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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: September, 2024
Sep 26, 2024

Success and getting better takes the ability to be willing to fail along the way. We can play it safe, but we’re training for Ironman, not SoftMan. On the other hand, it’s just a race and we pay to do this, so let’s take some chances? Have a plan, then a back up plan, and a back up plan for the back up plan. Roll with what’s in front of you. Quitting isn’t an option. But “giving in” on the course is the real demon. What are you going to do when things aren’t going your way? Figure out a solution, or give in? What should you be visualizing fifer a race? Easy and hard are not paces, they are efforts.

Topics:

  • The INSIDE scoop on Chattanooga weather for the weekend.
  • It’s just a race that we pay to do
  • Prepare for the day to be HARD and CHALLENGING no matter the weather.
  • Plan A, B, and C
  • If something goes wrong, move on
  • Giving up vs. Giving In
  • Recliners on the race course
  • What Mike things made him a worse athlete
  • How your watch gets in your head
  • SoftMan
  • The best athletes know how to pivot
  • Creating experience so you can navigate problems
  • How to learn in training
  • What to visualize before the race
  • Controlling your environment?
  • When you’re missing the right signals
  • The point was to win the Tour de France
  • Don’t be afraid to fail
  • Easy and Hard are not paces, they’re efforts
  • Underperformance do to constant restraint

 

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

Sep 24, 2024

If you thought we would have a big celebration for #800, you are absolutely right! Today, we talk about how doing hard things like triathlon can be fun, even when they’re not on the surface. We look at defeating race anxiety, lowering expectations while still performing well, fr-framing fun and what that means inside a race. We talk about respecting the distance and creating a healthy amount of fear no matter how confident you are. We look at the power in embracing the mystery, finding wins in figuring out the process. We talk about brining solutions and not problems into your life. Raising your mental game, breaking through the comfort zone, different levels of pain tolerance and if what we did was really hard or not. Celebrate 800 podcasts by shifting your perspective.

Topics:

  • Ironman vs. 70.3 distance
  • Fall Season kick off
  • Maryland flooding
  • Late season race anxiety builds . . .
  • NICE - descents
  • Lowered expectations
  • “I Just want to have fun”
  • Re-Framing fun
  • Once you’re in it, you’re in it
  • Treat races with respect
  • Every session matters
  • We all get derailed
  • Accepting who you are
  • Real race perspective
  • Fear
  • Overconfidence
  • Where are you in the athlete cycle?
  • Finding a good trajectory
  • Embracing the mystery of triathlon and life
  • Raising your mental game
  • When you’re alone in a race, there’s no script
  • Break your comfort zone
  • RPE is different for different athletes
  • Pain tolerance
  • Was this really “that” hard?
  • How can you challenge yourself?
  • Where you’re next gear
  • Slowing down and being careful

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

Sep 19, 2024

Want to race better? Master the principles in this podcast.

Today, we look at what’s really important for long course triathlon. The ability to hold form and effort over a long period of time. You can make it rocket science if you want, but the principles are pretty easy. Don’t break down. But how do you get to that point? We talk about how to get there and nail the omnipresent philosophy of: It’s not how fast you go, but how little you slow down.

We look at how fatigue masks fitness, how it’s important to test with fatigue, holding form when you need it most and the the real concept behind being “strong” in triathlon.

Topics:

  • 800th podcast all star cast??
  • Re capping our favorite podcast guests
  • Fueling and fat oxidation
  • All this information and people are still as confused as ever
  • Fitness, form, and fatigue resistance
  • We all like to test fresh, but . . .
  • Measuring and training your ability to resist fatigue
  • Pros are one thing, but how does it apply to age groupers?
  • Closing the gap between fresh and fatigue effort
  • Fatigue that shows up in the swim
  • Time trials when you’re tired in the pool
  • Simplicity - negative split training
  • Fatigue masks fitness
  • RPE 8-9, the repeat an hour later
  • Half marathons in the middle of IM training
  • Being consistent with exact training while dealing with life
  • Holding form through discomfort
  • Your speed is irrelevant if you can’t use it at the end
  • VO2 max too high??
  • Worried about the wrong things in training
  • Age Group obsession over their fresh performances
  • Being economically efficient
  • Get strong . . . at holding form
  • Be physically and emotionally engaged for a long period of time.
  • How is your body operating?

 

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

Sep 17, 2024

Are you too hard on yourself? Today we look at the challenges of consistency and commitment to racing and living free. It’s easy to burn our consistency matches by layering pressure on the daily. There are so many distractions and experts in the world, but ultimately this comes back to us. What works, what doesn’t, and how do we keep moving the right direction. We all have more potential than we think and sometimes it means taking a shot at breaking through your own Roger Banister 4 minute mile wall. Seeing and feeling it for yourself. Pressure is self imposed. Race and live free.

Topics:

  • Positive feedback
  • Driving good discussions
  • So many experts in the world
  • What’s right and what’s wrong??
  • All athletes have different agendas
  • Research proves what it wants to prove
  • Tunnel vision
  • Distracted by things that don’t work for us
  • Transitions in training and life
  • Take your time with junk food
  • Go easy on yourself
  • Addictive nation
  • Comfort food
  • The rebel inside
  • Progress over perfection
  • Filling a voice
  • Sugar addiction and empty calories
  • Behind the 8-Ball
  • On being tired
  • Changing perspectives on getting sick
  • Simplicity as a goal
  • Burning commitment and consistency matches
  • Pressure to always be better
  • Pressure builds for 9 months from now
  • Break through your own Roger Bannister wall
  • Race demands training

 

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

Sep 12, 2024

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:

  • Critically thinking about your nutrition day to day
  • Do you believe something is wonky?
  • Nutrition for triathlon
  • Not just a triathlete, but a human
  • The highest performers are willing to try anything to win
  • The difference between an answer and an option
  • Fueling for training and racing
  • Most things are processed
  • Enormous consumption of carbs and sugars
  • Inflammation is at the root of most problems
  • Glycogen depleted state for pros
  • Fat oxidation rates
  • Train your gut??
  • Fitness over nutrition
  • Can you really burn all the calories?
  • Are we searching for the wrong answers?
  • Sugar crashes
  • Training your body to crave more junk
  • Bonking  - just as much mental?
  • Working hard all the time
  • Periodizing carbohydrates
  • Fat burning machines
  • How to be much better on race day
  • Heart palpitations
  • Telling your body how to work
  • Can you explain why you take in the calories you do?
  • $8 a Gell to become more inefficient
  • Popping pills
  • Worshiping at the alter of your nutrition brand

 

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

Sep 10, 2024

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:

  • A whirlwind of a weekend and huge showing by the team.
  • Community is what drives it
  • How many people actually raced?
  • Volunteers for two days has to be a tough ask
  • Is the 70.3 diluting the full, or . . .
  • The challenges of a two loop swim
  • Was it the perfect conditions??
  • Bike course and body blows
  • Everything was fine until the wind . . .
  • Easing into the day can be tough
  • The drain of mental engagement is underrated
  • Staying present
  • The more you know . . . the less you understand?
  • Deep discussion about fueling and hydration
  • You need JUST ENOUGH nutrition and not more
  • Are we overloading on race day?
  • How does your fitness affect fueling?
  • Water and sodium
  • There must be a reason water is first at the aid stations
  • “This isn’t really healthy, but it’s what I do.”
  • Are you un-knowingly wrecking your body?
  • The emotion of the finish line
  • Why do we do this?

 

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

Sep 2, 2024

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:

  • Wisconsin course preparation
  • How the cooler temps will affect your race decisions
  • Coach interviews: see above links
  • Going from training in heat to a cool race
  • Wet and cold out of the swim, what next?
  • We're always creating headwind on the bike
  • Strategies for the start of the bike
  • Watch your extremities: feet, hands, ears 
  • Don't put on your wetsuit just to stay warm
  • The water will be the warmest place
  • Tims for staying warm on the bike
  • Be careful of getting too cold
  • Too much peeing on the bike or run?
  • Beward of a fast start on the run
  • Core temp
  • Muscle damage
  • Special needs bags - prep
  • How to dress at the Expo to make new friends

Mike Tarrolly - mike@c26triathlon.com

Robbie Bruce - robbie@c26triathlon.com

 

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