8 Tips for Racing Your First Full Distance Triathlon

TriDot Podcast Episode 341

Eight Tips for Racing Your First Full Distance Triathlon

Andrew Harley: Welcome to the TriDot Podcast. We are in a series of episodes where we are talking about how to approach your very first race at a brand-new distance. We've had a coach come on and talk to us about doing our first sprint triathlon. We've had a coach come on and talk to us about doing our first 70.3 distance triathlon, and today, we're going longer than that. I've got a TriDot coach, here, to tell us his eight tips for racing your very first 140.6 full distance triathlon, sometimes known as an IRONMAN. Good stuff, today. Our coach is Kurt Madden. I picked Kurt because he has 53 full distance finishes, and he's certainly not done yet. By the time you even hear this episode, maybe he'll have 54 or 55. You never know with Kurt. He's also a 2-time Ultraman World Champion. He has a master's degree in exercise physiology, and is the Head of Coach Development for TriDot. Coach Kurt, welcome back to the show.

Kurt Madden: Andrew, it's always welcome to be back with you, my friend.

Andrew Harley: Now, you were telling me, in those 53 races, you did a little bit of math to determine how many hours you've been on the IRONMAN race course. What was that number, my friend?

Kurt Madden: Andrew, it is hard to imagine, but as I'm crunching numbers, I think we're in the range of -- if I took my average time over 53, and I think I'm pretty consistent, I'm in the ballpark of about 5eight3 hours of being in the arena, feeling the love, feeling the vibe, and saying, “Someday I will be an IRONMAN.”

Andrew Harley: Yep. And that's just the full distance. That's not accounting for 70.3 races, which you certainly do. That's not accounting for Ultraman, which you've certainly done. My total, at the IRONMAN, is 12 and a half hours. I've done one of them. Yeah, I think 12 hours, 37 minutes, 34 minutes, 30-something minutes. Anyway, that's because I am Andrew the Average Triathlete, Voice of the People and Captain of the Middle of the Pack. As always, we're going to start off with our warm-up question, settle in for our main set conversation, where Coach Kurt will teach us his eight tips for somebody new to the 140.6 distance, and then we'll cool things down on the cool down, with Coach Kurt answering a question from the audience. Lots of good stuff. Let's get to it.

Announcer: This is the TriDot Podcast, the triathlon show that brings you world-class coaching with every conversation. Let's get started with today's warm-up.

Andrew Harley: Coach Kurt, for our warm-up question today, while we're talking long course IRONMAN triathlon, I'm curious to know, of all of these cities in the world, the towns in the world, the locations in the world where there could be an IRONMAN, what is one destination that does not have an IRONMAN distance race where you would like to see one added to the calendar?

Kurt Madden: You know, Andrew, you are very consistent. You tend to almost stump me out of the gate. I'm like, wait a minute, I got to find my bike.

Andrew Harley: So many options.

Kurt Madden: I got to find my bike. Andrew always throws that little curveball in there. So I did a search, and I think if I had that magic wand, to be a little bit selfish, I think the one place I would pick, that might surprise just a few people, including you, would be this terrible place called San Diego, California.

Andrew Harley: Terrible place, San Diego, California, yeah.

Kurt Madden: Terrible place, and you probably are asking why. Well, we do have the Oceanside event that is a half. But I think in the perfect world, my little crystal ball, it would be great to have one here. Why? Because I think as we go back, trace the very early ages, the point of conception, that it kind of happened here, and it would bring me joy and happiness to say we can check that box, we had a full. But as we know, there are several logistics when you're in a city of 2 million people, that we're just going to, all of a sudden shut everything down for this Saturday/Sunday event, as we know—

Andrew Harley: Sounds good to me.

Kurt Madden: And it's all the devils in the fine details. So that's going to be my number one choice.

Andrew Harley: I think it's a fantastic choice. I wouldn't have thought of it myself, admittedly. I think, just being an American-based athlete, like you and I both are, there's just so many world cities that sound super interesting to maybe put a full distance IRONMAN. But I like tapping into the history of the sport. Beautiful city, beautiful for swimming, beautiful for cycling, beautiful for running. There's a lot of interesting things you could do with a course in San Diego. Keep the vibes high, keep the views great. It could be totally different from the Oceanside event, with all the different locations there are for swimming, biking, and running in San Diego. So I like this pick a lot. My pick, Kurt, is not too far away from yours. I think a full distance triathlon based in San Francisco would be super interesting, super appealing. Obviously, a lot of our listeners, myself included, have done The Escape from Alcatraz, the famous triathlon in that city. Kurt, have you done Escape from Alcatraz?

Kurt Madden: Not yet, but I've heard stories about your voyage there. Heard it was epic.

Andrew Harley: I bet you have. And it's just, it's such an interesting city. And that course was so different, and so unique, and there's so -- all of a sudden, you have 140.6 miles to play with and building your dream course somewhere. And you could tap into the hills, you could tap into the trail runs, you could tap into the tunnels, you could tap into the beach, you could go up and down the coast and see some redwoods and see -- there's so many things you could do with a course that long in a city with that much variety. It could be a very difficult course, with the famous San Francisco hills. I, personally, would like a splash of that, but not too heavy of a dose of those hills. But I don't know. I did genuinely enjoy my experience there, and I think a full -- I would love to see what a race producer could do with a full distance IRONMAN based out of San Francisco. If you can get that bike or run across the Golden Gate Bridge, even better. Even better. We're going to throw this question out to our audience. Make sure you're watching on YouTube, watching on Spotify, or wherever you're listening. Find us on social media, and let us know, in the comments for today's episode, if you could drop a brand new IRONMAN distance race on the calendar anywhere in the world, where would you want to see that race placed?

Announcer: Let's go.

Andrew Harley: Onto our main set, where Coach Kurt is going to give us his eight tips for somebody who is new to the 140.6 distance. Kurt, as we dip our toe into this, you've done 53, right now, at this distance. What was your most recent full distance IRONMAN, and how did it go for you?

Kurt Madden: Yeah, and I think we have number 54 teed up already, just in a couple weeks there, in The Woodlands. So I will be back. Yeah. Every full IRONMAN, it's kind of like you're going to watch a movie. And first of all, you don't know what type of movie it's going to be. Is it going to be science fiction, horror, family, comedy? Maybe it's a combination of everything. Then you don't know the duration. But ideally, you're going to enjoy it, and it'll be a little bit of everything, and it won't derail you. So for me, to give the listeners a little context, I go back to last year. So I had done the Nice World Championship in September. Shortly after, I went to Kona for two weeks to support my athletes. I was in Kona, training, and I knew that this was going to be -- and I had scheduled this, but I just felt like this would be a race that would be good to do. And the one bonus, if I had a super great day, I would earn my slot to Kona for next year, and then kind of just relax. But again, in all due respect, you just don't know. So the day started extremely well. Why? For those people that love swimming, there is something called a current in the river. And before I knew it, I am in line, and you push off, and boom, boy, it feels like you're getting text messages on your watch. Like, wait a minute, that's 500 yards. Oh, there's another 500. And boom, I hit that ramp in forty eight minutes. And I'm like, I kind of felt like I was cheating just a little bit. So hit the ramp, got off the bike.

Andrew Harley: That's like a lot of people's half IRONMAN swim split.

Kurt Madden: So that was a big plus right there, because you say that energy that you were in the water for say, an hour and 15, an hour and 30, whatever the case might be. So I got on the bike, and the bike course in this race is relatively easy. It's a country road. You go out, and you go back, and you go out, and you go back. The one unknown is something called wind, who is always going to be our best friend. But this day was very special, because it seemed like there was a little bit of a tailwind going out, and all of a sudden, we turned around, and then there was for sure a tailwind. Kind of like IRONMAN Texas, when you're on the toll road and you're heading back. It was a great feeling. So I did the first loop, I did the second loop, I think I got off the bike, and I felt relatively good at about 5:20. And then you start the run. And on the run, as we all know, you never really know until you start the run what you have. But it was just one mile at a time. And what was so amazing is the air temperature was maybe 70. Not much wind. But when you're running along the river, believe it or not, you can hear seals in the river. That is correct. It is just like you're at SeaWorld, and then you're running. And I'm cruising along, and I didn't really know how well I was doing. And then I ran into Rich Soares and a few other coaches, and I was trying to get their attention. I'm not sure what they were doing, what was in their electrolytes, but they, all of a sudden, spotted me, and they said, “Well, when you come back, we'll tell you where you are.” So they did tell me, and then the reality sunk in. Okay, they say I've got a big lead. I've got to go to Marbella in three weeks. So in my head, I was, “Okay, wait a minute. You did Nice. You went to Kona. You're doing a full. And you got, you better back things down a little bit.” But it felt great to finish with no rain, very little wind, just before sunset. And it was nice to finish the race, win my age group, and just hang out with a few people and watch my athletes come in.

Andrew Harley: Yeah, talk about a great day at the races. I'm not sure if I've had a training day where the conditions just seemed great the whole way through a training day. And for you to get that at the IRONMAN distance, in a full distance event, yeah, talk about a good day at the races. We'll be cheering for you at the time this episode goes out. I think you'll just be a week or two away from IRONMAN Texas, so obviously cheering for you, for number 54, there. Now, as you're working with your athletes, Kurt, you're helping them get ready for, whether it's their first iron distance event, or their fifth, or their tenth, or their twentieth -- is prepping for an IRONMAN just like rinse, repeat, it's just a super similar process for each athlete? Or do you do anything very different, very unique, to help each athlete build for this distance?

Kurt Madden: If I use your rinse and repeat, you've got to think about, Andrew, if you've ever done laundry for Morgan, there's certain items that need to be washed certain ways. These are delicates. These are whites. These are towels. These are bulky. I've learned that at the end of the day, you want them to be clean and be washed. However, it's very, very unique. So I think when I look at it, that I've got to look at that reality. I know the distance, but I've got to factor in so much about the athlete. And I think in doing that, it's very individualized. So I've got to really start with their current fitness, their background. Why are they doing this? That's probably the number one thing we want to nail down immediately. Why are they doing it? Where are they strong? Where are they going to have some weaknesses? How much time can they commit? It is a whole, big, long journey that you need to plan out, that's going to take several months to do it right, do it well. At the end of the day, the number one goal with every single athlete, our listeners included -- I've learned this repeatedly. Your number one goal should be, “I'm going to do my best to finish.” To me, as you know, Andrew, you've been at enough races -- if you're coming across the finish line first, or you make the cutoff, or even if you don't, your number one goal, and everyone out there, is to make sure you're finishing. But there's so many different ways to look at an IRONMAN. You've got to look at the environmental conditions. Again, if you're in East France, if you're on Lake Placid, if you're at IRONMAN Texas, if you're in Florida, if you're in Cozumel. So it's really going to dependent upon the race, the athlete, but make sure it's going to be a win-win for that person.

Andrew Harley: Great answer, Kurt. And this next question is -- it's not on our planned run sheet, so throwing you a little bit of a curveball, and we'll see what you say, here, in the moment. I always like to shoot questions to our coach in advance, but got to keep you guys on your toes, too. In this conversation, thinking of what to say to an athlete who is new to this distance – obviously, in the wisdom that you share today, our experienced IRONMAN athletes will for sure learn some things. I've done an IRONMAN. I've done a lot of triathlon. I learned the tip already, from you, to set my watch to beep at me every 500 yards on the swim. Never considered that before. I can see that being helpful at the olympic distance, the half distance, and the full distance. I love that. I've already learned something. But thinking of our -- we're really trying to tailor our tips today for somebody who's new to this distance, because it is intimidating. You are thinking through all the logistics, all the race day strategy, the nutrition. You're thinking about all this stuff for the first time. You're approaching this long day, this intimidating thing, this intimidating challenge for the first time. So when you work with an athlete who is doing their first IRONMAN versus working with an athlete who is new to the distance, do you find yourself doing anything different with that athlete or not, knowing it's their first time?

Kurt Madden: If we start with a person that is just brand-new to the sport, I think, again, we use this term quite a bit in our Pool School, that we really need to -- if someone tells you I want to run a marathon, that is awesome. That's your North Star. But we want to do some scaffolding. We want to definitely do some build ups to train, test, assess, and then go to that next level. So if we did the backward mapping, if someone says, “Hey, I've never done an IRONMAN. I want to go ahead and do one. I'm brand-new to this sport,” I would say, “Hey, that's outstanding.” That might be a long-term goal, depending upon where they are with their fitness. So let's start off with either a sprint, an olympic. In fact, maybe let's do two or three. What have we learned there? Let's recalibrate. And if someone's not working with a coach, they can always check with their loved ones. I think that they're going to be very candid. From there, let’s take that next step up to a 70.3. Why? I think any athlete needs to get some reps in before they throw the Hail Mary at the full. And I've learned, repeatedly, the athlete that takes that approach, when they get to the big dance of a full IRONMAN, no matter where it is in the world, they are going to be much more successful. So they're at a little bit of a disadvantage, because what I've learned as I've done this -- and I'm really still a student every single day to the sport -- what I've come up with, kind of a hypothesis to be very proficient at an IRONMAN distance, you need to do about 16. So now, you're going to go, okay, this is my maiden voyage. Boy, I've got a lot to learn in my first one. So that would be for someone that has never, or brand-new to the sport. Conversely, someone that has played around and they've had some success at a sprint, or an olympic, or 70.3, they know a little bit more. But what I find, is when you go to the full, the number one thing, I think, that is a limiting factor for any athlete, is something called your emotional intelligence. In other words, you can't be impulsive when you're doing a full. Andrew, go back to -- I remember I was there with you, Andrew, when you did your full.

Andrew Harley: You were.

Kurt Madden: You can't be impulsive. You can't go off the rails in the first 20 minutes or the first hour. You need to kind of wait it out. So I think for that athlete, they have a good solid foundation, but we find, exponentially, just like running a half marathon, “How'd you feel?” “I was pretty gassed.” “Do you think you could run a full?” “I don't think I could run a full marathon right now.” Well, the 70.3 to the full is very, very similar to that. So it can be done, but again, there's so much more to it than like, hey, I'll just sign up and go for it.

Andrew Harley: Absolutely. And again, today's tips, I'm excited to get into them. You have brought eight things that you want to say to the first time IRONMAN triathlete. I withheld from doing this distance for a long time. I actually told myself I would never do this distance, that I would just cap it at 70.3. I thought the 70.3 was a lot of fun and that was plenty long for me. I've said this in the podcast before, I read Mike Riley's book on a plane flight, his Find Your Finish Line book, and that was the thing that got me, like, man, I need to try an IRONMAN, to his credit. I got home from that trip and started looking into it, and that's when I found TriDot, that's when I found what race I was going to do and really got neck-deep into the sport. But anyway, there's a lot to this distance, and so I'm excited to see what we can learn from Coach Kurt for our folks thinking about tackling your very first one. So, Coach Kurt, what is your first tip for somebody who is racing their very first 140.6?

Kurt Madden: All right. And it's going to be tough to get all eight -- I mean, to squeeze it in just to eight. Because I think, Andrew, in my mind, the more I did this, I was down to like 80. I said, “No, Andrew won't be happy. I've got to shave it down just to eight.” So these are overarching, but I tried to be very strategic on the first two. From there, it all falls into a mixer of just a little ecosystem, there. So I've learned, time and time again myself, and from everyone I work with and other coaches, I think the most important thing, before you fully commit to your first IRONMAN, share your thoughts relative to this journey with your family, your companion, and your spouse. And I think in doing that, it's going to give you some peace of mind. And I think it's very important to be super transparent about your ‘why’. In other words, what is my mission through my actions, my beliefs, everything that I'm going to do, and be very realistic about sacrifices that are going to be made. It's kind of like I'm going to go to law school for six months, or I'm going to take this big exam for six months. You're going to have to really commit to that. So that's the first thing. The other thing I've seen though, too, when you start to look at everything, is that when you look at this commitment, this journey, the return on your investment -- and I go back to my first one, and I thought -- and Bob Babbitt, a close friend of mine, still tells this story -- I thought that I was just like you, Andrew. I'm one and done. Little did I realize, the party had just started, and now I'm still hanging out years later. But I think what's going to happen is when you really look at all the positive things, the wins that come out of that, it's going to teach you a lot about you. It's going to teach you a lot about your grit, your tenacity. Not just on this day, and not just for training, but when it's all done. Something about a full IRONMAN changes a person. I see it time and time again. They seem more confident, more competent. They've got a little bit more grit. They're a little bit more sticky on those long tasks. They persevere. At TriDot we've got our core values, and I think once you get one done, I think that's one thing that I see. The other thing, too, as you're looking at your very first race, really make it a win-win. And Andrew, you do this very, very well, so shout out to you – meaning, is it or is it about we? It should always be ‘we’, because you know what, when things get really bad, you want that other person or your team around you. And I think if you can pick a location that has some appeal, figure that into the budget, that is good for you, and it's good for the group, or the family members, and if they can help out with volunteering, get involved in events, if you've got little kids or whoever it is, just fantastic. But then we're going to have some fun things for all of you to do. The last thing, it's more about transparency. You've got to look and be very realistic about your time, your money, and your resources. And it's like remodeling the kitchen or maybe making a nursery for a new addition to the family. Add about another 20% to everything to make sure you've got a little bit of a cushion, because it's going to be an investment. But if you look at that chunk, you've got to think through the long term, that years and years and years down the line, that money, that commitment, will come back to you again, and again, and again, and again.

Andrew Harley: Yeah. I love everything you said there, Kurt. And I'm thinking, too, when you go challenge yourself at this distance, I mean, you're going to swim 2.4 miles, you're going to bike 112 miles, you're going to run a marathon back-to-back-to-back, on the clock, with time cutoffs. There's training hours involved in that, there's equipment purchases involved in that. It is both physically and mentally a challenging feat. You can't just kind of want to do it. You need to really want to do it. And getting your family on board, making sure your ‘why’ is super solid. That's just what I kept thinking of as you were talking, is just make sure you want to do this distance, because it's months of getting ready for this. It is hours in the saddle. It is hours in your running shoes. It is hours in the pool. Make sure you want it, so you can do it, go through everything that Coach Kurt just said. Great first tip to lay the foundations for this conversation. What is your tip number two for somebody who is brand-new to the 140.6 distance triathlon?

Kurt Madden: Right. And I gave this a lot of thought. I firmly believe the first step is the most critical one, is get your house in order in a good way, and once you get the thumbs up, then you're good to go. If it's a little shaky from the start, you might want to hold back a little bit. That's not a good sign, because it's only going to get more challenging. The second one I thought quite a bit about. And Andrew, I go back to back in the day, when we were just pioneers. We were just out there, just swim, bike, and run 7 days a week. And I think the most important thing is to do two things. You want to use the best vetted platform, the gold standard that you can find. And I think I know what it is. It's called TriDot. In addition to that, to enhance it even further, you want to really do your due diligence to get a vetted coach who knows that platform very well and is a good fit for you. I say that, because as I was thinking about this question, it would be like, if I didn't have that, Andrew, I live in San Diego, you live in Texas. If I didn't have that, I know where east is. I'll just get in my car and just start going. I'm going to have some challenges. Oh wait, you're not using an app, you're not using Google. You don't have things planned out. You don't have like, oh, you're going to go solo? Oh no, you might have somebody with you. You are going to get tired. It's a long way to get to Texas. So my point is, is that when you look at just our platform, it is going to be very specific, individualized, and optimize everything that you can do to make sure that you're doing the training right, especially when you look at a commitment, say, as you leave the development phase into your training, your pre-race, you look at about 16 weeks, it's kind of a no brainer, because it's going to keep you off the rails, if you can afford it and it's in the budget. And I always think about people that just go the DIY, do it yourself, no platform, no coach, and they DNF in the swim. And that's just fatal. That's really, really hard. But I think if you look at the platform, that you're in the ballpark, give or take, 12 to 14 hours a week, I think you can have a great deal of success on that commitment. But the real thing with the coach is they can really help you with everything else, because the platform has limitations. But when you look at goal setting, you look at the mental aspect, you look at the touch points, you look at the emotional support, you look at the accountability, again, it's a no brainer. And I think it's of great value to do that. I know, even in my position, as I run our mastermind sessions, there's a lot of reverse mentoring that goes on in all those sessions. I'm learning from other coaches. But I think in doing that, in this day and age, you have to ask yourself, why wouldn't I? Because as I pose that question to people, they have shared with me the platform with the coach will increase your performance by over 30%. So you've got to look at that. That means during your preparation and on race day. So it's a great investment of your time, of your money. And I don't think, if you have the right person, you will not regret that. So that's what I would share.

Andrew Harley: Yeah, I started, I got on TriDot, I found TriDot, because I had done my first 70.3, I was looking at doing some more 70.3s, and I knew, okay, I want to get better at this, and I can't do that without something smarter guiding my training. And stumbled upon TriDot, got plugged in, absolutely loved it. And here I am, on the podcast. And I wish I had started using TriDot well earlier in my journey, because I, Kurt, for a long time, I just thought, “Oh, I'm just an average guy who does decent at the local sprints and olympics. I don't need to be paying for training. I don't need to be training in a certain way. I'm not good enough for that.” And now, I know I would have been enjoying the sport more, I would have been performing better. My training hours would have been way more productive. I could train less and feel injured less because I'm training smarter. I had four or five years of my journey that could have gone way smoother, had I had that guidance from day one. So if you're listening in, and you're toying with a thought of a full distance IRONMAN, but you're not there yet, TriDot training is absolutely for you, too. I wish I had hopped on the bandwagon well earlier in my triathlon journey. And when I think of getting a coach for a full distance, Kurt, I wonder how many athletes do cross that IRONMAN finish line without a coach, and they cross that finish line battered, bruised with things that had gone wrong. Or, I wonder how many show up to race day, and they've logged a lot of training hours on their own, without the guidance of a coach or without the guidance of TriDot, and physically, they can finish the race, but they don't, because they might, like you said, maybe they don't make the swim cut off, or maybe they have a mechanical on the bike they don't know how to deal with, because they haven't worked with a coach who can help them troubleshoot those kinds of things. Maybe they under-fuel, because sure, they did the training, but they haven't had anybody teach them how to fuel for a day like this. So there's so much to doing an IRONMAN, and if you're going to spend the hours to get the fitness, and you're going to spend the hours hoping to reach that finish line, we absolutely endorse training with TriDot, and if you can afford it, training with TriDot underneath the guidance of a coach. I could cosign, cosign, cosign everything Kurt just said on that. Coach Kurt, what is your third tip you would like to share to an athlete who was about to do their first full distance IRONMAN?

Kurt Madden: All right, so let's back up for a second. We got the thumbs up at home. We're good to go. Second step, we know the platform. The coach is an option -- or a consultant, call it whatever you want, but you definitely need a sounding board, because you have a lot of think time, and that's important to have that person there. Number three, for your first maiden voyage, I've learned this repeatedly, pick a course and a location that is aligned to your strengths and your budget. I'll give you a couple of examples. If you're a person that doesn't do well in the heat, then probably you're going to try to pick a race that is somewhere, generally speaking, a little bit cooler. The reason why is that you're really going to pay the piper on race day. You're probably not going to be successful. Maybe your training isn't aligned to this race, because you don't want to suffer for, say, 3 months, or 6 months, or 9 months. So I'll give you an example. If you're a person -- I'll use Lake Placid. If you're a person that you're fairly good in a lake-type setting, that 2.4 miles, hey, that would be fantastic. On the bike, I can, a person, you know, again, you can assess. I can climb pretty well, and I can descend pretty well. So getting a little change in there, that would be okay. Plus, Lake Placid, typically, is a little bit cooler. And then the run course kind of rolls a little bit. If your strengths line up for that, and all of a sudden, you say, wait a minute, you know, it's going to be affordable. I've looked at housing. I've never been to this area. It falls right into the win for everybody, because then you can capture to get there 5 days before the race, check out the course, do the race, spend another 5 days hanging out in that community. I think that is much, much better versus well, you know, I went out with some friends last night. We had a few beverages, and Cozumel sounded great in the moment, because we were eating all this Mexican food, so we're going to go do Cozumel. What do you think? And then you're asking for forgiveness. Wait a minute. Hold on. That probably wasn't the best race, because last time I checked, you live in Canada, and you're in Cozumel that's in November. Doesn't it snow? Like Vanessa, we could check with Vanessa. I think it gets in the—

Andrew Harley: Going from the snow to the heat.

Kurt Madden: I don't think we, yeah, that was a mess. The outfit doesn't match. We've got to switch that thing out. So I think that is very important. The other thing, too, is the time of the year, because a person, that could be a blind spot. Some people might say, “Well, God, New Zealand. How cool is that?” When is that? Oh, that's in March. Backward mapping. “Oh, wait a minute, there's Thanksgiving. Oh wait, there's Christmas. Oh wait a minute, there's New Year's. Wow, I've got to juggle all that stuff and try to really peak for New Zealand? We might want to settle.” So have plan A, have plan B, have plan C, plus where you live, depending upon the weather, or you've got a big work commitment, or a family vacation, and it falls right in. Look at a multi-year perspective. That way you have plan A, plan B and plan C.

Andrew Harley: And I love you, just briefly, there at the end, mentioning family life schedule, in terms of your training. For our household, my wife is a public accountant who works for PwC. She does corporate taxes. The busy time of year for her, in corporate tax, is September, October, November. And so if I schedule a fall IRONMAN, I certainly can, but she's not going to be as much part of it if I do that. Or, now that we have a kiddo, that's off the table, because I'm doing more with the kiddo, and she's not. So we have a lot more flexibility in our travel, and our trips, and where we race, and what we do if I do a spring 70.3 or a spring IRONMAN. So when I do a fall race, that's great, but it has to be close to home. If we want to travel somewhere exciting, or travel somewhere different, it needs to be in the spring, just because of the work schedule. So thinking of all those things, Kurt, is so key to setting yourself up for success, your training up for success, making sure your training aligns with your race goals. Yeah, absolutely love that as tip number three. Kurt Madden, what is Coach Kurt's fourth tip for somebody thinking about doing their first full distance IRONMAN?

Kurt Madden: All right, so we've got three of them down. This next one is just as important of all of them, and that's why now it's hard to prioritize. And Andrew, you've talked about this, but I really want to reinforce it for a person just starting off -- purchase gear that is appropriate for you, your budget, and think about your goals and your objectives, because we all know this, in this day and age of social media, your eyes can get gigantic. And a flashy new, brand-new wetsuit, and a flashy bike with all the stuff in the cockpit, a good looking kit on, you're like, woah, that's exactly what I need. And then I've got to get these carbon-plated shoes. So you're looking at all that stuff and going, wait a minute, I need to go back to step number one, because that wasn't quite shared as we plan this out about the journey, and the budget, and things like that. So my point is this. Make sure that the gear that you're going to use is functional for you. So I'll break it down and keep it real simple. If this is your very first IRONMAN and you're doing a lot of swimming, your bestie is just going to be a good pair of goggles. You don't need to do any more than that. Just goggles where you can see all the time. A wristwatch is also a added bonus, because then you're keeping track of swimming in the pool, and then if you go on open water, you can set that and do that every 500 yards, you're going to get that. So really comfortable swimsuit, you have your goggles, you have that, and then a place where you can swim. So you can check that box. Now, generally speaking, I would say in 75% of the races, you are going to need to wear a wetsuit, because the water is cooler. On the wetsuit, again, you can get something very functional for probably right around $300 to $350. And if you want to go to the very top of the food chain, you can do that and spend four figures. For a brand-new person in their first one, please don't spend that much money. The other thing is a used wetsuit, that's kind of touch and go. If you find one that works for you, the right size -- I know that I had a snafu in Marbella. I had worn a wetsuit one time, but I couldn't get my luggage for four days, so I bought a brand-new wetsuit. That wetsuit that I wore one time, I sold it for someone for half the price, and they're like, “Are you serious? You wore it once and you're going to sell?” I said, “Hey, definitely use that.” So they saved a lot of money. So a functional wetsuit that fits you. And it's going to fit you on race day, because they don't shrink, but if you go through the holidays, you haven't put it on a while, of a sudden, it's like, “Wait a minute, what happened here? I can't quite get it on.” So make sure it fits comfortably. Now, we go to the bike. The most important thing on the bike is this. Whatever bike you're choosing, a road bike and/or a tri bike, it could be used, I don't think you have to get something brand new, because there is a plethora of bikes that people want to get rid of. Most people that have done this sport, they have more than one bike. And I'm not going to include any names on that, but I know a few people. I have friends that the bike fit is the most important thing. And I'll say that for just a reason that I just encountered at the Oceanside event. I went to Michielle Jones, MJ's bike fitter in San Diego. My wattage was the same last year as this year, but I did a new bike fit on a new bike with a nice cockpit. My wattage was the same. That bike fit right there, I biked 15 minutes faster at that event. So if you multiply that, if you multiply that into a full, that could be up to 30 minutes. So the bike fit is going to be key. A bike that is going to definitely work with you. And then you go to your run.

Andrew Harley: Now you have me wanting to drive out your way to go visit Michielle Jones’ bike fitter.

Kurt Madden: And he's coming up on our, we're going to have our ESCI monthly call, and he's going to be on there. But a bike fitter, a reputable bike fitter is going to be really good. And also, if you buy a used bike, there's a little bit of a trust factor, but hopefully, you have no damage on the frame and also on the wheels. But I think you can get a decent bike for a couple thousand dollars. It's going to work for you. If you look at Lucy Charles, Taylor Knibb, you look at Kristian Blummenfelt, don't think you need to go there. The most important thing is the jockey or the motor that's on that bike. That's going to really make the difference, so just know that. Now, the last is running. The most important thing is I would definitely purchase two pairs of shoes, and I would make sure I'm switching my shoes out. As I work with coaches and athletes, it scares me when I pose the question, “So tell me about your running shoes?” “Well, I've had them for a year. They don't look like they're worn out.” I would say, on the average, if you're running on a regular basis, about every 3 months, I would really look at those shoes to say, you know what, do that and switch up. Because why? It's injury prevention and things like that. But the takeaway from this last tip, Andrew, is this. If you take care of your gear, it will take care of you.

Andrew Harley: Yep, absolutely true. When I stepped up from 70.3 to 140.6, there were so many pieces of gear that I re-examined. Like, oh, I've loved this for short course and for half, but will this pair of race shoes work for a full marathon? Will this helmet, that is pretty hot and not very airy, be comfortable for 6 hours on the bike instead of 3 hours on the bike? Is my bike saddle going to keep my butt happy for 6 hours instead of 3 hours? And there were some things that stayed the same for my setup, and there's some things that I changed. I upgraded my arm cups, my elbow cups. I gave myself more surface area to lay on. I made sure my bike fitter redid my bike fit to go up to the next distance, and he made it a little less aggressive, going to a longer distance. I raced in my carbon-plated run shoes. When I do a half IRONMAN, I run the whole time, and those make sense. I walked more than I care to admit on that full distance IRONMAN, and I probably could have been in shoes that were not those carbon-plated run shoes, and I would have been more comfortable. So yeah, really key thing, here. Make sure you have the essentials, and make sure they make sense for you for the full distance. Love this. Coach Kurt, what is your fifth tip for somebody taking on their very first IRONMAN distance race?

Kurt Madden: All right. And this won't be a surprise, but I just see it, I hear it, I smell it, I taste it, and I value it. When a person does a full IRONMAN, they're doing it, on race day, as an individual along with, I'll say, 2,000 other individuals. But let's be very candid. If you're going to go far, you need the team. If you want to go fast, go alone, but you're probably going to crash and burn. Meaning that you've got to look at your strategic network. You've got to say, okay, wait a minute. I need my family, I need my friends. They're going to be there for me when I have a rough day, either training or maybe on race day. It’s so nice when you come home, and your spouse says, “You know what? I still love you.” That means a lot. Versus if you're going solo and you don't have a team around you, it's not very good. So your friends, your family, and again, the beauty of TriDot, we've got a large community, and everyone's rah, rah, rah. So just know that. The other thing, no surprise, but it goes back to your equipment. I've learned this time and time again, your bestie is going to be your bike mechanic.

Andrew Harley: Yeah.

Kurt Madden: It's like, you're going to ride this horse, and you want someone that's going to be with that horse, making sure it's fed, washed, groomed, saddled up, everything is good to go, because a good bike mechanic are worth their weight in gold. Trying to pay them a little bit extra, I've learned, just it's dividends. Because when you have peace of mind on the bike versus wait a minute, I'm traveling, I'm trying to put this bike together, something's not right. It's going to be hell, because you're on the bike for a long period of time. So your bike mechanic. The other people too, that I am as fortunate to work with, no surprise, but it goes into your team. Think of reputable, if you can, a person or schedule your massages on a regular basis. Why? You're really doing 12, to 14, to 16 hours, and an occasional massage, a little spa day is good. I see an acupuncturist. The beauty of that, she sees things in me that I don't see. The blind spots. She can take my pulse, do this, do that. She'll tell me more than I want to know. I know I don't need to go to church on Sunday twice, because I've already gone to confession with her. And then I see a chiropractor on top of that, and I do it in a proactive manner. And then for a lot of people, they see a physical therapist. But I think in doing that, you've got multiple eyes on you. And I think if you stretch that out and do it right, you can stretch those dollars. The other thing, too, is that I think that a training partner or some other people, especially for, in all due respect, for our females. I never, as I coach for a female to go out solo on a long bike ride, I don't, no matter where you are, I just don't think that is a very smart choice. So you've got to have a training partner, someone that can hang with you for most of the time. And I think in doing that, when you have your team, it's going to get you to a better place. So when you're there on race day, you can check all those boxes and be ready to go.

Andrew Harley: I don't think we realize it as much when we're watching coverage of the pros, or we're watching on social media as our friends, and training partners, and buddies are taking on all these races. I don't see as much, in triathlon, of commentators and pros talking about their team, mentioning their team. After they win a race, or do well, or hit a podium, they might mention their coach, they might mention one person. But there is, they might mention their spouse, but there is definitely 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 people that are partially responsible for that person crossing the finish line. And I think there's sports like golf, there's sports like tennis, that are also individual sports, where I think you see the team being more publicly acknowledged when a player does well. It is so vital in triathlon, even at the age group level, when you're taking on this thing. I don't think about my bike mechanic until I'm going 35, 40 miles an hour down a hill. And that's when I'm like, “Who serviced this last? It better not have been me. It better have been somebody more knowledgeable than me.” And I use the same person every single time. I trust him. He does a great job. Anyway, I love this shoutout. It goes so much -- it helps with the training, helps support the training, helps support the race day when you're on top of your nutrition, you're on top of how your body feels, you're on top of how your equipment is working as you head in the race day. Coach Kurt, what is your sixth tip for an athlete who's taking on their very first 140.6?

Kurt Madden: All right. And this one came, again, to the surface. For a lot of people, this might be a blind spot. And I've had this before, but the more I do this, the more I'm like, “What were you actually thinking? That was not good.” So it's really, as you look at your training plan, think of a coin. We're going to flip it over. You've got your training, but as you flip it over, it's called your recovery plan. And I think a good recovery plan balances things out, because a lot of people, like, “Okay, I've done the training, but I just, I'm losing a little bit of my spock. I'm unmotivated. I'm in a plateau. I just, I don't think I can get up for this.” The question that I tend to probe a little bit on, with anyone, is like, let's talk about your recovery. So you're traveling a lot with your work, you're swimming for an hour, you're driving to work, you're working all day, you're on your feet, you're bouncing around, you're picking the kids up, you're getting up at 7 o' clock at night, you're getting a quick dinner, and then you're staying up for three hours doing things you probably don't need to do, so you're burning the candle at both ends. So think about building in your training time, but also your recovery time. And I think when you do it smart, you don't have to go to an extreme. But I would say, generally speaking, if I really just did it and mapped it out, I would say 3 to 5 hours per week minimum. And that could be a combination of I'm going to sleep an extra half an hour every night. I'm going to try to hit the rack by 9 o' clock or 9:30. So a little extra sleep is going to help out. When you look at your strength training, you look at your mobility, you look at yoga, you look at all the things that you can do to make sure you're taking care of yourself. That is key right there. The third area is, I'm going to call it meal prep. I think a lot of people are busy, they're eating on the go. But I think as you're going to be preparing for your first IRONMAN, if your skill set is not strong in the kitchen, it's not rocket science. Do some meal prep on the weekends. Why? Because when you look at your recovery, and you can grab high quality food that's right there and you prepared it -- good amounts of protein. Try to go with a gram per pound of body fat. You need your carbs, you need your fats. Doing that, and when you can just pretty much get it anywhere, is going to be really, really key. And I think the other thing a lot of people, especially as it gets warmer, is hydration with electrolytes. I know when I see the acupuncturist, the biggest thing they say, “You're chronically dehydrated.” Well, why is that? Well, I'm training 16 to 18 hours a week, I'm doing hot yoga, I'm doing all that stuff. So making sure you're hydrated, and that's going to prevent any chance of injury and things like that. I'm a firm believer -- I love my compression boots. They're also very nice at nighttime, because it's like a baby, Andrew, that after 20 minutes, Queen K is like, oh, you're sleeping again. The compression boots sit back, recline, a little self-massage, easy walking. But those are all things if an athlete is really being intentional on recovery and they're doing their training, they're going to be a step up from other people that just are kind of winging it, “Hey, it sounds good. Let's do a 5-hour bike ride. I'm not sure about the run off the bike. We'll swim on Wednesday” -- kind of just randomly versus it's very systematic.

Andrew Harley: It's so funny how just the different recovery products are different for everybody. I’m like you, I love the boots. I have a massage gun as well, and there's some muscle groups I really like it on, there's some muscle groups that I don't like it on. My wife, Kurt, I had her put my recovery boots on one time, like right after I just got them, to see what she thought. She's somebody who can get claustrophobic. She doesn't like roller coasters, because she feels claustrophobic in them. So I got them on her legs, and I turned them on, and they started inflating, and she was like, “Nope, nope, nope. Get me out of these. Get me out of these.” And we got her out. We got her out okay, and she never put them on since. But great reminders. I mean, all these areas that you're mentioning here, you're grouping nutrition, recovery, and hydration all together. And these are areas that are so easily overlooked by experienced triathletes and newer triathletes. It's so easy to overlook these areas. And we talk so much about fueling and hydrating for race day. We can overlook that for our training. Your training goes so much better when you're fueled properly and you're hydrated properly for your training. It's amazing. I definitely skimp out on the recovery steps. The taking care of my body. That's the first thing to go when Andrew's week gets hectic, I freely admit it. And that's where I love what Dr. B.J. Leeper, our friend who comes on the podcast, he's on the TriDot staff. BJ always talks about how this doesn't have to be hours, and hours, and hours, and hours of work. And you said it yourself, trying to get 3 to 5 hours, or 5 to 7 hours per week. I think you said 3 to 5. BJ's thing is like, you can do so much for your body with 15 to 20 minutes of consistent work per day. And that adds up to 3-ish hours per week. And I think I approach it as, oh, well, I don't have time for an hour long stretch and strength session, so I'm not going to do it. Well, you know what, I should just do the 20 minutes if I have 20 minutes. And so for anybody listening, this is so key for supporting your body, supporting your energy levels, supporting your training. Rest properly, recover properly, fuel properly. Yeah, it'll go a long way. That's why Kurt has it on the list. Coach Kurt, two to go. What is your seventh tip for somebody who is new to the IRONMAN distance?

Kurt Madden: All right. This one might be a real surprise for our listeners, but I see it again, and again and again, and again. Make sure that you do your very best to get in open water swims.

Andrew Harley: Yeah.

Kurt Madden: And complete your race rehearsals. So I'll give you a few different examples why. Someone could be a superb swimmer, and boy, you get them in a pool and they're just clicking it off. Bam, bam, bam, bam. They can do hundreds, they can do ladders, they can do their critical swim speed, they're crushing it. That same athlete, we put them in open water, it's like the whole personality changes. You can just sense the body language. A little bit of confidence isn't there. And it's like, oh my gosh, I don't live near open water, and all of a sudden, I'm here. And you can pick the venue. If it's Kona, if it's Nice, France, down in Cozumel. I mean, you can go to IRONMAN Florida. You can name your race. Lake Placid. Pick anywhere there's going to be a full. It's all of a sudden, oh my gosh, I didn't schedule the finish, meaning, I didn't schedule these open water swims. I probably would have been a lot better off. Because I know for sure, when you start doing it on a regular basis, if you can -- in a group setting, safety always comes first -- I know with our coaches in our Mastermind classes, this is a very hot topic, is you got to get in those open water swims. I would say, generally speaking, depending upon where you live and everything else, I would try to get in at least 5 to 6 open water swims, and try to swim Zone 2 for at least 30 to 40 minutes. Just continue this mentally, and you want to get used to, “I can't see the lane line. I can't see the bottom, the black line on the bottom of the pool.” You are absolutely -- I've got a sight a little bit, or it's a little bit bumpy, and going out there when it's a little bit choppy -- not a victory at sea, but that's going to be good for you. That's really going to prepare you, and I know that's going to build your confidence, your competence, and really help you close those gaps. The other thing that I'll talk about -- and then also know that, typically, with our race rehearsals you're going to bike almost the full IRONMAN distance, and then do a 40-minute run off the bike. However, I think doing a little bit of adapting, always do some race rehearsals for your swims, too. I think it's important for a full. I challenge my athletes to do at least two or three 3000-yard, even if it's in a pool, non-stop. It's got to be continuous. Now, the race rehearsals, we know the value of those. It is important to get two of those done, and they're scheduled two weeks before your race, 4 weeks, if you can, even build in a third one, that's not going to be a bad thing at all. But act as if it's going to be a race. So you're going to fuel up, you're going to carbo-load. Try to wear the exact same thing. We talked a little about the gear. Your kit is going to be your bestie, or it's going to be you're, just your worst enemy. “God, I'm getting chafed. I've got this seam.” So get those things work out in your race rehearsal. Ideally, your race rehearsal, if you can, do it outside. And I think that's going to simulate the actual course. And then practice your nutrition, take copious notes on that. Try to stay in that high Zone 2, Z 3. But mentally, that is a game and a half, to go for, say, on the average, 6 to 7 hours. You'll question yourself repeatedly. “Why am I doing this? I could go shopping. That's another form of cardio. I could hang out with my wife. I could hang out with my friends. I can do other things.” But you've got to commit to get those in, and I think those will be opportunities for things to go wrong. And then that 40, at least a 40-minute run off the bike. If you're feeling like you can go a little bit longer, I would push that out to 50 minutes or an hour. But I know that my wife, Queen Kay, she had shoulder replacement surgery 2 weeks ago. I had a race rehearsal. That was a collision course, right there. I can't leave. Andrew, I was on a trainer for 5 hours and 45 minutes. However, I needed to get off that trainer at least every hour and check on her. She was 15 feet away from me. That was a very long day in the saddle. I think I went through 3 kits because they were so salted and soaked. A couple pairs of socks. I rinsed off one time, halfway. I did all the towels, and she was there to tell me, “Are you almost done?” “Yes, I am almost done.” I felt so good to start a run at 6 o' clock at night. But I want to tell you, when you've been on a bike for 5 hours and 45 minutes and you start to run, you don't kind of run. It's like, I feel I could not pass a DUI right now. I feel a little bit wobbly, I feel a little bit intoxicated. But you know what, after 10 minutes, wow, this is really huge. But checking that box, fueling up right after those race rehearsals, and I think if you're using our platform, looking at the RaceX, that's one thing, you should face that reality. I think I'm close now. But going into a full IRONMAN with no race rehearsals and no open water swims, you are at a major disadvantage.

Andrew Harley: Yep. Definitely get yourself out in the elements. If the elements can be similar-ish to race day, all the better. My race rehearsal workouts, Kurt, for my halves and my full, have been absolutely crucial. And TriDot always gives you two, like you said. You'll get one, usually, 4 weeks out and 2 weeks out from race day. I have never had race rehearsal number one go perfectly. There's always been something, whether it's in the timing of my nutrition, or whether it's in me realizing I'm not happy with this piece of gear or this piece of clothing past hour three. There's always something in number one that I change for number two -- usually a couple things that I change. Sometimes it's pacing. Sometimes it's I'm looking at my RaceX pacing projection, and I'm trying to hit those numbers on race rehearsal number one, and I'm realizing I've got a little bit of room to go a little harder or a little softer. And then I dial it in for race rehearsal number two, and then boom, my race plan is set, because I practiced it. But yeah, those are crucial workouts, and I love you calling attention to them, particularly trying to get our athletes outside for those, because you're going to be outside on race day, and it's just a little bit different than being inside, that's for sure. Coach Kurt, coming to the finish line here, what is your tip number eight for racing your very first 140.6 triathlon?

Kurt Madden: Boy, it saddens me that we're at the end, here. But I did a little bit of foreshadowing in the beginning about emotional intelligence. And I know for sure, as I study athletes, I work with other coaches, myself in the arena, know the value of mindset and the mental game. And what that means is on race day, for a full IRONMAN, do your very best to stay present, to tell yourself, hey, this is all about learning and growing. You need a lot of positive self-talk, chipping away. I think that's really, really important. The other thing is that as you look at it -- I'll just put a number out there. Let's say you're going to race your first IRONMAN 14 hours. You've got to find joy in the journey. That means even when you hit the dark spots. I want you to hang on to those, because those will come back to you in life. You've got to work through those tough spots, and I think that's important. Also know, too, that mentally, there's times when you have to associate on the task at hand. Like, I am swimming, and I've got to focus on exhaling and just let my body work. There's other times, though, where you have to disassociate. And that means mentally, you're going to let your mind wander to a happy place that brings you joy and happiness, and you're getting very distracted. Otherwise, if you're on the bike and you're looking at your bike computer, and every three seconds you see your power juggling around, I think I would have to check myself in, after the bike, to say, “I think I just lost my mind,” and you just got to really toggle back and forth. Also know, too, that in this journey of a full IRONMAN, always have a bounce-back plan. For example, if your goggles come off, your goggles came off. And guess what? You have two choices. You can stop or go. I want you to go the very best you can. On the bike, if you get a flat tire, that's going to be okay. You have to work through that. But again, it goes back to your practice and preparation. On the run, if you get a cramp, if you start to get chafed, that's all part of doing it, because I've learned things are going to change. Also know that, too, in a full IRONMAN, different than a 70.3, is physiologically, if you're in the ballpark of 6 or 7 hours, that's good. But there's something, and Andrew, you can remember this, there's something that happens after eight hours. It's like your pain threshold elevates. And I always remember this, as Andrew always coaches me up, he says, “You know, at mile 16, it doesn't matter. You're not going to feel -- it doesn't hurt anymore.” And you know, Andrew, I actually use that, and people kind of laugh. They're going, “Where'd you get that from?” I said, “I got that from Andrew.” Because you know what, it's actually true. When you get to mile 16 -- and I play scenarios with athletes and coaches, what if you had a bad blister? Would you stop? Heck no. Why not? I've come this far. So know that the real race is going to start at mile 16. Enjoy those last eight miles. But I think in doing that, when you hit that carpet, there's just something about it. It just -- you get emotional, you get worked up, and then you can say you are an IRONMAN. But that first one, you're always going to remember, kind of like your first child.

[Transition Sound Effect]

Andrew Harley: On to the cool down of today's show, where Coach Kurt is going to answer one question from our audience. And actually, this is a good one for today, Kurt, because we've actually talked about this a little bit, and your reminder to try to get out outside on some of our workouts. But we have an athlete, Fernando, who posted the question, “Is anyone having issues where their zones calculated by your FTP tests feel easier than they should when you go outside? I do my FTP test on the trainer indoors, I feel like I give it all I got, but then when I go outside, those outdoor rides just feel too easy.” Coach Kurt, I've seen a couple of different questions like this, where athletes are asking the difference between zones inside feeling different than zones outside, and testing, vice versa, how should I test because of this -- what insight do you have when it comes to what Fernando is expressing, here?

Kurt Madden: Yeah, and Fernando, great question, and I think it's really important. I think, ideally, you'd almost have two FTPs. You'd have an FTP when you're inside on the trainer, and then what's tough about having an outside FTP is that it's hard to find a 15-mile controlled environment, year-round, that it's pretty predictable. It can really, really sway. But I'll give you just my thoughts and perspectives. As we do an indoor FTP, it's a very controlled environment. We are on a flats. We know that the resistance is going to be our gear selection. But let's say if our goal is to hit 150 watts for 20 minutes, we're probably going to stay in a certain cadence, a certain wattage. Heart rate will elevate a little bit for the duration. The last three minutes is not heaven, it's the other place. It's pretty challenging. So you've got a number right there. Now, we're going to flip the switch. If I go back to Oceanside last weekend, that course had 2700ft of vertical climbing over 56 miles. There were three hills. There was one that was 8%, there was one that was 12%, and there was another one that was 8%. Or, Andrew, we often go to Snow Canyon. I know that when you're climbing up Snow Canyon, when you look at just the spinning, if you start with someone that is spinning, if you go from 12 o' clock to say 3 o' clock, when they push down really hard, you're not at a 150 watts anymore. I know, for sure. You might be at 250, and then you're down to 175. On your recovery, you're going to lose a little bit, but you're really putting out a lot more power. So generally speaking, I would say that riding inside, and if you're at 150, you take that same RPE on a hilly course, your wattage could go to 165 or 170. I know to hit Zone 4s, it's always easier to pick a hilly race course -- not race course, but say just a profile that has more hills, and hit that, versus it's much tougher when you're on a flat. So that I think what you're sharing is true, and that's going to be okay, because you're going to be better, well-rounded, if you're outside versus inside all the time.

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