Category: Triathlon

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Heat Training & Acclimation

Crushing Iron Podcast #377

Topics:

  • Overnight habit changes? – When it goes from cool to hot it’s like we’re creating a new habit. Take it slow and let your body get used to the changes.
  • Deceptive mornings – When you look outside you may see a perfect, cloudy morning, but beware of humidity and dew point, even if the temperature looks nice.
  • Wrapping your mind around Dew Point – Essentially, the higher the dew point, the harder it will be to breathe.
  • Getting in shape and acclimating at once – A lot of times people will be cruising in the spring, then turn it up as it gets hot to get ready for a late season race. So, in essence, you’re trying to “get in shape” at the toughest time of the year.
  • Chasing paces – This is not a time to chase your normal “perfect weather pace” while training, especially on intervals. If anything, slow down your warm up and realistically lower your interval goals.
  • “I’m losing my fitness” – Just because you’re slower and having a tough time in the heat doesn’t mean you’re losing your fitness. Let yourself adapt and be patient.
  • So much water in air it’s harder to get oxygen – This is more or less what’s going on with high humidity and dew points.
  • Keeping ego in check – Can you get your ego in a place to realize training in heat is an exercise of long term building?
  • Your pace could be 1:30 slower! – Look at some of the charts on effect of running in the heat. It’s amazing, really, how some say that a 30 degree temperature difference can increase your typical pace by 20%!
  • How your body protects itself – If the body is under fueled or hydrated, it will take care of itself naturally. Listen to your body.
  • Why Starky probably won’t win Kona 
  • Body weight, fat, and heat – The bigger you are, the more muscle you have to fuel, the tougher running in heat will be. This is the same with fat, which is why lean athletes typically perform better in the heat.  
  • How to be a better athlete in the heat – Prepare not only day of, but days before for big runs or rides. It’s these “easy training sessions” that we ignore that will add up.
  • Core temp and acclimation – Whether training or racing, we want to keep the core temp down from the START. If you go out too hard and begin to overheat, you will not be able to get your core temperature under control.  
  • Benefits of training in the heat – Heat training has so many benefits and it’s probably the best way to train for elevation if you don’t live near mountains but will race in them.
  • What you should do BEFORE a hot run – Hydrate . . . and not only the morning of. Stay ahead of hydration and keep it topped off.
  • Perceived exertion while carrying fuel – Any extra weight will make running more difficult, including carrying water/fuel. But the trade off is well worth it. Just adjust, and slow down. The benefits are still happening even if you’re not going as fast as you’d like.
  • How going rogue makes you pay – If you dig too deep of a hole, you will have a lot of bad workouts and getting back to your baseline will be an ongoing struggle.
  • What to eat and drink after you run, especially in heat – You have to replenish. It’s very easy to get distracted after a workout, but your body needs to re-hydrate and fuel. Get your carbs in after a workout.  
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You Don’t Get Your Time Back

Crushing Iron Podcast #370

This title comes from two things: The strategy behind days off and cherishing the ability to do what you do before you can’t anymore. How good perspective can minimize stress and increase enjoyability. There’s also TONS of cycling talk, including power, cadence and riding against the wind, and how to taper/prepare for two races that might wind up close together. Toward the end we discuss an awesome post from an athlete who described his “when” as his why. How being grateful for what you are able to do can be a genuine motivator to enjoy the possibilities of each day. 

Topics: 

  • The power of flexibility
  • Being comfortable if things don’t work out on time
  • Doing things the right way instead of having to do it
  • Minimizing current stress and minimize future stress
  • Riding into the wind
  • Cadence talk on the bike
  • Finding your most powerful pedal stroke
  • Pedal stroke explained
  • Single Leg drills
  • How dead spots add up
  • Knowing your limitations
  • Run cadence and load
  • Mastering effort between the zones
  • High turn over in the swim
  • Managing watts into and against the wind
  • Race spacing – How much time do you need between
  • The longer the taper . . . the . . .
  • Races are a HUGE stimulus boost
  • Fitness bumps from races
  • “My when is my why” – Patrick Gill
  • Do your days off really make sense??
  • You can’t get time back

The C26 Online Hub is now open to the public! Click here to learn more about what’s in the Hub and take advantage of our “Pay What You Want” for a limited time.

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I Still Suck at Recovery

By Mike Tarrolly, Co-Host of the Crushing Iron Podcast

I’ve done 7 Ironman’s in 7 years and I have yet to truly get a handle on the importance of recovery. 

Sure, I’ll take naps and over-sleep and skip workouts, but the real problem comes back to one nuance: I don’t know how to pull back the reigns.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE

The biggest challenge with a recovery day or week is: we can tend to feel fresh and strong. “Oh, Mike, but how is that a problem?” For me it boils down to…. “Hmm, could probably push this a little harder or longer and catch up on some fitness I gained when I skipped January.” 

Yes, that’s the thought process and I believe it may be our biggest challenge in training. 

JUST DO IT

We grow up with this “crush it” or “just do it” mentality and those habits are hard to break. We always strive to get better, but how can taking it easy make us stronger? Maybe it makes sense to term things “sleep workouts” instead of “recovery workouts.”

SLEEP WORKOUTS 

We all know these things innately, but it’s good to be reminded. When we sleep well, we give the body rest and ability to rebuild, ie… recover from the day before. So, that is what I’m suggesting. Go sleep your way through a workout. Make it embarrassingly lame. 

I also think about the concept of “training to heal” a lot. We all know that boundary and it’s especially valuable in recovery workouts. Get in the mindset of “this feels like I’m doing nothing.”

THE CATCH UP GAME

Twice this past week I played the “catch up game.”

For one, I haven’t been running much because of plantar fasciitis, but decided it was time to push the envelope. This is always a slippery slope, but in the moment it felt right. 

So, despite the flack I catch for roller blading, I upped the ante with three straight days of hour-plus skates followed by a short 20-30 minute run. My own experience tells me blading is about half the effort of running, so in this example I essentially ran 8-9 miles a day three days in a row. 

Now, the caveat is in the less pounding nature and honestly it felt good at the time. Until day 3. 

I actually felt okay until the last mile of that day 3 run. That’s when it hit me like a brick. The sun, the heat, the fatigue. That sort of deep experience that tells you, it’s time to stop despite all your desires. 

I did my best with a solid recovery meal, then went straight for an exhaustion nap. I woke up with this, “why am I doing this to myself” feeling.

“SEIZE THE DAY” IN MODERATION

That was Sunday, so Monday, despite not riding much at all lately, I decided it would be a good idea to take my bike outside for the first time of the year. I was a little fatigued, but Carpe Diem! 

I honestly felt pretty great. The blading is a perfect cross-train for cycling, but that is also the problem! Suddenly I thought it was a good idea to blast my quads for four straight days out of nowhere. It crossed my mind to ride for a couple hours, but I settled for one. It didn’t seem like I was pushing too hard, but a subsequent nap and post-exhaustion feeling proved I was indeed out of my zone. 

That was Monday and this entire week has been a bit of a shit-show. Low energy, low desire, low everything. 

“STOP SHORT”

But now it’s Thursday (after a couple rest days) and I’m feeling good. And guess what I am fighting the urge to do?

You guessed it, I’m back and ready to rock this thing!

It’s crazy to me but makes sense because it’s that natural tendency we have as humans. One or two cookies is probably fine, but three is too much. It’s a constant struggle to appreciate that your body is willing to bend, and certainly recover if you break it, but life is so much easier and more rewarding if we just respect the limits and realize (in the immortal words of Frank Costansa) it’s okay if we just stop short. 

On that note, I think I’ll go mow half my lawn.

For more information on C26 Coaching, Camps, and Community, please visit C26Triathlon.com.

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Should You Adjust Your FTP When You Go Outdoors?

C26 Coach Robbie talks about FTP and the differences between riding inside on the trainer and going outside.

You don’t change your power based on terrain, you change your cadence based on the power you’re supposed to maintain.

If you can get outside consistently with a power meter, it’s a good time to get out and readjust. Power outside, for many is significantly higher. The watts or zones of the effort level is much different.

It’s physically and emotionally harder to produce power inside.

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Cycling Sizzle Reel from “The Lab” at Crushing Iron April Camp 2018

Here’s a little look at what it’s like to ride in what we affectionately call “The Lab” here in Nashville. These athletes are all from our April 2018 Triathlon Camp and were taking part in a “Power Hour” ride before busting out a hard 5k off the bike. Everyone brought an unbelievable attitude and effort into town and then all left stronger and more confident. For more information on Crushing Iron Triathlon Camps, please see the “Camps” tab on this sight. June currently has a waiting list but August may have an opening. We also have openings in our swim only camps.

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Triathlon: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Triathlon is a process.  We start with blind exuberance then evolve.

There’ve been many times when I’ve reflected and cringed.  I used to “say” I was doing it to become a better person, and that’s somewhat true, but not in the beginning.  I was doing it for my ego.

I wanted to feel a new excitement in my life . . . to feel relevant again.

It was a re-kindling of an earlier life in sports.  I was moving, thrashing, and looking in the eyes of my competition.  It fueled me like nothing had in years.  And I think that’s natural.

But, it was just the beginning.  After several months, and certainly after my first Ironman, the thrill wore off.  I was staring at emptiness in the mirror.  What now?

Well, “what now” was another Ironman that I felt obligated to do a year later.  A lot of it had to do with the fact that I had a blog and created a monster I didn’t want to tame.  The other reason was because I thought triathlon was the key to reviving my life.

Right before that second race I quit my corporate job of 14 years.  I was finally free to pursue the life I wanted and triathlon was right at the center.  And of course that was the problem.

Triathlon isn’t my life, but it’s definitely a vehicle for getting me to where I want to go.  That’s the challenge, and today I had a great discussion about that topic with my coach.

It’s all in the new podcast embedded below.  It’s a very open and honest discussion, which reminds me of something that would make my good friend Dr. Oz proud.  (You can read the semi-hilarious story behind this Dr. Oz interview here, and read Dr. Oz’s response to my post here.)

Below is the podcast where Coach Robbie and I talk about how we started, how we’ve evolved, and how we believe triathlon will fit into our lives in the future.

The Good: Friends, family, Fitness.
The Bad:  Ego, Arrogance, Excess.
The Ugly:  Regret, lies, and suffering.

Triathlon: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

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Music City Triathlon – Race Preview

I’ve had a lot of requests for a Music City Triathlon Course Preview so I thought I’d drive down to the river and take care of business.  Now, I raced the old course, so my information might not be totally accurate, but really the only information you need is that it is supposed to be 100 degrees that day.

I’ve compiled three expertly crafted videos, one for each portion of the course: swim, bike, and run.  Regarding the swim, I think you swim up about a 1/3, then a full length with the current, then 2/3rds back into the current… but please double check when you get there!  The bike and run videos are about 5 minutes long, and I know that’s time consuming, but those minutes could save you seconds on this course!!

Please share with your friends who are racing.  (That goes for you too Team Magic 🙂

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Music City Triathlon – Swim Course Preview

Music City Triathlon – Bike Course Preview

Music City Triathlon – Run Course Preview

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Ironman 70.3 Muncie 2015 National Anthem

If this video doesn’t get your heart racing . . . well . . . maybe you’ll see somebody you know.

I’ll be posting more video from Ironman 70.3 Muncie, so sign up for the email to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Thanks to my brother Chris for manning the video camera all day like a champ.

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Challenge Knoxville is Official

I’m officially in for Challenge Knoxville.  I’ll be doing the Olympic as has been my standard the last couple years and look forward to defending my PowerBar crown along with this outlandish 3rd place medal!

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Me, Wasky, Jim, and Corey in 2014

Unfortunately the rest of this crew won’t be joining me, so if you’re going and need a friend with outlandish viewpoints on triathlon or feel like having some good old fashioned Knoxville fun, let me know.  I’ll be staying at the host hotel.

I’m really excited to see how the Challenge experience differs from Rev3.  I thought Rev did a great job and expect Challenge to take it up a notch.

If they do one thing, I hope Challenge delivers an international flavor to this race, and by that, I have no idea what I’m talking about.  Narrow roads with overly aggressive spectators, maybe?  Cornetto and cappuccino in the rooms?

It’s my first race of the year and I sit here in Beloit, Wisconsin with an anticipation-buzz.

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After a 10 hour drive to Beloit, Wisconsin

In some ways, this race has made me as a triathlete.  It was my warm up race for IMWI two years ago and it was likely some of the worst conditions possible.  I loved it and really grew as an athlete that day.

Last year they moved the date back a couple weeks and racing conditions were solid.  It’s a great city to host and I love downtown Knoxville.  Read my 2014 Rev3 Race Report.

Coming next is a list of 10 ways I believe Challenge can take a dent out of Ironman in the 70.3 distance.

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