LTBz Mailbag #2

Welcome to episode 355 of the Löw Tide Böyz - A Swimrun Podcast!

The mailbag is back! We get questions in our DMs, in our inbox, and in person at races, and when the same ones keep coming up, it's time for another round of our Swimrun 101 series. We answer these with 30-plus swimruns under our belts since 2018, and our advice is always the same: start where we recommend, then find your own way from there.

First up is metrics. Chip walks through his simple race-day watch setup (total time and distance, lap time and distance, plus a 20-minute fueling timer), and we explain why we skip Garmin's swimrun mode and log races as a run with the lap button instead. We also talk about using HRV and sleep data as weekly trends rather than daily verdicts, why we lean more on perceived effort as we get older, and how friend of the show Mario Fraioli cuts through the noise: forget stride oscillation, can you hold pace when it matters?

Next we update our shoe advice. Start with the trail shoes you already own, run the bucket test, and skip drilling holes. We also talk about the Kebab League crew racing in marathon super shoes, bust the blister myth, and share the socks we race in from CEP and Swiftwick. Then we answer the pull buoy question (yes, use one) and explain why even strong swimmers benefit when they're swimming in shoes.

Super intern Dave from Dave's List asks about the mental side of racing solo versus as a team, and we share what changed for each of us when we raced without a partner. Chip also shows off his latest paddle hieroglyphics method using Gorilla Tape and a silver Sharpie. For more on that, go back to episode 106.

We finish with the races we're most excited about: Swimrun Lake James returning in 2027 and the brand new Bellingham Swimrun Festival from race director Brent Molsberry, a three-day event with the first kids swimrun in the US, an eliminator race, a dusk swimrun, and more. Next up for us is ÖTILLÖ USA Austin, our seventh year in a row. Keep sending your questions, and check out the Knowledge Base on our website for more Swimrun 101 answers.

Enjoy!

That's it for this week's show. If you are enjoying the **Löw Tide Böyz**, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player and leave us a five-star rating and review since that's the best way for people to discover the show and the sport of Swimrun. You can find us on **Apple Podcasts**, **Spotify**, and on **YouTube**. Check out our **website** for Swimrun resources including gear guides, tips, how-to videos and so much more. Also make sure to check out our meme page **@thelowtideboyz** on Instagram. If you have any suggestions for the show or questions for us, send us a dm or an email at **lowtideboyz@gmail.com**. Finally, you can support our efforts on **Patreon**...if you feel so inclined.Thanks for listening and see you out there!Chip and Chris