As we move towards the end of the year, I would like to take the time and discuss what a well-rounded triathlete race schedule would look like.  Many people focus on picking their important, big-time race of the year and forgo smaller races that are quite important in preparing them to reach their goal of performing their best in the biggest race of the year. It is pretty easy to pick your big race like an Ironman or a 70.3. Sign up, get it on the calendar and start training. However, you are missing out on some great experiences and learnings by not planning the rest of your season. Racing shorter, diverse races gives you more race experience to dial in pacing, nutrition, equipment and clothing selection. Here is what an ideal year would look like to prepare for a fall Ironman.

Fall/Early winter – running races

This is a great time to dial in your running. Aim to race 1-2 5K or 10K races. These races are raced right at lactate threshold and can be good fitness tests to dial in your HR training zones. A ½ marathon is also a good idea as it will force you to keep some run volume up over the winter and give you a marker of what your stand-alone ½ marathon time is. In general, your 70.3 ½ marathon run split should be within 5% of your stand-alone ½ marathon time.

Mid Spring – first multi-sport race of the year

This is a good time to do a sprint distance duathlon or triathlon. This is the time to shake out your triathlon cobwebs and blow out the pipes in all three sports. It is an opportunity to try out your new race clothing, shoes or the new bike. In places where it is still cold a sprint or slightly longer duathlon can serve the same purpose.

Late Spring through early fall – Olympic Tris

Race two to three Olympic distance triathlons. Dial in your open water swimming, gear selection and pacing. Olympic distance racing is the heart and soul of the sport and should make up most of the triathlons you race. These races are long enough to be a great fitness check and test your overall endurance.

4 weeks out from Ironman race – 70.3

This is your dress rehearsal for the Ironman. You can now dial in your race day nutrition, pacing, and gear selection. The race is paced slightly faster than the Ironman but the clothing, nutrition and gear should be exactly what you plan to use on the big day.

Fall – Ironman race

Enough said. Go get it done!

In closing, keep in mind that signing up for your big race is the first step. Filling out the remainder of your race calendar with shorter, diverse races can help you be more prepared and have a positive experience on your big day!

Sometimes we have a race that goes less than expected. We put in the time training, eating right and getting rest. Despite our best efforts, race day comes and we don’t PR or have as good of a race as we were hoping for. Many athletes respond to this negatively by assuming that there must be something wrong. Something wrong with the training that they did or the diet they followed or the equipment they used. The fact is, not every race can be your best! What should we look at when we have a rough race?

First, consider all the environmental considerations. Heat, wind, and humidity all have more of an effect on our finishing times than the latest set of aero wheels. Wind can create chop on the swim, wind really slows down the bike and heat and humidity are the killers of speed on the run. You may have had a fantastic race once you consider what kind of environmental conditions you were facing. Comparing a race result done in calm wind, overcast skies and cool conditions with a race that took place under sunny skies, strong breezes and 90+ deg heat is hardly comparing apples to apples. ​

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Second, avoid overreacting and changing up your training routine. We often want to immediately change something in our training if we have a bad race. This is a particularly egregious error. There is a good reason you were following the plan you were on. If we change up the training every time we have a less than stellar race, then we never give the plan time to have a positive effect. We are constantly changing the training load and our bodies never have the chance to adapt and become stronger. Endurance training is all about consistency and time. Train, rest, rinse, repeat. There are no magic bullets, no magic intervals, no magic hill repeats, etc. Changing up your training often leads to a decrease in performance in the long run. Be patient. Stick with your plan and keep as consistent as you can and you will be rewarded on race day, especially when well rested and have favorable race conditions. ​

​Lastly, be honest with yourself. How you did you actually perform in the race. Did you hold lev 4-5a HR on that 10K run? What does the data say? If you held your threshold HR in a 10K then you can rest well at night knowing you did as well as you could. Your time may have been slower due to the crowds, a twisty or hilly course or the environmental conditions, etc. ​If your goal was to perform as well as you can on the day, your HR data will tell the tale. If you felt like you were digging deep and the HR data confirms it, then the finishing time is just what it is and you can feel proud knowing you executed a proper race. ​

The next time a race goes less than desired, consider the above points and live to fight another day!

The other day I was heading up a trail with loaded pack for a nice aerobic workout when a kind volunteer at the trailhead asked my “what are you training for?”. I replied, “life.” Aerobic endurance training is more than just training for a race or some other objective. These things are fun and are great motivators for keeping you on track in your workouts, but aerobic training is so much more. Aerobic training is training for life.

When we train aerobically, we are producing energy by using oxygen (think sustainable efforts with elevated HR and breathing rates). Aerobic training is the opposite of anaerobic training where we produce energy without oxygen (think short sprints, weightlifting, etc.). Activities like swimming, cycling, running, hiking and ski touring are all examples of aerobic sports.

The benefits of aerobic training are numerous and include:

Cardiovascular strength: Lowers resting heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Blood sugar control: Increases insulin sensitivity, which helps manage or prevent type 2 diabetes.

Cholesterol health:  Raises “good” HDL cholesterol and lowers harmful triglycerides.

Cognitive preservation: Improves blood flow to the brain, which lowers the risk of cognitive decline and dementia.

Mood enhancement: Triggers the release of endorphins and reduces the stress hormone cortisol, mitigating symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Weight management: Burns calories and aids in the reduction of abdominal fat.

Immune boost: Activates the immune system, making you less susceptible to viral illnesses like the common cold.

So, aerobic exercise is key to living a healthy life and should be part of your daily exercise routine whether or not you have a big triathlon or other objective on the horizon. Get your HR up, keep moving and train for life!

An Ironman triathlon is one of the great events to target for any endurance sports enthusiast.  It has been around since the late 70’s when Navy Commander, John Collins argued with friends about who is fitter, a long-distance open water swimmer, a 100-mile cyclist or a marathon runner. Why not combine all three into one event? Whoever completed it would be considered a true Ironman. Thus, Ironman triathlons were born.

Scott Tinley, one of the founders of the sport, once said that there are generally three things you can do in the modern world that will really strip away everything and expose what your character truly is – military combat, high altitude mountaineering and Ironman racing. Combat and Himalayan climbing may be out of reach for most of us but doing an Ironman is possible for many. We live in a comfortable world mostly. We rarely get to explore our mental and physical limitations and see what we are truly made of. Ironman is a great way to see what lies beneath all of the layers that society has built up around you. Ironman offers no guarantees. You may train for months and months and end up not finishing. The weather may be awful, you might lose your goggles on the swim or have flat tires on the bike. You inevitably will have to overcome something, especially yourself, to get to that finish line. That is the reason you see so many emotional tears at the finish line of an Ironman. Everyone from the fastest pro to the last place finisher has had to dig deep an overcome adversity to make it to that line.

Ironman is at its heart an adventure race. It starts with 2.4 miles of open water swimming. This is the crux for many. Open water is scary. You can drown. There is physical contact, cold water, wildlife and a large distance to cover away from shore. Swimming is the entry barrier to the remaining events. The fact that the swim is wild gives Ironman racing its character. Getting up at 4am and hurling yourself into freezing water at 7am for a 2.4 mile day will get anyone’s heart racing. You have to overcome plenty of fear and self-doubt to complete that swim.

The cycling leg is the fun part. 112 miles is a true challenge for any cyclist. Add in sun, wind, and hilly terrain and you have the makings of a great cycling challenge. And this is only part two of the three acts. Cycling training can take you places and you can see sights you might otherwise not see, like a snow-covered Sonoran Desert at 6am on a February morning. You also learn to deal with mechanical issues, like fixing a flat tire or a rubbing brake. Being far from home with just a few tools and some knowhow can feel liberating, empowering and a bit scary. The confidence and fitness that you gain on those long training rides come in handy on race day.

The marathon leg is where your soul really gets exposed. You may get hot, tired, bonked. You may feel sick, have blisters and be sunburned. What do you do? Everything inside of you says stop running, sit in the shade, drop out at the next aid station. This is where you have those deep conversations with yourself. How do you want to look back on this moment?  Do you want to give in the deamons and get immediate relief or press on and avoid years of regret? These are the internal conversations we rarely have to face in day-to-day life. By entering an Ironman, you are embracing the fact that you will reach this moment and have these thoughts. There is no avoiding it. Are you up for it? You won’t know until somewhere out there on that marathon journey.

So, take up the challenge and do an Ironman. It may be the hardest thing you ever voluntarily take on. See what your made of and embrace the journey. For every year you wait, you will just be one year older when you do. Roll the dice and put yourself out there. Do you have what it takes to be an Ironman? Find out.

Congratulations to Adela Moore, Frank Smith and Greg James.

Adela raced the May the 4th 5K this past weekend and finished in 31:48 while wearing a slick Princess Leia costume!

Frank and Greg raced the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, OH. Frank finished in 5:12 while Greg finished in 6:10. Frank and Greg are lifelong marathon runners and are members of a group that has logged thousands of marathons. The photo below includes Frank Smith , Phyllis Smith and Greg James. The people in the photo below have completed 3,363 marathons/ultras!

What a great weekend of racing! I especially want to congratulate Hannah Warde who raced the London Marathon on Sunday. Hannah finished the iconic race in 5:32 despite still recovering from injuries after being thrown from a horse just three weeks ago! She showed great determination and resiliency to finish the training , endure the travel and complete the race! Nice job Hannah!

London Marathon – UK
Hannah Warde – 5:32

Kentucky Derby Marathon – KY
Frank Smith – 5:18 – 5th in AG!

Choccolocco 25K Trail Run – AL
Craig Conley – 3:51

Cactus Man Olympic Tri – AZ
Traci Jensen – 2:44 – 3rd in AG!
Jon Byron – 2:27 – 7th in AG!

Cactus Man Sprint Tri – AZ
Joan McGue – 1:59- 1st in AG! Joan has been racing in Tempe Town Lake since 2002!

Congratulations to Keith Munion and Joan McGue!

Keith raced the Flint Hills 80 mile gravel bike race this past weekend. This Kansas race was a preparation race for the famous Unbound 200 miler that Keith is racing in May. On a rainy, muddy day (see photos), Keith finished the 80 miler in an impressive time of 4:55.

Joan McGue raced the Cherry Blossom 5K in Washington DC with 6,000 others! She raced with her daughter for the first time and finished in a time of 36:54. This was fast enough for 9th of 33 in her AG! Way to go Joan!