Diary Of A Double With Antonio Argüelles – Week 20
Sponsored by KAATSU Global and WOWSA Live.
Diary of a Double documents the year-long journey of Antonio Argüelles who will attempt a 67 km two-way crossing of the English Channel in July 2021 with escort pilot Michael Oram.
In today’s Diary of a Double episode, Argüelles answered a number of questions from swimmers around the world, together with Ned Denison, the chairperson of the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Argüelles is a two-time Guinness World Record holder and an Honor Swimmer in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame who was completed the Oceans Seven and Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, and who will be 62 during his crossing in an attempt to break the two-way English Channel crossing record of Rick Seirer at the age of 59 years 351 days (in 29 hours 46 minute).
A two-way crossing is also referred to as a double crossing.
Like swimmers around the world over the first part of 2020, Argüelles was locked down in his home and unable to swim during the COVID-19 pandemic. He postponed his attempt and dealt with the disappointment and issues that everyone also has had to face on a personal, logistical, physiological, and psychological basis.
It has not been easy – and his success going forward will neither be easy nor guaranteed.
Previous Diary of a Double episodes are included here:
Diary Of A Double – Week 19 is posted below:
Open water swimming vernacular for newbies:
* Big swim memory: the faculty of the human brain by which information and remembrances from a previous swim or impressible life experience is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed, especially in real time in the midst of an open water swimming race, channel swim, marathon swim, ice swim, winter swim, stage swim or in training
* WHOOP: a fitness wearable device that track workouts, sleep, recovery and gives its users advice on how to improve.
* KAATSU Cycle 2.0: a convenient to use, handheld BFR device that optimizes performance, rehabilitation and recovery.
* FINIS Agility Paddles: strapless yellow plastic molded hand paddles that float, manufactured and distributed by FINIS
* Accel Gel®: an energy gel specifically designed to deliver rapid energy to working muscles
* Maxim: sports nutrition that is used by many endurance athletes
* KAATSU: a modality to help improve recovery and athletic performance
* Two-way crossing: a solo or relay swim that continues two consecutive times across a channel, lake, river or other body of water under the traditional rules of marathon swimming
* Double crossing: synonym for two-way crossing
* English Channel: body of water between the countries of England and France, 33.5 km in a straight-line tangent
* Channel swimming: swimming between two land masses
* Oceans Seven: swimming across the English Channel, North Channel, Molokai Channel, Catalina Channel, Tsugaru Channel, Cook Strait and Strait of Gibraltar
* Dryland training: physical conditioning that a swimmer does out of the water on land that can include cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength activities in order to condition, stretch and strengthen muscles, ligaments and tendons that are used in swimming while building fitness and athleticism
* Tsugaru Channel: a 19.5 km channel between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan that is part of the Oceans Seven
* Molokai Channel: a 42 km channel between Molokai Island and Oahu in Hawaii that is part of the Oceans Seven
* Great Andersen: a 1948 Danish Olympic medalist who became one of the most renowned channel swimmers in history, a dual inductee in the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
* Duke Kahanamoku: a Hawaii-born 5-time Olympic medalist in swimming and water polo, an actor, lawman, early beach volleyball player, renowned lifeguard, and businessman credited with spreading the sport of surfing
* Negative split: the act of swimming the second half of a race, swim or event faster than the first half
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