The Triathlete Beat: A Beginner Triathlon Podcast

Dan Eisenhardt is the CEO of FORM, the company behind the world’s first smart swim goggles. Dan is no stranger to swimming and emerging technology - before starting FORM, Dan swam competitively for 14 years and founded Recon Instruments, which introduced the world’s first smart eyewear for sports (skiing, cycling, running) in 2010.

Dan and I discussed his journey to creating FORM, all of the goggle’s features (metrics, build quality, open water functionality, etc.), their rigorous development and testing lifecycle, and other fun topics like Dan’s experience filming their promo commercial and his vision on the future of triathlon tech.

You might be wondering, what makes these goggles so special and...smart? Why should I ditch my Speed Vanquishers or Swedish goggles? Well at a minimum, the goggles are created with the highest quality of materials, giving you a swim companion that’s comfortable, durable, and built to last. In addition, the goggles can display all the swimming metrics that you’ll ever need, right in front of your eye as you swim, such as: split time, pace per 100, distance, interval time, rest time, total time, stroke rate, stroke count, distance per stroke, length count, calories burned, and even heart rate (with a Polar OH1). All those metrics you have while running and cycling? We have them now for swimming. That’s pretty cool!

It’s also 2020, which means YES, the goggles sync with Strava and TrainingPeaks and YES, the goggles come with its own app for both iOS and Android. The app breaks down all your metrics into easy-to-read tables and charts for you (and even your coach) to learn and improve upon for your next workout.

You can also follow other athletes with the goggles as well. I don’t remember seeing a “Share to Instagram Story” feature yet, but I’m sure that’s in the pipeline ;)

I’ve tested the goggles out in both the pool and open water, and I think they’re pretty amazing. They really do what they say they’re going to do, and work pretty damn well.

I had a great time with Dan, and it was a pleasure to have him on the podcast today! I really felt his passion and excitement for the goggles...and I hope that you do too.

Enjoy the chat!

|| Show Notes ||

OPEN WATER SWIM UPDATE (July 30, 2020): In the goggles, you’ll now see an “Open Water Swim” option in addition to the standard “Pool Swim” option! Prior to this update, you had to select “Pool Swim” and set an “Unknown” distance if you wanted to use the goggles in open water. This update formalizes FORM’s open water functionality in both the goggles and mobile phone app.

For open water functionality (as of July 30, 2020), with just the goggles itself - you get stroke rate, total time, calories, and heart rate (if you have a Polar OH1 +). For GPS features like distance and speed in the open water, you’ll need to pair your goggles via bluetooth with the following compatible smart watches: Garmin Forerunner 945, Garmin fēnix 5 Plus and fēnix 6 Pro, and Apple Watch Series 3, 4, and 5.

FORM Swim’s awesome commercial on YouTube

FORM Swim’s Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and website

Subscribe to my triathlon YouTube channel for triathlon tips, training/racing vlogs, and reviews: Jeremy Tri

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my swim/bike/run adventures: @thetriathletebeat

Hit me up on Twitter for podcast topics, guest recommendations, questions, etc.: @triathletebeat

|| Thanks for listening! Cheers! ||

WELCOME! This trailer episode briefly goes over what you can expect from The Triathlete Beat: A Triathlon Podcast, and a few fun facts about your host, Jeremy Tri.

Learn more about Jeremy Tri and his triathlon journey at: jeremytri.com

On this episode, we’re joined by my long-time friend, Christine Garrido! Christine is a certified swim instructor and has taught swimming for over 10 years. She recently founded @breatheandsplash swim school, which serves swimmers of all levels throughout Miami Dade and Broward County.

Christine has been swimming since she was seven years old; she was a competitive swimmer throughout her childhood all the way to college, and even swam for the Peruvian National Team!

She’s also provided sports mental performance coaching and consulting services to many high schools and private swim teams. When Christine’s not coaching swimmers, she spends her time with her son, Joaquim, who is 16 months old and already loving the water. Christine also continues to swim herself and regularly competes in open water swims and triathlons. I’ve raced with her before, and she’s very fast!

Christine shares with us her journey of how she got into swimming as a kid and how she fueled her passion for the sport to eventually start her own swim school. She explains why kids should learn how to swim, gives tips on how we can train our mind to get out of a “rut”, and even gets into how she kept health and fitness as a top priority throughout her pregnancy.

I had a great time chatting and catching up with Christine - you can feel how passionate she is about swimming and helping others be the best they can be, both mentally and physically.

This episode was originally recorded on June 9, 2020. The 3 three month delay is totally my fault - it’s been a pretty busy past few months! Since this recording, Christine’s swim school has grown so much that they now have a team of instructors. Way to go, Breathe and Splash Swim School!

I hope you all enjoy this episode!

|| Show Notes ||

Follow Christine and her swim school on Instagram: @breatheandsplash

Check out the Breathe and Splash Swim School website

Subscribe to The Triathlete Beat podcast and leave a review if you enjoyed this episode!

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my swim/bike/run adventures: @thetriathletebeat

|| Thanks for listening! Cheers! ||

On today’s podcast we have my very good friend, Jan Matt. Jan Matt is currently a Real Estate Finance Associate and loves running, cycling, and lifting weights. We’ve been close friends since meeting at our alma mater, the University of Florida, and while we don’t play basketball, eat froyo, and drink boba together like we did during college, we do try to go running and drink craft beer whenever we link up nowadays.

In this episode we discuss a bunch of topics, including how Jan Matt got into running and cycling, his first triathlon, his first 10k, and running with his puppy, Zuko. He’s also completed some very interesting and inspiring self challenges that include running 30 miles in 30 days, and running 13 miles in 13 hours. I thought these were really fun goals that anyone can set and achieve for themselves and do with friends, at any time of the year - especially during these times when pretty much all races are cancelled due to COVID-19.

Jan Matt is a great example of someone who follows his passions and interests, especially when it comes to physical fitness, and isn’t afraid to “taste something new”. He’s always stepping out of his comfort zone, keeping things fresh, and through this, always challenging and bettering himself as a person. This episode was filled with a lot of laughs, a lot of stories, and it was really just a great time catching up. I hope that you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Do what makes you happy!

Do lots of research when looking to buy used bikes and/or bike gear online.

If you’re interested in a new sport or hobby, the only way to see if you really like it or not, is to try it out. Stop hesitating, and just do it!

How to Flip Turn in a pool

Follow Jan Matt on Instagram for some inspiration: @thejanmatt

Follow Jan Matt’s dog on Instagram: @doodleprince_zuko

Check out Jan Matt’s podcast: Take This Cup

Subscribe to my triathlon YouTube channel for triathlon tips, training/racing vlogs, and reviews: Jeremy Tri

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my swim/bike/run adventures: @thetriathletebeat

Hit me up on Twitter for podcast topics, guest recommendations, questions, etc.: @triathletebeat

On today’s podcast, we have a very special guest - my long-time friend Kim Urmaza. Kim is the Head Athletic Trainer at a high school down here in South Florida, and is pursuing a Master's degree in Kinesiology with a double concentration in sports performance and orthopedic rehabilitation. She’s a certified personal trainer, a member of the USA National Duathlon Team, and a blackbelt in Nisei Goju Ryu Karate.

In this episode, Kim shares with us how in just one year, she ran her first 5k, bought her first bike, completed her first multisport event, and then went on to qualify for the Duathlon World Championships. Oh yeah, AND she ran her very first marathon. She’s had an absolutely tremendous year in multisport, and is a shining example that hard work, consistency, and dedication really pays off.

Kim gives plenty of key tips and insights into her training and racing for duathlon, and also imparts the mindset needed to endure some of the toughest moments when you’re out there, exhausted, in pain, and ready to give up, during a race.

Kim is an incredible athlete, one of the nicest and most driven people that I know, and is super passionate about the pursuit of seeking challenges that are greater than herself. You don’t want to miss this conversation, and I hope you enjoy it!

Follow Kim on Instagram for some athletic inspiration: @k.urmaza

Check out Kim’s blog for race recaps, injury prevention tips, and training updates: Uptempo

If you’re ever on the fence about signing up for a race, just HIT THAT SUBMIT BUTTON!!! You won’t regret it!

Subscribe to my triathlon YouTube channel for triathlon tips, training/racing vlogs, and reviews: Jeremy Tri

Follow me on Instagram to keep up with my swim/bike/run adventures: @thetriathletebeat

Hit me up on Twitter for podcast topics, guest recommendations, questions, etc.: @triathletebeat

Please don't forget to rate and subscribe to #TheTriathleteBeat podcast on whichever app that you listen on, and share with family and friends. It would mean the world to me if you left a review for the podcast as well.

Thanks for coming by :)

Jeremy Tri