Summer just hit like a sledgehammer and it's time to train smart. Today we look at how heat impacts how you train, your pace, and your attitude. We discuss smart ways to keep building speed without getting laid up with injuries or experiencing deep fatigue. Should you spend time in the sauna or ice? What kind of adjustments do you make when doing a hot race? 

Topics:

• Transitioning to the Heat 
• How to keep no expectations 
• You’re gonna be slower now 
• Zone 2 feels like zone 3?
• Chasing Pace 
• Why Dew Point Can Crush Your Soul
• How heat affects pace
• heat acclimation better than altitude?
• Saunas? How often?
• The best time for saunas
• Cold water and ice?
• Yard work as training?
• The point of diminishing returns
• Muncie 70.3
• Kona vs. Wales . . . Pro Standings?
• Chasing Watts and MPH
• Race day is a reflection of execution on that day
• Making Slight Adjustments is the difference
• Racing is the ultimate training trap 
• Plan your training backwards
• It’s who you are, not who you want to be
• 20+ mile runs in training
• The worst coaching sales pitch 
• Rearranging your schedule 
• The Training Bed of Nails

Struggling with your Swim? Join our new SWIM SQUAD 12 Month Program and build confidence in the water. You'll get 4 workouts a week, 4 customized video swim analysis, weekly swim tip videos and discounts on our Swim Camps. For more information go to this link. 

We currently have ONE slot open for August camp. For more information on camps, click this link 

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Habits are also how you think. Everyone says they want to get better, but not everyone is willing to continue to move forward to the point where they don't have more to give. A lot of people talk the talk, but are you really doing the work it takes to get better, but more importantly break the chains of bad habits. 

Topics:

• What feels better than open water?
• A lonely and isolated sport? 
• The Chains of Habit 
• You Can’t Fake Swimming
• Are you doing the work to crush tomorrow?
• Swimming while conserving energy
• Translating Swim Workouts to Open Water
• Swimming is the polar opposite of data
• Keys to a faster bike
• Light bikes vs. Heavy bikes
• Habits: Doing things more than you don't
• Fast Tracking New Behaviors
• The Pull Buoy Myth
• You’re Thinking Yourself into Anxiety
• Why The Swim is Important
• Confidence and Relaxation in Swimming
• It’s NOT just like “riding a bike”
• How to flow with open water contact
• 54:50 - “change my entire day” 
• Swimming your own race
• Two Swim Pro Tips ;) 
• Sun Screen Tip :)  

We currently have ONE slot open for August camp. For more information on camps, click this link 

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Many of our athletes felt like an opportunity was taken away when they shortened the swim at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. We completely understand the safety reasons surrounding the swim, and know these aren't easy decisions, so today we have an open discussion to see if there are other options; including introducing a Competitive Wave for racers that want the challenge. Is all of this creating bad habits?

Topics: 

• Chattanooga 70.3 Swim Shortened . . . again
• Robbed of an Opportunity
• Are you Hack-centric 
• Swim Safety 
• Shortening Swims 
• Safety nets 
• "Failure is a disease”
• Challenging Yourself 
• Feeding the unprepared monster
• Judging the swim on the pros
• Need for a Competitive Wave
• Ranking toughness of Ironman Races
• Changing Ironman Race Weekend
• Wisconsin Swim Worked out

Check out our NEW coaching tiers/options at www.crushingiron.com

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Breaking down Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. The swim, bike, run and what it's like for Coach Robbie to track 44 of his athletes racing on the same day. Plus, we get into how you can control the race instead of the race controlling you.

Topics:

• Mike talks about his best 70.3 to date
• Does run training help your bike?
• Pre Race Nerves
• The Calm before the storm
• Tracking 44 athletes as a coach
• Robbie’s biggest concern on Race Day
• The City of Chattanooga 
• 3800 people registered 
• How do they run out of shirts?
• Congested?
• Drafting on the Bike Course?
• Did Mike really go Sub-5?
• Run Course Aid Stations
• Executing a race plan
• The Coach/Athlete Trust 
• Do you NEED to pass or WANT to pass on the bike?
• Don’t be Serious Seth
• Don’t talk yourself into slow 
• The Power of Community 
• Huge Shout out to the Team

Check out our NEW coaching tiers/options at www.crushingiron.com

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Do you prepare to let go in a race if it feels right? Fears, expectations, and anxiety can hold us back, but having confidence to look at a race as an opportunity can be the biggest secret to performance. Today we look at staying in the moment and making solid decisions on the course. Do you truly trust the training?

Topics:

• Taper Tantrums
• Pre-race jitters
• Worst-Case-Scenario-ville
• Triathlete’s ritual/routine
• How to deal with free time
• What to do with all the energy
• What effort level should you race at for 70.3?
• Golf and Tennis analogies
• Unforced Errors on the course
• Making a million decisions
• Staying Engaged and Present in a Race
• Competing against yourself, others, and the day
• The ONE thing you should do in a HOT race
• Staying AHEAD of the day
• • Nutrition
  • Heat
• How to use the bike to prepare for the run
• Don’t be reactionary and defensive
• Coaching instills calmness
• Answering questions you don’t have yet
• How Robbie feels about coaching 40+ racers
• Do you think of this race as Digital Tombstone?
• Come See Us in Chattanooga

Check out our NEW coaching tiers/options at www.crushingiron.com

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Months and months of training for one day. That's a lot of pressure to put on yourself. Today we look at how training plans unfold and how you can adjust to stay mentally and physically fit on a daily basis so race day doesn't create undo stress in your life. 

Topics:

• You can’t control the weather
• The best remedy for a hot race
• Running in the heat
• Training for a hot race
• aero helmet or aero road helmet?
• Sleeves or Sleeveless wetsuits
• When should I put the wetsuit on?
• Which part do you look forward to most?
• Race week pain
• Mike signs up for Garmin Connect
• Mental and Emotional Burnout
• Planning a Wedding Analogy
• How far out is too far out to think about races
• Why most Ironman training plans do it wrong
• Physical and mental limiters
• What are your time constraints?
• The fundamental flaws of training plans
• "We’re doing good, but I think we can do better”
• Starting over on a puzzle every day
• The biggest recipe for over training and injury
• Your body doesn’t care what your mind says
• Are we ever truly satisfied?
• The importance of adjusting your training plan
• How to handle next week if you missed some this week

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Topics:

• Emotional Roller Coaster of the taper
• The categories of an athlete’s mindset
• From race sign up to race taper, then . . .
• Life happens 
• How to find confidence in the work that you’ve done
• The race doesn’t move 
• Being Grateful and Appreciative 
• Make lists of the people you need to thank
• Take everything out of yourself
• Erase the 6 months ago you
• Chatt 70.3 training day
• Don’t look for excuses 
• "Oh, it’s just a training day” rant
• Protecting our egos
• Adjusting your effort during the race
• The way you feel in race CHANGES
• Quit looking for ways to over-analyze 
• You become the story you tell yourself
• Remember how you got through training days
• Last minute Larry 
• Race Days are opportunities
• Don’t judge a swim, bike, or run in first 10 mins

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Are you going through the motions, or testing your comfort zone? Do you train with people who focus on growth or get stuck in a routine? No matter who you are, there is always room for growth. Our potential is vast, but we have to find ways to push ourselves and test the limits. Even if that means we won’t have something pretty to post on Instagram or Strava.

Topics:

• Confidence, Consistency, Community
• Giving athletes opportunities
• Put yourself in a situation to be vulnerable
• How to breakthrough with confidence
• Mike fixes a lawnmower
• New locations and breaking limits 
• Day to day regiments can create comfort zones
• Why we conform to our own constraints
• How to see yourself as a better athlete 
• Making yourself uncomfortable 
• Are you going through the motions?
• Taking challenges head on
• Robbie’s Open Water Swim Soap Box
• When to choose Open Water practice over the pool
• Why mental breakthroughs are more memorable 
• How to break the routines of your ride and run routes
• Group and training partner traps
• Find people who are supportive of growth
• How to see growth outside of your pace
• Recognizing gains that aren’t obvious
• Changing behavior with consistency
• Coaching is setting you up for success
• Mental and emotional shifts
• Don’t forget who you are
• Being paralyzed with “fine"

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Topics:

• Why Ironman is different
• Running races vs. Triathlon
• You can’t explain the Finish Line
• What it’s like to spectate Ironman
• What it’s like to coach at an Ironman
• The Race Course Goes Through Its Own Transition
• When the Sun Sets on the Course
• When Your Friend Is Getting Close To Not Making It
• Understanding an Athlete’s Personality as a Coach
• When Ironman is Symbolic of Life 
• Out Alone in the Dark 
• Sometimes all you need is someone to come by and help
• Understanding the 17 Hour Cut Off
• When You Deserve More Than You May Believe
• When it’s time to talk tough
• When we retreat inside vs. bring people in
• When others remind us who we really are 

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Crushing Iron had 9 athletes racing and Coach Robbie was on site for Ironman Texas 2019. Today, he shares his thoughts on the venue and experience along with getting into what you need to know if you want to race Ironman Texas. Last year was known for fast racing and drafting on the bike, but this year was much different. The best parts of Ironman Texas, including spectator tips and racing strategies. 

• Ironman Texas - The Venue 
• Why Coach Robbie was blown away 
• 2018 was an anomaly 
• More Kona slots and very competitive
• The Woodlands is beautiful
• The Swim Start Vibe and Accessibility
• Super Spectator Friendly Swim
• T1 breakout
• Bike Course with “Drafting” Image
• Changes on the bike this year
• Headwind in your face 
• The Walking Dead
• Ironman Tracker was . . . on point
• Run Course 
• Perfect for spectating 
• What you need to prepare for
• Sunny or Shade?
• Do you get breeze?
• Lunch and Dinner on the run course
• Tons of places to hang on the lawn
• The Finish Line 
• Starky and Ryf on the red carpet at midnight
• The two hardest things about this race
• Why this race is great for your Summer

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

How do we know the difference between discomfort and pain? Are you willing to allow yourself to fail trying to find out? Today, it's all about managing pain and understanding your threshold. How inflammation affects your threshold. Defining pain as effort and rewiring your self preservation system. What distance are you wired for?

Sometimes you sit down with a friend to have an in-depth, meaningful conversation, and it's HARD. But your connection with that person will be so much deeper than it is with someone else. That's the same kind of conversation you can have with your body." --Coach Robbie 

Topics:

• Managing pain
• What’s your pain threshold?
• Allowing yourself to fail
• When it’s a good idea to try and “blow up”
• “I think I could have pushed it a little more”
• What’s the best distance for you based on your life?
• Are you wired more for long or shorter races?
• Finding the appropriate level of uncomfortable 
• longer intervals and fast finishes 
• Finding a way during long training weeks
• Inflammation and pain . . . how it oddly helps
• Is more pain the better?
• Does maturity affect your pain threshold?
• Sometimes open your discomfort gateway
• Finding a way to reach uncomfortable comfort
• Talking yourself into pain
• We don’t like how it feels, but it might be Okay
• Go INTO the pain 
• Pushing Uphills vs Pushing Downhills
• What is pain?
• Dealing with Ego in Pain
• Defining pain as effort
• Find opportunities to push just a little more
• Rewiring the self preservation system 
• Racing vs. Participating
• Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t or it’s wrong
• We can accomplish great things if we can get out of our own way

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Are you forcing your body into shape based on a date on the calendar? Today, we talk about why that is usually a losing proposition for long-term health, happiness, and success. We also hit on shortening your recovery time for effective intervals, the Sophomore slump, and why things like massages can be your worst decision on race week. 

Topics: 

• reverse bricks
• mental approach to long build phases
• why it takes you a while to feel right
• shortening your recovery time 
• damage, repair, damage, repair
• athlete pitfalls 
• the Triathlete’s Sophomore Slump
• massages good, bad, ugly
• pain from the bike that hurts the run
• fueling and hydration - all day long
• how to make your intervals effective
• the Amazon cure to loneliness
• anxiety 
• meditation
• yoga
• being AWARE of everything that’s going on
• emotional and mental stress 
• Your body doesn’t care
• Don’t Let Your Race Plan Your Body
• When it’s a good decision to not race
• How to deal with Race Week Anxiety 
• focus on executing to the best of your ability
• start slow 
• lower expectations and enjoy the day

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

It's all connected. What we eat affects how we feel and think, and with intense demands of training, triathletes can be especially vulnerable. Today we look at ways to keep yourself in check with diet, sugar, and over-training. 

Be sure to check out our new coaching options along with pricing at this link. 

Topics:

• New Ironman Coming to Midwest
• Augusta 70.3
• Chattanooga 70.3 
• We Are Not Nutritionists
• The Problem with Sugar
• Triathlete Mood Swings
• Why Weight Can Be Harder to control in long distance training
• Training Dehydration 
• Are you Eating Your Feelings?
• Lost Motivation for Workouts
• Why do we tend to dig training holes?
• Most of us have a Yes problem
• Are Triathletes Outgoing?
• The power of saying No
• The Like Purpose of Triathletes
• There’s only so much we can do by ourselves

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

You're done when you choose to be done. The difference between elite athletes winning or losing comes down to the little things. Often those "little things" are ignored by age group athletes, but we believe they were the difference for Tiger Woods winning The Masters. Today we talk about focus, fueling, and recovery and how they add up to feeling good and better racing.

Topics:

• You’re Done When You Choose to Be Done
• What we learned from Tiger Woods
• Mental fortitude and focus
• Bowel movements on the run
• New Coaching Options on Website
• Reaching the next pedestal
• Pre-Baby vs. Post-Baby accomplishments
• Ongoing body changes
• Challenges of Getting Older 
• Prevention vs. Cure
• Getting Your Body Ready to Train or Race
• Journaling For the Little Things
• Life Stress Impact on Training 
• Good New Things Are Stressful
• What leads to injury and sickness?
• Totally Under fueled?
• No off days For Your Recovery
• Addicted to big holes
• The larger the hold the more demanding the recovery
• Training your gut to take in calories
• Fasting before training
• Why you under fuel outside vs. the trainer
• Going from Cool to Warm Climates
• Going from Warm to Cool Climates
• Fueling on your bike is Vital

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

This is the first time in over two and a half years we've missed a Monday or a Thursday release, and the reason is a good one. It also sets up the bigger discussion about how we should be grateful to be able to do this sport and why it's important to appreciate that every day of training. We do this for fun, for hobby, and to feel good. As always, strive to be healthy and happy first. 

Topics: 

• Robbie’s Mom Story
• Slow vs. Fast and when
• Work vs. Good Work
• Fine balance of feeling good and fatigue
• Doing workouts just because they’re on the schedule 
• Lack of sleep 
• Brain vs. Body Stress 
• Do We Appreciate what we’re doing for our Body and Mind? 
• Understanding “ALL OUT” in workouts
• Track Tuesday Tribulations
• Speed work IS NOT the only way to get fast
• What’s your 5K “Effort" really mean??
• Bike Interval workouts
• Speed work on small increments  
• Instant feedback and speed work 
• Self-sabotage 
• Lance Armstrong Cadence Ideal?
• The Challenges of Moderation 
• Look at yourself as a person vs. an athlete 
• Explaining Zone 1, 2, 3, and 4
• How to find your Zones 
• The psychology of different athletes 
• Finding flow and letting go of the mind 

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

We start with a recap of the in-race-cancellation at Ironman 70.3 Texas. Then we take a deep dive into the reality of swimming in open water and long course racing. Are you preparing yourself hard enough to make the swim uneventful, or is the swim always a major stress point? We'll help you get ready and keep your swim safe. 

Topics:

• Oceanside
• Texas 70.3 Cancellation
• South Africa
• Additional Kona Slots
• Early season race challenges
• Going from trainer to outdoors
• Treadmill to roads
• Is Ironman really doing the right things for swim safety?
• Pool to Open Water
• Starky’s “Trainer”
• Athlete’s safety on the course
• Should there be an Ironman Swim qualification?
• Swim Safe Initiatives
• Ironman is supposed to be hard
• Total Immersion Swimming
• Open Water Swimming is a Power Sport
• Why technique can be meaningless
• The importance of exposure to Open Water
• How you REALLY prepare for the swim
• Triathlon is a grimy sport
• Make your pool sessions hard 

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Squadcasts are interviews with our currently active C26 Athletes. We explore the every day stories of triathletes. Successes, Struggles, and Why they love triathlon. 

Today's guest is Matt Dickinson from Brainerd, MN. Matt was one of the early adopters of the podcast and one of Robbie's first athletes. He has a great perspective on life and how to build community into your triathlon lifestyle. 

Topics: 

• How his daughter changed his perspective on racing
• Losing 50+ pounds
• Running for time vs. miles
• How he’s getting stronger
• 3 sport athlete in high school 
• Wrong path the first week of college 
• The choice that saved him
• Looking at his daughter one day changed his path
• Addictive personality 
• Starting his own tri-club
• How he found this podcast 
• Beg, borrow, and steal 
• His Triathlon “Mankini”
• What his wife doing Ironman taught him
• The time he Sherpa’d for Mike at Louisville 
• Beating Anxiety - And being thankful 
• What the C26 Community means to him
• Where he’s going next?

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

We start with a little more about “training progression” and how to let go of perfectionism. Then we move onto tapering. Explaining why your taper may look different than someone else’s. Also, how fitness plays into the taper and how to be fresh and ready to spring from the gate on race day. 

Topics:

• Exciting time of the year
• Oceanside, TX 70.3 
• More on training “Progression”
• We all learn differently 
• Choosing a coach
• Pre-race nerves 
• What your taper should look like
• Does your taper need more tension?
• Peak to taper phases
• How do you know if you’re nailing taper
• Race sharpening vs. being lazy
• Appropriate Load in your taper 
• Your body as a race car 
• Trust the process
• Training Through a Taper 
• The Golden Rule for fatigue

• Being crisp and emotionally fresh on race day
• What does fitness and Improvement look like?
• Fitness + Resilience = Success 
• Turning Fast into Far
• How to begin an Ironman marathon
• Impulse decisions
• Put Long-Term Development first

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

If your goal is to be in triathlon for a long time and keep getting faster, this may be one of our most important podcasts. Emotion and bad judgement can derail progress, but it doesn't mean you have to burn the lawn. Nurture the athlete you are into one you want to become and make the whole process more enjoyable. 

Topics:

• It’s Not The Race, It’s the Athlete
• Healthy Progression for Athletes
• Forgiving and Listening to Yourself 
• Learning is king
• Rational Reflection 
• Can you look at both sides of struggles?
• Productive analysis of workouts 
• One of the hardest things to understand as an athlete
• What You’ve Done = What You Can Do
• When we set our body up for “Survival”
• Sacrificing long-term development
• The body needs TIME to adjust 
• What load can you handle right now
• You can’t rush fitness, durability and preparation
• Gradual, long-term progression
• Do you really need to do whatever it is?
• Coaching is Stress Management
• “That felt appropriately challenging”
• Being crisp and emotionally fresh on race day
• What does fitness and Improvement look like?
• Fitness + Resilience = Success 
• Turning Fast into Far
• How to begin an Ironman marathon
• Impulse decisions
• Put Long-Term Development first

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

We truly believe going into races with confidence matters. Today we talk about how to make the right choices along the way and build confidence will minimizing the impact of your weaknesses. Racing, training, and living with confidence means you're relaxed, and being relaxed translates into better performance.  

Topics:  

Confront Fears - innate alarm system - fear’s only goal is to protect you, so it doesn’t notice when it’s keeping out something good. Anxiety comes from a lack of practice. Most compelling fear is what You Don’t Know. Reprogram by confronting fears. Push yourself out of the comfort zone. Get familiar with things you don’t know

Own Your Strengths - Negative comments outweigh positive ones. Memory takes longer to store good things than bad things. Instinctively drawn to negativity. You’re you’re own worst enemy. We dwell on weaknesses. Commit a little extra time to focus on your strengths. 

Set Attainable Goals - Step by step goal setting to find something we can be proud of. Develop ourselves emotionally using lists. Daily or weekly boxes to check give progress a physical shape. Seeing progress keeps pushing us. Rack up achievement after achievement. Think of each project as a goal. 

Help Someone - Altruism- Donate and volunteer. Give me a sense of purpose and positivity. Stimulates a rush of oxytocin. 

Separate Your Weaknesses - Learn to Truly accept criticism. Separate weaknesses into things you can change and things you can’t. 

Stop Comparing - Destructive habit. Beautiful people and amazing lifestyles. You’ll never be them. You’ll only be you. 

Look Confident - Modify appearance and body language. 

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

We all have different body types, strengths, weaknesses, and mindsets, so how do we work with what we have and make the most of it? Today's focus is on how you can make the best decisions for the type of athlete you are and how that applies to different race courses. We also look at how to analyze race results. Work hard, be smart, love what you do. 

Topics:

• Picking a Race Course that’s best for you
• how does natural talent play into triathlon?
• Training to your strengths and weaknesses
• Is the term athleticism overrated?
• Work hard, be smart, and love what you do
• Everyone Has natural strengths
• Train to your body type
• What conditions suit you best?
• How to analyze race results
• Different courses for different horses
• What makes a course fast, or slow?
• How to weigh variables for your best course

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

• 5th Avenue bar Review 
• Setting yourself up for your best day
• Strategically Patient
• Apply Your Best Self to Race Day

How often do you reflect on your health or ability to do triathlon? Do you really believe you can write a new chapter, or even get faster? Well, you can. Improvement, just like ill health takes time. This podcast is really about keeping focused on the big picture while appreciating the small gains. 

Topics:

• ONE Bracket is enough
• Appreciating your health and fitness 
• Do you BELIEVE you can get faster?
• Mental and emotional transformations
• How training and racing brings out your Truth
• Challenging your beliefs
• It’s never too late to discover the next you
• “I’ll never be able to do this”
• Races as a journey of exploration
• Expectations vs. Satisfaction
• Why not you??
• Religion and politics
• 100 different versions of “fast”
• Don’t judge yourself
• Comparing yourself to other people
• Are you going to be race ready?
• Fast + efficient = effortless 
• Candy Bar Discussion

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

• Craving Benchmarks
• The “Meh” Training Days
• Impatient with patience
• Defining “Breakthrough” Workouts
• Making poor decisions DURING workouts
• Just when you’re ready to throw in the towel . . . 
• Stress and accumulation
• Triathlon Hangry
• The Pressure of Big Races
• Emotional Discomfort
• “I’m not ready”
• The “Cancun Workout”
• Try “Hop in” Races
• Racing with a blank slate
• Glimpsing Fitness
• Burning matches vs. Striking Matches
• How To Trust Your Training
• Building a deeper relationship with your body
• Invest and let it sit

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Our 250th Crushing Iron Podcast seems fitting as it's about staying motivated and energized by making sure you're handling your training load in the right way. If you've been around triathlon a while, you realize it's not easy to overtrain, but it's definitely easy to under-recover. 

Topics: 

• start again today 
• exercising as you age
• Load Management
• How to understand volume
• When to pick up volume 
• it’s hard to over exercise but easy to under recover 
• why athletes under perform in workouts
• turning fast into far 
• stress as volume
• Weekend Warriors
• making adjustments in training and races
• how life impacts training
• training to where you are
• training to get you to the next step
• fatigue resistance “reserves”
• when you should under train
• who slows down the least?
• weekend warrior mentality 
• a glimpse of how it feels to Taper
• Why weekdays might be more important that big weekends
• Do yourself and your body a favor
• What is Epic?

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!

Building confidence is a daily process that can often come from little things you doing think about. It's difficult for most of us to look at where we came from and apply it to where we're going when we hit a bump in the road. Today, we explore different approaches to gain confidence in your health, training, and racing. 

Topics:

• Defining our Podcast
• What is confidence?
• How does confidence relate to your life?
• How do you build confidence?
• Two Types of Athletes as a Race Approaches:
• • Accumulate Confidence over weeks and months
  • Experiential confidence (I rode 112 or a 1/2)
• Quality vs. Quantity 
• The Importance of Cycling to Running
• The mindset of qualifying for Boston
• Repetition and Results
• Don’t ram your head into a pole 
• Peaking ON Race Day 
• Don't Try 
• Understanding Where You Are in Training
• How to Look Back at where you’ve come from
• Confidence means nothing without action
• Beating peer pressure
• There’s no better roots than your own
• When to Push Yourself to the Next Level

Support the Crushing Iron podcast on Patreon, where the community pledge is only $3.26 per month. There are other options, but every little bit helps us keep this podcast on the rails. Thanks in advance.

You can also support us at our new store at CrushingIron.com. We have some NEW classic logo t-shirts and the Official Crushing Iron Spectator shirt for sale. Support the cast and get some new gear for it!