Aug 6, 2022
Big show today! We have Mark Allen with us today to talk about coaching and training on the TriDot training platform. We are going to ask Mark a few training and racing questions which I expect Mark will help us all get a little smarter at both.
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In Today's Show
Feature Interview: Mark Allen and TriDot
Last Spring, friend of the show Matt Bach introduced us to TriDot. I started using the platform and learning how it works. I leaned how it takes data from my training and racing and uses it to adjust future training so that I get the most perfect training workout, structured in the perfect way, and with the exact intensity for the temperature and altitude the workout is being performed.
As an athlete, it's a no brainer. As a coach, I started to realize the way it could help me spend more time with athletes on the qualitative aspects of helping athletes with things like swim technique, video analysis, nutrition, bike handling, etc.
Fast forward to about a month ago when TriDot announced that Mark Allen was joining TriDot as a coach. During the announcement, Mark shared what he chose to partner with TriDot and bring his athletes over to the platform. I also took the opportunity to be coached by Mark.
If you tuned in last week, you heard us discuss the "Ask Me Anything" event last week with Mark and his answers to some excellent training and racing questions. It is with that backdrop that we head into our feature interview with Hall of Fame triathlete and coach, Mark Allen.
Let's get into our interview.
POST INTERVIEW COMMENTS:
More Mark Answers:
Question: What is the mental strategy when you want to skip a workout?
Answer: It's important to identify the key workouts each week. It's more important to balance the sport with the rest of your life. You don't want to lose all the other things that are important to save 3 minutes on the bike. If you find those key workouts, they will give you 80-90% of what you need. The other workouts will help, but they only get you the remaining 10-20%. If getting all your workouts in causes stress in other parts of your life, that's not the goal. If you are feeling like not training, you need to ask yourself if you are recovered enough. Listen to your body. There's no device or metric that can replace how you feel. I like to get out the door and if after 10 minutes you feel like you're full of lactate or feeling lethargic, then turn around and go back home.
Question: What are some of your mental strategies during tough spots in IRONMAN?
Answer: How you deal with it starts long before the race. There will things that will come up that you couldn't have expected. You don't need a perfect race to race perfectly. If your goggles get kicked off, put them back on. You drop a water bottle. Shake it off and get an extra the next time. When you get to the whining phase, I have to change the channel. Get to a mental state where you take a big breath, stop the voice in my head, and analyze what's going on. Maybe I can walk a bit and be steady quiet and engaged. What ever my potential attention and energy I can bring, bring 100% of that. What's my purpose? Do I drop out? My body is working at 20% capacity. If I can give 100% of the 20%, I'll do that. You will be proud of the peace, purpose and quiet and strength to finish.
Question: What is your inner dialogue when you are racing? Do you have a phrase or mantra?
Answer: You should have the positive affirmation. Early in my career I tried that. When you do fall apart, I was never able to remember the mantras. I'm not light as a feather on the marathon, I feel like an elephant. The most powerful place to race from is a quiet mind. In a way you tune everything out but yourself and your process and engaged in the moment and not judging. Try to lock in and give everything I have. There's a magical switch point where all of a sudden you realize you are giving everything I have that day.
Question: Tips for older athletes and taking days off.
Answer: I'm 64 and I don't take days off. You need to be tuned into your body and take a day off and recover and regenerate. You need to eat a little more good quality protein to stimulate the body to rebuild. Strength training is also key. It can be body weights and cords. If you just swim, bike and run. 20 year study on Boston Marathoners. 1 group just run. 2nd group that did strength and running kept all their muscle mass. Sleep and recovery. Protein and strength training.
Question: What hydration / nutrition to avoid cramps?
Answer: Different cramps have different reasons. Early in the swim your feet cramp - typically when you are under high stress. Your body excretes sodium and magnesium when under stress and your adrenal system kicks in. Okay to have a little anxiety. As best as you can load up on sodium and magnesium. You need to keep on top of magnesium all year. If late in the race the quads cramp, it's because you are putting more load on the quads during the race. Do strength work so you have extra muscle to utilize. Calf cramps come from being under stress for a long time. When your adrenal system gets depleted you get calf cramps. Side stitches come from fast shallow breathing. Slow down the breathing and take deeper breathing. Otherwise rub your knuckles on the sternum.
Question: What gets you most jazzed about the future of the sport?
Answer: Seeing this whole new generation of pros and redefining what is possible. We've had several generations. You can tell some of these great athletes like Daniel and Alistair are on the way out. The way these new athletes like Kristian Blummenfelt and the Sam Longs and Laura Phillips are a new generation that want to race the top folks. Not like it used to be were the new pros were scared cats.
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Endurance News:
Norseman Xtreme Triathlon, August 6th in Norway.
The Norseman Xtreme Triathlon is a gruelling challenge that's not for the faint of heart.
You’re halfway up a mountain. The wind has been trying its hardest to stop you for 14 long hours, since you plunged into an icy fjord at around 5am. The past hour has been fuelled by adrenaline alone, carrying you on your way.
The annual event features a 3.8km fjord swim, a 180km cycle ride through the mountains and a 42.2km run/climb to the top of a local mountain. Phew! Let's take a look at the event, and how it came to be.
When it comes to Norway and multi-sport events you probably think of the biathlon. This unique combination of cross-country skiing and shooting is a tradition that arose in Scandinavia and is certainly still very popular in the region. However, the triathlon is growing in popularity every year, in all regions of the globe, and Scandinavia is no exception. But even when they’re jumping on bandwagons, the Norse people like to do things a little bit differently.
People who know it, talk about the Norseman Triathlon in hushed tones of reverence and awe. Those who have won the black jersey – the only prize for finishing – are revered as Gods among men in athletic circles.
As the Jumbo-Visma trio of Timo Roosen, Edoardo Affini and Chris Harper rode unchallenged across the finish line of stage two at the Vuelta a Burgos, securing the team all three steps on the podium, they celebrated what they thought was a dominant victory.
However, they were unaware of the carnage that had ensued behind. Their teammate David Dekker had hit a speed bump just 700m from the finish resultign in a mass pile-up.
Jumbo-Visma were looking to lead out the sprint for Dekker in the closing stages of the race, but, after a short descent and the pace ever-increasing, the Dutchman hit a speed bump and lost control of his bike, creating a domino-effect of riders falling behind him.
What's New in the 303:
IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder to shift dates on the calendar beginning in 2023
21st edition of long-standing Colorado event to take place on June 10, 2023; Presale registration to open on Thursday, August 4, 2022 by visiting, www.ironman.com/im703-boulder-register
BOULDER, Colo. / TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 3, 2022)/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – IRONMAN today announced that the 2023 IRONMAN® 70.3®Boulder triathlon will be moving to a new date on the calendar beginning in 2023. A staple in Colorado and on the IRONMAN calendar since 2002, the long-standing event will now take place on Saturday, June 10, 2023, with presale registration opening on Thursday, August 4, 2022 by visiting, www.ironman.com/im703-boulder-register.
“We’re proud of the legacy that has been built over the last 20 years here in Boulder,” said Tim Brosious, Northwest Regional Director for The IRONMAN Group. “Anyone that has raced here over the years can attest to the unforgettable experience that racing here on the footsteps of the Rockies offers. There isn’t a much better venue to host a summer race than here in Boulder and we know this new June date will continue to showcase the beauty of Colorado. We are very grateful to the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as the City and County of Boulder, for their endless support of this long running and popular IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder event.”
For nearly two decades, athletes from around the world have been embraced by the welcoming community of Boulder, Colorado. Boulder provides an outdoor playground for endurance athletes. Boulder caters to the outdoor enthusiast and not only provides epic trails and outdoor activities but also world-class dining, shopping, events and craft beer and spirits. Boulder gives you a taste of everything Colorado.
The 20th edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder triathlon scheduled to take place on Saturday, August 6 will begin by taking athletes along a 1.2-mile swim in the Boulder Reservoir. After transitioning to the bike, athletes will ride through the rolling hills of Boulder County with stunning views of the Flatirons before starting the run. The 13.1-mile run course takes place along the Boulder Reservoir, up 63rd Street to Monarch, and all along the Dam Road. Most of the course is on dirt gravel roads.
Presale registration for 2023 edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder triathlon will open at 12:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022. The 2022 and 2023 editions of the IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder triathlon will offer qualifying slots to the 2023 VinFast IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship® race in Finland.
For more information on the 2023 IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder triathlon, visit www.ironman.com/im703-boulder. Athlete inquiries may be directed to boulder70.3@ironman.com. For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.
Boulder 70.3 Preview and Athlete Information - Athlete Guide
General:
Parking and Shuttles
Course
AID STATIONS
Aid stations are approximately every 15 miles on the bike and
approximately a mile apart on the run. The general offerings are as
Follows
BIKE:
Water
Gatorade Endurance Formula
(Flavor: Orange)
Red Bull
Maurten Gel 100
Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100
Bars
Fruit - Banana
RUN:
Water
Gatorade Endurance Formula
(Flavor: Lemon Lime)
Red Bull
Cola
Maurten Gel 100
Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100
Bars
Chips
Pretzels
Fruit - Bananas & Oranges
Upcoming Multisport Events in Colorado (runningintheusa.com)
Upcoming Classic Runs in Colorado (runningintheusa.com)
Video of the week:
Upcoming Guests:
Tim Hola is joining us to talk about the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon when he gets back in August.
Closing:
Thanks again for listening in this week. Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We'd really appreciate it!
Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!