Swim Technique, Scheduling and Pubs

TRIBEathlon Podcast

Episode 44: Matt Pritchard is a Welsh professional skateboarder, stunt performer, endurance athlete and celebrity chef. First heading into notoriety on MTV with his show Dirty Sanchez, and more recently featuring in the BBC's Dirty Vegan TV show, he has struggled with alcohol and drugs and used endurance sport as his path to a better life, completing 30 half Iron Mans in 30 days and a decker (10 x Iron Man distance as one continuous race).

Sid and I got the chance to chat to him about his incredibly unusual path to success, how endurance sport has helped him through his own personal battles and how turning vegan has improved his performance. As a word of warning, there are a few more swear words flying around in this episode than normal, so avoid if you're easily offended!

What I’ve Been Reading

I’ve just finished reading a book that was interesting enough to give me some fantastic insights about life in business, and life in general, but also funny enough to have me laughing out loud. How to fail at almost everything and still win big by Scott Adams is the story of his own life. As the creator of Dilbert, one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips, he describes himself as only being better than average at a few key traits, but it is the combination of those traits that has been the key to his success.

In the book he looks at so many winning traits, but the innovation stack really got me thinking about how we are all unique and can bring a different slant to the world of business. A great read for entrepreneurs, wannabe entrepreneurs and young people starting out on their career path. A book I will certainly come back to again.

Improving My Swimming

As we get back to swimming in pools, and even in the sea, I took the opportunity to try and improve my technique. No point in building up swim fitness with the wrong technique, and there is no better place I have found to improve it than Inspire2Tri at Manton. Mary has a fantastic set up there so you can see your technique from multiple camera angles, and this really helps you understand what you need to do differently. Here is a video that shows my before and after, to give you an idea of what to expect. Look for the improved catch (the angle of my arms) in the after video.

App I’ve Found Useful

Finding a date and time for a meeting that suits multiple busy people is always a challenge; for example, I need to find a date that my TRIBEathlon co-host, 2 podcast guests and I can all make for an interview, when all of us have ridiculously busy diaries. Enter Doodle, a site that allows you to find the optimum meeting time for you all. There are paid versions that give you some extra options, but the free one is fine for most things. So, when you are arranging your big bash to celebrate a return to normality, give it a try - it can save you a load of time and hassle.

Quote of the Week

“Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, I'm possible!"

• Audrey Hepburn

Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering

I always refer to the TRIBEathlon podcasts in this email, but rarely our finance one The Fit Finance Sessions; a short weekly chat from the Efficient Portfolio advisers about anything finance related.

Last week’s episode caught my attention as it was entitled Pubs and inflation; two words that aren’t usually mentioned in the same sentence but, in the episode, they discuss the cautious approach a lot of pubs are taking to reopening and the current situation regarding inflation unsettling the markets. Give it a listen if you have 10 minutes, after all, any update on the pubs has got to be worth listening to!