Podcasts

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From Couch to Sub-12 Ironman at 50 

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Today, Coach Robbie grills Mike about what it was like to go from the couch to Ironman as a 50-year-old.  The whole process started with a 5K and ended at Ironman Wisconsin 18 months later.  They discuss the physical and mental components of changing a lifestyle in such a dramatic fashion and what was learned along the way.  Some of the topics are:

– What convinced Mike he could tackle and Ironman
– The importance of recovery as you get older
– Turning points in Mike’s belief system
– How Mike went from a 42 minute Olympic swim to a 1:20 Ironman at Wisconsin
– How to virtually guarantee a solid Ironman run
– Mike’s longest run ever was 14 miles
– How Coach Robbie kept him focused over a long 9-month-plan
– Overcoming mental and emotional burnout
– The mind game Mike played with himself to assure a sub-12 Ironman

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Triathlon Trends: Fraud or For Real?

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Triathlon has so many products it can make your head spin.  But which are frauds and which are for real? Today we have in-depth and honest discussion on a lot triathlete’s favorite gear, habits, and nutrition, including:

• Compression Socks
• Chocolate Milk
• Ice Baths
• Stretching
• Altitude Training
• Coca Cola
• Pull Buoys
• Massages
• Training Masks
• Windbreakers

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www.crushingiron.com

Reference Links from Podcast
Chocolate Milk
Stretching
Ice Baths
Compression Socks

From Pre-Race Meal to Ironman Finish Line

Mike and Robbie track their 24 hours before bed until the Ironman finish line.  These tactics apply to non-Ironman distance as well.  If you’ve done (or never done) there’s a lot of food for thought in this episode which discusses the following:

• Night before Race Meals
• Sleep strategies
• Wake up calls
• Morning of race meals
• Last hour before the swim thoughts/nutrition
• Tactics for the Swim
• Nutrition for first 10 miles of bike
• Gastro challenges
• The biggest mistake people make on the bike
• Prepping for run while on the bike
• Nutrition/Hydration strategies for the run
• Post-race fuel
• A great way to clean your top, shorts, and shoes

Email your questions, thoughts, topic ideas to [email protected]
www.crushingiron.com

Tackling Your Bike To Save Your Run 

Today on the Crushing Iron podcast we welcome our first guest, Blaik, an Age Grouper from Knoxville who is one of Coach Robbie’s athletes.  Blaik had spent year on the shelf with an injury before deciding to tackle his first Ironman in Lake Placid.  He walks us through his cycling progression and why he felt it was the absolute key to his training. He also talks about how he used his half Ironman that year as a building block for Ironman. He also takes us to Lake Placid and explains how he negative split his marathon despite doing very few long runs.

In this episode we cover:

  • Breaking your bike into two in one day
  • Cycling workouts that are best for your run
  • Why you should pay attention to your “natural cadence” on the bike
  • The best way to attack your trainer workouts
  • The great cadence debate – high rpm or low rpm?
  • From Injury to a negative split run at Ironman Lake Placid.
  • Is your long weekend run overrated?
  • Finding that breakout moment to give you confidence.
  • Single leg drills

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How To Simplify Your Training 

– Decluttering your workout routine
– Running with your dog, spouse, friends more often
– Simplifying your diet for more consistent results
– How cleaning your environment reduces stress
– All time favorite personal moments in triathlon (they’re not the races)
– The 80/20 rule for successful training
– 3 Keys to life according to Adam Robinson from the Tim Ferris podcast.

Please leave a review for this podcast on iTunes.
www.crushingiron.com

Triathlon: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly 

Dr. Oz would probably love this podcast.  Mike and Robbie dig into how they’ve changed physically, emotionally, and spiritually since they started triathlon. They talk about addiction, delusional passion, and how triathlon can be a vehicle for a better life instead of living our lives for triathlon. They explore social media’s impact on the health of the sport, the high of your first race, and the lows that come from a triathlon lifestyle.  Listen to find out how you can win a free Crushing Iron t-shirt.

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How To Not Suck At Swimming 

As an age grouper I went from not being able to swim more than a lap to swimming a mass start at Ironman Wisconsin in 1:20.  That process took less than a year following these principles.  I followed that with a 1:06.

Coach Robbie has a strong swim background and focuses on open water.  He’s swam 53 minutes in Ironman and has a deep passion for helping his athletes be stronger, faster, and more efficient swimmers. Today he covers the following in detail:

1.  Why drills are a waste of time.
2.  Why building swim fitness should be powerful and purposeful.
3.  The bigger your mesh bag, the slower you are committed to being.
4.  The correct and most effective way to use paddles.
5.  Why pool swimming and open water swimming are two different sports.
6.  What an expensive wetsuit really does for your swim.
7.  The power of the Pull Buoy.
8.  The tools you need and the tools you don’t need.

Plus, why Coach Robbie thinks IRONMAN should change the swim cut off from 2:20 to 1:40. He also gives two excellent (and customizable) workouts you can start using now to be a better swimmer next season.

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www.crushingiron.com

KONA REVIEW: Should Ironman Move the World Championship? 

Mike and Robbie review the KONA Broadcast on NBC and it opened an interesting question: Should Ironman move the World Championships out of KONA?  That conversation happens toward the end at the 25 minute mark and Mike was totally against it at first, but completely changed his tune.  We also cover:

– The Jan Frodeno/Sebastian Kienle match up.
– Ryf and Rinny
– Men vs. Women and the future of pros at Kona
– The human interest, including the heart wrenching story of the woman burned in an ultra marathon.
– The oldest man to finish at Kona
– Advertising during the broadcast
– Why moving the World Championships off the island would be the best thing for the sport.
– Ironman World Championships in Madison, Wisconsin . . . or Chattanooga??

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Balancing Training And Life


Does ego disrupt your balance in Training? Do holidays throw you off? When you add Ironman to the mix it’s easy to lose control. Today we look at a bunch of strategies to keep your life and training in balance with so much going on in your life.

– How To Handle Training While Sick
– Importance of Training in the Morning
– How Family Can Make Training More Purposeful
– Why Pro Triathlete Lionel Sanders Changed His Approach
– How Ego Can Disrupt Progress
– Why Morning Swims Are Critical
– Repetition and Frequency Are King
– The Power of Flexible Training Schedules
– Are You Forcing Training?
– Christmas Cookies

Here’s a link to the Lionel Sanders blog post we referenced.

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Break Through The Ironman Ceiling


Have you been subconsciously sabotaging your races?  Are you hoping to move up from 20th or 30th to the podium?  Back of the pack to mid-pack? This is the podcast for you. We look at great ways to take your training (and racing) to the next level.  In this episode you’ll find out:

– How To Win A Free Coaching Consultation
– How To Prep Your Body To Start The Season
– If Your Base Training Has Plateaued
– How to break through 15+ Slots In Your Race
– What it really takes to make an Ironman Podium
– To Prepare Your Body For the Next Phase
– If you’re lost in the numbers
– To Break Race Prep Into Blocks

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  • Robbie’s Consultation
  • Friday Five
  • Email us: [email protected]
  • www.crushingiron.com

Running Slow To Get Faster

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In this podcast we cover:

• How low heart-rate running makes you more efficient
• Transforming your body into a running machine
• Using oxygen more efficiently
• Multiple runs in the same day
• Recovery vs. Always Being Recovered
• How to avoid oxygen debt
• New/old theories on speed work

Link to article about Ernst Van Aaken from The Science of Running

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Learning From Triathlon Mistakes


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• The key to most things in life is learning from your mistakes and resolving them
• Reducing anxiety in future races.
• How to address swimming experiences
• Afraid of flat tires because you haven’t learned to change them fast?
• Fear of not finishing your first Ironman?
• Embracing mistakes to build confidence.

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Triathlon Coaching Theory


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• Interpreting coaching philosophies
• Why it’s important for a coach to really know their athlete
• How motivation, creativity, and listening are huge elements for helping you reach your goals.
• Why coaching is far more than a training plan
• How a good coach can get you over the hump
• General theory, plus each of the individual sports: swim, bike, run.

If you have questions, comments, or ideas for a future podcast, send them to [email protected]

Dealing With Race Pain


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• Preparing for the pain of an Ironman Run
• A mentally daunting run workout
• “Relaxing Away” the pain
• De-hydration and inflammation
• Simulating the pain in workouts
• Using oxygen in a more efficient way
• Is it pain, or discomfort?

Send us your topics or questions: [email protected]

Ironman Wisconsin Course Breakdown

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• The unparalleled crowd support at IMWI
• How to handle the Mass Swim Start
• Little talked about challenges of the IMWI Swim
• Strategies for handling the Bike
• What people underestimate on the Bike Course
• The Best and Worst of the Run Course
• Why the IMWI Finish may be the best

If you have any topics you’d like Crushing Iron to discuss, email us at: [email protected]

Three Ironman Training Myths

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01:00 – Off-Season training MYTH #1 (running)
06:14 – Off-Season training MYTH #2 (swimming)
13:35 – How to not “over-think” swimming
14:12 – Off-season training MYTH #3 (cycling)
19:35 – PR your race not your workouts
23:53 – Post IRONMAN Blues
31:56 – Doing Multiple Ironman Races in One Year
39:00 – Why Qualifying for Ironman 70.3 Worlds Will Be Tougher Than Ever

*Send your questions to [email protected]
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Smart Ways To Plan Your 2017 Race Calendar

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03:17 – The Smart Way to plan your 2017 Race Calendar
08:20 – Keeping Off Season Training Fun but Focused
13:22 – Overall Body Balance in Workouts
15:50 – Do you want a training plan or a Coach?
19:45 – “Speeding Up” versus “Slowing Down The Least”
24:00 – Building Power to Lose Power
26:22 – Mental and Physical Hurdles of an IRONMAN Marathon
34:24 – How to Ruin Your Race
35:39 – Self Calibrating your internal Power and Pace meters

Send Questions to [email protected]

Setting 2017 Race Goals

This is the first Crushing Iron podcast with Mike and Coach Robbie.  Our focus is on age group athletes that want to get better, along with get more out of the sport, including peace of mind and enjoyment.  PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, RATE AND REVIEW ON iTUNES.

Today’s Podcast covers:

00:00 – Setting 2017 Goals (The reality of qualifying for KONA)
07:27 – IRONMAN as a bucket list versus a path to growth
16:30 – Setting realistic goals based on race-day conditions
18:55 – New IRONMAN races and how that impacts us
24:21 – Breaking through barriers in off-season
26:25 – Why the swim is more important than most people think
38:21 – IRONMAN’s shortened races dilemma

Please send any questions to [email protected]