My first “A”s series of races of 2024, the USAT Multisport National Championships are just 10 days away. I’m already starting to think about and get organized for the races. My goal for big races, particularly those that require air travel, is to front load and organize all of the tasks that burn cognitive and [...]
It happens every winter. In December, January, and February, I get calls from national team athletes and parents of young racers who are struggling mentally in their ski racing and they have big races coming up. They want me to somehow fix them quickly. Though I think I’m pretty good at what I do, I’m [...]
After what was a long and demanding winter, the 2023-24 race season is now over. You’ve had some down time to catch up on school and get some much-needed rest and recovery, both physically and mentally. You may also be already looking toward next winter. But before you file the 2023-24 race season away, you [...]
Before I begin this article, you may have noticed that I changed the name of this series related to my work with several professional triathletes. I felt that the new name, What the Pros Do, is clearer and more direct. Back in 2021, I published two articles about race-day routines (here and here). A lot [...]
Imagine what it’s like to be a professional triathlete. Everyone is genetically gifted, all use the latest fitness testing and training technology, all are in incredible physical condition, all fuel and hydrate scientifically, all have fast bikes and fast shoes. So, on race day, what separates the winners from the also-rans? Two key things, I [...]
Today’s topic in my new blog series, Lessons from Pro Triathletes,, race-week preparation, relates to Lisa Tertsch preparing for the Paris Olympics in July, Ruth Astle getting ready for the Ironman World Championships in Nice and the 70.3 World Championships in Taupo, New Zealand, and Miguel Mattox getting set to return to racing after a [...]
I am fortunate to be working with three outstanding professional triathletes who are also exceptional human beings (they have all agreed to allow me to introduce them to you): 1) Ruth Astle, from the UK, is a 3x Ironman winner; Lisa Tertsch, from Germany, is ranked 5th in the world by World Triathlon and is [...]
I just returned from Clash Miami, part of the Clash Endurance series that is held at motor speedways in Florida, where I raced in the Sprint on Saturday and what I called the Olympic + (6 miles longer bike, 2 miles longer run) on Sunday. In a nutshell, my mind was in its best place [...]
The goal for every determined triathlete—the Holy Grail of our sport, you might say—is the ability to maintain or even increase effort and decrease (or at least minimize) the exertion pain you feel during hard workouts and in races. The problem, as we can all attest to, is that it is extremely difficult to resist [...]
An unfortunate reality of being a committed triathlete is that you will likely experience minor, yet nagging, injuries with some frequency during the course of your triathlon career. You know what I’m talking about. Those little injuries that don’t involve serious physical trauma to muscles, tendons, or bones (usually just a pull rather than a [...]
