9 Lessons Our Triathlon Coaches Learned At The Races

TriDot Podcast Episode 306

9 Lessons Our Triathlon Coaches Learned at The Races

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Vanessa Ronksley: Welcome to the TriDot Podcast. I am so excited for today's conversation. I am joined by professional triathlete and coach Elizabeth James and biomechanics expert and coach Jeff Raines. The three of us will share the biggest things that we have learned traveling to races for TriDot and helping athletes to succeed on course. It turns out, you learn a lot by watching other athletes go through the motions of doing a race. I'm Vanessa, your average triathlete with elite level enthusiasm. As always, we'll start with our warm-up question, settle into our main set conversation, and then wind things down by having our coaches answer an audience question on the cool down. 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.

Vanessa Ronksley: Jeff and E,J for today's warm-up question, what I want to know is, at the present time, what is your favorite go-to nutrition product for racing? And I specifically want to know about racing, because I know a lot of people will train with food or different products and then practice with race fuel deeper into the session -- deeper into the season. It can get pretty pricey to train with the same thing that you race with, and to be honest, it might get really boring, too. So what is something that you have to have on course while racing? EJ, let's start with you.

Elizabeth James: Awesome. Well, Vanessa, it is so great to be back on a podcast recording with you and Raines. This is just fun reunion. Sitting down for a cup of coffee here, today. For me, this question, my go-to nutrition product for racing would have to be the Precision Fuel & Hydration Flow Gel. And this has been a game changer for me and lifesaver. I mean, all – Jeff’s even got some sitting right next to him. Perfect. Yeah. Gosh, this is so much easier than taking 10 gels and stuffing them into your pocket. And so just to have that in the bottle there and be able to take in all those carbs as you're racing is fantastic. I mean, I've used it in triathlon, but I also like stuck to this religiously for the gravel races I did last year and it was fantastic.

Vanessa Ronksley: You know, this is something that I actually dabbled with on my last long ride. I don't use Precision gels, but I've been using Maurten gels, and they actually sell a little sachet that you can put 5 gels in. And I found the same thing. It was a game changer. Although, I didn't know how much I was consuming, so I think I over consumed carbs in the front half of my ride. But you're right, having the ability to just sip on that as opposed to opening the package, trying to stay in aero when you're on the bike, it was a total game changer. So I agree with you. That is awesome. Jeff, how about you? What's your go-to nutrition product for racing?

Jeff Raines: On race day, it's Precision Fuel, and I've been using the Flow Gel, and you mix your own ratios. I love Precision. I mean, sometimes it's as easy as putting the 90 gram gel in a bottle and shaking it up. But what I love about Precision for race day is you can create your own ratios. They separate the sodium versus the carbs, and then you create your own. And you can do it in gummy form, and gel form, or powder form. So that's what I like. You build your own. But actually, this just came out recently. I'm going to show this.

Vanessa Ronksley: Oh yeah.

Jeff Raines: So The Feed is actually -- they house everybody else's nutrition and sell it. Well, they came out with their own high carb mix. I was intrigued, because it's half, or a third of the price of everyone else out there. You mentioned training with a little bit, maybe something different because it's cheaper. And then closer to race day, switch over to your actual race day stuff. I mean, months and months out, I got my -- I'm yelling at my daughter to make me a PB&J in the other room. But I was intrigued by this high carb mix, because if you look at the ingredients, they're almost exactly the same as Precision and Maurten. There's only 3 or 4 ingredients total. It's a clean, simple glucose and fructose mix. So The Feed came out with their own. I used it for the first time this week on my long run. I felt great. It seems to be exactly the same but a third of the price. So I'm going to start training a little bit more with The Feed’s high carb mix, and then maybe outdoor rides, and closer to race day, switching over to Precision.

Vanessa Ronksley: Awesome. Well, I think we could talk about nutrition products on a whole separate podcast, but for me, this one, I've been using Vitargo for a while now, for racing and for my key training sessions. And I have exclusively used the unflavored version. And then I've put in my own electrolytes to change up the flavor. And I often have used LMNT, and then I've been dabbling with Liquid IV here and there. However, the last time I put in my massive order, because it's very hard to get to Canada, I decided to throw in one of the sample packs that has the flavors in it. And oh my gosh. The grape and the fruit punch are so good. And I was on a long ride, and I was drinking it super fast because it was just so different from what I've had, and it was so delicious. So I think I'm going to be ordering large tubs of those two flavors, and then adding electrolyte tabs for the occasional treat here and there. Because it's nice to change up your nutrition, because those long sessions can get really long. So I appreciate that.

Announcer: Let’s go.

Vanessa Ronksley: Let's get right into the history of TriDot at the races and start off with when and how this part of TriDot actually came to fruition. So which one of you went to the first race on behalf of TriDot? And I think that's how we should decide who answers this first. So was it EJ or was it Raines?

Jeff Raines: Ooo, gosh.

Elizabeth James: I think we're both looking at each other, like which was the first official one? When did you—

Jeff Raines: 2017 or 18, somewhere in there.

Elizabeth James: Oh, no, see, I know back to IRONMAN Texas 2015, it was official. So…

Vanessa Ronksley: Okay. I mean, EJ, you're up then.

Elizabeth James: Okay. And I mean, that one I attended as an athlete, but we did have official At The Races events. But that's why it's so tricky, because, informally, I know both Raines and I were at some Galveston races prior to 2015, where we still had all of the At The Races events, but it wasn't necessarily formalized yet. And so it's been an interesting evolution. Even as we were approaching this episode, I was trying to think back, and I was actually trying to look back and figure out what year did this really begin? And it's just something, like naturally happened. We would always have these online groups where there was great discussion going into the race. We'd get together, we'd have dinner, we'd do some shakeout workouts. We'd celebrate afterwards as well. And it's like, man, when did that really become formalized? And I could remember it back to IRONMAN Texas 2015, and it may have even been prior to that. I just don't know when it was like formally stamped as like this is an At The Races event. So I don't know. It's been going on a long time.

Jeff Raines: I was just going to say I was always in charge of the tent. I've lugged that tent all over the US. I have carried that heavy tent on my shoulder probably 200 miles. And, and so I was the tent guy, and I did not like that job. But that tent has been any and everywhere, at all the races.

Vanessa Ronksley: And now, the tent blew away at Boulder, so that tent doesn't even exist anymore because of that massive windstorm that came through and ripped the tent right apart. And I don't -- did we ever even retrieve the tent topper? I don't even know where it ended up, actually, to be honest.

Jeff Raines: Everybody -- we've had a million TriDot tents throughout the years, but that 8-, 9-year-old tent in Boulder 2024, half-Iron, yes. It bit the dust, and I did not shed a tear. I was happy that that sucker went down. No, I did find it. I found it, and I dumpster-ed it, and I was smiling the whole time.

Vanessa Ronksley: We're going to move into the meat of this episode here, and I want to know about the -- we're going to talk about the biggest things that each of you have learned from being at the races. And I think that it's really important, because we've had such a long history of At The Races, and ultimately, we learn a lot of things from them. So let's just go back and forth between Raines and EJ talking about your biggest takeaways, the things that you've learned. So Raines, let's start with you.

Jeff Raines: Only being able to share three, gosh.

Vanessa Ronksley: I know, limitations.

Jeff Raines: One of mine, down the list, was community. But I'm going to raise it to the top here, number one, and just echo that, the At The Races, the events build community. And I'll just say that some of the best friends that I have, I met 3 days, 2 days before the race. You learn a lot. Having a couple of meals with people, and on the shakeout ride, and the run, and the swim, and you're helping them out, and you're laughing, and you're learning. But more importantly, you're part of their journey now. So attending those At The Races events, they kind of catch you up with the last year of all their ups and downs, and their training, and their ‘why’. I think that's a big one, is At The Races events, you get to know people in the community so well, and you learn their ‘why’, and then you're there with them, and you're at their finish line, and you become part of their journey, part of their family, and you continue those relationships. Well, what's next? What's next year? And so that's the biggest one for me, is those friendships and connections that you make.

Vanessa Ronksley: You know, I just, that, I mean, I'm getting shivers all over, because being at the races, that's exactly what happens. And when you come together in a point of time where there's adversity, and there has to be perseverance, and dedication, and you're going through it together, there's nothing that forms a bond between people than going through it together and being there to support one another through that thing. And I think that's what ultimately creates and cultivates the most meaningful relationships. And I know, even just from the last race that we went to in Eagleman, we met so many people who were not TriDot athletes, and we became a part of their journey, and we were all bawling our eyes out with their families. And we had just -- it was just such a beautiful experience to be a part of that and to share that highly emotional experience of whatever that race day looked like for them. And so I 100% agree with you on that, and I love that community aspect so much. It's what drives me. It's the one, it's the passion that is behind At The Races, I know for you and for everyone that's been a part of it.

Jeff Raines: And just a final note on that, if any listeners out there have been to the shakeout run that I have led throughout the last 10 years, the shakeout run is usually one of the first events, and then we stay and have a dinner. It's usually 3-ish days out from that big event. And so one of the first things I ask is, “Where are you from,” or, “Who traveled the furthest to be here?” But then I say, “Let's just introduce yourself: where you're from, what number IRONMAN is this, and did you overcome anything extra special or unique that you would like to share with everybody?” And just day one, first minute, first event, people are crying, and – “I had a broken leg six months ago, and I was in a wheelchair, and now I'm going to cross the line on my first IRONMAN.” So you dive right into that community and culture, and then that journey, and you see it come to fruition. And by Sunday night, at midnight, it all started on a maybe Thursday, you feel like you've been through so much with those people

Elizabeth James: I think that little part of it just highlights the triathlon community in general, too. I mean, you show up race morning, and you have the announcer saying, “Somebody's goggles just snapped. Does anybody have an extra pair?” You can absolutely guarantee that person is going to have goggles to swim. I mean, same thing. People sharing bike pumps, family members that are running back and forth to get water for somebody that their athlete met two minutes ago. And you just see this whole community coming together so that every person out there can accomplish what they set out to do that day. And it just, oh, it blows me away every single time. I get goosebumps, I get chills anytime we travel to the races, and you just see good humans supporting other humans. And it's just the coolest thing. I love it. I'm so glad that you said that first, Jeff. I mean, community is so key, here.

Vanessa Ronksley: I think so, too. EJ, what is your first takeaway from being at the races?

Elizabeth James: Well, because Jeff stole the top highlight with community, I was trying to think of a practical thing to add in here, too. We've got the good emotional feels now. So here's your practical tip coming at you. Good bike maintenance prior to race weekend can alleviate a lot of stress. I mean, so many of the issues that we have to deal with in the days before the race have to do with some simple bike maintenance. And so go get a tune up before you travel to the race. If your tires are worn out, get those replaced. Know how to change a flat. Know how to put your derailleur back on after you've traveled with it. Remove it for travel, then put it back on. And then also know where you can get help if you have issues like that. I mean, I, for one, am not great at bike maintenance. I know enough to get by. But I remember a race where I was traveling and my derailleur went into crash mode. It never happened to me before. And I'm there on FaceTime with my bike mechanic, walking through, and I'm like, okay, I’m going to get through this. Well, traveling for races for other athletes too, he knows when I'm traveling that he's probably going to get a call. Because I'm like, “Hey, Mason, I've got this athlete here, and can you take a look at their bike?” And so, I mean, just good bike maintenance ahead of time can alleviate stress. And then look for those resources within athlete village or a local bike shop. Make sure your bike is in good working condition once you arrive. And knowing enough to troubleshoot things, or knowing that you don't know enough and need somebody else help is going to help come race day, too.

Vanessa Ronksley: Yes, I highly agree with you, because there are so many bike mechanicals that happen on course and being prepared is just one of those extra things that's going to de-stress your mind just a little bit. Having those contingency plans in place and knowing that you have some form of support in one way or another is amazing. And that is one of the things that I have learned, this is my first takeaway, is that you're doing something that's ridiculously monumental as a triathlon. It doesn't matter if it's your first sprint or if you're gunning for the podium in for age groupers at World Championship events. The thing that is so important is that you require an entire support team. And I don't think there are very many people or triathletes that go to a race without having at least one person that is there with them or for them. And so having a support team is really important, because there are a 1,000 things to remember, and oftentimes, those support people are going to help you to calm down. Calm down, bring a little bit of outsider perspective, help you get the things that you need. Because I don't know about anyone else, but I tend to have multiple freakouts in the days leading up to races, so much so that my support people don't necessarily want to be with me those 3 days before the race. They like to show up after I've had my freakouts, and then I'm a little bit more calm version of myself. But it's really amazing to have people who are there for you. And if you are traveling to a race on your own, and you're a TriDot athlete, or maybe you're not a TriDot athlete, look for the TriDot people, because they're more than willing to bring everyone together to become a part of your journey. And so I think that my first takeaway is that the sport of triathlon is absolutely incredible. It brings people together, and having that support from anyone, even if it's a stranger, it will make your race day go a lot better. So Raines, let's kick this back to you. What is your second takeaway for At The Races?

Jeff Raines: In all the years of At The Races, working and not race -- some of them, I would work and try to race that weekend. But I guess number two of my learnings is that so many athletes, more than you would think, just don't know what they don't know. And they actually have really big deal questions like the day before the race. And sometimes, people know the answers. They're just nervous, and they're asking them anyways. But some are genuine, and there's a statistic in the coaching world that about 85% of the market will not hire a coach, just for whatever reason. There's a number of them. So essentially, I mean, 85% of people out there are training on their own, or learning on their own, or the best that they can, and they think they're fully prepared, but they get on site, and maybe they come to some of our At The Races events, and they're like, “Wow. The tips, and knowledge of this race, and the course, and how to execute, I had no idea. And tell me more, tell me more.” And in anyways, that's mine, is just that there's so many people that don't know what they don't know. And even a full IRONMAN, believe it or not. And you signed up, you're doing an IRONMAN tomorrow and you didn't know that? But they just didn't know. And I'll end with this as a funny story. It was IRONMAN Texas, 2, 3, 4 years ago. I think it was 3 or 4 years ago. And we always work the At The Races events for 3, 4 days, and then we volunteer all day long on course. And so we see everybody, we're in transition. One year, I was the ‘sandwich guy’ in T1. For some reason, all these athletes were coming up to me in the volunteer shirt, “Hey, can you help me put this 12 inch foot long Subway into my bike jersey?” And John and Andrew were standing right next to me, and they're like, “I thought he was kidding.” And then he handed me an entire soggy foot long Subway, and I put it in his back pocket. He gets on the bike and goes, 10 minutes later, “Hey sir, I have 3 Chick-Fil-A sandwiches. Can you help me put these in my back pocket?” And Andrew and John were just over there laughing. Anyways, to each their own. But it brings back my point that so many athletes just don't know what they don't know. And there's probably, instead of a foot long subway, just take this 90-gram gel right here. You get the whole foot long subway right here. So anyways, helping the athletes and just knowing that everyone probably has a question. So don't be afraid to ask or mingle with people, because those things come out, and we are here to help.

Vanessa Ronksley: That is so true. I love story time with Raines, I just have to say. One of my favorite thing. You always have the best stories and just an epic way of sharing them. Thank you for talking about the sandwich race. That's amazing. EJ, what's your takeaway number 2 from being at the races?

Elizabeth James: Next, for me, would be for the athletes that are traveling for their A-race. And this typically happens more on a 70.3 distance or an Ironman that's probably a little bit further from home. But if you can build in a buffer travel day, that's ideal. There are so many times where flights get canceled, or there's a flight delayed and you don't make your connecting flight. And we have had to work with a number of athletes and talk with the race director about trying to figure out how this athlete is still going to pick up their packet, or if we can have them come in after hours. And it becomes a huge stressful thing, because there is no packet pickup on race day. Like, you've got to take care of that before, and it's not like the night before. Packet pickup closes hours and hours previous to that so that you can also check in your bike. And that's the other thing, if you don't have that buffer travel day, well, maybe you make it there, but your bike doesn't. And maybe your luggage gets lost. And so if you can just build in another day, then if something happens, you still have that extra day. It just alleviates so much stress, and you don't have to worry about getting there on time, getting to pack a pickup, making sure you have all your gear. And then along those same lines with the travel, I always pack all of my crucial race gear in my carry on. Because if my luggage gets lost, I try to think about what can I not go out and buy that's going to be okay for race day? Some of that stuff, it has to go in a carry on. Some of the nutrition stuff, with the liquid requirements, it's just going to have to be in a carry -- or excuse me, in your checked bag. But whatever you can put in your carry on -- so I'm talking about the run shoes that I'm going to have, my bike shoes. Like, I could probably get a new helmet. I've gone both ways on that. Any specific nutrition that you have, your kit. So anything that you’re like, this would be really hard to replace in the 2 days before the race, try to carry that on the plane. If you're doing a road trip, that's another thing. But it seems like more and more people are now getting on a flight to go travel to these events, which is fantastic. What a great way to see the world and visit new places. But just, again, trying to minimize the stress that goes into the travel for these things. Try to build in a buffer day or think about what you can put in that carry on.

Vanessa Ronksley: That is a really amazing tip for anyone who's traveling to a race, because that is just one other thing that you have to worry about when you're going to a race, is if you're going on a plane, and then it has happened to so many people, their luggage doesn't show up or their bike doesn't show up, and it's just so stressful. And so, yeah, I agree with you. I do the same thing, EJ. I have put, I bring like -- I push the limits. I'm a limit pusher, I have to admit. And I do it on the plane as well. So if they say I can have two carry-ons, I am going to bring one of the, you know, the larger ones that you can fit right into the limit. And then my personal item will be like as large of a bag as possible that still qualifies as a “purse”. So I'm stuffing lots of stuff in there. Like my bike shoes—

Elizabeth James: Oh, I got you. A carrier, a suitcase, a big backpack.

Vanessa Ronksley: Yep, exactly. So I think that is really key.

Elizabeth James: Well, and as a coach, one of the things that we started doing was carrying a bunch of that extra stuff, because, I'm sure Raines can remember back, we came across so many athletes that did have lost luggage. And so especially if we were driving to a race -- I remember going up to Tulsa, and I had my bike, and 2 extra helmets, and an extra wetsuit, and 3 pairs of goggles, because sure enough, one of the athletes up there was going to have their luggage not show up. And so it's like, all right, well, we're prepared now. So we came with all of this extra gear just to make sure that athletes would still be able to compete. And I don't know how many athletes we've outfit stuff, and, “Ooo, can you squeeze into this wetsuit? Because it might be better than nothing you got. Hopefully you can breathe. Let's see how this goes.” But it's made for some funny stories. But if we can prevent that, that'd probably be even better.

Vanessa Ronksley: I think so. Prevention is the key to life, right? For my second At The Races takeaway, things that I've learned from watching a lot of athletes go through these experiences, is reaching out -- this goes in hand with what you were saying, Raines, earlier, in terms of you don't know what you don't know. And so I think prior to the race, if you've never done a race before, find an online community where you can ask questions. They're everywhere. They exist everywhere. And I think even if you don't have a question, just looking at what other people are asking is really valuable. And so at TriDot, we have a Community Hub that is open to the public. We have race hubs for a lot of the different races that are happening throughout the season. And we have coaches in there, we have athletes who are experts, who've done the races there before. We have ambassadors. And so even if someone wants to join a community like that, where you can just be a little fly on the wall, if you're not necessarily an extroverted person who wants to shout out from the rooftops that you've never done a race before, but just having someone to lead you and guide you, because there is so much value in being around people who have done triathlons before. Just watching them. Watch what they do. I've heard Andrew say this on so many different podcast episodes, where when he went and did his first full, he was just observing exactly what Coach Joanna Nami was doing for her. And he was like, “Oh, she's doing yoga now. I got to do yoga now. And she's eating, so I've got to eat now.” And it's just, there's something so special about being around people who have experience, because they've been around the block. They know what's coming, and just being able to emulate what those people have done, regardless if that's in an online community prior to, or if you can find a friend at the race and just kind of follow them around. People are more than happy to share their secrets to success as triathletes, because we love talking about triathlon, because no one else will listen to us. So just randomly go up to someone and ask a question, and I'm sure they'd be more than happy to help you. So I do think surrounding yourself with people who have had an experience before is just highly valuable. Raines, let's go for your third learning from being at the races.

Jeff Raines: Oh, a third thing that I have learned, and the final thing, I guess, here, for this podcast, deals with the finish line, appropriately. And being at so many athletes in our community's finish line, I've learned that, you know, seeing their journeys and their stories being fulfilled at the finish line – And you know, we're there 6pm all the way to 1 or 2am, and we are out there until the last person finishes. But, you know, that's priceless. So that's my learning, is that that experience in being there is priceless. But actually, another layer to it all is they think that their story is being fulfilled or finished. They cross the finish line. It is done. It is finished. But actually, that's just the beginning. And you know, seeing those athletes return to other events or, “Hey, this weekend was amazing with TriDot. I want to dive deeper. How can I help?” And you know, just seeing that blossom and a lot of those athletes become ambassadors, and then ambassadors become coaches, and a lot of those coaches are on staff now with us. And it's just grown and grown. And so it's priceless, but the finish line is not the end of the story. It's the beginning.

Vanessa Ronksley: Okay, now you're going to make me cry.

Elizabeth James: Right? Should have saved that one for the end.

Vanessa Ronksley: I was thinking that. As soon as you said finish line, I'm like, oh, we should have finished with that one. Because the finish line is a magical place. And if you're feeling, if anyone out there is not a triathlete and you're randomly listening to this podcast, if you ever feel sad or bad about anything in your life, just go to a triathlon finish line and witness what happens at the very end, because it is truly magical. There's nothing like it in the world. It's like, they say that Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, but I think the IRONMAN finish line is actually the happiest place on Earth, because the suffering has finally ended. No, but in reality, you see a lot of hugging, you see a lot of tears, you see every single emotion that you could possibly imagine walk over that finish line, and it's just absolutely incredible. EJ, what's your, your third learning from being at the races?

Elizabeth James: I would say that my third learning has a lot to do with mindset and gratitude. And gosh, we have seen so many great performances being at races, and we've also seen things go sideways. And one of the most inspiring things that I would say is when those things go sideways and how somebody responds to it. They maybe didn't have the day that they wanted to, but they still have a positive attitude about it, or they know that this is a really hard thing, and they are going to be on the course for many hours, or maybe they're going to be out there many more hours than they originally anticipated. And for them to still keep a positive mindset and keep pushing through when things get hard is so inspiring to see. And then from volunteering at a lot of these races, just how far the gratitude goes. That, I mean, when you're out there volunteering and an athlete tells you thank you, it just warms my heart so much. And it's like those volunteers are maybe a small part of the day, but the athletes that take the time to be thankful for the other people out there and the help that they're providing -- I know as I'm racing it, it gives me a nice little mental boost to say thank you to the other people out there. And then on the other side of it, it really does mean a lot to the volunteers that are there and just showing that gratitude. So having that positive mindset and showing gratitude no matter how your day is going is, I think, something that everybody can practice.

Vanessa Ronksley: I 1000% agree with you. And I think one of the greatest things that an athlete can do is to take the 5 seconds and tell the volunteer what their action has meant to them, regardless of when it happens. There's been so many times where athletes require help on course, and they have to stop for a few minutes, and there's a volunteer right there to help pick them up, and to just extend that period of time, just for 5 seconds, and say, “You saved my butt. Thank you. I couldn't have done this without you.” I think there's -- that will impact that volunteer on a very deep level and will, potentially, keep them coming back again and again, which is part of the reason that our community is thriving and that triathlon is so valuable, is that we have these thousands of volunteers that take time out of their days and away from their families to support your dream and your goal as an athlete. And I think gratitude is just the greatest thing out there. And this kind of lends into my third takeaway from being at the races. And it's something that I had never thought of. It had never occurred to me prior to being behind the scenes at the races and showing up days before the athletes get there. And I just want to give a huge shout out to the staff that put on these races, because there are so many people who work in the back end to make these races happen, and they are hard workers. There's admin staff, there's setup crew. There's hours that go into preparation and tear down. Those finish line arches that you see, that's all scaffolding. And it takes them days to put them together. These people are out there for -- their shifts are 20 to 30 hours long, and we don't, as a racer, you would not even have a clue that this is happening. These people do not sleep. And they do this every single weekend. And it's just incredible that they have the tenacity to be a part of someone else's journey in the most indirect way. The people who build those scaffolds, they may not know what it means for people to run through that finish line, but they're doing it out of the -- I mean, it's their part of their job, but they're still doing it and allowing us to have that magical experience. So I just really need to give a shout out to the staff. Regardless if this is an IRONMAN race or an unbranded Ironman race, everyone puts their heart and soul into making these an exceptional moment for athletes. And so the next time you're, as an athlete, walking around, just step back for a moment, and stop thinking about yourself and your race, and just have a look around and see all of the things that are there for you, as an athlete, and how many people it has taken to get that set up for you, for you to have a great day. And I think that, again, having that moment of gratitude. And even maybe finding one of the workers out there and saying how much you appreciate them, that would go a really long way and allow our community to keep thriving. So we're going to go into the last question here, and I'm really excited to hear from the two of you about your experiences. So I want to know what the most emotional experience you have had at the races. And this is not one as an athlete, but this is being a support person, or a staff member, or someone. I want to hear about your experience. So, EJ, let's go with you for this one, first.

Elizabeth James: This is a hard question, because there are a lot of moments here. Man, this was cool to reflect on, because choosing one is difficult, and that just shows how strong the community is and how impactful it is for the athletes and the staff that's there. When I'm digging through the memory bank going, “Oh, I could share this. I could share this. I could share this,” I eventually landed on this one, and Raines was there, too. And he's probably knowing exactly where I'm going with this. It was Kelly Adams Williams, and it was at IRONMAN Florida. And I tell you what, that day was hot, it was long, and we were exhausted. I mean, I know the athletes are exhausted, so we had to keep that in mind. But it is late at night, and we, I mean, truth be told, we just want to go to bed. And we knew that Kelly was still out on the course. She had been fighting through this major injury, and I mean, it was amazing that she even set foot on the course and was going to pursue this goal. Major lower leg injury. She was in so much pain, but she was so determined that she was going to do this. And so we're like, you know what? It doesn't matter how tired we are. We have nothing to compare to the pain that she's going through, and she probably needs our support right now. So let's figure out where she is, let's go find her on the course, let's make sure that she gets cheered all the way into the finish line. And I will never forget that. I mean, gosh, Raines was there. John Mayfield was there. We found her on the course. We got to check in with her. Yeah, she was hurting really, really bad. But to see her on the course and then onto the red carpet. And there's this coolest picture, too, of where Mike Reilly is just pointing at her, and she's just beaming that she did it. And I mean, she crossed the finish line, and that's a memory I will always have of just how emotional she was and the gratitude that she sent to the three of us afterward, I still have that. It's something that sits in my inbox, and I go back to it frequently, because just her words of expression, of how much that meant to her, reminded me of why we do this, and how impactful we can be in somebody's moment of pain, of hardship, of still pursuing what they want to do. I'd say that's the one that I'll share. There's many others, but that's probably one at the top of the list for me.

Vanessa Ronksley: That's amazing. Thank you for sharing that, EJ. It's fun to relive those little moments and keep them alive at the forefront of your mind. Raines, how about you? What's the most emotional experience you've had at the races?

Jeff Raines: It's a journey, and I'll keep it as brief as I can, but TriDot nation knows Michael Fenton. Two years ago at IRONMAN Texas, and this shows his character, as well. He was actually looking over to the side of the road asking if somebody who had just crashed is okay, and if he needed, if he could help them. But when he turned back, his front tire went into a crack, and he himself wrecked. He broke his pelvis in I think 3 different spots. He broke, I think, both his pinkies, bruised ribs. He was out for the race. He came to all the At The Races events. He was there, and I helped his wife coordinate hospital, and getting his stuff, and he was out for 6 months, I think, in a wheelchair. And he made his comeback. So I was there when that happened, but I was there, I think it was 13 months later, Boulder. You were there, Vanessa. Last year, at Boulder, was his, I think it was 13 month, or so, comeback. So that was his first half-Iron. And then this a -- and so the emotion was being there at his finish line after seeing him wreck. But then, he did a full IRONMAN, IRONMAN Texas this April, and I was also there at his finish line with his family. So seeing that come full circle -- the incident, the 70.3 comeback, and the 2 year journey of coming back to the same race, the scene of the crime, that is hard. And I'll share one other one. 3 years ago, IRONMAN California was our team race for Team Raines. And one of my athletes, the day before, fell off of his bike in the parking lot of his hotel, went into little railroad trolley tracks. Broke his elbow, didn't race, but it was still out there all day cheering everyone on. Shows his character. He was in a sling. He came back that next April, and did IRONMAN Texas, and got his redemption, and made his comeback. But he is doing IRONMAN California this fall, 3 years later, to go back to the scene of the crime. So I can't wait to be at that finish line, because I will be there as well, and see that come full circle as well.

Vanessa Ronksley: That's incredible. I didn't realize the reason as to why Michael had crashed in his first race, and it just goes to show his true character. And that's the type of people that TriDot embraces as part of the family. And very incredible, his comeback, to be able to go back to that race and overcome not only the physical aspect of training, but that mental aspect of this is the spot where it happened, and overcoming that, and passing that, just must have been massively emotional on so many levels for him. So that's incredible. Thank you for sharing that.

Jeff Raines: Sorry, I just wanted to add that the second story, my athlete and good friend, it was Chris Keller.

Vanessa Ronksley: Okay. Yeah.

Jeff Raines: I wanted to give him a shout out, and good luck to him this fall.

Vanessa Ronksley: Yeah, Chris is awesome, as well. That's going to be a great race. I can't wait to hear the stories that come from that one. Now for me, there's, again, so many to choose from. Most of them have me bawling my eyes out on a regular basis, because I like to think about them so much. But the one that is the most recent is from Eagleman in June of this year. And Coach Kurt Madden texted one of our team members an SOS message, and he was watching his athlete Wamiq really struggling to reach the finish line of the 70.3. And this was his third attempt. He DNF'd twice before in the swim. He's 62 years old and had never finished the swim portion of the race before. And here he was, out on the run course, moving very, very slowly. And so Coach Kurt said, “Is there anyone who can go out and help him?” And I was like, “I'm putting my running shoes on, and I'm going to find him.” And he was about, I don't know, two and a half miles away from the finish line. And the pain that he was experiencing was like, it was painful for me to see how much pain he was in. And after checking with him and making sure that he did not require medical attention, I said to him, “Are you sure you want to do this?” And I told him straight. I’m like, “This is how far it is. This is where, it's windy at this point. Are you sure you want to go through this?” And he said to me, “I'm going to that finish line.” I was like, “Okay, then. Let's do it.” And I tried distracting him, to chat with him, but he didn't want to hear any of it. So my blabbering was not effective. But what did work was giving him little targets to hit, and they were legitimately 20 feet apart. “Let's run to this together, and then you can stop and walk.” And we did that for two and a half miles, and it was just incredible to see how he made it. And then he would release the emotion, and what he had pent up inside him, and then after 5 steps of walking, I was like, “Okay, we're going again.” And just to see his determination and his drive to reach his goal was so insane. I'd never seen anyone like that before. And we finally reached the finisher chute, and I sent him down the finisher chute, and I was running alongside it, trying to reach him from the other end. And they had kept the finisher chute open for him, because they knew that he was coming. And there was Dottie at the end. Dan Caskie was there to welcome him with open arms. And they called him across the line. And it was just one of the most incredible experiences to see him so elated and relieved that he had made it, and he finally held that medal in his hands. It was just -- I can't stop crying now. It was so amazing to be a part of that experience. What a privilege.

[Transition Sound Effect]

Vanessa Ronksley: It is cool down time. Thank you, everybody, for sticking around for the cool down. And we have an athlete question that's actually a coach question, but also an athlete question. It comes from Anna Demerle, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the races one year, actually, and she's just a gem of a human. So she has asked us to answer this question: “How do you get a good bike—” sorry, “How do you get a good score on an outside bike session through TriDot?” So I'm not sure which one of you wants to take a stab at that one first? EJ, do you want to go first?

Elizabeth James: I'm happy to. So there's a couple things here, and one thing that I've found, in terms of the execution of it, is if you have the opportunity to send it to your Garmin bike computer and have that workout automated, that will help, because then you're not fiddling with, “Oh, what are my intervals? When is it?” It's going to show you exactly what the time is, what your average is in terms of power that you want to hit. And that's the first recommendation. But then I know that we get into all of the nuances of, well, what if there's traffic? What if the route isn't great? What if it's more hilly? What if I don't have power? And I think, here's what I'm going to come back to, is like, don't stress over it so much. And I have to talk with my athletes about this, too. Do the best that you can. And just keep in mind that there are also a lot of great skills that are gained from riding outside versus on the trainer. And are you going to execute it as perfectly as you would if you were inside on the trainer? No. Okay? That's fine. I often talk with my athletes about their ‘real life’ score. And so we talk about the ‘real life’ score. We call it the “RealX”. We also talk about their learning score from the day’s session. And so it's like, okay, so your TrainX was 78 instead of 100. That's still fantastic. 70s average. That's really good execution, especially for an outdoor workout. But let's also talk about ‘real life’ score. Did you practice pulling your water bottle off the back cage and refilling your aero bottle? Hey, guess what? Yeah, ‘real life’ points there, because you're going to need that in race day. You had to shift gears versus being in ERG mode. Awesome. You had to face the headwinds. Great. You had to pass other riders. These are all skills that you're going to need for racing. And so, okay, maybe TrainX wasn't as high as you wanted it to be, but let's talk about what we learned and what other skills we gained that you would not have gotten out on the trainer. So there are ways that we can still bump that TrainX score up. Maybe Jeff can even give us a couple more hints on that. But I'm also going to say there's a ‘real life’ score that goes into this, and how much did you learn that's going to help you on race day that can't necessarily be measured by that TrainX score. Like, take that into consideration too. Don't forego those outside rides just for a unicorn.

Vanessa Ronksley: Love it. Coach Raines, what do you have to add?

Jeff Raines: I love that, the “RealX”. There's something to that, there. We got to, yeah, I would say that if you were 100% intentional -- regardless of stop signs, or dogs, or whatever interrupted your set or your session -- if you are 100 intentional, then you get a 100 “RealX”. But something that I do is -- let's just say you have a 3 hour ride, and you've got 3 x 12 minutes of Zone 4 inside. I would pick a route that would help that. If your route has tons and tons of ups and downs and you're not going to have 12 minutes of uninterrupted consistency, then try to choose another route, or put more time in between. If you had 3 minutes rest between those 3 12-minute surges, put 25 minutes in between them if you have to. Do the loop, come back around to that safe straightaway, or whatever that is. And so you can piecemeal -- there is a reason, and a rhyme and a reason why the rest is what it is in between. But if you're outdoors and you can't help it, but you're being as intentional as you can, you can put more space in between, or try to find -- or if your next race is super hilly and you want to do some of those Zone 4 on some undulation or a couple hills, just because you're going to have to be intentional with your effort and watts on that hill on race day. So my point is, is to pick a route, look at the workout, pick the right route, and then pick where in that route you're going to do your quality sets. Everything else, you can focus on those technical aspects that EJ was talking about. And if there is a curveball, rain or a headwind, well, you can still sit up, focus on all those other things, and push to where your heart rate's in that range still. So there are always ways to salvage that. So don't let it frustrate you or ruin your day. But at the same time, if you're over halfway through the workout and you're just killing yourself. Just eat it. Do it all Zone 2 and focus on those other aspects. And you tried. You got 100 “RealX” score, regardless of the TrainX.

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