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Crushing Iron Triathlon Podcast

Find out why thousands of beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes are improving their training and racing with accessible, functional and genuine conversation about triathlon. Two coaches, who aren't afraid to laugh at themselves, look for smart and enjoyable solutions in a sport that's often dumb and painful. Mike Tarrolly and Robbie Bruce explore the mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual side of training and racing everything from Ironman to a Sprint. on Monday and Thursday.
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Now displaying: April, 2023
Apr 27, 2023

If you’re like most of us you excel at one or two of the three sports in triathlon. But guess what? Attacking your weaknesses can often improve the others as well. Today, we look at how and why to put more time into things you’re not good (or natural) at. This goes from spending more time in a certain sport to figuring out the little secrets to what Free Speed means with regard to racing. We get into the idea of shooting for the sun and landing on the moon along with what that REALLY MEANS. We can talk about things, plan them out, imagine certain outcomes, but it really comes down to doing work. And that might not always be the kind of work you think it is. The easier your “fast” feels, the longer you can hold it. But how do you get to that point? What are some good training strategies that make going fast feel easier?

Topics:

  • Just showing up
  • Shoot for the Sun, Land on the Moon?
  • Aiming differently at the target
  • Rekindle competitive nature
  • Rising tides raise all ships
  • Seed money or sell something??
  • We avoid doing things we’re not good at, but . . .
  • Which side of the body do you favor?
  • Passive improvements
  • Balancing the left and right side
  • Picking races for different types of athletes
  • Strong arm/Weak arm
  • The key to lowering your run time
  • Returns on investments
  • Hibernate and shed as you go?
  • Run economy
  • Real Free Speed
  • The easier your fast feels the longer you can hold it

Coaching Inquiries

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 25, 2023

Pro Triathlete, Collin Chartier, admits he used EPO and we use that as a launch point for how a lot of us get trapped in the game of chasing no matter the consequences. We are all human, so it’s a mystery why things like this surprise us. It’s going on at the age group level as well, but the point is, the only person we can really count on is ourself. It’s so easy to get caught in the hypnosis of television, social media, YouTube videos, but most of it is fake. Today, we take a deep look inside and put stock in what we can do without chasing others. And stop judging by the headline. 

Topics:

  • Pro Triathlete Collin Chartier admits EPO use
  • Race Directors and Volunteers
  • USAT Multi-Sport Festival
  • All our heroes are dead
  • Doping
  • Owning your journey
  • Obsession with other people
  • People are imperfect
  • Clout Chasing
  • Head in the Sand
  • Expecting others to live up to your image
  • Interventions
  • Bystanders and enablers
  • The only one you can count on is you
  • Passive lies
  • Too much stock in others
  • Cheating and lack of confidence or grounding
  • Part of the side show
  • TV is poison

 

Coaching Inquiries

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 20, 2023

Ever get the feeling you just want to bail on a workout? Well, today we give you permission . . . but, there are some caveats. And bail doesn’t mean fail. This is about your autonomy in the sport and owning your sessions. What does that mean when it comes to an interval session on the bike or a tempo run? Or even a pool workout? Today we look at how often the most important thing is just to get on the bike and see what happens, but doing it with options. You never really know until you give it a shot and seeing a workout you don’t want to (or don’t think you can) do is a bummer. It’s all about the integrity of workouts. We also look at how much you really need to run for Ironman, what coaches look to for intel on athletes, and the dreaded 18 hour swim.

Topics -

  • Kids in cars
  • The greatest guy in Baltimore
  • The perfect workout
  • Pressure combined with expectations
  • Bail not fail
  • Different ways to set up your workouts for success
  • Clearing up the gray areas of training
  • Don’t be a robot to the session
  • Interval length doesn’t make or break a workout
  • Giving you autonomy with options
  • How coaching get the most out of your workouts
  • Coaching intel
  • Own your sessions
  • Destroyed by your runs?
  • 2nd, 3rd, and 4th winds
  • Hang around
  • More people get hurt by bad form
  • The 18 hour swing

Coaching Inquiries

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 18, 2023

*Note ... the first couple minutes have some wonky audio but it's fine after that.

Today we look at finding passion, purpose, and calling within triathlon. We get into how to find excitement in the little things and not have to always chase new races or shiny objects that are mostly just a distraction from what is in this moment.

We talk about motivation and how the most successful athletes go about finding it. Look at your process and figure out ways to find excitement in things that may not be exciting on the surface but lead to your long term success and health. We pay to do this sport, taking it too seriously can put you in a pinch.

We explore the beauty of “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” All you have to do is look at the top runners at Boston and see them floating along like they’re on a group run. Mastering your movement makes you faster. And finally, be proud of the hard work and choices, not your natural gifts. Tackle hard things and create the best memories. 

Topics:

  • Nagging Injuries
  • Feeling younger as you get older
  • Garmin sponsors at our Wisconsin Camp
  • Don’t chase what is the hot trend of the day… Do your passion! 
  • Training for trombone
  • Finding your own motivation
  • Keep the same routes 
  • Create mini races
  • Fun in training
  • The races can’t be the motivation
  • What do you want from the sport?
  • We pay to do this
  • Slow is smooth and smooth is fast…..  that’s progress.
  • Slow is relative to everyone - think of it as easy.
  • Be proud of your hard work and choices, not your natural gifts. 
  • It’s harder to get better at things we’re naturally good at.
  • Tackling hard things
  • Difficult times create the best memories
  •  

Coaching Inquiries:

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 13, 2023

Today we talk about flat course racing, but as usual, there are a lot of applications for all courses as we bounce between the differences between flat and hilly. We start by talking early season open water swims and how to be prepared if you don’t have enough time to get in open water. We also look at what a wetsuit does and how to make sure you’re using it to your best advantage and not letting it throw you into a state of anxiety. We talk about the bike and the importance of training in aero for flat courses. We look at how a weak core can impact your swim, bike, and run. We talk about mixing up cadences on a flat bike and run. We get into training techniques that will make you more prepared for long flat runs. And we hit on the differences between training inside and the demands of being in the elements.

Topics: 

  • Flashback Fridays?
  • C26 Lifetime Listeners
  • Early season Open Water Swimming
  • Not enough time for Open Water practice?
  • Building Open Water fitness
  • Get in your wetsuit often
  • Free speed, body compression
  • Wetsuit anxiety
  • The race goal: Delay the core from heating up
  • There no such thing as too much lube
  • Keep the wetsuit HIGH
  • Core and Lower back issues in aero
  • Technique for engaging the core
  • A weak core drags you down in swimming, biking, and running
  • Swim with a stable core in your wetsuit (and with pull buoy)
  • Train in Aero
  • Less power in aero
  • Core in cycling as it relates to your run
  • Full engagement of the pedal stroke
  • Importance of slow pedal torque training
  • Do you have an aero plan for the wind?
  • Calibrate to the weather
  • Crosswinds and aero
  • Energy spent outdoors is significant
  • Sailboats into the wind
  • Flat runs
  • Hips- Ironman lean
  • Changing cadence and turnover
  • Break up the load
  • Change the demands on purpose

Coaching Inquiries:

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 11, 2023

Today we talk about how to prepare and race Sprints and Olympics when you’re training for longer races.

But, if you’re just racing short course there are tons of good nuggets about how to get a much better performance.

Sometimes we forget what it feels like to go hard and short course is a great way to calibrate yourself with your effort.

We look into whether you should taper or not and why it can simply be a waste of a week. We look at HOW to race sprints and olympics.

From training to pacing to letting it rip on the bike and figuring out the run. We talk about pain and how to go through it when you keep hearing alarm bells. Why the fastest athletes on the planet go without a watch on the run. Short course is all about finding your limits… today we look at smart and strategic ways to get there.

Topics:

  • 30 Days of our lives
  • 30 day commitment
  • Looking for excuses
  • Blaming yourself or others?
  • When running and something hurts . . . 
  • Going through the pain
  • The obstacle is the way
  • Froggy weather
  • Commit or not
  • Objective and mature decisions
  • Does your decision makes sense with your life?
  • What does your A-Race mean to you?
  • Have a plan and purpose
  • Drop a race in
  • Tapering for short races?
  • Always keep your swimming up
  • Bike - Oly - Lower volume, intensity up
  • Running - keep intensity
  • Do you deserve a taper?
  • Don’t waste a week
  • Mixing in a marathon affects 5 weeks of your calendar 
  • Be engaged with your running - no plod mode
  • Calibrate yourself with racing. 
  • Running matchless
  • When all you know is how you feel
  • Do you remember what it feels like to go hard?
  • Brick runs . . . 
  • Swim hard, then bike… 
  • Bike like there is no run…
  • All these alarm bells… 
  • It’s about finding your limit

Coaching Inquiries:

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 6, 2023

Today we answer listener questions and spend a lot of time in the rabbit hole finding good little nuggets. Mainly, there is a lot of discussion about cycling, specifically on windy or hilly courses. We go through a deep explanation of how to train and race your best with a thorough explanation of average power vs. normalized power. We also compare and contrast riding without power and how that should be approached. We look at the best tires and go into how (even though we know nobody wants to do it) important it is to be comfortable changing your tires on the race course. We also talk about when and how you should increase distance, both in training and races. A lot of good stuff in the weeds of this podcast. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Topics:

  • Long winters
  • Windy running
  • Camp Openings
  • Support the podcast by getting some C26 Gear
  • Race day bike execution
  • Ironman Texas vs. a hilly course
  • Recognizing tail winds
  • How to ride hills
  • Average Power vs. Normalized Power
  • The physiological cost of riding
  • No one ever says, “I think I left a lot on the bike course”
  • Road surfaces
  • Riding outside vs. the trainer
  • Tire suggestions
  • Not flatting
  • Learn how to change a tire! 
  • New to triathlon
  • Training to escape and punish ourselves
  • Tired of being tired

Coaching Inquiries:

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

Apr 4, 2023

More great questions from all of you! We talk mass swim starts, seeding, and how to deal with the crowded water. We get into road bike vs. TT bike, including when to switch, and . . . do you even need to switch? We talk about the drawbacks of TT bikes if you’re not willing to put in the time, along with bike fits and why aggressive positions can hurt your race performance. We each give our biggest lessons from our first 70.3’s and fulls. Robbie is asked if he ever gets confused when Mike goes off on a tangent and Mike promptly goes off on a tangent to see if he gets confused. We look at self-calibration. We discuss when is the right time to jump from a 70.3 to a full. And we talk about your bandwidth, support, time constraints, and the “want” to race a Full.

Topics:

  • Mass Swim Starts
  • C26 Gear Store is Stocked! 
  • C26 “Swim School” - Registration is Open
  • Switching from a Road Bike to TT Bike - when and how
  • TT bikes are not free speed unless you work at it
  • Aggressive bike positions
  • Training rides and run injuries
  • The run is blamed for everything
  • Lessons we learned from our first 70.3 and Full 
  • Socks or no socks
  • Don’t give in
  • The run hurts
  • Soak in the finish line
  • Walking in Ironman is like a drug
  • Does Robbie ever get confused when Mike goes off on a tangent?
  • Mike goes off on a tangent
  • Heart rate in the sauna and counting by polyrhythm 
  • Self calibration
  • Jumping from a 70.3 to a Full
  • Training is the journey
  • You need bandwidth, support, time, the want and the drive
  • How are you willing to re-arrange?
  • What are you willing to give up?
  • Best way to seed yourself for a mass swim start

Coaching Inquiries:

Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com

Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com

www.c26triathlon.com

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