Month: January 2018

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From The Final Four To Ironman – Zak Showalter

By Mike Tarrolly for the Crushing Iron Podcast

I’ve been a Badger fan all my life, so it was very cool to interview former Wisconsin guard, Zak Showalter. I’d heard a recent interview with Zak on The Swing Podcast where he mentioned he’d been bitten by the Ironman bug and would be doing Ironman Wisconsin this year. I thought it would be interesting to get his perspective on how playing the college basketball at the highest level would translate into Ironman training, so a few tweets later we were connected and today we made it happen.

I first heard about Zak from my buddies who were at the Wisconsin State Basketball Championship game and started texting me about the opening tip dunk that blew the roof off the Kohl Center. I knew he was going to Wisconsin and watching this got me very excited he would be a Badger.

It took Zak a while to become an integral part of the Badger line up, but he worked his ass off and eventually started his final two seasons. He was a part of teams that went to four straight Sweet 16’s and two Final Fours while at Wisconsin.

He shared a lot of ways his practicing and learning under Hall of Fame coach Bo Ryan impacted his approach to sport and how that work ethic has carried into triathlon training. We talked about practicing like you play, patience in a game and the season, diet, ups and downs of the grind, how to shed nerves before a big game, training with Michael Jordan’s strength coach, and what it’s like to know and hang out with Packer’s QB Aaron Rodgers.

I’ve always appreciated Zak’s effort on the basketball court and he’s actually been part catalyst for some of my greatest fan moments in sports. For instance, I’ll never forget the Final Four when Wisconsin beat a 38-0 Kentucky team and my buddies and I were there to soak it in. But the moment that really stands out was after the game and being a part of this crowd at the Badger team hotel. It was absolutely packed with fans and the band was on the upper level playing fight songs. After about 30 minutes the players walked in and were all videotaping the moment on their phones. I asked Zak about that experience and he said, “It honestly felt like we were in a movie.” It still gives me chills and Zak looks pretty pumped at the end of this clip.

Zak was a great guest and like most of us who’ve trained for our first Ironman, he’s not really sure what to expect. I’ve always felt like being any kind of athlete in the past helps conquer Ironman, but the reason I think Zak will perform well is his mental toughness. He’s also fearless as you can see in this buzzer beater against Florida in last year’s Sweet 16. It’s a shot made famous because he instinctively looks at Aaron Rodgers and gives him the “Discount Double-Check” belt.

We hope you enjoy our conversation with Zak Showalter. As always, thanks for listening.

The Crushing Iron Podcast has 100 Five-Star reviews on iTunes and releases every Monday and Thursday. If you’re looking for coaching, a custom swim analysis or camps, please feel free to contact Coach Robbie: [email protected]

If you’re interested in receiving new blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc… please sign up for the C26 newsletter on the upper right portion of this page. Thanks for listening!

 

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More Doesn’t Always Mean Better

By Mike Tarrolly for the Crushing Iron Triathlon Podcast

The Crushing Iron blog began the day I signed up for my first Ironman. At 49-years-old, I was just starting to run after years of neglecting my health. The blog was meant as a place for me to be honest and sort through the often confusing thoughts surrounding the direction of my life.

I wrote almost daily, and shared it with the world. I’m certain this consistency played a major role in completing 5 Ironman races over the next 5 years.

I was open, fearless, and sometimes even funny in my writing. It was a process that helped me understand the demands of Ironman training all while cleansing years of suppressed thought and questionable behavior.

But a while back, for some reason, I couldn’t write anymore. At least not with the same freedom.

I was focused on writing for others rather than myself –and most good writers will tell you that is a fatal flaw. So, I flailed in my head looking for a way out and somehow landed on meditation.

Mediation

The goal was fairly simple. Sit twice a day for twenty minutes. Don’t sweat the excessive thought, just sit and “practice” meditation. That’s exactly what I did, and it lasted . . . two weeks.

I’d always dabbled in meditation, but rarely at this level of intensity. The results were powerful, and frankly . . . a little frightening.

Meditation is meant to calm the mind and help find your true self amidst the clutter. But when you open energy pathways, buried thoughts begin to surface, and they’re not always pretty.

I liken it to a detox similar to giving up drugs or changing your diet. These can be painful stretches that scare the shit out of you and I’m convinced it’s why most people struggle to change their lives. Detoxification can be brutal, and often feels like you’re punishing your body and well-being.

But like getting into shape, the pain is temporary. Maybe two days or two months, but depending on how big the change, eventually the pain is replaced by a new level of pleasure. The key is to either have a high level understanding of this, or have someone around (a coach, mentor, etc) who can confirm that, despite the pain, you’re on the right path.

I didn’t have the support and as I went through this stretch of meditation alone, my world got very dark.

Mental Detox

I sensed a deep calm, but on the surface I felt lethargy and mild-depression. I was very tired and leaning more and more toward isolation.

I knew this was a good thing in the long run, but couldn’t talk myself out of the darkness. I even went online and discovered meditation detox symptoms like: Increased sensitivity to pain, irritability, restlessness, hot flashes, weakness, body aches, headaches, etc. I was looking right at these words while experiencing these feelings and I still couldn’t believe it.

So I stopped meditating.

Almost immediately, I felt more comfortable in my skin. I’d been climbing without a rope and finally reached the ground again. The problem is, when you’re climbing, the place where you started is backwards.

I’ve been contemplating that experience the last two weeks without meditation. At my core I knew I should keep going but was afraid. So, I turned to writing.

Writing has always helped me find, and maybe more importantly, remember what I know at a deep level. Writing forces me to articulate my thought and it’s usually way easier for me to write the truth than speak it to someone else. Keyboard therapy.

Training Struggles

It almost goes without saying, but the struggles I’ve faced the last few weeks have all but crushed my training. I’m quite sure there is nothing worse than getting on a trainer when you’re sore, tired, and un-motivated. I tried several times, but failed miserably with a few easy 20 minute rides. I couldn’t get it going.

I was listening to my body and my body was saying, “fuck your workouts.”

The last few days I’ve been writing again. Not with a purpose, but to clear the air. Pouring shit out with no agenda. And (not coincidentally) the last few days I’ve found myself back on the trainer or taking easy runs. Last night was my first hour-plus trainer ride in over two months. I took it very easy. I let my legs spin without resistance. And when I finished . . . it felt great.

So, as always, it comes back to consistency and patience. We’ve done that with our podcast and it has grown organically. We’ve recorded two podcasts a week. It felt attainable and right. We had no agenda other than to just do it.

A Slow Burn

I think mediating twice a day was too much in the beginning. Trying to convince myself that I need to workout twice a day right now is also too much. Or writing for 3 hours a day . . . all too much.

For me and change, the slow burn is always the way to avoid shock. Whether it’s mediation, writing, or workouts, I have to remember . . . more doesn’t always mean better.

There are nearly 1,000 posts on this blog and I didn’t write them all at once. Day by day, they slowly uncovered truths that kept me closer to my path. Writing was free, natural and fun. And of course, those are the most important parts on triathlon, too.

 

The Crushing Iron Podcast has 100 Five-Star reviews on iTunes and releases every Monday and Thursday. If you’re looking for coaching, a custom swim analysis or camps, please feel free to contact Coach Robbie: [email protected]

If you’re interested in receiving new blog posts, videos, podcasts, etc… please sign up for the C26 newsletter on the upper right portion of this page. Thanks for listening!

 

 

 

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Inside the Mind of a Race Director – Part 3 – Steve Delmonte – Delmo Sports

By Mike Tarrolly – Crushing Iron Podcast

When you’re doing an Ironman, do you ever think about how much goes into closing the course to make sure you’re safe? It actually blows my mind to think about the logistics and planning that, can frankly, be overlooked. Well, Steve Delmonte of Delmo Sports doesn’t worry, he just gets things done, and on a recent podcast he took us behind the curtain.

For example, Delmo Sports is putting on a new All Women’s triathlon this year in Philadelphia and it took a ton of work just to convince the city it would be a good partnership, even though nothing else was going on that weekend. And I guess I get that because as much as we triathletes sit around and think triathlon is good business, I think cities take a ton of crap for shutting down their roads.

(Speaking of which, that always leads me to imagine I’m in my “old shoes” as an out of shape, non-triathlete so I can try to remember how I would have felt about sitting in my car for 20 minutes longer just so a bunch of people can run my roads in spandex. I can honestly see both sides of it, but the “old me” is definitely a grump-ass, so I typically side with the new me and feel like most people are on a hunt to bitch about something).

Steve is a straight shooter. We talked about pro triathletes and doping, on which he thinks they should let them do whatever they want. And on that note we contemplated the impossible dream of having someone as popular as Lance Armstrong as a household name in Ironman.

He also has a great perspective on what it means to be a triathlete. In an earlier interview he produced the phrase, “We’re all just playing triathlon” and it has become a staple quote in the Crushing Iron community. He talks about things like the danger in attaching “triathlete” to your identity and why it’s so important to be grateful on the course.

Coach Robbie and I joke about lobbying to make Steve the unofficial ambassador of triathlon, but it’s not far from the truth. We hope you enjoy the 131st episode of the Crushing Iron Podcast with Race Director, Steve Delmonte.

The Crushing Iron Podcast releases every Monday and Thursday. We have over 130 Episodes, including several that focus on the journey of our athletes. Please subscribe to the Crushing Iron Podcast on iTunes or sign up for the Crushing Iron Newsletter on this page.

We have limited availability on upcoming camps in Nashville, TN. Find out why dozens are raving about the great venues, friendship, and overall learning experience by clicking here to see dates and videos.

Having trouble with your swim? Get a fast and easy customized Swim Analysis from Coach Robbie.

Thank you for listening and visiting www.crushingiron.com

 

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It’s The Tuesdays That Kill Us . . .

By Coach Robbie

Over the weekend I woke up super pumped for what I expected would be a harder than normal ride. However I was coming off an easier day just before so I “assumed” I would be fresh and ready for one of my harder main sets. Just because I assumed I was fresh made success inevitable right?

The main set was 7min at 100% FTP, 5min at 105%, 2 x 3:00 at 110% and then 2 x 2:00 at 115%. All on 3:00 very easy recovery. I  thought I had it in the bag before I even got on my trainer. About midway through my first 7min interval I knew this would be much, much harder than I thought. Was it my ego or was it really that I did not have the mindset when I started?

The reality is that I just wasn’t ready to put up a fight when the pain came. I finished the first 7min interval barely hanging on for dear life and thoughts of quitting had already entered my mind. I took my 3:00 recovery and then proceeded to totally bail midway through the next 5:00 interval. I told myself “I just did not have it today” and just finished out my 1:30 in a zone 2 moderate effort a bit disgusted. It did not sit well with me the rest of the day. The truth isn’t that I “just did not have it.” Its that I did not choose TO HAVE IT.

I had told myself a story that it was my “legs that did not have it” and just move on to fight another day. Don’t get me wrong. That happens a lot and as you know I always encourage you to listen to your body. I was much more disappointed in my effort and mindset then my ability to perform. I went to bed that night and told myself that if I had the opportunity to do just the main set the next day I would take it. I would not obsess over the numbers but I did want a better effort.

The next morning I hopped back on the trainer with just my music, the baby monitor and a mindset that said ” No matter how bad it hurts…. I am ready for the pain and I will do this to the best of my ability.

About 50mins and a lot of pain later I had nailed every interval with a little extra each one just for good measure. Was I proud of my numbers? Sure. I was more pleased and proud of my effort and my mindset. You see, every single training session is hard. Every single one. The 25min chill runs, the easy rides, the interval sessions, etc. They all bring their own challenges and life, work, relationships just compound the difficulty. The fact is that every day we have to be prepared to meet the challenge and not assume we can just “do it”. We must be ready and expect it to be painful. To hurt. To be uncomfortable. If we do not, then we usually get beat and we throw away an opportunity.

When I was first getting sober a little over 4 years ago someone told me that it was not the really the great times or the roughest times that caused people to drink again. It was not the promotions, the parties, the trauma or the tragedies or even the triumphs that make people pick up. It was the Tuesdays that killed people. The days where you just “thought you would have it.” The days you don’t do all the little things you know will lead to success. Those are the days that kill us. Training and recovery have many similarities. It takes consistency, commitment, hard work and it must be done every day in order to be really successful. Never take anything for grated and always choose to do your best and be successful.

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How To Not Suck At Swimming – The Ultimate Guide To Open Water Swimming

Triathletes and swimming often don’t mix, but Crushing Iron Triathlon thinks that should change! Yes, swimming can seem complicated, but Crushing Iron Swim Coaching gives you ways to make it easier and more enjoyable. And let’s face it, standing in line to start a triathlon is a lot more fun if you are confident and don’t have open water swim anxiety.

Crushing Iron has now over 125 podcasts and has released a Four Part Swim Series designed to make you a more powerful and purposeful open water swimmer. We believe pool swimming and open water swimming are two different sports, so it’s important to train for race conditions so anxiety and fatigue don’t destroy your best race before you get to the bike.

Below, you’ll find four podcasts focused exclusively on being a better open water swimmer. We recommend starting with How To Not Suck At Swimming – Part 1 and work through to Part 4. Dozens of athletes have not only become better swimmers, but have begun to love swimming in general because of this podcast series. You can love the water, too!

Don’t be one of those triathletes that think the swim doesn’t matter because it’s only a small percentage of the time you’ll be racing. Having a solid swim that warms you up instead of sucking your energy is the first solution to having a great race.

We’ve kept it simple, sort of like the Rosetta Stone of swim coaching, but if you can’t seem to grasp the technique we offer an excellent personalized Swim Analysis that can save you hours of wasted practice. We also offer general triathlon coaching and will be happy to connect you with current athletes to see why they are so happy with Crushing Iron Triathlon Coaching. You can also check out our Swim Specific Camps located in Nashville, TN that are sure to up your comfort in open water, make you faster, and more confident.

As always, thank you for listening to the Crushing Iron Podcast. If you have any questions about coaching or a personalized swim analysis, feel free to contact Coach Robbie at [email protected].  Happy Swimming!

  • Are Swimming Tools like a Drag chute right for you?
  • How many days in pool to see faster times?
  • How to avoid bending at knees while kicking?
  • Need to bilateral breathe?
  • How to stop crossover arms? Drills?
  • Importance of stroke cadence… what to measure and wis it important? why? confused about speeding up stroke
  • The Truth about Total Immersion swimming?
  • Strength work outside of the pool?
  • What muscles should we target?
  • When and why to use stretch cords?
  • How to practice sighting in a pool
  • Master’s Swimming Rant?
  • Beating Drag. What to do about Sinking Legs –
  • How do you beat periods of Breathlessness in a race?
  • Fixing incorrect kick timing after years of doing it wrong
  • How much kicking is ideal to “save legs” vs. going faster
  • Is your kick actually slowing you down?
  • How to get into cold water? inch in, use ladder, jump in?
  • Benefit to using other strokes? breast, back, butterfly?
  • How to beat goggle fogging?
  • Flip turns? Beneficial?
  • What’s the ticket to speed?
  • Proper breathing – How and When
  • Body Positioning and how to get it right
  • Hand entry and exit – How and When
  • How to deprogram from bad advice, including workouts that get you there
  • How to structure a swim week of workout
  • Should you join a Master’s Team?
  • Swimming square and why you swim crooked
  • Why drills are a waste of time
  • Why building swim fitness should be powerful and purposeful
  • The bigger your mesh bag, the slower you are committed to being
  • The correct and most effective way to use paddles
  • Why pool swimming and open water swimming are two different sports
  • What an expensive wetsuit really does for your swim
  • The power of the Pull Buoy
  • The tools you need and the tools you don’t need

The Crushing Iron Podcast releases every Monday and Thursday. We have over 125 Episodes, including several that focus on the journey of our athletes. Please subscribe to the Crushing Iron Podcast on iTunes or sign up for the Crushing Iron Newsletter on this page.