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My 12 Things Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga: Inside the Mind of an Aging Man Who Doesn’t Really Like Gadgets

By Mike Tarrolly for Crushing Iron

I think it’s important for people to write race reports. It helps you remember where you did well and what you need to do better next time. Over the years my recaps have morphed from flowing gibberish about every hotel lobby conversation into something more like “things I learned” with the hope that someone else can pick something up. So, yes, there are little things that happened but mostly this is about how my training for this race unfolded when I got onto the course. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the first time I didn’t feel obligated to buy a “Ironman Name Shirt” so I might be on the right track.

  1. Age Is Just a Number – I started triathlon at age 49. I’m 56 now and have done seven Half Ironman races. This was my best performance to date. So, age is definitely a number . . . but most everything that happened in this race began back in December. My running has been very consistent for 5 1/2 months, including a C26 run camp that was a bit of a game changer for me. We talk about it non-stop on the podcast, but consistency is king.

  2. You Can’t Always Get What You Want – If I’m totally honest, I thought I was going to race faster. Isn’t that always the case? But, it was mainly because of how I’d been running. The consistency was one thing, but I was also throwing down some intense work, including tons of hills, even on recovery runs. I guess the reality check is always the race. The hard bike followed by the hard run. The good news is, even though I closed pretty hard in Chattanooga, I think I would have been able to hold the general pace of my run for quite a bit longer. That’s what gives me the most optimism moving toward Wisconsin. #trainingday

  3. Sleep Might Be The Hardest Part of Race Weekend – We had a TON of C26 athletes hanging around and while that meant a lot of mental juggling, I loved it. Friendly faces and good conversation is a really good way to take your mind off the race. That said, somewhere in my subconscious I was concerned about that Saturday night sleep……… but great news! I fell asleep around 7:30 and remember feeling very excited about that as I drifted off. After some wicked dreams, I woke up naturally, reached for my phone to check the time and it was 9:00! I’d slept for 1.5 hours and was now royally f*cked. Yep. I turned on basketball for a while and eventually resorted to reading the Bible because, frankly, I don’t understand it and I thought it would fatigue my brain. No such luck as I got swept away by the book of Revelation and the only true revelation I had was that I had fall asleep again, then wake up in about 3 hours. One of these days I’ll get rest before a race.
     
  4. School Bus Nerds – There’s something very appropriate about shuttling triathletes to the swim in yellow school buses. There is a first-day-of-school awkwardness that makes everyone on the bus seem like a child. And isn’t that that point? We all do this sport to reclaim a bit of our youth, right? And I can’t help but wonder why we are so driven to feel this way? Maybe it’s simple. We want to feel young and the idea of chasing money and cars and power really starts to get old after a while. So, after standing in line, I hopped in the front seat of the bus. Prime territory. Hot seat. Podcast host. Ready to share all his knowledge about this race. And one by one, people blew by me like I was cold product. Finally the very last guy getting on plopped down next to me and fiddled with his goggles the whole ride.

  5. The Look in Their Eyes – Swim starts fascinate me. I strolled through the throngs of lycra listening to the patented Ironman morning mix tape and surveyed people’s eyes. I love wondering what’s going on in people’s minds. There is so much nervous energy before a swim because it’s one of those moments that creates a looming danger. I think that is good for us, but so many things these days are getting soft and protected. It’s the main reason I’m so adamant about the mass starts in triathlon. They are great opportunities for us to test ourselves. When we do hard things, day-to-day life seems a little bit easier. I was genuinely excited to take Mother Nature’s latest test. As I surveyed the course, I noticed a few orange buoys tucked up against the shoreline and my first thought, “these mother f*ckers are going to shorten the swim.” They’re going to take away an opportunity. But … the pros went off and it looked like they were doing fine. Yeah, they struggled a little, but it’s an upstream swim for 200 yards. Harder is the point. I put my ear plugs in and started to get a lather going in my wetsuit. Then, Tracy tapped me on the shoulder. I pulled out my ear plugs and she said, “Did you hear the announcement?” Nope. “They are shortening the swim.” WTF. Yep…First Louisville… now this one. That’s two in a row for me and I’m not a happy camper at this moment. I grunted a bit, then swore a couple times for effect and tried to re-group. The one thing I always tell myself in that situation is “DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE SWIM JUST BECAUSE IT IS SHORT.” Anything can happen and if you take it lightly, the next thing you know you’ll be getting run over and way off course and filled with anxiety. Focus, Mike. 

  6. Maybe Gadgets Aren’t So Bad After all – I have never been a gadget guy, but about 15 of my training rides for Chattanooga were done with a power meter. That doesn’t mean I actually “used” it as in set up my next workout based on power, I just used it . . . and paid a little more attention to this mystery called power. The thing power helped me with most was my pedal stroke. I finally saw in black and white what it felt like to push 300 watts vs. 250. It was things like that that helped me take it just a little bit easier on hills. And maybe even more important, it showed me how much I was leaving on the table for flats and gradual declines. Dear Mike, Just because you’re going 23 mph doesn’t mean you’re actually pedaling hard. It’s hard to push your power on declines and I gained confidence with bigger gears and “stealing speed” at different points on the course.

  7. Riding By Feel – All that said, I still didn’t feel comfortable enough to race with the power meter, well, that and I had a brand new Flo 90 that was sitting in the corner flirting with me for for the month leading up to Chattanooga. So, about 2 weeks out, I started riding with Flo instead of the power tap wheel. It felt amazing from the minute I pushed play. I was definitely riding differently and frankly my favorite part of riding with Flos is the sound. People can hear you coming from a block away. My plan for this race was pretty simple. I would use general MPH targets, but in a way that married the feel of my internally calibrated power meter. Stay under control and in the 20-20.5 mph range until the top of that short steep hill around mile 27, take the effort up a notch for the next 15 miles (which seem mostly downhill), then finish strong but under control for the last 12 or so. My goal was to use that fast section to get my average pace right around 21 mph by the top of that two mile climb at the 44 mile mark. I pretty much nailed it to perfection and rode the last stretch really strong. My bike computer said I finished at 21.69 mph, but I later noticed the distance read 58.5 miles, so something must be set wrong considering my race speed was 21.2 mph. 

  8. Old Guys Are Fast – So, in my mind I’m thinking, hmm… 21.69 mph… I have to be somewhere close to the running in my age group off the bike, but as I ran past several people I know who would have pointed that out, they kinda looked at me like I was Hines Ward in the Energy Lab. Well, maybe they just didn’t want to say anything because of how people are spread out on the course and Ironman Tracker can be tough to read like that. So, I just ran. *As it turned out I was 21st off the bike out of 136 in my AG… some of these guys are fast!

  9. Stay Cool Young Man – I knew the one thing that could bite me hard on this run was the heat, so I made cooling priority number one. I actually used a shoulder bag cooler as my gear bag that morning and put two small and one medium sized ziplock bags of ice in there before the swim. Oh boy I thought that was clever! I also pre-loaded my run belt with two small flasks of Skratch and 3-4 gels in the zip pocket. When I left T2 I slid the small ice bags (now somewhat melted but still cold) into the back pockets of my kit (which hit the damn spot on my lower back) and slowly dripped the big bag of ice water over my head as I ran out of transition. My goal was to be cold (blooded) as I hit the course and this really helped. Of course this process started on the bike at every aid station where I always grabbed and extra bottle of water for cooling and grabbed two for the last 12 miles of the bike.

  10. Running Blind – It didn’t turn out to be as hot as we’d thought, but the heat was another reason I wanted to get in and out of the water as soon as possible. The bike was surprisingly shaded and while I never felt that hot out there I forced myself into a constant stream of cold water on my head, neck, and legs. As I left T2 it seemed to pay off as I felt pretty solid, even after climbing the first hill. I stayed controlled and waited for one thing . . . that unforgettable feeling you get when bike legs turn back into run legs. Be patient, homie! Yes, I was pretty patient, and felt pretty good, but was still in a weird limbo about mile 4. Not tired, but not explosive. I didn’t wear my Garmin for the race, but reset my chrono on at the first two aid stations to get an idea of my pace. After doing this twice, I said, “F*ck it, just run, dude.” And that’s what I did. Besides, the face of my watch had fogged up and I was wearing contacts, so I couldn’t read it anyway. 

  11. Where Are My Run Legs? – I guess it’s around mile 5 where they have the out and back double aid station, I slowed down at the end to get enough ice and took several cold sponges. The freezing water hit me like a shot of adrenaline and my run stride hit me like lightening. I ran freely to the bottom of Battery Lane and had to reign it in for my first time up the hill. I felt strong and was starting to build confidence, mainly because I knew I’d done this in training and I was feeling things more in my lungs than my legs. 

  12. Let It Rip – At the end of my first loop I saw coach Robbie on the pedestrian bridge and he gave me the ole, “Let it rip” command. I agreed, but those kind of thoughts are relative. I’d love to say that second loop was a joy and I kept getting faster and faster until I did cartwheels across the finish line, but it started getting hard. I had to really focus and turn up my effort. I don’t want to say I ran that “hard” but I was strong. My new goal was to be steady, not stop, and get to the top of Battery again and THEN let it rip. That’s pretty much what happened, but it was a fight. I passed a shit load of people on both bridges and by the time I saw Coach again, I thought, yes, I made it. I’ll just coast down the big hill to the finish with a nice race. But, he had other ideas . . . “You gotta pick it up, finish strong!” Ugh… I had no clue what that meant, but . . . was I back in the running for something? No watch, no time, no nothing and he’s telling me to leave it all on the course for the last 3/4 of a mile. So . . . I did. And believe me running hard down that last hill isn’t as fun as soaking in the sights. It was the toughest part of my day and in my mind I figured out that I wasn’t in the running for a podium, but I had a shot at sub 5 hours. I finished right with Scott, C26 teammate, and asked if he could read my watch… he got real close, squinted and said, “4:58, I think.” And that’s what it was. While I felt really good about that and knew the sub 5 time would deceive a lot of people into thinking it was a great race, I knew that shortened swim gave it a major asterisk. 

Conclusion: Even though it was my best Half Ironman performance to date, it technically wasn’t my fastest. Back in 2014 (when I was practically a teenager) I did Muncie in 5:05 but my swim was around 36 minutes that day (vs. 19 minutes at a shortened Chattanooga swim). My bike and run were faster at Muncie, but my bike and run at Chattanooga were better. I was in control the entire day and never cringed when I saw a mile marker. It was more like they were blowing by than they were a nuisance. And I felt much better afterwards at Chattanooga. Now, some could say I didn’t leave it on the course, but Chatt’s bike and run are a little bit harder, and well, I’m a little bit older. So, don’t let age determine how you feel.  

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Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga Recap 2019

C26 Triathlon hit Chattanooga 70.3 by storm with 44 athletes racing and dozens of friends and family members along for the ride. In all we had 44 athletes start and finish. 19 crossed the line with a 70.3 PR. And 12 were first time finishers.

On top of the race we had a blast with around 40 rooms at the Holiday Inn downtown filled with awesome people. We spent a lot of time in the lobby meeting people who listen to the podcast and had an open invitation to our C26 Pre-covery lounge with 4 sets of Normatec boots on hand.

Chattanooga is a great host city for Ironman events and we took advantage of the hospitality, even offering our team a full buffet spread on Friday night in the hotel banquet room. We followed up after the race with tons of pizza as well.

Unfortunately they wound up shortening the swim . . . again and we weren’t sure the move was totally justified. While organizers said the decision would be made after watching the pros swim up stream, it was pretty clear they were planning a downstream swim for the age groupers.

Needless to say the swim was very fast again and it robbed many athletes of going after their true 70.3 PR. Hopefully there is a change of tune with Race Directors, but we’re not holding our breath. For more on our thoughts, see “Ironman Has Gone Instagram” podcast which is embedded below.

We had to depend on our athletes and their families to shoot video and take pictures for our team video. Once again, they did a fantastic job and this gives you a great look into our community and the support everyone received on and off the course.

For more information on coaching, camps or swim analysis, please email Coach Robbie: [email protected]

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C26 Triathlon Camp Video May 2019

There’s something truly special about having such a great group of people come to town and work on getting better. Not much is more inspiring or magnetic than effort and everyone that came to the C26 May Camp gave it their all.

Our camp motto has always been “No One Left Behind” and this year we added a new phrase, “Never Alone” because that’s at the core of what C26 is all about. Giving triathletes a community to meet new friends, grow, and become better triathletes.

Here’s the video highlights from another awesome camp in Nashville, TN. Special thanks to everyone for great energy and inspiring us to keep going.

Video highlights from the C26 May, 2019 Triathlon Camp

Below is the podcast we recorded the day after camp. We called it “Testing Your Limits” because many people come to camp do things they never believed they could do and always leave with more confidence.

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Fall In Love With Your Life – Crushing Iron Podcast #242

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


Life moves fast and it’s good to sit still at times and ask, “Am I in love with the way I’m living?”

(This was the topic of a recent Crushing Iron podcast titled Fall In Love With Your Life, which you can listen to here)

I think it’s fair to say that when I met Coach Robbie, we were both struggling with the concept of falling in love with our lives. After some massive struggles, we have both consciously tried to build our podcast and C26 around the idea of finding our truth’s. 

Mike and Robbie before Ironman Louisville

Robbie has documented much of his experiences regarding recovery on the podcast. My challenges are similar but may be a bit more subtle.  

There was a time when I thought I’d write a book titled, “On The Fence.” It’s really the story of my life. What I have is both good and not good enough. Wanting something, getting something, then wanting more. It’s a terrible cycle when applied to your psyche.

Nothing seemed good enough. The quest for perfection can be a lonely path.

But after two years of doing the Crushing Iron Podcast with Robbie, I really have learned to be a more satisfied with the simple things.

In a lot of ways it comes back to remembering what I was like as a kid. I took immense pride in the simple things like shoveling the driveway to shoot baskets. And I’d do it for hours despite the fact that it was the furthest thing from perfect.

Try jump-stopping on ice. Or finding a shooter’s touch with thick mittens. Or bouncing a frozen basketball. I simply made the most of what I had and found a deep level of satisfaction.

I think that’s the trouble with the quest for perfection. It never ends, but people always tell us we can have it. Wrong. Well, unless you accept the nuance of imperfection as perfection.

When my mind’s right (as it often is after a podcast recording) I know that flaws and warts make life infinitely more interesting. The whole “without darkness there is no light” thing. 

Life really comes down to acceptance and forgiveness, most often with ourselves. 

I mean, should I really be hard on myself for not qualifying for KONA? But I’ve spent hundreds of hours trying accomplish something I think it will validate me to others. The irony is, often times I feel worse because it didn’t solve the problem. I’ve given it the best I’ve had but can never accept that as truth. 

The brutally honest side of all this is, I haven’t been true to myself. Life isn’t always fair and my struggles always surface when I forget or try to suppress that truth. 

But it’s hard when people constantly tell you “anything’s possible” or “you’re not working hard enough.” 

Anything ISN’T possible and the only thing I’m probably not working hard enough at is . . . being myself.

We just got back from our 4 day run camp with our active athletes and Club athletes in West Tennessee. You can check out the highlights in this video.

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Spectating Ironman Louisville? Do this . . .

By Mike Tarrolly for Crushing Iron

Last year, the day after I raced Ironman Louisville, I limped into a convenience store and the cashier gave me a dirty look before saying, “YOU, you, you!” I said, “What??” “That damn Ironman had me stuck in traffic for over an hour yesterday!” I smiled and said something about “it’s a great way to work on patience” with a laugh. She actually kind of chuckled, we talked for a few minutes, then ended up exchanging numbers. We text all the time now about fluctuating pastry and coffee prices. Well, not really, but it was great to connect with a Louisville resident and make them feel just a tad bit better about hosting Ironman in their city.

If you’ve been following my “Road to Ironman Louisville” video series, you probably know that I have a big place in my heart for that race, and the city. It was the first Ironman I ever spectated and this will be my third time on the course. Yet it seems like every year, but there are rumblings of this possibly being the last year for Ironman Louisville.

One of the things I hear a lot is that the city of Louisville (and maybe more accurately, surrounding cities) isn’t completely sold on giving up their town for such a long race. Reports estimate the race brings around 8 million in revenue to Louisville each year, but the question becomes, is this enough for a major city to shut down major roads for a majority of the day?

Locals Hate The Traffic Problems

Eight million sounds like a lot of money, but I’m sure the right convention or whatever would to the same without road closures, which I think are the main reason people don’t like races like these. I’m pretty sure my cashier friend isn’t alone.

I sense that events like this are a big deal to a community at first, but after a while it starts wearing on their nerves because it “seems” like all these outsiders traipse into town and no one gives a shit about the people who live there. That’s why I’m suggesting everyone who races or spectates do their best to change the impression.

1. Find A Way To Say Thanks

We are guests in Louisville, and I think people want to be acknowledged. I live in one of the most visited places there is, Nashville, and know the feeling. There isn’t a day that goes by when I’m cut off or have to wait for tourists blindly crossing the street with no idea where they’re going. It can really start getting on your nerves. It’s a little like someone walking into your house and going straight to the fridge to help themselves.

I mean this in the truest sense of the word. Find a way to thank the people of Louisville for letting us into their home to live our crazy dreams. Realize that people are doing things they normally do and we are interrupting that daily process. Talk to them, be nice and thank them. It’s easy for a triathlete to think they are coming in town to deliver the Super Bowl, but in reality nobody cares much about what we are doing. Acting like we are some kind of super-athlete is ridiculous. They are giving us their ROADS for a safe place to do this little race.

2. Be Genuine

One thing that grates me about living in Nashville is the number of people that yell “I LOVE Nashville.” I don’t know why, but I think it’s partially because (and this is old curmudgeon stuff here) I always think they love the tourist part of Nashville and that is exactly that part that can wear you thin.

What I do like is when people seem to be interested in me as a person living here in Nashville. The ones that treat locals like people, not zoo animals from a different world. Strike up conversation, and yes, thank them, too.

Here’s how that might look:

You: I know this race is probably a hassle for you, I just want to thank you for letting us do this in your town.
Them: Oh, no, not really (this means it kind of bugs them). I mean, it’s cool. It’s not so bad.
You: Yeah, but I know how it is, we have the Doppleganger Festival every year in Chetaquinan, and people seem to walk all over us.
Them: What is Chetaquinan?
You: It’s a little place up north near the Upper Pennensuila in Michigan.
Them: Oh, we go fishing up off Mackinaw Island every year.
You: Really? We do, too. Big family trip.
Them: What’s your name?
You: I’m Bob Stetensonhoffer.
Them: Are you any relation to Phil Stetensonhoffer?
You: YES! That’s my brother!
Them: Dad???

3. Be Gracious

There’s nothing worse than the person who says something like, “We give them a lot of money, they need to deal with it.”

This always reminds me of the days when I used to work at a pizza place in LaCrosse, Wisconsin during college. Every year the big Octoberfest would roll into town and make my life hell. Drunks everywhere screaming for more pizza and beer, all leaving bad tips. I hated it, but the weekend made a ton of money for the owner.

Remember that when you walk into a restaurants in Louisville with 10 other triathletes order 11 waters with 3 refills. Imagine those waters are beer and will add 10-15 bucks to your bill. Leave a good tip and treat the staff with respect. They are the ones who leave at night and go out and start negative strains about how cheap Ironman athletes are.

4. Be Visible  

Many people make cardboard signs to support their athlete during the race. What if this year, for every sign that was made, we take a few more minutes to make another one that says, “Thank You Louisville.”

It would be awesome to see them all over the course. Hundreds of them that make it seem like a campaign!

I know local media well enough to know they will NOT be able to resist getting video of this stuff. They will probably interview some of you and ask what it is about Louisville. People at home that are pissed off and watching news will see the story and think, “Oh, maybe them their Ironmen ain’t all that bad afterall.”

We Play Triathlon

We are not professionals. We are just people wanting to be in better shape that use carrots like Ironman events to be rewarded once in a while for the hard work.

While it does bring a lot of money to cities, I think it’s important we realize that most of these places don’t NEED us. They are making a compromise on many levels. We take a some money and give you are town for a day.

I think Ironman has a great thing going with Louisville because it is a bigger city and the race is right downtown. I remember the first time I watched Louisville in 2012. The downtown was kind of sleepy and it seemed like nobody was even around. Now, (and possibly because of Ironman on some level) the city has grown. More restaurants, condos, and action. On some level I think people there might feel like they don’t need Ironman anymore, and it’s probably true.

So, this year, make the people WANT Ironman. Make it a good experience for THEM. Be nice, buy stuff, and say thanks. Hopefully with thousands of signs so they know you mean it.

Thanks for supporting C26 Triathlon and Louisville, Kentucky.

Please subscribe to the Crushing Iron podcast on iTunes

Support the podcast on Patreon with a simple donation of $3.26 per month. We have over 200 podcasts and release every Monday and Thursday.

Looking for a well balanced, effective approach to coaching? Check out our information and pricing here.

Crushing Iron hosts 3 triathlon camps in Nashville, TN each year. We have videos and feedback from last year’s camp here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ironman Chattanooga Videos

By Mike Tarrolly for Crushing Iron

I’ve been to every Ironman Chattanooga and made a Tribute Video each year, even in 2015 when I raced. It’s an awesome venue for triathlon and the community is super supportive. We’ve talked about it a lot on the Crushing Iron Podcast and I’m really happy to have a video archive of all the events.

2014 Ironman Chattanooga – I probably would have raced this one, but sign-up opened before I did my first Ironman in Wisconsin and there was no way I was signing up without having one under my belt. The weather for the inaugural Ironman Chattanooga was perfect. Cool in the morning, cloudy, then a slight mist during the run. I sat waiting at the swim exit and my mind was soon blown by the incredible swim times. I’d just swam a 1:20 at Wisconsin and people I knew I was faster than were getting out of the water in under an hour. Even though it was four miles longer, the bike course proved to be fast too. But I spent a lot of time on the pedestrian bridge during the run and it proved to be a rough one for a lot of athletes. Here’s the video cut to “The Man” by Aloe Blacc, which has totally become one of my run training go-to songs.

After tackling Ironman Louisville in 2014, I finally got my shot at Ironman Chattanooga. My mom and brother came to town and this would be my showdown with good buddy, CC. I’ll be honest, after seeing the swim times the year before I didn’t put much effort into swim training for this race. And it bit me. I’m not sure if they cut the current or it was a rain flow thing, but times were much slower the 2nd year. I think I was around 1:12 or something and genuinely struggling at the end. I really went after the bike and covered the 116 miles at 20 mph, which put me in a solid position to flirt with low 11’s. But the run course ate me up. I was in trouble early and by the time I got to the hills I was holding on for dear life. In all, I ran pretty good, but this run course after 112 mile bike was much different than the one I experienced on a practice run in the summer. Thanks to my brother, Chris, for the great video that allowed for a 2015 Ironman Chattanooga Tribute video.

2016 Ironman Chattanooga – This year, Coach Robbie and I went back to Wisconsin to tangle with the hills and the last ever Mass Swim Start, but I was back in Chattanooga for the third year in a row making videos. This one proved to be a completely different animal as the temperatures climbed into an unseasonable 90+ degree range. There was carnage all over the run course. I’d been to a ton of Ironman races and maybe seen a few people taken off the course on carts, but it was going on all day in 2016. It was definitely hot, but I covered a lot of ground and got some new angles of the run course on video. It was a very LONG DAY for a lot of athletes. This was also about the same time we started the Crushing Iron Podcast.

2017 Ironman Chattanooga – This year I got to do a lot more walking before taking my talents back to Ironman Louisville for the second time. The 2017 version of Ironman Chattanooga was also very hot and I think it had people wondering what the hell was going on. Two cool years followed by extreme heat. Let’s hope 2018 is somewhere in the middle. This was the first year we officially had C26 athletes racing and Chattanooga and it was awesome to track them on the course. They rocked it hard as did everyone else who tackled this tough day. Here’s the video from 2017 and we’re heading down tomorrow to start work on the 2018 version. Hope you enjoy the videos!

Please subscribe to the Crushing Iron podcast on iTunes

Support the podcast on Patreon with a simple donation of $3.26 per month. We have over 200 podcasts and release every Monday and Thursday.

Looking for a well balanced, effective approach to coaching? Check out our information and pricing here.

Crushing Iron hosts 3 triathlon camps in Nashville, TN each year. We have videos and feedback from last year’s camp here.

Thanks for supporting C26 Triathlon.

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Ironman Chattanooga Swim and T1 Explained

By Mike Tarrolly for Crushing Iron 

Crushing Iron has been shooting video of Ironman Chattanooga since its inception. We’ve put together a little video below that explains race morning bus shuttle, the swim course, and the flow through T1.

* Also, after you’ve watched the video, you may want to check out the podcast below (Fake News In Your Race Brain), especially the second half where Coach Robbie has a great segment on tackling the Ironman Run. We got a ton of great feedback from those racing Ironman Wisconsin.

IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA RACE MORNING

On race morning, athletes will head downtown, double check their gear bags, then board a bus that takes them to the swim start, which is approximately a 15 minute ride. If it’s warm, these busses can get kind of hot, so keep that in mind.

Once there, you’ll find your place in line and wait for the cannon. The final approach looks like this and there is a long pier at the end with plenty of room to jump into very spacious start for your swim. 

IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA SWIM COURSE

The course itself is all downstream, but it’s not “straight.” There is plenty of river space, and I remember this being almost a completely clean swim with regard to body contact, but my advice (even though it may be tempting to find a “better line”) would be stay as close to the buoys as possible. 

IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA SWIM EXIT

When you get close to the exit there is one final red buoy you must corner, then you climb out of the water with help from volunteers (be ready to make a big step up), and run down the boardwalk.

IRONMAN CHATTANOOGA T1

After about 100 yards you’ll turn left to run up a short ramp to get into transition. 

You’ll run down this row, grab your bag, then turn left into the center of transition to get your bike.

Here’s the video explanation of the Ironman Chattanooga Swim Course/Transition 1

If you want even more, here’s a link to a post with 18 Stories we’ve written about Ironman Chattanooga over the years.

Good luck to everyone racing! Please make sure you say hi if you see Coach Robbie or Me walking around.

Please subscribe to the Crushing Iron podcast on iTunes

Support the podcast on Patreon with a simple donation of $3.26 per month. We have over 200 podcasts and release every Monday and Thursday.

Looking for a well balanced, effective approach to coaching? Check out our information and pricing here.

Crushing Iron hosts 3 triathlon camps in Nashville, TN each year. We have videos and feedback from last year’s camp here.

Thanks for supporting C26 Triathlon.

 

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Getting Ready For Ironman Chattanooga

By Mike Tarrolly for the Crushing Iron Podcast

Next week the co-hosts of the Crushing Iron Podcast, Mike and Robbie, will descend on Ironman Chattanooga . . . as spectators. We have ten C26 athletes racing, (including C26 athlete, Ross, who had an amazing story to tell on a previous podcast) and will be soaking in the entire experience.

We thought we’d organize a look at some of the Ironman Chattanooga information we’ve compiled since the event started. After you finish this post, check out this one with 18 story/video links to things we’ve covered at Ironman Chattanooga in the past.

Here’s a podcast (the Crushing Iron Podcast is released every Monday and Thursday) we did about Ironman Chattanooga if you want to check it out:

Thursday/Friday: For starters, let’s talk about the first thing you should do when you get to downtown Chattanooga: Check In!

We are big on getting this out of the way. If you get into town on Thursday and make a quick drive-through to soak it in, park, get out, and check in. It’s just so much nicer to get your gear bags, chip, etc. and have it back at your room early. Plus, lines get increasingly longer as more people get to town. Thursday is optimal, but certainly early Friday morning so you can start loading your bags and go get anything you may have forgotten. Because, other than a morning tune up, Saturday should be treated as a day of rest with minimal walking.

Saturday is bags and bike. (We always like to remind people that they will have a final chance to check their bags race morning). We also like to drop our bags and bikes later in the afternoon when the lines are down and your bike won’t have to sit in the sun as long.

Race morning can always feel a little hectic, so below we’ve screen grabbed the timing for transition, shuttles, and the race start.

Quick story about race morning: In 2015 when I was racing Chattanooga (this is Mike), we stayed at the Chattanoogan, which is a really nice place, but about a mile or so walk to transition. We left insanely early and I was groggy as usual. I feel like we got to transition about 5:15 which was in PLENTY of time, but when you start hearing bus engines take off, you get the sense that you’re falling behind. We rushed to check our gear bags, then scrambled to the bus. It’s about a 10 minute bus ride and five minutes into said ride I realized I forgot my timing chip at the hotel. This happened because I put the chip into one of the backpack pockets instead of immediately putting it on the counter with everything else. Dumb move.

Talk about a panic moment. Thankfully the woman right behind me said she did the same thing and thought she heard they had extras at the start. Well, this was true. (Note: If you DO forget your chip, make sure to turn it in after the race or you’ll have to mail it back. If you don’t they charge you for it).

The problem was, they have them at the front of the line. The bus drops you off at a place that is essentially the middle of the line. So, I walked all the way to the front of the line, then all the way back to the end of the line forming line where my friends were. About two extra miles of walking for no reason. So, I’d walked around 3 miles before the race started, which really bummed me out, but it turned out to be my fastest race to date, so who knows.

When I raced it was a first come first serve rolling start. I can’t find anything that says it’s “self-seeded” so I’m thinking it may be the same. The earlier you get in line, the earlier you get into the water. If it’s a wetsuit optional swim, the people in line with wetsuits are asked to step to the side and they will go in after all non-wetsuit swimmers enter the water.

Race Morning Schedule:

Here’s a little more info from the Ironman Chattanooga Athlete guide that’s good to be familiar with:

And finally, here’s another screen grab about timing chips, race cut off times, etc.

Here’s a video we made for 2017 Ironman Chattanooga. Watch it, then go enjoy your race!

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So, You Want To Be A Triathlon Coach?

By Robbie Bruce for Crushing Iron

“What is it like to be a triathlon coach?”

I get this question all the time from both athletes, friends and complete strangers. Some are interested in actually becoming a coach and some are just curious about what exactly you do when being coach is your full-time job versus just a hobby.

They see that I get to work from home, wear whatever I want, be flexible with my hours, etc. They get to see the great results on social media and how great our team does. You get to make peoples dreams come true!!!! Sounds easy and amazing right??? You work in your pajamas and help people achieve dreams! Sign me up!!! While most of that is true it is still just about 10% of what really goes on.

This is what coaching is really like:

Imagine for a minute, every single one of your closest friends felt totally comfortable and open enough to tell you anything and everything. When they were having great days or terrible days. When their relationship was perfect or when they were breaking up or even going through a devastating divorce. When they loved their job, when they hated their job or even lost it.

They also tell you when they got the job of their dreams and a pay raise that will change their life for the better. They told you when their struggles with depression were affecting their life in so many ways it was just hard to deal with. They text you to tell you about how hard it is to deal with a dying loved one or that someone had passed away.

They tell you the exciting news that they are having a baby! When they have unexpected illnesses or injuries that make them question all their training or even if they can accomplish their dreams and goals. They tell you they feel like a failure and are crying but they also tell you how incredible it feels to be so healthy and achieving things they never thought possible with tears in their eyes.

Now imagine you have about 80-100 close friends just like like that.

After that sinks in now pretend that every single one of those friends has also asked you to help them achieve a huge goal that they have admitted they cannot do themselves. They need help and guidance. They have trusted you to help them get there.

So now it is your job to construct a plan each week that not only pushes them to be better but also sets them up for success versus setting them up for failure. You map out a weekly plan and then you listen, watch, and wait. Every day. You read their comments. You hear their voices either on the phone or the tone in their texts and emails. Are they tired? Are they overtraining? Possibly overreaching? Do they really need a day off or a cancelled session or is it time to see how they can adapt and respond? Then you either hold pattern or make and adjustment. That’s Monday….

Most every other day of the week is the same Mon-Fri. But when Thursday rolls around its time for some of those close friends and athletes to start getting ready and prepared to race. Some races are just stepping stones and others….. well…… they are lifelong goals and dreams. There are nerves, questions, concerns, doubts, etc. Every day. You guide them and do your best to help them navigate the best they can.

Then, for race day, you lay out a plan you believe will give them the best chance to succeed.

Imagine building a car from scratch with you child or best friend. You don’t ever touch the car physically you just give them the instructions on how to build it and watch them put it together piece by piece. Then one day you both open up the garage. You hand the keys over and they leave with that car for hours, and hours and hours while you just sit and wait in the garage in silence. That is what race day week feels like. You just sit and wait.

After race day you get back to work. Some things go great and some times we fall short. You don’t need to tear down the whole car and build it again but you are always looking for ways to improve. When the athlete performs great and meets all of their expectations you give them all the credit. They did the work. If things fall short then you remind them that “WE” fell short. Its a relationship. You do this together.

Then Monday rolls around again and you get back at it.

I often times really wonder if athletes and some coaches understand the difference between coaching and “training.” Personally I see them as very different. If you deliver a plan weekly or monthly to an athlete but have little to no contact and communication on training and most importantly life….. you are just training an athlete.

You are a trainer. You are not coaching the person. I am sure there are some people that will argue with me on this and thats fine. But believe me, there are A LOT of trainers out there disguising themselves as “coaches.” I understand that coaching means different things to different people and honestly I don’t think that aspiring coaches understand the mental, emotional and physical investment that goes into actually training the athletes AND coaching the person.

So let me tell you what coaching means to me.

Coaching is first and foremost caring. You care more about your athlete as a person than the results they produce on the race course. Results are expected but they are not the only metric for success. You coach athletes in a way to make them more sufficient on their own and NOT more dependent on you. You listen when times get tough and you provide a steady hand when their training and motivation waiver. Coaching is a mutual and equal relationship where you are both valued and heard. Coaching is communication and the most important tool a coach has is just “paying attention.”

Believe me, I understand how wanting to become a coach seems attractive. Coach someone to their first Ironman???? What a great feeling! But those 10-15 hours are but a drop in the bucket for you and the athlete. But if you are really coaching then what you see at the end is the entire journey you will never forget instead of a finishing time you won’t remember next week.

So… do you still want to be a coach?

For a deeper understanding of Robbie’s coaching approach, please check out the podcasts below. For more information on C26 Coaching check our Coaching Page or email Robbie at [email protected].