Blogger Spotlight: Life After Swimming

Posted by Nikki T of Life After Swimming under Swimming, Triathlon on 5 Feb at 12:00 AM

Top sporting achievement: I think that would be a tie between completing four years of collegiate swimming and running my first half marathon! 

Goals for the year ahead: Training for and finishing my first half Ironman distance race. Should be exciting!

Current Tribesports Challenge: Motivating myself to stick with swimming this year through the 2013 Swimming Challenge of swimming 50k.  

Most embarrassing sports moment: Oh my.  One time I was at a huge college swimming invitational, and I was getting ready to hop into the pool for warm-ups.  Little did I know that the butt of my suit had ripped, and that everyone could see everything.  That was probably the last time I forgot to double up my suits during warm-ups!

Hi Nikki, It's great to have you on site and we love some of the guides you have written. Why did you pick the name "Life after Swimming"?

Thanks for featuring me! Life After Swimming came around about 6 months after my competitive swimming career had ended.  I had started to notice a laziness settle in, a few pounds add on, and a lack of motivation creeping around.  I needed to motivate myself to find a healthy lifestyle after swimming had ended.  

Little did I know that swimming would find its way back in.  I joined a masters swimming program this past fall, and my love for swimming has been renewed.  I am pretty glad, too, because that way I can kick butt on the swimming legs of my triathlons!  Life After Swimming to me is a completely different life.  No 6 a.m. mandatory practices and practice everyday from 4-6, and no coach to punish me if I don’t work out and eat healthfully. It sure is different, and I use my blog to help me balance my way through life.

When did you start blogging, and where does your motivation for sports and fitness come from and do you have any big targets for 2013?

I started blogging in July of 2011, right after coming home from a ten day vacation.  If a post-vacation slug isn’t good enough motivation to get fit, I don’t know what is.  I get motivation from others, but I also have started to be self-motivated as well.  Signing up for events and races is extremely motivating for me.  I currently have 5 races on the calendar for this year all leading up to the big half Ironman in September!  Some are little races and fun races, but all of which will help me reach my big goal in the end.              

The biggest fitness-related thing is my first half Ironman in September, but until then, I have a few other races planned, including a half marathon in May.  In addition, I just graduated with my masters, and I am looking to find a job while also planning my spring 2014 wedding.  All of this should keep me pretty busy this year!

How have you found your experience on Tribesports so far?

I have found my Tribesports experience very enjoyable.  I love the motivation from the different Challenges and the different workout ideas through the emails.  Also, if you look around, you can find so much information on pretty much any aspect of fitness.  It’s a great resource and a great way to gain support and give support to other athletes.

If there was one sport you would love to be really great at, which would you pick and why? 

I think I’d pick dance.  First of all, I have no grace, but I am kind of obsessed with musicals.  The ability of the performers is magical, and I think it would be great to be able to dance like that.  The emotion that professional dancers show through their movements is amazing.  Plus, they’re in amazing shape, hardworking, and dedicated.  I have dabbled a bit in Zumba, but I practically laugh at myself in the mirror the entire time.  It’s a great workout, but I’m not going to be on the stage anytime soon!

Check out Nikki's guides for improving swimming technique, great tips!