Triathlete Training Podcast: Triathlon, Ironman & Duathlon

Will Laughlin makes his second appearance on the show and details his attempt at running across Death Valley and 180 miles in 3.5 days, which would be 1 day faster than his previous record. Several challenges came up during the journey as Will and his two running partners went for the record. Check out episode 11 if you want to hear Will's previous interview about his run across the Mojave desert.

Age group triathlete Erin Donovan is in her sixth year of racing and is preparing for a half ironman and the New York City Triathlon, an Olympic distance race.  I answer her questions and some of the topics covered include: Following up a half with an Olympic distance triathlon a few weeks later Heart rate training Training around injury and sickness Sleep Running cadence Structuring intensity and base Strength training Run workouts    

Coach Jim Vance returns to the show to discuss the results of a published study on pacing at Ironman Hawaii.  Jim also talks about his experience and experimentation as a high school swim coach where he successfully emphasizes dryland training, technique work, and lower volume. I also talk about my experience with Altra Shoes and my recent half marathon. Links: http://www.coachvance.com/ Ironman Hawaii Pacing Study http://www.formulaendurance.org/  

This episode is all me (Eric).  I go over my lessons learned from 4 Ironmans: Ironman Hawaii in 1999, 2001, and 2003 and Ironman Wisconsin in 2004.  My times ranged from 9:19 to 10:43. I took detailed notes from a few of those races and I have current day thoughts on the mistakes I made. If you're looking for other Ironman focused episodes check out 15, 16, 31, 39, 45, 49, and 51.

Victor Plata, a 2004 triathlon Olympian for the United States, is the guest in the first half of this episode.  Victor retired in 2011 and we look back at his career, catch up with his post-triathlon life, and he provides wisdom for all triathletes. Todd Carver of Retul and Scott Holtz of Specialized are the guests for the second half of the show.  Todd, also the guest on episode 10, is an expert bike fitter and founder of the bike fitting company Retul.  Scott is a former bike fitter and works for Specialized as the head of the Specialized Bicycle Component University and Dealer Education. Specialized has been operating their own wind tunnel for a year, and we discuss some of the bike fit lessons that Scott and Todd have learned both in the tunnel and from many years of expertise in the field.  

Ryan Cooper used his computer to try and predict time trial splits during the 2013 Tour de France.  His first go at it produced some very accurate results.  That project turned into a business at BestBikeSplit.com. Cyclists using a power meter can use their power meter to help predict and guide race performance.  This is cutting edge stuff that continues to evolve.  If you race with a power meter this software should help you improve your performance.

Garrett Rock On Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, and Testosterone Garrett Rock, the guest from episode 23, talks about a specific blood test result a listener sent in.  The listener's hemoglobin and hematocrit had dropped significantly in a short period of time. His training in the days leading up to test #1 was limited, and during the other tests his volume was in the 12-15 hour range.  Normal ranges for a male are 13.2-18 for hemoglobin and 38-54 for a male. These test results are lower than normal and they indicate something has gone awry.  Items to look at include red blood cell indices, potential blood loss in the GI system or from ulcers.  The results could result from a simple deficiency in iron, folate, or B12 which could either be from lack of intake or an absorption problem.  Garrett explains how he would investigate further. At the time of the interview we didn't have the results of test #4, which showed a significant improvement.   Test #1 17 Days Since Test#1 28 Days Since Test#1 34 Days

Billy Edwards has done many Ironmans and never finished slower than 10 hours.  He recently attempted his first ultra-distance triathlon, winning Ultraman Florida in a time of 23 hours and 17 minutes covering a span of 3 days, besting a field of 39 triathletes.   Billy tells us what went right, what went wrong, and his plans to do Ultraman Hawaii. billythekidtriathlete.com @billythekidtri

Mikhail Ivanov moved from Russia to Colorado with his wife and 9 and 1 year old children in early 2014.  He is a 36 year old triathlete who has been racing for 4 years.  He had limited  running experience and no cycling or swimming experience before he started triathlons. It’s a small triathlon community in Russia with limited warm weather for training.  With all the indoor training time he calls himself a strong “balcony rider.”  While in Russia he was able to train for Ironman Austria in his second year of racing, finishing in a time of 10:26.  In 2014 he went 10:00 at Ironman Boulder and then, after Ironman Tahoe was cancelled just minutes before the start, he went to  Ironman Chattanooga one week later and went 9:36, earning a spot for Ironman Hawaii in 2015. During the interview we talk about his training and racing experience, things he learned at other Ironmans, and how he put it all together at Ironman Chattanooga.  His target heart rate on the bike for his last Ironman was zone 2-3 using Joe Friel

Hunter Allen is a pioneer in the cycling world.  He co-founded TrainingPeaks WKO+ power data analytics software and he's the founder of Peaks Coaching Group.  He's also the co-author of Training & Racing With A Power Meter and Cutting-Edge Cycling.  He raced bikes for 17 years, and including several years as a pro. Among the topics we covered: Cadence - Hunter believes 95-105 is ideal, and 90 is okay.  Pedaling at a lower cadence requires more glycogen usage compared to higher cadence.  His recommendation is also based on quadrant analysis with WKO+.  A cadence workout he uses is 10X(1 minute at high cadence followed by 1 minute at normal cadence). Base Phase Workout Structure - for an athlete in base phase, with the ability to do 3 rides per week of 1-2 hours in duration, Hunter suggests three workouts that include 'sweet spot' work, which he defines as roughly 88-93% of FTP (functional threshold power).  For example, 3-4X10 minutes in the sweet spot, or alternate 2 minutes at sweet spot with 30 seconds a

Michael Welk did his first Ironman in 2014 at Ironman Louisville at age 42. His previous experience included a couple sprint triathlons several years ago, and just one sprint triathlon in 2014 leading up to his Ironman.  We talk about his progress and experience from November 2013, when he signed up for the race, through race day. He started training in late 2013 but was not progressing as hoped, so he hired a triathlon coach.  He also hired a swim coach in March. Early in 2014 he couldn’t swim more than 25 yards at a time.  His prep included just one century ride in advance of the Ironman.  His goal was to finish in 15 hours. Also in this episode I answer a listener question on base training An update on blue light and it’s affect on sleep An update on my use of zero drop Altra running shoes Subscribe via iTunes

Joe Friel Joe Friel recently released his 14th book, Fast After 50.  It's geared to all athletes training and competing after age 50.  Most, but not all, of the interview is centered around the book, but there is much in here that will apply to all triathletes.  Topics discussed include sleep, high intensity training, recovery, and items listed below.  Joe also gives some insight into his research process. Joe discusses three key factors in athletic success: aerobic capacity lactate threshold economy As athletes age, economy tends to remain stable, VO2 max suffers the greatest loss, and lactate threshold declines more slowly.  Maintaining or slowing the rate of decline in these areas should be a focus of training. Joe talks about three key factors that negatively affect aging athletes.  They are: Loss of aerobic capacity/VO2 max Loss of muscle mass Negative trend in body fat percentage Part of the performance loss of the aging athlete is a result of a reduction of high intensity training. This l

Breast Cancer Survivor Bob Thibodeau Bob changed his diet and exercise after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002.  He got into active cycling 5 years ago and had a solid cycling base.  He did his first triathlon in 2012 and in that race he swam with his head out of water the entire race.  The longest he had run consecutively before the race was one mile, and this was a 5k race. At the advice of a friend, his goal was to race to complete, not to compete.   He finished third out of eight in his age group and his triathlon career was started. In 2013 he had a full slate of racing, finishing with his ‘A’ race at Augusta 70.3, a half ironman.  After a successful season in which he finished first and second in his age group each race, he had a few hiccups in Augusta.  During the swim it took him several hundred meters before he could put his head in the water.  He finally did and came out of the water fourth in his age group.  He had a solid bike and was in good position using a power meter keeping his pow

Subscribe via iTunes Olympian, Exercise Physiologist, Author & Coach Pete Pfitzinger Pete Pfitzinger joins the show for a conversation on running and his latest book, Faster Road Racing: 5k To Half Marathon. Pete lives in New Zealand and works for High Performance Sport New Zealand, which oversees Olympic sports.  Topics we discuss include: variable pace tempo runs short hill sprints strides weight training plyometrics cadence Links Faster Road Racing Facebook Page Racing Road Faster, Pete's latest book Runner's World article on 1984 Olympic Marathon Trials    

At age 34 Canadian Brent McMahon attempted his first Ironman in Arizona.  Previously, he was a 2004 and 2012 Olympian, and 2014 was going well with four Ironman 70.3 wins.  On the starting line he didn't have a time goal, nor had he even pondered a finishing time before this race. He followed a race plan crafted with Lance Watson, his coach of 20 years.  That included a caloric intake of roughly 500 calories per hour on the bike while ignoring his competitors.  When a couple contenders passed him early in the bike he started to ride with them but backed off when he realized it required a greater power output than he planned to ride. He finished the bike in third after a 4:21 split.  He ran the first half of the marathon in 1:20 and finished with a 2:43 run, giving him a 5 minute margin of victory and a 7:55 final time, the fastest Ironman debut in history. Despite competing at a level far above most triathletes, his race execution tips are golden and helpful to all triathletes. Links Brent's Twitter a

Subscribe via iTunes This interview was one of the most intriguing I've done.  We cover basic and technical running topics in a clearly explained format.  If your first run was last week, or you are an Ironman champion,  this episode has something for you. It's also a good follow up to episode 43. Cadence, Running Form, Shoes, & Barefoot Running Dr. Thomas Hughes of Tri-Mechanics discusses his journey into the study of running form.  It all started when he decided to run barefoot one morning. Thomas turned his attention away from practicing medicine toward studying running.  Topics we discuss include: Barefoot running Changes required before increasing your cadence Running off the bike Minimalist/zero drop/big toebox shoes Run shoe cushioning Using a metronome Links http://www.trimechanics.co.uk/ @trimechanics http://www.inov-8.com http://www.vivobarefoot.com/us http://www.metronomeonline.com/    

Tempo Runs Patrick Kelly submitted a question about tempo runs using the "Send Voicemail" on the right side of TriathleteTraining.com.  He was having difficulty hitting his goal tempo pace in a 10 mile run.  The run was designed to be a 2 mile warmup, 6 miles at 5:52, and a 2 mile cool down.  The basis for his run came from a Jack Daniel's article. I addressed the tempo run, the definition, and the reason he wasn't hitting his goal pace.  It lead me to create this more detailed article on the tempo run. Zero Drop Shoes UPDATE I cannot recommend Zero Drop shoes.  I had 3 pairs of the shoes and all wore through the outsole at around the 100 mile mark.  I inquired with the company. They sent me another pair to try and the same thing happened.  I notified Gold Harper two times via email of the problem on two occasions and he did not respond.  I called and emailed customer service multiple times. They were very nice and I was always told they would get back with me very soon.  Finally, 20 days after my first e

Subscribe via iTunes "I think the most intimidating thing about doing a half was that I would read so much and I would look at all the things I needed to know about the swim, the bike, and the run and think, 'can I really do this?  Am I putting in enough training?'" Trish Roberts Post-Race Interview The previous episode featured a pre-race interview with Trish Roberts six weeks before her first Half Ironman.  In addition to training, Trish has a full-time job in addition to being a mother and wife. On September 28, she finished Ironman 70.3 Augusta in 6:55.  Her goal was 7:30. On race day the temp was 70 degrees with high humidity.  The swim was down a river and resulted in a fast time.  She paced the bike on perceived effort with a goal of 15mpm.  She was 7 minutes faster on the second half of the bike and the effort felt comfortable throughout. Her biggest issue was discomfort with her seat, and she will be replacing that for future training.  Her goal was 250 calories per hour, and if I recall her weig

Half Ironman Questions Trish Roberts is preparing for her Ironman 70.3 in Augusta Georgia.  This interview was done 6 weeks before her race, and the next episode will be a post race interview.  She is a personal trainer and it was one of her clients that got her into the sport. She helped a client lose 100 pounds, and that client returned the favor by getting her into triathlons. Topics include: Goggle Fog Wetsuit use sleevless/sleeved How to pace the half marathon Bike comfort Hand numbness Racing with Coke Getting used to the long run Breathing to the opposite side www.wetsuitrental.com    

Four-Time Olympian Sheila Taormina Sheila Taormina was an Olympian in swimming (gold, 1996), triathlon (2000 & 2004) and equestrian (2008).  She's stayed busy in retirement as a swim instructor, author, and speaker. Her latest book, Swim Speed Strokes, was recently released. She has also authored Swim Speed Secrets and Swim Speed Workouts For Swimmers And Triathletes.   This is material from her latest book, posted at SwimSpeedSecrets.com: Each of the four strokes—butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle—is represented in the photos on page 7 (below). Each photo captures the stroke during the catch phase of the pull. The arms you see in these photos are the arms of world-record holders swimming the stroke naturally. None of the photos were staged. Can you match the photo with the stroke? Take a close look and really give this some thought. (The answers are located near the bottom of this page)           http://sheilat.com - Sheila's website           Subscribe via iTunes