Today, we give you a little food for thought on day to day nutrition and race fueling. We sort of explore the traditional triathlon thinking process and ask if you’re really doing what’s right for your long term health. We get into how to think about what’s working and how to recognize what’s not. On some levels it’s complex, but it can be really simple if you start putting yourself first in the equation. We talk about fitness over nutrition and how to build your body for long distance triathlon. We get into glycogen, fat oxidation, and ask if training your gut is really a logical approach. We look at bonking, periodizing carbs and ask you to think about how you’re fueling and if it really makes sense. The modern diet is filled with synthetic ingredients and proving to be a failure. Are we as performance athletes falling into the same trap?
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
We go deep into what was Ironman Wisconsin and 70.3 weekend in Madison. C26 had a great showing again with over 40 athletes racing and a 2nd place tri club performance in the 70.3 and 4th in the full. Stay tuned for a deep dive into race fueling.
We talk about why the perfect weather wasn’t exactly perfect. We look at the two loop swim challenges and why it takes more out of you than you think. We get into the bike and the constant need to be engaged. The challenges of the roads, the terrain, and the wind. We get into the bike and the course changes along with why it can sneak up on you. Then, there is an intense discussion bout Ironman Nutrition. We dive into sodium, carbs, sugar, and water and ask the question: Are most of us taking in too much? There are a lot of schools of thought and we explore why so many people have issues with their nutrition on race day. It’s a long one for us, so if you stick around till the end, we’ll be impressed.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Looks like it will be cooling down for the weekend and today Mike and Robbie walk through what that means if you're racing. If you handle the little things well, the weather may just turn out perfect for your needs. But, if you're cold and don't fuel, hydrate correctly, it could be an issue.
We go through how to handle the morning swim, including when to put on the wetsuit, we'll take you into transition and out on the bike course with the right clothes. Then we'll look at the run course change along with how what time you finish the bike will make a big difference in how you should address the run.
For more insights on Ironman Wisconsin, please see these interviews with 3 of our coaches who were on the podium last year at Ironman Wisconsin:
Erin Koerner: https://youtu.be/B0VByQ_cTBM
CJ Castle: https://youtu.be/gXu32A5-0LA
Parker Watt: https://youtu.be/jj5w6RRcp_Q
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
We start with the pros and cons of the new Ironman Chattanooga bike course. We look at whether or not these courses are really that crowded. We talk unorthodox training as a strategy for health and long term enjoyment of the sport. We also look at Ironman branding and our C26 community. We get into the challenges of late and early season races. We talk about finding what you really like and how that can be the fuel. And we get into getting better in the off season. What are the goals, and how do you make them work.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
The heat is back but the stress never left and it’s a good reminder. We talk open water swim and your pace and if it’s right and if training in the pool is better than OW. Are you wiped out or just fueling poorly. What happens when you face the Training Peaks Hell Week Council? Are metrics making us lazy? Maybe you just need to open up your legs. The most important variable when it comes to volume and or intensity. Re-testing your run, plus, will Chattanooga have a new bike course? If so, what do you do?
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Focus on the details is very important when it comes to your race, but what are the right details? Today, we get into the “no man’s land” of training. Pre-race planning, effective taper, and post race discoveries. Data can be important, but obsessing over collecting information has nothing to do with racing well. How are you using your data, and better yet, what are the major things you need to nail down before you go on to the minors? What are you going to do if something goes wrong in a race? How can you make this race feel easier? Data is like the ingredients for a recipe, but how you put them together is the most important part.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
The inaugural IM Louisville 70.3 kicked off with a bang and we have an on location report. We’ll talk about all the expectations and the realities and how they turned this into an even better experience than we predicted. The slow swim, the “fast” bike, and the challenging run. Everything’s on the table including the business acumen of the infamous Love Boutique.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
C26 is in Louisville in big numbers and today Coach Robbie joins from the Omni Hotel lobby to talk about the vibe for Louisville 70.3. We talk about the swim potential, bike strategies, and the run challenges. We also talk about how to lead up to your races without getting drained so you can leave it on the course. We’re also joined by C26 Coach, CJ, who is racing Louisville. He gives us his insight into how he’ll be tackling the bike course with HR and Power. We also hear from C26 athlete Brian Snell who just finished Lake Placid and will be doing the swim relay.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Today we break down how volume and intensity overlap. Just because something is defined as “easy” doesn’t mean it’s not intense. How do you think about intensity? Do you train in a way to build fatigue resistance and hold form? Some of these thoughts may surprise you.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
A lot of us really complicate things in the water, but today we’re looking at a few “simple” concepts that can really make a difference in your swim speed. We’ll look at how and why to master these techniques and what it will mean for your overall enjoyment of the sport and the swim. These are not drills, they are effective and relatively simple techniques that you must make second nature before you will get faster. We also look at Louisville 70.3 and the panic around water and road conditions.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Everyone has different life scenarios and it’s up to you to figure out what works best in training. Is it not enough, too much? Why do you think that? Today, we look at carving your own way within the outline. Things to look at as you train for different distances. How to be confident you’ll be ready to perform on race day. We talk about mental bandwidth and stocking tenacity for race day. Looking for flow state, key warm up thoughts, and ways to not leave your race in training.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
We talk Olympics’ triathlon. We get into the heat. We get into adjusting for the heat. We talk Norwegian method as a strategy or burnout? Adrenaline as your only fuel. Swimming in a pool before a race if the swim is cancelled. Post race recovery food and methods. The goal is not the session. Downward spirals. And your NEED TO KNOWS about Louisville 70.3
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Great questions from the listeners. We get pretty deep into HR training and testing, along with intensity control and duration. We look at prescription load model, reading HR. Are you getting fitter or just tired? Swimming less for easy swim races?? How much racing is too much or too little? How to keep your head in the game. Typical amount of training hours per distance. How to train year round and stay engaged.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Many of us can look at the metrics, but how deep is our understanding? Today, we look at the decorations of triathlon in your training platform. Are you just becoming addicted to new numbers for the sake of it? Are the numbers confusing you more than letting you be your best? Do you really understand how you feel during a given workout? Should you push harder or take the pedal off the gas? Is your FTP right today? Data is helpful but it should have a beautiful connection with the way you feel.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
How do you think about training? Are you going for race times or truly working on things that will make you better? Today, we look at different mindsets and how to not get trapped in training paces and performances. We look at the full forest of a race and how you can have a more objective view of your training, your progress, and future racing success. Long swim sets, noodle arms, tire pressure, arm fatigue resistance, inputs for the best days. So many athletes are naive or in denial. Get a clear picture of what’s making you better and how to judge your performances with the big picture in mind.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Yesterday, the two greatest riders in the world charged toward the finish line in Stage 11 of the Tour de France with completely different styles. Today, we look at both approaches and use it as an analogy for how you can go about your training and racing. There’s no one right answer for this sport, and we can all get better by taking little pieces here and there. You don’t have to be someone you’re not, but we can all benefit from understanding who that is and what our weaknesses are. Are you racing strategically with science and data or are you racing by effort for the goosebumps?
***Stay tuned at the end for an interview with our C26 Coach Chuck Knuth. Bio below.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
** C26 Coach Chuck Knuth's Bio
Growing up, Coach Chuck had an intense fear of water that prevented him from swimming in deep water. At 15, he flipped an old 10-speed bike and knocked out a few of his teeth. Clearly, he was destined to become a triathlete.
Despite that oh-so-promising start, he is today an athlete, a fan, and a mentor who is obsessed with this sport. His tally (which is probably already outdated) includes 13 full Ironmans, nine 70.3s, countless olympic- and sprint-distance races, and no fewer than 20 half and full marathons. To top it all off, in 2024, he is lucky enough to race in the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
As a coach, every athlete comes with a new puzzle. You and Coach Chuck will work together to create the approach that works best for you and gets you to your goal. Not every workout can be a home run, but at the same time, not all bad ones are strikeouts. He’ll be your loudest cheerleader and the person who pushes you to challenge yourself, but he’s also the first to be realistic about the process.
When he’s not training or racing, you’ll find him traveling with his wife, Amanda; relaxing at home with their dog; rebuilding and tinkering on cars; or working toward his next big goal: getting his pilot’s license.
Today we look how to get effective volume and why recovery should be an instrumental part of everything you do. We look at why it’s important to be aware of how and when you workout. We look at falling in love with the weather, good and bad. We talk about why summer can be the best time for base training. We look at making swim, bike and run EASIER. We talk about the Tour de France gravel stage and the importance of the day off. Spacing out your sessions and making sure you have enough fuel for your workouts.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
This one is all about getting more results and enjoyment out of your training. Be creative and make things work. Don't trudge through training tired and uninterested. A little undertrained is always better than being overtrained. Both for the race and your longevity. Do this for the right reasons and find ways to make training GIVE you energy, not take it away. Save the Death March for Race Day.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
***Be sure to stay tuned at the end of the podcast for an interview with C26 Coach, Erin Koerner.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Coach Erin - Bio - https://c26triathlon.com/about/coaches/erin-koerner/
Coach Erin is a full-time paramedic. Currently, she works for Southern Ozaukee Fire Department and Milwaukee Area Technical College where she is in charge of the Milwaukee Fire Department Cadet Paramedic Program. She has a Masters Degree in Domestic Terrorism and spent a few years living in Kuwait working for the government, which was a life changing experience!
She got into triathlons a few years after graduating from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point where she ran Cross Country and Track and Field. She was one of the few who thought, the longer the race the better! She ran a few marathons, qualified for Boston, and then realized she needed a new challenge so tried triathlon. That was 14 years ago! She has been competing on and off since, but has been the most consistent in training and racing since joining C26 in 2019. She enjoys the full Ironman distance the most. As of September 2023, she will have completed her 8th full distance race.
Coach Erin is looking forward to coaching with C26 because she believes as human beings, we are made to accomplish hard things. Showing people they can be gritty, they are capable of doing challenging things, and they are allowed to feel proud is a gift to be involved in. Helping people along this journey and in life is a true gift.
She fosters and adopts (foster failure) Great Danes from the Great Dane Rescue of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Currently, she has one pup named Odin, master thief and part terrorist. In her spare time, she spends time in Wisconsin with her family. She has a love for mustard and is in a mustard-of-the-month club. She also enjoys an adventure from time to time and hiked rim-to-rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon—43 miles with 20,000 feet of elevation gain! It took a long 20 hours, but was incredible!
Whether it’s a niggle, injury, anxiety, or fear, there’s always a way to spin things in a positive direction. Today, we look at the wide range of challenges triathlon delivers, and offer several solutions for how to make setbacks work in your favor. One of our favorite mantras is, Do Something. Do something that will create momentum, or simply drag you out of your current state of struggle. We also look at ways to remember that you have been doing amazing things. Things that a lot of people won’t attempt. And, how you can use your experience to remind you that anything is possible.
*** Be sure to stay tuned after the main podcast for an interview with one of our coaches, Jeremy Scherer.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Coach Jeremy’s Bio
https://c26triathlon.com/about/coaches/jeremy-scherer/
Coach Jeremy grew up in Michigan and enjoyed a variety of individual sports. He was on the high school ski team in the winter racing slalom, giant slalom, and Super G, and played golf in the summers. He met his wife, Kim, at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI. They lived in Michigan, Texas, and Indiana before deciding to head back home to Michigan. Most of his career has been spent in the finance and sales management industry.
Like many triathletes, he signed up for a sprint triathlon at the urging of a friend. As soon as he crossed the finish line, he wanted to sign up for another one and see how much he could improve. He found that he enjoyed the challenge of improving, and looking to go longer. After a decade of racing triathlons (everything from sprint distance to full distance), ultra runs, bike races, and other events, he still relishes the challenge. But more importantly, he finds the friends and “family” he has met along the way to be the best thing about his endurance sports journey.
He and his wife have three very active boys. They are in football, baseball, bowling, and more. During the summer, they like to spend time up north enjoying the lake. He also enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and getting together with friends and neighbors.
In the world of Apps and Special Offers, we present . . . cutting through the clutter. We start with the simplicity of the early days of Training Peaks and weave our way through Instagram Ads, Lactate testing, and other crazes and phases. In the end we boil this sport down to something really simple, which we believe can be the difference between true success and/or more mediocrity. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s start right where we’re at.
And be sure to stay tuned after the main podcast for an interview with one of our new coaches. Top 10 Finisher at last year's Ironman Wisconsin, Parker Watt. Bio below.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Parker Watt Bio -
Email: parker@c26triathlon.com
Coach Parker has been competing in endurance sports since 2014 when a friend convinced him to sign up for the 12.5-mile “Swim Around Key West”. He’s been hooked ever since, completing four Ironmans and over ten 70.3s. In addition to swimming competitively through high school, he also has experience coaching youth swimming.
He got into triathlons as a way to live a physically and mentally healthier lifestyle, and he loves the supportive nature of the tri community. He’s passionate about using his experiences to help others navigate a challenging, but very rewarding, sport.
Coach Parker lives in Salt Lake City, has two dogs, and loves to get out into the mountains to relax and hike in his free time. He also loves to travel and is always researching the next national park, city or beach to visit.
Are you throwing in the towel right before a big breakthrough? Today, we cast based on a quote, "The magic you're looking gor is in the work you're avoiding." We look at the concept behind patient training, and what breakthroughs look like. We talk about race expectations and how they should rarely, if ever, be the main goal. This is about enjoying the process and being in the moment with training and your life. What do you do when no one is looking?
Stay tuned after the main podcast for an interview with one of our awesome coaches, Nikki Leo. Her bio is here, or below.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Nikki Leo, Bio:
Coach Nicki has been a part of C26 since November 2019. Like many, she found this amazing team through the Crushing Iron Podcast, and her life in sport has never been the same. Though she coaches and has an educational background in endurance sports, she still utilizes a coach for herself. Utilizing a coach offers an athlete the opportunity to share their journey and goals, and it gives them someone to celebrate victories as well as understand the defeats.
She was born and raised in Missouri, though she has spent most of her adult life traveling for school and finally settling in Colorado for the last 25 years. She lives just outside the mecca of triathlon, Boulder, and enjoys the accessibility of sport on a daily basis: great trails, abundance of race venues, and daily pro athlete sightings.
Coach Nicki started triathlon in the year 2000, competing in sprint and Olympic distance events, eventually moving up to her first full in 2002. However, she was hit by a car while cycling and didn’t compete again until 2011. Since then, she has completed 17 full Ironmans (including qualifying and participating in World Championships in Kona), over 50 70.3 Ironmans, and various single sport activities. Since finding C26, her mantra has been to try anything that scares her…physically, emotionally, or a combo of both…because she can…because she wants to be braver with her life.
By day, she runs an employee wellness program and onsite medical clinic for city employees and their family members. Working in the benefits world has given her a wealth of knowledge about a variety of health topics. Her education includes a degree in Cardiac Nursing, a Master’s in Exercise Physiology and Business Administration, and a Doctorate in Exercise Physiology with emphasis on Health Education. She is an endurance sport nerd—following in any way she can—to better understand and just have a ton of useless information at hand for conversation at C26 camps.
Family is very important to her: She has been married to her husband, Will, for 20 years and they have a 16 year-old (adopted son from Guatemala) named Dominic. She is also a huge advocate for the following causes: mental health and addiction, cancer (she is a 3-time cancer survivor), and animals.
As your coach, she can offer you this: Her passion for sport and her devoted attention in making you the best HUMAN you can be…and when sport fits in there, that is even better! She believes in a holistic approach when developing an athlete, looking at all factors in your life that can help you succeed and reach your goals. So, let’s do this…together.