Every year, the triathlon community loses fellow athletes before they ever reach the bike. The swim leg, that thrashing, adrenaline-soaked start we all know so well, remains the deadliest part of our sport. And the numbers aren't slowing down. We often blame these tragedies on panic, cold shock, or bad...
I Almost Gave Up on These Goggles — Then Everything Changed
I'll be honest: my first swim with the Effortless Swimming NanoClear™ goggles was a disaster. I took them straight into open water, excited to test the hype. Within minutes, water was seeping in around the edges. I spent more time draining them than swimming. I remember thinking, "That's it, these...
Finding Your Finish Line: The Book That Found Me When I Felt Lost
Some books land in your hands at exactly the right moment. Mike Reilly's Finding Your Finish Line found me flat on the couch, leg propped up, staring at a ceiling I'd been studying for weeks after my knee replacement. If you don't know the name, you know the voice. Mike...
How the HOKA Bondi 9 Helped Me Recover From TKR Surgery
When you go through total knee replacement surgery, walking down the block feels like a marathon. Every step matters. Every mile is a milestone. So when I started planning my comeback, I knew my shoes would make or break the whole journey. I reached out to HOKA and asked if...
Why I Love Open Water Swimming in My ROKA Wetsuits
Open water has a pull that's hard to explain until you feel it. The cold slap of the first stroke, the horizon stretching out, the quiet rhythm of your own breathing. My Three ROKA Maverick Wetsuits I didn't set out to own three wetsuits. But once you start swimming across...
Free Speed with Paul Eaglestone
Welcome to Hilary Topper on Air, the podcast where we explore the stories, strategies, and passions of business owners, endurance athletes, and lifestyle enthusiasts. I’m your host, Hilary Topper, and today we’re diving into the world of swimming and triathlon coaching with a very special guest. Paul Eaglestone, Author of...
What to Look for If Shoes Alone Aren’t Fixing Your Plantar Fasciitis Pain
Every runner and triathlete dealing with plantar fasciitis eventually lands on the same advice: get a better shoe. Firm heel counter, stiff sole, real arch support. That advice is sound, and for some people it is enough. But look closely at most plantar fasciitis shoe recommendations, and you will notice...
Ten Weeks Post TKR, Two Steps Forward, One Hard Fall
This post is about my experience 10 weeks after a total knee replacement. If you'd asked me back then how recovery would feel, I would have pictured a straight line: surgery, rehab, back to swimming, walking, cycling, maybe even running again. Turns out recovery doesn't work like that. Not for...
How Tabata Can Help You Swim Faster
Tabata is the original HIIT protocol and comes with real sports science credentials. Back in the 1990s, Japanese researcher Dr. Izumi Tabata studied speed skaters using a very specific interval structure: 20 seconds of all-out effort, 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times. That's it. Four minutes total per block....
My First Look at the Xero Shoes Women’s Mesa Summit
A few years back, I met the founder of Xero Shoes at an event, and we hit it off right away. He was passionate about footwear that works with your feet, not against them. Soon after, he sent me a pair to try, and I was hooked on the whole...