the heart is not relaxing normally. When you are in afib, you lose the atrial kick that normally occurs when the top part of the heart, called the atrium, contracts during the peak filling of the ventricle. That extra little contraction improves the cardiac output by 15 to 20%.
“When you are not in a normal rhythm, that is in afib, you do not have the normal contraction of the sinus node. When the atrium does not contract, you lose the extra 15 to 20% efficiency. A person with afib can go into heart failure because of this.”
A person diagnosed with afib should check with their doctor before beginning triathlon training.
According to Dr. Saluck, “a patient with afib who is considering triathlon should have an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) and an echocardiogram, which is a sound wave picture of the heart. These will ensure that the structure of the heart is intact and that there are no valve problems with the heart which can cause the afib, such as a mitral valve regurgitation or aortic valve narrowing (stenosis), something older adults are more likely to exhibit.”
“A lot of times, afib is a marker for underlying ischemia or decreased blood flow to a heart artery. So, if the patient has risk factors in the family and has afib, I might want to do an exercise stress test by putting the patient on a treadmill to see how their endurance is and what their heart rhythm response is to exercise.”
“We also want to make sure their electrolyte levels are okay and check their thyroid to make sure it is not off.”
Depending on the patient, their initial results, and their history with endurance sports, including the distances and duration of the events, these tests may be repeated yearly or less frequently. “If everything with the initial tests is normal, the patient is probably good for five years.”
Managing Afib While Training For And Competing In Triathlon
Plenty of men and women diagnosed with AF take part in endurance sports, such as triathlon. Applying the advice of their primary physician or cardiologist means they can derive the benefits of exercise while minimizing the risks associated with the condition. Here is an approach for managing these risks.
Be Aware of Afib Related Signs and Triggers
While training or racing, listen to and look at your body for signs of AF. For example, are you feeling shortness of breath? Do you feel fatigued? Are legs becoming swollen? These could be warning signs of heart failure.
Not all the sports of triathlon may pose equal risk. A May 2023 publication in Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine reported an association between swimming and AF. In their paper titled AFLETES Study (Atrial Fibrillation in Veteran Athletes and the Risk of Stroke), authors Pallikadavath et. al. wrote, “This is the first study to demonstrate that swimming was associated with an increased risk of AF when compared with other sports and after adjusting for lifetime exercise dose.”
According to Dr. Saluck, this finding may be consistent with the ‘divers reflex’ phenomenon. The ‘divers reflex’, or mammalian diving reflex, is a common response of all mammals to entering cold water. One result is a drop in heart rate. This happens when, with swimming, a person first enters cold water. If the heart rate is already low, as is likely for trained athletes, the irregular heartbeats can take over.
While training, pay attention to your body and learn its response to the unique stress from each of the sports.
Monitor Heart Rate and Heart Rate Signature
According to ActiveCor, maker of KardiaMobile ECG sensor, “Pushing too hard is the number one reason why exercise may become unsafe for someone with atrial fibrillation.”
Technology for monitoring heart rate has been available for many years and is even more widely accessible today.
According to Dr. Saluck, pay attention to how rapidly your heart rate rises at the beginning of exercise and how quickly it comes down after exercise. Normally, heart rate should rise slowly over three to five minutes. Once exercise has ended, it should drop considerably over one to two minutes.
Recently, companies including Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, and Garmin have come out with wearable devices having an FDA cleared ECG (electrocardiogram) function. While not a watch or wearable device, ActiveCor’s KardiaMobile is a small sensor device that connects to your smartphone to record an ECG.
Start Hydrated and Stay Hydrated
Hydration level is critical to heart function and a common thread in many of AF triggers. As we become dehydrated, our heart rate naturally increases. Dehydration also contributes to an imbalance in electrolytes, particularly magnesium and potassium.
There is also a high association between alcohol and AF, especially for those who drink more than mildly. In addition to weakening the heart muscle, alcohol is also a powerful diuretic, contributing to dehydration.
Restful Sleep
Sleep apnea not only affects the quality of sleep but can also increase AF events. “As we age, we lose muscle tone. This can extend to the muscles in the throat, increasing the risk of sleep apnea,” says Dr. Saluck.
Manage Anxiety
“Mental stress and anxiety definitely increase your risk for heart rhythm disturbances. Anxiety in particular can change the hormonal receptors of the heart.”
‘Broken heart syndrome‘ is a stress-related phenomenon which can also cause AF. Sudden acute but stressful events, such as loss of a loved one, being in a car accident, or dealing with financial problems may trigger ‘broken heart syndrome’.
Stress, whether physical, mental, or emotional, must be managed for us to perform at our peak athletically as well as to control AF.
Conclusion – Can I Do A Triathlon With Afib?
A diagnosis of AF does not automatically mean a person cannot begin or continue with multisport endurance activities like triathlon, duathlon, or aquabike. However, it is important to involve your doctor and/or a cardiologist in the initial and ongoing discussion.
Cardiologist Dr. Brian Saluck offers a few key recommendations. First, hydrate well before starting and then stay hydrated with electrolytes throughout the training session or race. He also recommends wearing a heart rate monitor to make sure their heart rate does not go too high outside its normal range. If your heart rate goes high or you don’t feel normal, take a break.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr. Brian Saluck, Citrus Cardiology Consultants, P.A. for contributing to and reviewing this post.
Share Your Questions and Comments Below
Do you have questions about doing triathlon with afib which were not answered? Did you find the information in this post useful? Let me know in the Comments below.
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Triathlon is a competition involving three activities, usually swimming, biking, and running. The three activities, or legs, are most often performed by an individual. However, reaching the finish line of a triathlon requires training and the support of others, including family and friends. This is Gene Peters’ triathlon story.
Gene Peters’ Path to Triathlon
Gene’s introduction to triathlon occurred in the early 1990s, in his late 40s, when his younger brother and his brother-in-law, both in their 30s, were doing triathlon.
“What’s wrong with these guys?” He thought, “This is crazy. These guys have missed their opportunity to be serious competitors in triathlon. Why bother?”
If the window to compete in triathlon had closed for these guys in their 30s, it definitely had closed for Gene, who was nine years older than his brother. That’s what he thought, at least.
While Gene was somewhat active while growing up in central California, he was not athletic. “As a kid, I was shy and not athletic. I was never among the first to be picked when teams were formed.”
However, he had stayed active during college until his late 30s, racing motorcycles off-road and riding ‘centuries’ (100 mile bike rides).
Volunteering at Wildflower Triathlon
A few years later, Gene’s brother asked him and his wife Kitty to help out as volunteers at the Wildflower Triathlon at Lake San Antonio in central California. Gene’s brother was responsible for feeding the race volunteers who came from a local college. He needed help with barbecuing at the end of the race. Since most of this work was done after the race, Gene and his wife were able to get up close to what happened during the race by volunteering at the sole transition area for this triathlon.
While sitting around the campfire later that day, Gene’s brother threw out a challenge. If Gene would compete in next year’s triathlon, his entry would be free.
“Anything my brother offered to participate in with me was perfect. The guy was an absolute joy to be with, He was fun.”
There were two challenges right from the start. The sprint triathlon involved mountain biking and Gene did not have a mountain bike. Second, the only swimming he had done was in group lessons he had taken when six or seven years old and when he water skiied later on. With water skiing, he wore a wetsuit. In other words, he was starting from the point of a near beginner swimmer.
Before the race, Gene developed his swimming first by swimming back and forth in the small round pool managed by the HOA (homeowners association) and later in a local community pool.
First Triathlon – Wildflower Off-Road Sprint
When Gene arrived for his first triathlon, he learned he needed a wetsuit for this race. The only one he had was for jet skiing, which was not appropriate for the triathlon swim. He ended up borrowing a Farmer John wetsuit from his brother-in-law. However, because the suit did not fit well, he said “I would have been better off not wearing a wetsuit”.
“Then on the mountain bike leg, I was chugging along when who should pull up beside me but Paula Newby-Fraser. She said ‘You’re not even breathing hard’.”
After finishing his first triathlon, he and his wife were talking about the race. Gene told Kitty, “You know, I think this could be fun.”
He told her that he would need a wetsuit and a bike. They walked over to the expo where vendors were selling triathlon related items.
After looking at the price tags on the triathlon wetsuits, Gene remembers thinking out loud, “How much use am I really going to get out of a wetsuit? I mean, how many triathlons will I do?”
Knowing something Gene had not yet realized, Kitty said, “Go ahead and get it.” Since then, he has worn out that wetsuit and two or three more wetsuits as he trained and raced in other triathlons, including eight or nine times in the Wildflower half Ironman.
Competing in Olympic and Half Ironman Triathlon
The next year, he went back to the Wildflower event, this time to complete the half Ironman distance. His goal for this race was to finish with a Kona-qualifying time. However, Gene learned how difficult it is to qualify for Kona.
For the next several years, during his late 40s and early 50s, Gene continued to compete in Olympic and half Ironman distance triathlons. He was not giving up on his goal to race in Hawaii.
Gene also realized he was a triathlete, something which had taken him a while to recognize. “For a long time, I thought I was playing, not a real triathlete.”
In 1996, Gene’s brother invited him and his wife to volunteer with him and his then girlfriend and later wife at the Ironman World Championships in October.
One month before traveling to Hawaii, Gene and his wife moved to Park City, Utah. While going for his first bike ride in his new home state, Gene was hit by a car. In the accident, his back was broken in two places.
Despite being in a back brace, he made the trip to Hawaii. While being stationed at T2 (bike to run transition area), he spent most of his time lying on the grass. However, at one point during the race, still under the influence of pain medication, he got up and walked over to where the bikers were coming in and runners going out, and proclaimed, “I gotta do this!”
He went back the next year, now fully recovered and without the influence of pain medication, to get a better picture of the race.
Related post: In this post Restarting to Bike After a Crash, you will read how Gene and other senior triathletes have recovered from a bike crash to start riding again.
First Ironman Triathlon for Gene Peters
In 2000, Gene completed two full (140.6) Ironman triathlons, including his first in Oceanside, California, near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, north of San Diego.
Soon after registering for the Oceanside triathlon, Gene’s friend contacted him to let him know the race director had opened 500 more race spots for Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia. Gene and his friend stayed on the registration website overnight in order to secure spots in this race.
Gene qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii for the first time in 2004. Sadly, his younger brother, the one who had gotten him into triathlon, passed away in 2003.
All totaled, Gene has completed 35 Ironman triathlons. Included in these are three World Championships in Hawaii. He has already qualified for the 2024 World Championships in Hawaii.
Gene and Mary “Kitty” Peters at the 2017 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
A Love for Triathlon Training
Gene ‘loves’ triathlon training and his association with the sport. He told me that it has taught him discipline, self-determination, and confidence.
“While I have always been relatively healthy, I have been in better shape in my 60s and 70s than I was in my 30s.”
Training/Preparing for Ironman Triathlons
Gene’s characterization of his Ironman triathlon training is straightforward: “I follow directions”.
Several years ago, Gene began using the TriDot® system, initially without a coach.
Since February 2017, he has been coached by Kurt Madden, a TriDot coach who is also one of the senior triathletes coaches. Of Kurt, Gene says that he “is excellent at adjusting to what my needs are and what my condition is.”
Kurt is Gene’s second TriDot coach. The first one, selected because Gene and he had graduated from the same college, was about half Gene’s age and focused on Olympic distance triathlon. The relationship lasted one year because of their differences in age and focus.
Before starting the relationship with Kurt, Gene spoke to a lady at TriDot about “needing a coach who could relate to the needs of the older triathlete and what we are going through. You need to have a program that recognizes that older triathletes don’t recover as fast, sometimes, as a person in their 30s.”
Gene attributes the TriDot system for impressive race results. “In the last ten years, I have podiumed in 100% of my races.”
Gene Peters’ Advice
Earlier in his racing career, Gene did triathlons and ran marathons. Today, however, he focuses on triathlon.
“I learned unless I warmed up with a nice long swim and bike, I pushed too hard on the run. I would hurt myself.
“Now, I do only half marathons. I stopped doing full marathons except as part of a full Ironman.”
Stay Consistent
Gene echoed what many have told me to be a key to success with triathlon – consistent training. Gene has thought about the time he has spent training for an Ironman triathlon, acknowledging it is not for everyone.
Operating his own accounting business enabled him to train consistently. On top of this, Gene had not only the support, but encouragement, of his wife to continue training and racing.
Tribute to Mary C. “Kitty” Peters
In October 2022, with 55 years of marriage to Gene, Kitty passed away. Gene was by her side.
Before she passed away, Kitty would help keep Gene stay on track, knowing how important and valuable the training was to him. She was known for telling her friends how proud she was of her husband.
Kitty also willingly volunteered at many triathlons, being known for the smile with which she greeted finishers. According to Gene, she volunteered at more Ironman races than he had done. As a registered nurse, she often provided medical help at triathlons.
In reflecting on our conversation, it is doubtful that Gene would have accomplished what he has throughout his triathlon career had he not had her never-ending support. She is and always will be missed.
Who’s Behind Your Triathlon Accomplishments?
Who do you credit for your triathlon achievements? In what way(s) have they supported you?
Give them the recognition they deserve in the Comments below.
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I have a 1/2 IM in early November and am not sure how much and how soon to taper. I am 67 and figure that the usual tapering routine might not be ideal for someone my age? Any suggestions? Bobby D.
Our Coaches’ Replies
Coach Kurt Madden
Bobby,
Good morning from San Diego!
Tapers can be tricky and it really depends upon the following:
What is a typical taper you have used in the past to optimize your results for a ½ marathon?
Have you tapered for any other races this year?
Do you have any injuries?
Have you put in a block of training consistently for say 12 – 16 weeks?
Is this your “A” race or “B” race?
Generally speaking, most people your age, will go with a 10-day taper which means their longest run is 3 weeks before at say, 2:20. Two weeks before, the long run is reduced to 1:45, and a week before the race, the long run is 1:10. This is also assuming that you are running four times a week with a faster session of say 50 – 1:10 at a Zone 4 or getting anaerobic, two recovery sessions, and a long run.
Hopefully, this information is helpful and you might consider looking at RunDot to get in on a free trial:
I’ll echo Coach Kurt’s response. What have you used in the past? I’ve found with good consistent training, my folks need a shorter taper. We want to be prime to race. Not too flat, but fresh and ready to roll. I recommend some short, sharper intervals around race pace to build some race day muscle memory.
Good luck in your race. Kurt or I will be glad to help you ready and provide a race pacing plan.
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