Questions about your cycling stroke and how to improve it? Curious about the best way to prepare, attack, and recover from 90 degree runs? Want to know how to analyze your swim stroke? Want to keep your head high when an injury slows you down? All of this is answered, and more in this power-packed episode.
- Great technique for balancing your cycle stroke
- Mental approaches to cycling and how balance/dance make you better
- Why your mindset has to be different when you go out in the heat
- Recovering from hot runs
- What happens to all the water bottles, tubes, Co2, etc. at Ironman Races?
- An easy way to analyze your swim stroke
- Keeping your head in check when injured
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In our 66th podcast we talk about Escape From Alcatraz, more specifically the cancelled swim and what maybe should be done by the races to ease the sting of such circumstances.
Plus, we dig into North American Ironman registration over the last 5 years. We compiled this list (using the number on IM results pages) for each of the last 5 years (or less for new races) and analyze why certain races seem to thrive and others are struggling to stay afloat. Several are steady, some are growing, and some are dropping in bunches. We'd like to hear what you think about some of this, especially races you've done in the past. Thanks!
- Escape from Alcatraz
- How can races do better with athletes?
- Plus Analysis of participant rise, steady, or decline of the following Ironman races:
Coeur d'Alene
Louisville
Wisconsin
Chattanooga
Lake Placid
Maryland
Boulder
Arizona
Mont-Tremblant
Canada
Florida
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Ironman 70.3 Muncie is one of our favorite races because of how well it's put on. The race itself is out in the middle of nowhere, but what they lack in crowd support and accessibility they make up in a beautiful (closed) course, great organization, and an awesome crew of volunteers. Today we break it all down from lodging, to arrival, to the tricky parts of the swim, bike, and run courses.
If you know anyone who would be a great guest, email us: CrushingIron@gmail.com
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Power meters are great if you know how to read the numbers and today we give you an in-depth look at how to train with power. If you missed the first podcast on power you can find it here.
Here's the outline for today's podcast on power meters:
- Smart Training Practices when using power
- When to test . . . if you should at all
- How close to a race should you test?
- Understanding how numbers and zones should define your workouts
- You've trained with power, now what??
- Plus, a glimpse into the mystery of Mike's internal power meter.
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Everyone has a bad race. If you haven't, you're probably very new to the sport, haven't gone hard enough or put yourself on an uncomfortable edge. Today we look at that, how conditions impact your race, and how you can rebound after a few things go wrong. But it's much more including why learning is the key to
- Rebounding from a sub-par race
- Post race depression and/or lack of confidence
- Balancing your passions
- Getting rid of things that don't help you move forward
- The nerve wracking experience of a coach on race day with multiple athletes on the course
- Why sticking with a routine is critical, especially after races
- What's it going to take to get to Kona?
- How to be kind to yourself after races
- Why expectations can be future resentments
- Runner's cough and phlegm
- How we really feel about Kale
- Our relationship with the sport
- NHL Stanley Cup Playoff observations from Nashville
- Looking at the horizon vs. staying in the moment
We have a few slots open for our upcoming triathlon camp in Nashville. Sign up now for an awesome experience. C26 Triathlon Camp July 13-16.
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It often takes a loss to put things in perspective and today Coach Robbie and Mike organically flowed into a discussion about how the removal of ego can be so relevant in triathlon. The guys talk about mentoring ourselves in the way we approach training and impacting others in the sport. This is about building confidence, compassion, and connection.
- Don't choose to go pro or retire based on one race or workout
- Sometime the best race of the year is the one you decide not to do
- Every race medal has a different story
- Love hard, train hard, and relax hard with people you care about
- Patience
- Corralling an addictive nature
- Putting gratitude mind first
- Building relationships among different ethnic, financial, and skill backgrounds in triathlon
- Robbie shares his humble triathlon beginnings
- Why do we REALLY get into triathlon
- Connecting to something deeper inside and around us
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Coach Robbie always says, "Hills are good for the flats and hills, flats are only good for flats." Hills don't build up mileage, but they build elevation and your body. Today we give you some good inspiration to take the long way home by putting more hills (or hill repeats) into your workouts.
In Today's Podcast
- 2000 feet in straight up hill repeats
- How to wrap your mind around hill training to make it more enjoyable
- Why you should be running for time, not mileage
- Making your easy days easy and your hard days hard (mentally and physically)
- Hill training for strength
- When in doubt, take the hillier route
- Hills and cycling
- Why hills can mean less stress on your body
- A hill correlation to swimming
- Will Mike Do Muncie?
- Coach Robbie's swim analysis
- Mark Spitz talk
If you heard and liked episode #59 with Brad Stulberg, co-author of Peak Performance, click this link for pre-order and some cool giveaway offers.
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More and more triathletes are riding with power, but just because they have a meter doesn't mean they're getting the most out of it. Today we get into how to pick the right power meter, along with how to come up with a proper functional threshold number. We also talk about different ways to view the numbers, along with why they should be different for different races.
- Different types of power meters
- Options for making sure you get the most accurate number to work from
- How to decide what your percentage should be for different types of races: Sprint, Olympic, Half, Full
- Explaining the critical differences between functional and normalized power
- When you should get out of the saddle
- How to ride up Hills
- How to ride down Hills
- How to ride on flats
Don't forget to sign up for our C26 Triathlon Camp in Nashville July 13-16. We have about 7 openings left.
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Brad Stulberg co-wrote "Peak Performance" with Steve Magness, and Coach Robbie and Mike both give it 100% endorsements. We would describe "Peak Performance" as a reference manual for getting the most out of your life.
On today's podcast, Brad takes us on a deep dive, explaining how stress, when combined with rest, is the best formula for growth. He gives examples of how endurance athletes can push themselves to the edge and conquer those elusive breakthroughs. We also talk about multi-tasking, performance enhancing drugs, and why mindfulness may be the missing link in your training.
Today, the science of performance collides with eloquent storytelling. Pre-order "Peak Performance" today to help Brad and Steve get off to a good start on the charts. If you buy one book to help your racing and/or life this year, make it this one.
- Brad's life change from a power business consultant to endurance author
- How Brad connected with University of Houston X-Country Coach Steve Magness
- Defining stress as it relates to our lives and why it is the fuel for growth
- Multi-tasking vs. the power of single-tasking
- Why for 99% of people Effective Multi-Tasking Is Effective Delusional Thinking
- The push/pull between stress and rest
- Creating "blocks of stress"
- Why skill comes from struggle
- Defining "Just Manageable Challenges" and why they are the key to reaching "Flow State"
- How mindfulness helps you deal with race pain
- The importance of rest, and what qualifies as solid recovery
- "Social Recovery"
- Transcending your "self" by finding your purpose
Follow Brad Stulberg @bstulberg and @stevemagness on Twitter and tell them Crushing Iron sent you. Both great guys!
Here's the link to Crushing Iron Episode #40 interview with Steve Magness.
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An early season race can be a great way to catapult your season, but the week after you cross the line is critical. What should you do to make sure you not only recover, but use the biggest "training day" of the year in the most effective way? Plus, we break down Ironman Chattanooga 70.3 for 5 Crushing Iron athletes and find out what they learned and need to work on as the season moves forward.
- The 7 days after a race and what workouts you should do
- Why did your run fall apart?
- More weight training?
- Building your bike in the best smartest way
- How to train for a wetsuit race when it's hot
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The Crushing Iron War between Mike and CC is in the books. Find out who won, how it went down and what was learned from this early season 70.3. The race was under huge threat of thunderstorms and possibly having an event or two shortened or cancelled. We talk about what actually happened on race day and how the RD made their decision. Also, info on the course, the experience, and what next.
- Racing Chattanooga
- Tight hamstrings on the run
- Advantages of mountain biking
- When it might be OK to cook the bike
- Lessons learned from early season races and what to do with that information
- Shortened swim reasoning
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On a recent podcast we addressed "One-and-Done" Bucket List Ironman racers and how it impacts the sport. That was followed by an interesting discussion on our closed Facebook Group regarding "respect for the sport" and what does that mean? Today we get into that topic, plus how "respecting yourself" plays a role in triathlon. We also take a slight detour into ITU and find out why that will likely be the future for triathlon.
- Why our conversations don't go down the combative road
- We discuss the Ironman "run" and what it means to walk most of it
- Triathlon as part of the JOURNEY
- Why ITU is the future of triathlon
- Would Ironman Races be better if there were more loops?
- Surefire way to your best Ironman
- Are you really "sponsored?"
- Respecting the Race and/or the Distance
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Race season is here and the Crushing Iron podcast dives into the PRESSURES that can surface race week, pre-race, and inside the race. Mike is living it right now and Coach Robbie walks through some solid ways to get out of your head and put it onto the course in a positive way. We're all about turning negatives into positives and helping you get the most out of your training and races. Here's how today's podcast breaks out:
1. WEEK OF RACE PRESSURE (Leading up to the race mentality to BUILDING CONFIDENCE INSTEAD OF LOSING IT)
- Bad workouts (how to shift these in your mind)
- Scaled back workouts (how to stay on track and not over-work)
- Phantom Injuries (go through what this means and why it's a good thing)
- Getting into a confident mindset (setting realistic goals, reaffirming you've done the work)
- How important it is to assist your body to re-build (The POINT of TAPERING)
2. PRE-RACE PRESSURE (ENERGY/ANXIETY)
- The fine line between being pumped and relaxed
- The subtle force that shifts your realistic race goals
- Forgetting to warm up
3. IN-RACE PRESSURES (Staying within yourself)
- How to benefit from something going wrong early… goggles… contact…
- How to stay focused in your box
- Resisting desire to keep up with others
- How to stay in your own race
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Most of us are in triathlon because we love it, but the sport is far from perfect. In a bold attempt to save the sport from itself, Mike and Coach Robbie analyze the current state of triathlon and offer a few suggestions. Not much is off limits including: Ironman, pro triathletes, terminology, local races, and one-and-done racers.
Topics
- Ironman Race Prices
- Why isn't Ironman selling out?
- A New Plan that would would make triathletes commit to the sport
- Why your workout wasn't "epic"
- Why "Boom" has no place in our sport
- One and done bucket listers
- Triathlon "Hacks"
- Weeding through garbage triathlon information
- Why Lionel Sanders may have missed his window
- Where is the Truth in Triathlon?
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Round two of questions for Coach Robbie and it's a good one! Below are several of the questions, but there's a lot more. Coaching relationships, when do gains stop and the taper begin? How to beat racer's blues. How and when to strength train. Switching, practicing nutrition. And And last one is about swimming cramps and some great stuff comes up!
- What is proper etiquette when switching coaches, especially when you're great friends?
- Tips for overcoming post-race blues?
- At what point prior to a race, are you just not going to get any stronger/faster, point of diminishing returns?
- Strength training: when and how much ok?
- Practicing nutrition? Yikes.
- How to reduce/minimize feet and leg cramps on the swim.
- Plus several more that relate to these and some from Mike
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Today we talk about real strategies you can use to get mentally tougher. In the spirit of complete transparency, we used the bullet points from this article from Triathlete.com to outline our discussion. And in the spirit of double transparency, we didn't read the article, just the 9 points and went from there. We also talk about 11 Ways to Get to Kona (per WTC) Here's the outline:
From the Article: 9 Tools For Building Mental Toughness
Make The Commitment
Build Confidence with difficult workouts
Know the purpose of each workout
Make the race a research project
Perform pre-race simulations
Focus on what can be controlled
Don’t race unprepared
When Racing, think through the tough patches
Conduct a thorough post-race analysis
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A negative split or the action of negative splitting is a racing strategy that involves completing the second half of a race faster than the first half. It is defined by the intentional setting of a slower initial pace, followed by either a gradual or sudden increase of speed towards the end of a race.
Everyone says they want Negative Split, but most of us fail. Today we talk about why that happens, and what you can do to pull it off more consistently. Also, WHY it's so important that you DO Negative Split your races. From Swim, to Bike, to Run, the negative split strategy is always a winning move. Don't let someone else dictate what your race and season look like. Commit to the MINDSET of NEGATIVE SPLIT RACING.
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We all think we have race week planned perfectly until it shows up. Today we walk through how much you should swim, bike, run and when. We also talk about nutrition, including when and how much water and electrolytes you should be consuming race week. There's also great information on how to accurately predict your race time, along with some more DON'T DOs regarding Open Water Swim Training.
- Race week Volume for Swim, Bike, and Run
- The keys of a good taper week
- Electrolyte and water consumption
- What to do the day before the race
- Why swimming on race week is so important
- Why cycling and swimming during race week are different than running
- What percentages you should use to predict your race time
- A surefire and easy way to detect whether you're training too hard for your shape
- How to get a good feel for the water
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One day three kids from Knoxville (including the winner of Ironman Florida) decided they wanted to start a 10K swim race. These kinds of things don't just happen and today they joined the podcast to tell us all about the race and why it's different than any other stand alone swim race in the US. Also, Jack McAfee, Winner of Ironman Florida tells us what it's like to have an Ironman fall apart, then win one only 5 weeks later.
- Starting a New Race From Scratch
- Pitfalls, Joys, Permits, etc.
- Overcoming Bike Troubles And Running Mad
- What it's like to WIN Ironman Florida
- What it's like to trip over the tape when you WIN Ironman Florida
- Swim The Suck
- Crossing Hells Mouth (Open Water Swim Documentary)
- Swim prep for open water
- Olympic 10K Swim Recap
Follow this New Race Bridges to Bluffs Open Water Swim on Facebook
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Seems like it can go from cold to scorching hot in a couple of weeks these days and that can reek havoc on your training. It takes time to acclimate to heat and not taking it into account is a big mistake. It's that seasonal transition and now's the time to talk about it. We also get into racing in the heat.
- Quickly acclimating yourself to the heat
- Heart rate and what changes
- Why people bonk in Boston
- Why running with the wind can be dangerous
- Why you need to fuel more in hot weather
- How to adapt quickly
- Strategies for racing in heat
- Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga
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This is a great podcast on how to break down your races and use them in the right ways to become faster and a better triathlete. We share when it's good to take risks in races. What is the biggest mistake you can make in a race and how to avoid it. Robbie unveils his "3 R's" strategy for attacking your race season. We also tell you when is a good time to race without looking at your data on the course.
- Getting your mind in race form
- How to handle your A, B, and C races
- Applying Coach Robbie’s “Three R’s” to your season
- How Reality Checks improve your performance
- Taking what you learn from one race to the next
- When and how to be more risky in your races
- Don’t build in excuses
- A race is a race, not a workout
- One of the biggest mistakes you can make in a race
- When to race with no data. Can you do it??
- Why you shouldn’t ride a race course too often
- How a Crushing Iron listener cut 20 seconds off her hundred yard swim time
- Upcoming Race Calendar Insight and races to follow
- Season Pass for live ITU Triathlon
- A hot Ironman 70.3 to keep an eye on
Here's the link to watch ITU races all season.
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Matt Fitzgerald has written nearly 30 books about fitness and nutrition for endurance athletes. He's currently in the middle of running 8 marathons in 8 weeks to fuel his new book "Life is a Marathon." He's the author of "The Endurance Diet," "Iron War," "80/20 Running," "Racing Weight" and one of our favorites, "50/50" about Dean Karnazes' amazing feat of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. He talks about all of that and so much more, including:
- How does Matt feel about paleo, low-carb, vegan diets, bullet proof coffee?
- What diet you SHOULD follow for the best success
- Why he’s in the middle of 8 marathons in 8 weeks
- Boston Marathon
- What drives him as a nutrition and endurance writer
- The way to successful Recovery
- What it’s like working with Dean Karnazes and the Iron Cowboy
- Is there pressure being a “nutritional expert?”
- What part does the mind play on new diets?
- The safest and most effective way for endurance athletes to eat
- How important are foam rollers and ice baths?
- Exploring his upcoming book “Life is a Marathon” and why it’s so important to him.
- Why he used to think of himself as a coward
- How Bi-Polar disorder has touched his life in a major way
- Running and Depression
- Running to connect with others if you’re an introvert
- The Charles Bukowski connection
- How he got his start as a comedic poet
Learn more about Matt by following "Life is a Marathon" on Facebook
Matt on Twitter: @mattfitwriter
His Website is www.mattfitzgerald.org
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Ross Kaffenberger lives in Northern Virginia, enters the ever competitive 40-44 age group this year and is doing Ironman Wisconsin. But the "why" behind his next big race is the real story.
We all have challenges, but we don't know many people who have gone through anything like this. He opens up about how triathlon may have saved his sanity and kept him from falling into depression.
Ross is an incredibly mindful person and shares a ton of insight on how he's kept moving forward after his life was flipped upside down. He has some great posts on his blog, Out and Back, which you can find here. Follow Ross on Twitter @rossta
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It's been said that talent is 20% of the equation in life. What about the rest? How are you handling the rest of the 80% that makes the difference in triathlon, or life? Today, Mike and Robbie look at successful strategies and habits they've used in training and racing.
- Visualizing success
- The secret to not stopping
- The dream is dependent on the dreamer
- Projecting positive energy
- How to believe you can do something
- The power of preparing to fail
- Changing your perspective on monotony
- How to not lose sight of opportunity
- Finding and using race energy correctly
- Absorbing the moment as it comes
- Fighting resistance that doesn't need to be there
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This topic is right in Coach Robbie's wheelhouse and Mike is a great Guinea Pig due to his long history of open water swim anxiety. This podcast is loaded with gems on how to be a better open water swimmer. Included:
• Pre-race rituals including a great way to prep for cold water
• Getting mentally stronger
• Wet suit chest pressures
• Controlling your heart rate
• Dealing with contact
• The importance of warm ups
• How to not worry about what’s under the water
• Training for congestion
• Why stroke turnover is king
• Positioning for a floating start
• How to train harder than the race
• How to use a sandy beach to make you stronger
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