This year I have had the pleasure to be involved with TEAM TFN: TFN Triathlon club’s development team. After my initial assessments my coach Emil Bobok provided me the challenge of converting myself from a middle aged chap who dabbles in the three sports and occasionally signs up for a Tri event, into a proper amateur Triathlete… a challenge indeed I hear you say!

After a stressful house move in the first quarter of the year and a significant lifestyle shift domestically, I have now settled down into a progressive routine of correct and ordered training which has seen my weekly swim frequency triple!

The overarching focus has been on technique and pace development.  To achieve this aim and aside from attending TFN club sessions with coach Mel Berry, I have taken part in the swim clinics run by Transition Sports and supported by Zoggs.  At these sessions I was given Zoggs products to work with.  I immediately found the goggles and snorkel to be perfect training aids.  The goggles are very comfortable with a soft and effective seal around the eyes and great all round vision.  The snorkel is excellent with no leaks and comfortable in the mouth.  I use it every week during technique sessions to help develop stroke precision without the added concern of head turning for breath.  I love it so much I even took it on holiday to Majorca to test it in the Mediterranean salt water, which it passed with flying colours.

I started my sporting life swimming and racing with the YMCA youth team as a child.  I imagine there may come a time in my old age when the only activity I will be physically able to do will be to visit the local swimming baths, and I know in myself that I will look forward to it and here is why:

Swimming is the discipline which provides balance in the sport of Triathlon. My swim sessions ‘save my body’ from the stresses of cycling and the impacts of running.  Swimming stretches me out and leaves me worked out yet revitalised.  Aches and tiny niggles magically go away and I am ready for the next session.  The physical experience of buoyancy coupled with active motion in the water, be it in the safe and focused environment of the pool or, completely immersed in the wild natural world of open water, re-energises my spirit every time.

The TFN Team opportunity has changed my life for the better because I am physically active, mentally supported and emotionally happy.  I am very grateful to Zoggs for their associated support and not least for their excellent product development. Thank you all.

Phil Riley swimming in open water wearing Zoggs goggles. Photography provided by Joe Riley.

Big thanks to Joe Riley Photography  for providing the great photographs of Phil for this post.