Crushing Iron Triathlon Podcast

Travel, hotel, check-in, Taper, Diet, phantom pains . . . They all dominate our brains before a race. So, how do we reduce that stress and turn anxiety into excited? Turning your thought pattern from fear to confidence is a great place to start. Today, we walk through all the stuff that comes the week or two before races and look at ways to shift your mindset. 

Triathlon doesn't always have to be hard. In fact, it shouldn't be. And sometimes stopping, relaxing, and taking your time can actually be faster. Today we talk about how to train with full body experience instead of focusing on the pavement for hours on end. Tend to the part of the garden you can reach. 

Do you approach your workouts as a class or the test? If it's the latter, it probably stands to reason that training can seem more like pressure than enjoyment. This is an easy way to beat yourself up instead of finding praise. Today, we talk about a lot including how you can re-define the idea of PR'ing your workouts.

The Crushing Iron Triathlon Camp always reminds us how important attitude can be in life. When 20 virtual strangers with common goals meet for the first time it can really turn into magic. Today, how positive people, good energy, and the BELIEF in yourself can help you dive into the fear and get better at triathlon.

Remember when you were a kid and played all day long without a second thought to how how tired you were? There's nothing worse than staring at a training week and dreading the tough workouts ahead. There's a lot of power in finding fun in training and racing and today we talk about how to find more enjoyment.  

If triathlon is supposed to be fun, why does it hurt so often? Today, we discuss how to manage training like you would manage a race and why preparation is the solution to more enjoyable training and racing. There's a lot to think about in this sport but information is there . . . it comes down to remembering and building habits that don't turn you into a sacrificial lamb of training.

Think about what it takes to put together a PR . . . solid training, optimal weather, perfect nutrition, great mindset, incredible effort, and impeccable execution. Is that realistic for every race? Today, we get into a great discussion of how "just enough" in all those areas can come together, and while it may not mean a PR, it COULD mean a great performance. And a great performance should always be the goal. 

Imagine coaching 40 athletes that are racing triathlon on the same weekend. Today, Coach Robbie takes us through a play by play of how he tracks athletes and retains his sanity with all the notifications. The highs, the lows, the stresses, the rewards. He also shares his "secrets" as a coach, which usually boil down to building relationships and trust. 

The reason WHY we do Triathlon is always a good question to explore. Some people have changed their lives dramatically, while others simply find it fun. We posed the question to our closed Facebook Group and got a ton of good response on finding and keeping your WHY. Plus, Mike and Coach Robbie unveil moments in training that changed everything. 

What if, instead of thinking of races as A, B, C, etc., you thought of them all with equal importance as it relates to the big picture? Sort of like a final exam with quizzes and midterms. Today we discuss why "little" races matter and how to get your mind right to take advantage of what they offer. 

The Power of Spontaneity if Racing Celebrating A Race vs. Stressing The “Device Funk” How Obsessing With Data Kills Races I Feel Like I Didn’t Really “Race" How To Navigate “I Had To Play It Safe" What’s Wrong With Feeling Good After A Race? Dealing with that “unfinished business” feel Give me another crack at it Deep Fitness Making Mid-Season Changes When is it Time To Go Harder? When is is Time To Stay The Course? Training and Racing Without a Watch

Please be patient with our opening discussion about LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan. It's always something. After that we get into some great stuff from our C26 Athletes and what they learned at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. We also talk about the intensity of a Half Ironman vs. an Olympic and how that gap is closing. Lots of good advice and learning points. 

One of the best times for big gains is following the effort of a race. Today, our C26 athletes give us some great feedback from racing in the heat at Chattanooga. How they prepared, raced, and what paid off the most. Also, what they plan to do better next time. Some awesome lessons from a lot of people who PR's and hit the podium at Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga.

A tough but fair race is in the books, and today Mike and Coach Robbie recap their experience. With 27 coached athletes on site it was a huge weekend for C26. Many first timers, nearly 20 PRs, and 2 podiums, we have a lot to talk about. We also talk about the course, the heat, and . . . how why we think a course marshal may have been targeting C26 athletes. 

It's four days out and your tapering. Your "ghost pain" and doubt are flaring. Today we talk about how to relax and let go of pre-race stress. We also hit on some of the most important things you can do to stay cool while you race in hot weather. Lots of good triathlon/coach pre-race ramble.