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.
Today we look at how workouts weave together with soothing, straining, and stressful sessions. The C26 Triple S!
This one is great for all athletes and at the center of how to be consistent, improve, and not go through life shelled. Stress on the body is definitely the way to get better, but if you're not recovering, or understanding the concept/difference between strain and stress, you will eventually end up in trouble.
Patience is a great asset on the race course and it is a learned practice in training. When you should go hard and when you should pull back are key factors in getting better, and frankly, feeling good in your life.
***Be sure to stick around at the end of this podcast for an interview with CJ Castle, one of our new coaches. Bio Below.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
CJ Castle - C26 Coach Bio
Coach C.J. has been racing and coaching triathlon and endurance sports for over 25 years. He spent close to a decade racing professionally, and has been coaching both at the university level and individually throughout his adult life. Following retirement from elite-level racing, he returned to graduate school earning a M.S. in exercise physiology, and continued to evolve both his knowledge of athletes and coaching, thus further developing his ability to help others reach their goals.
As he balances being a husband, father of four, career professional, and his love of competition, triathlon and endurance sports remain a cornerstone in his life.
C.J. is passionate about fitness as a lifestyle, and believes that every athlete’s personal journey toward their goals should enrich their lives. His experience has given him a unique understanding of how to balance the stresses of everyday life, family, career, and extracurricular commitments, with progress, health, happiness, and achievement of one’s goals. While he believes that the general path toward an endurance lifestyle is similar for everyone, he also believes each individual’s journey is highly specific. Through open communication, trust, and a cooperative relationship, he relies on a strategy of prescribing the most effective training at the right time for each athlete to reach their goals, while not having to sacrifice the other loves in their life.
While the 70.3 and Ironman distance hold a special place in his heart, he also races and has unique experience in events including Xterra, mountain bike endurance racing, mountain bike stage racing, running events of all distances, and many others. He has been fortunate to have the opportunity to help guide athletes of all levels (first timers, professionals, collegiate athletes, collegiate champions, and world championship qualifiers) to achieve their goals.
He believes that fitness helps us to be happier, healthier, and enriches our lives. C.J. looks forward to the opportunity to chat with you about your personal journey.
Whether we’re a front pack, middle pack, or back of the pack athlete, we can all learn from each other. Today we look at the different ways to think about racing based on your experience. We dig back into finding satisfaction in your training, re-cultivating your “why” and what it takes to break free from your current pack, or even get over the hump for your goals. Do we take things for granted? Recalibrate our desires? Can we find satisfaction in creating a little pain? Racing usually comes back to the simple things. We’ll go through the steps to own your journey and your next race.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Today we dovetail off Chattanooga 70.3 and Moro Bay. We start by talking about swimming and how it should not be taken lightly. We ask if shortening the swim cut off would make people train harder to be stronger swimmers? We also talk about bike congestion and if it’s really that bad or many people just aren’t prepared with their bike handling. This is really about putting yourself in race situations before you get to the race. Are you training enough in open water? Working on your bike handling? Taking the harder way home with hills, etc? How do you get your body ready for Race Speed.
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Today, we look at energy breakdowns for your swim, bike, and run. We also get into how to handle A, B, and C races. Are they really different? Are you setting goals for today or down the road? We also look at A, B, and C goals for each individual race. Do you want to see how much you can push the bike and still run? Swim hard or reel it in? How do you keep going on the bike. Self-talk, toughness, and nutrition. Can you put yourself in objective space? Are you ready to dig deep, or find in-race recovery points? What’s your your ceiling for discomfort on race day?
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Today we give you all the secrets to more enjoyable training, which will obviously transfer into better racing . . . and maybe even a happier life.
Are you going about your training in the right places with the right approach?
Topics:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Lots of talk about open water including, how comfort, how to approach workouts, and length of stroke. More discussion about the feel for water today, and a sidebar into the feel for the bike and run. How often should you use the pull buoy? What about paddles? How to breathe right and fix dead spots in your stroke.
Topics:
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Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Are you struggling to get faster despite thinking your form is correct? Are you an adult onset swimmer that just can’t seem to solve the riddle? This podcast is for you. We go deep into being a stronger, faster, and more relaxed swimmer. We talk about the things you should actually be doing vs. spending your time on drills you don’t understand. Swimming is about connecting your mind to the action of the stroke. Today we look at ways you can truly get better by focusing on what works and not spending time overthinking.
Topics:
Coaching Inquiries:
Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com
Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com
Check Out Our Coaching Roster: https://c26triathlon.com/about/coaches/
Today we dive into Iroman Texas 2024. We get into the race venue, the conditions, etc, but largely talk about Coach Robbie's decision not to start.
Topics:
Ironman Texas Venue
Mike's Trip
Robbie Talks about his experience
Taper/Pre-Race
What's been hard/frustrating
Race frequency
Race pressure vs. nerves
When we're focused on performance
Perfectionism
Comfort in our own skin
Contact:
Mike Tarrolly - CrushingIron@gmail.com
Robbie Bruce - C26Coach@gmail.com
c26triathlon.com