Crushing Iron Triathlon Podcast

We open with talk of Jan Frodeno vs. Lionel Sanders in the Tri-Battle. Then it's into ideas about how we might do a version of a unique triathlon. Then it's onto Ironman and what makes the events so special. Families, friends, and supporters drive the sport. Then it's onto what motivates people to race Ironman and how to sustain that motivation. We also take a look at how you should judge yourself...

Mike takes us inside his Ironman Chattanooga training with some unique admissions. Plus, why training in the heat can get in our heads so much. Reasons why you start to doubt yourself as the race gets closer and how to shift perspective. Eating, training, and losing weight as your training volume increases. Race weight. What to eat the two days before your race. Frodeno vs. Sanders in an epic clas...

This one meanders a bit, but then gets into actionable Ironman racing strategies. How physical meets mental throughout the day. When/if to turn up the bike, and how to think about your marathon. We get into training harder than you should race and how that translates into mile by mile strategy. We also talk about how to tackle your "B-Race" and why the results shouldn't fool you. We talk about pea...

Improvement comes when we're least stressed but the pressure to be green in training peaks or perfect leading up to a race can take over our mindset, and take away the fun. Today… we look at what it looks like to "try" and to "not try." Going from mentally weak to strong. We talk about unhealthy obsessions, what a "successful" race looks like. And skewed views of perfection. This is your journey a...

There's a lot of beauty in bad days. They can remind us that we're in the ballpark, we still need work, or help us realize patience. We always have work to do and successful triathletes don't get too high or too low depending on the day. So much of this sport is mental and if you can focus on controlling how you look at things, you will be in a better place to race. Just because a gadget is out th...

The nuances can make or break your race. Today, we get into what to look for, how to think about it, and fix it, often times on the fly. We look at why Ironman is such a difficult race to perfect from an effort and nutritional perspective. We look at how recognize warning signs, how to adjust, and how to come back to baseline before our race goes to hell. Topics: Ironman Coeur d'Alene was tough fo...

It was a Wild weekend of Racing and C26 Triathlon Camping and we get into it all. Plus, we really look at why we might do such a tough sport and what keeps driving people to the finish line. We contend that you must do hard things to improve in life and they create a Ripple Effect across everything you do. Race energy, training breakthroughs, and building confidence.  Topics: - Why do we do this?...

This is an energized cast inspired by you. Some great open water training/workout ideas. We talk double-transition strategy and give insight for spectators. We look at how to race your 70.3 if your A-Race is a full. Swallow water in the swim? We have some thoughts on that. What about running a marathon during your triathlon training? Smart trainer vs. Dumb trainer and the power meter combination....

This podcast was inspired by a vulnerable post about body image in our closed Facebook group. We touch on that, then get into healthy approaches to training, including eating enough to sustain our training, not feeling obligated to impress your coach, and why we should leave room for growth from mistakes. We get into how coaches can and should remove the burdens from your busy life. YOU are ultima...

How do we find happiness in the process? A lot of triathletes have "the worst day ever" or "I'm ready for the podium" workouts, but how can we gravitate more towards the middle? How do we leave our brain behind and have fun and satisfaction from doing the work? Today, we dive into training to get better without focusing on the end results and numbers. We're all putting together a puzzle and there'...

Are you training for goals or the Possibilities. It's an interesting distinction, but when you leave it open ended there's less "what do I do next" and more discovery. This is one them from today's cast, the other is, in order to reach the heights we know we can reach, we have to do the work. We talk about the Olympic Swim Trials and how swimmers don't get caught up in gadgets, but focus on how to...

If you don't like hair cut stories, skip to 10 minute mark. After that it's all about how to handle the heat, humidity and dew point. How you should train in it, when you should not train in it. We look at how pace, RPE, and recovery are effected by heat and especially Dew Point. We discuss what is too hard in heat and how best to prepare for training in heat and hot races. Can you tame your ego e...

It started with a simple question: How do swimmers get a better feel for the water? Then it went all on into how and why triathletes should approach swimming. We talk about the importance of speed work, how to get the best catch and explain early vertical forearm. We also look at breaking the pull buoy addiction and the key to keeping legs high in the water. Kicking is always a hot button and we'l...

We start with discussion on the Iron Cowboy's 100 straight days of Iron Distance triathlons. Then we get into creating your desired lifestyle in and around triathlon. How anything is possible when we define what fuels us. We look at balancing our days with workouts and where to cut training to find more fulfillment in the process. How do you truly reach your potential? We openly discuss the toughe...

It's easy to do things we're good at, but triathlon weaknesses usually set the race tone. Today we talk about how we've been pushing each other to work on the weak links in our game. We also explain how strengths can turn weakness because we "think we got it." We look at training "trouble signs" and finding ways to enjoy disciples we may not like or neglect. It's hard to race well when you have a...

Are you at peace with your training/racing efforts, or is something holding you back? Today, we get into flirting with the fringe to explore your limits. We talk about real ways to get faster in this sport and where that process starts. We talk about tempo and interval work and how to understand your effort from Z2 through 100% and why it's so important to push yourself in the swim and bike. We ex...

It was a massive weekend in Chattanooga and at the C26 Hub. We had fifty people racing and hundreds stopped in to say hi. Today, we reflect on Chattanooga 70.3 with a pretty intense reminder of how tough racing can be. We critique the swim start a bit and discuss how unfortunate it was to have the first cyclist in and last cyclist out so close together. We look at racing mistakes and how to work o...

We live in Chattanooga and have done this race many times. This weekend, especially with the heat, it's all about pacing and fueling. Overdoing the bike could cost you dearly on the run. We get into fueling and cooling strategy, how to know if and when you're ready to push the bike/run. We talk about the hills, the flats, how to approach a downstream "long" swim, and critical run information that...

We can't get faster every day. There has to be an unloading process to recover. Today we look at the point of taper, the importance of taking days off, and down weeks. We talk about heat and altitude acclimation, and how training should relieve stress. Sometimes you just don't have it and there could be a simple reason: because you're tired. As coaches we often look at a red in training peaks and...

Today we opened up to athletes in our Crushing Iron Facebook Group. Some great questions, including: How to look at and manage taper, including diet. Power in aero vs. standing up and what to look for. Understanding Effort over Pace in swim, bike, and run. Training in Gray Zones. How to progress through a 70.3. Improving speed over the years. Balancing power, pace, and the course. And beating burn...

The best athletes don't worry about bad breaks or rough weather conditions, they prepare for them. Today starts with Coach Robbie professing his new interest in Formula One Racing and how the strategy applies to the run in triathlon. We go through different ways to take anxiety out of your preparations so you can focus on problem solving. We get into several common scenarios and how you can learn...

A lot of us use this sport as a vehicle to be better people and athletes but do you feel "free" or are you holding guilt, regret, and fear? Today we talk about common situations in triathlon that can impact your joy in the sport and life. We talk about changing baseline stress, hanging around till you're ready, and 60 minutes of "something." You're an adult and you can be whoever you want to be. A...

We start with Ironman 70.3 St. George talk and the Lionel Sanders/Sam Long battle. Also, talk Danielle Ryf and her self-awareness. Then we shift into racing free and letting it rip. The feeling, the mindset, and ability to love that place. We look at finding true joy in the journey of triathlon. Understanding small gains and the ability to truly care about yourself while using training and racing...

What if you could have that "new to triathlon" excitement all the time? Today we look at sort of creating a re-birth in the sport while using the experience you've built. The "old you" meets the "new you" and how that can be so powerful. Also...understanding effort, power, and pace ranges on a deep level so you can execute in a race. We get into diet flux, and the guilt, falling off wagons and sha...

Are you racing smart or chasing your ego? Early season races bring all the elements and today we talk about how to handle them along with when smart overcomes fast, which is often. Tri-Calc and predicting your race times can have an adverse affect on your performance. Unrealistic goals and not paying attention to the conditions can distort in-race decision making and ruin a race. Lots of St. Georg...