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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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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.

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Andrew Starykowicz Interview – Crushing Iron Podcast

By Mike Tarrolly

A couple days ago the Crushing Iron Podcast had the opportunity to interview professional triathlete, Andrew Starkywicz, and he did not disappoint. Andrew’s not only one of the best cyclists in triathlon, but an interesting and charismatic guy with a deep passion for the sport and life.

I’ve raced head-to-head with “Starky” four times, and somehow, each time he has beaten me. I like to blame it on his better starting position as a pro, but he says it comes down to being blessed with long femurs for cycling.

The first time I ever saw him, he was blowing by me in the other direction at Muncie 70.3. It was actually the first time I’d seen a pro triathlete on the course and it was a bit intimidating.

He just seemed so solid and fluid compared to me, my neck pain, and constant saddle shifting. The other thing I remember was . . . the sound.

I could hear him coming at me. Legs pumping like pistons while he snacked on something I imagined as a higher level of fuel than I was privy to on his way to a 28 mph bike split.

I told my buddies about it later and they said, “Oh, that’s Starky, he won today.” Then they added, he doesn’t hold back, including what he says.

Here’s an interview about his “brash” personality.

Since that day in Muncie I’ve been on the course with Andrew another time at Muncie, once at Rev3 Knoxville, and this year at Ironman Louisville, where he rode 27+ mph for a full and led the race wire to wire.

We’ve never officially “met” but the other day we had the privilege of interviewing him for the Crushing Iron Podcast. He talks about his riding philosophy, goes in-depth about the little things he does to win, and tells us how he thinks we can all improve the sport.

The interview is below. You can follow Andrew @starykowicz on Twitter, @tri_starky on Instagram, or AndrewStarykowicz.com

Over 100 more Crushing Iron Podcasts can be found here. Thanks for listening!


 

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Turning Inspiration Into Action

By Mike Tarrolly

When you have your own business and work at home, motivation can go south in a hurry. So, Sunday night I made a commitment to do something productive outside of the house every day this week. It took one night to ignite inspiration.

Nashville is absolutely loaded with options these days and Monday night I decided to hit the once-a-month gathering hosted by Nashville Creative Group. They were having a “show and tell” event where creators get three minutes to share what they’re working on. About 15 people signed up to share and I sat comfortably in my isolated chair near the back.

The third person on stage was a guy in a black suit with a handle bar mustache wearing a top hat. The look was captivating, but the story was even better.

He started by saying he had a stroke 7 years ago. He was a chef at the time but the stroke stole his memory of how to cook.

One of the therapies was to sit down and write in an effort to restore his ability to think. It was a painful process that took years. But eventually his cognition started coming back and over time he wrote a book which he proudly displayed in front of the audience. I spoke with him at the end of the night and he said it was difficult to write the book because he always forgot what he wrote the day before. But he pressed on with action and because of this book he landed a 7 book deal with his publisher.

In my heart I know this is the kind of inspiration that is waiting around every corner when I step out of my comfort zone. But inspiration isn’t action and that has been a difficult concept for me to tackle. That night I came home and pulled out a few books to really zone in on my “dreams.” But sometimes I feel like I’ve read enough, or watched enough videos on YouTube and it’s time to “make something happen.”

I think this is a very common problem, actually. Someone once described it to me as “premature optimization.” We want to “learn” everything before we do anything.

But more times than not the best way to learn is to just do it. Dive in, make mistakes, push your body to the limits. That’s how we learn and grow. That’s what triathlon is all about.

On Tuesday night a friend brought me to his professional group to see a speaker, and it turned out to be the Iron Cowboy, James Lawrence.

If you’re not familiar with James, he’s the guy who completed 50 Iron distance triathlons in 50 days in 50 different states. He talked about a few of the toughest moments, but I have to imagine there were hundreds or thousands of “I’m just going to quit” thoughts he had to overcome on his journey. As it turned out, his 12-year-old daughter may have saved the entire quest. She came to his side at a pivotal moment early in the streak. He was out of it, wobbly and trying to find a reason, any reason to quit. But she made a commitment with him, saying she would run by his side for part of every day. It was her own “50 5K’s in 50 Days,” and she wasn’t a runner.

So, this brings me back to how does inspiration intersect with action? I kinda think that inspiration germinates inside and someone (or something) else turns those desires into action. It’s really the genesis of Crushing Iron. I started writing about this journey as a novice Ironman in training and it went on periodically for years, but it took a collision of that passion with Coach Robbie to turn it into what it’s becoming. We committed to releasing podcasts on Monday and Thursday and haven’t missed one in a year. We have hosted 3 camps and coach a growing group of amazing athletes who have become the motivational force to keep creating action.

This is the topic of our latest podcast. Thank you for listening and we hope on some level we have helped you do what you’ve done for us.

Check out the “Turning Inspiration Into Action” Podcast

Speaking of Inspiration . . . if you’re looking for a great way to prepare for an Ironman or other big race in 2018, check out the C26 Triathlon Camps. We have a few spots left in each and they are sure to make you better and more confident in your racing. Four days of excellent instruction, beautiful venues, and great people. Here’s a video from one of last year’s camps. Dates are below.

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Embracing The Slow Burn

By Mike Tarrolly

I don’t know about you, but I have had a tendency to get ahead of myself in triathlon. I like to think about races and even “races after races” . . . which is exactly when I know trouble is brewing.

For example, I have Ironman Louisville coming up in about 50 days, but more than once I’ve thought about signing up for Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga and even a possible return to Louisville, Wisconsin, or Chattanooga for a 2018 Full Ironman.

It’s hard enough to stay in the moment with training for one race, let alone 2 more next year. Not only that, it makes me wonder about my motives.

Races can tend to be quite a buzz. It’s so tempting to sign up and feel the rush, talk about the rush, fly with the rush. But eventually that buzz subsides and reality sets in. That’s when I ask myself a question: Am I loving the training process?

If that answer is no, I know signing up for another race is a bad idea. It’s like being in a band and starting another band just for the thrill of “the possibilities.”

The other thing that happens is, I totally neglect a major opportunity to get better. Many triathletes I know do the same thing by virtually ignoring training from October through February. “Ah, there’s plenty of time to get ready for my May race!”

But those months are the perfect time to work on my weaknesses. I know this, and own this, but I rarely do this.

I’m not saying I have to hammer the off season like I do my main training, but it’s a great time to experiment with “relaxing training.” Things like mountain biking, hiking, etc.

What this all comes down to is living day to day. Doing things I enjoy and not always setting up future fantasies that can give me another rush of dopamine. It’s about being in the moment with training and life.

I often think of Ironman as a microcosm of life. Beginning, middle, and end. It’s a slow burn that dives deep into every fiber of your being. It makes you shout and doubt. It makes struggle and persevere. It makes you who you are in each and every moment.

———

This is sort of the topic of today’s podcast. Thanks for listening. As always, if you enjoy listening to Crushing Iron, you can support us with a small donation at www.patreon.com/crushingiron

Check out our daily videos as we train for Ironman Louisville.

Like Crushing Iron on Facebook

http://crushingiron.libsyn.com/87-embrace-the-slow-burn

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Mac Book Air and a cup of Coffee

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Old wooden wall and green bicycle

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A boy leaning on the Wall

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