This week’s episode hits a bunch of fun topics including: insights from the professional men’s race at the Ironman World Championships in Nice, France; what’s hot and what’s not in the Norwegian training protocols; our recommendations on TT bike brands; how to identify and prevent burnout as long seasons draw to a close; some additional tips for the off-season; and how to manage race-day anxiety. We also dive into habit stacking as a way to make sure you actually do the recovery and mobility things you should be doing and hit some of our most creative gear picks of the week yet. Check it out!
Intro
1 - UTMB interview w/Elena
2 - Ironman Championship / Norwegian dominance / Norwegian training discussion
We provide an overview of Norwegian training methods. This document outlines Norwegian training/methods. Bottom line: The meat of Norwegian training is a lot of low intensity work and the other ~10% is fairly advanced methods such as double threshold workouts. See this document for details.
We also discussed lessons from 2024 Kona Ironman World Championship from Episode 56.
Also of interest: Episode 52: How we qualified for Ironman World Championship
Insights
Katie:
Burnout
Start with 3 days off; then infuse some community/joy/unstructured adventuring; if you still aren’t feeling it after that, conversation about whether it is worth it to keep pushing
“Keeping the recreation in recreational athlete”
General thoughts on burnout - tends to be most common when you are doing LONG races and training a lot by yourself
Infuse: community, joy, adventure
Burnout is most common when we see seasons dragging on too long especially without a solid mid season break
Jim:
TT bike thoughts:
If you are in the market for a Time Trial / Triathlon bike for next season, check out the Slowtwitch bike count at the Ironman World Championship.
Canyon was the top choice by over 100+ bikes:
Canyon: 502
Cervelo: 380
Trek: 347
I like to watch the scoreboard for crowd source information so this list points me in the direction of what is ‘best in class’ for triathlon bikes.
One variation on the Canyon theme is to get one of their top end aero bikes that comes with a front end that seamlessly integrates with their aero bars. You can make a road bike just as fast as a TT bike with the correct position.
Other TT bike brands that were not as high up on the list I would consider are Scott, BMC and maybe Argon 18.
I would not consider Quintana Roo as many athletes seem to have fit problems and their build quality / durability seems less than other manufacturers. (That also might be dated information on my part so grain of salt and please do your research.)
I would also not consider Specialized as I don’t think they are putting in the work other brands are to advance their product.
Race Day Anxiety:
Specific Physical Methods to Combat Race Day nerves (or any performance related task)
Deep Breathing
Use breath work to calm the nervous system.
Breathe into the fear and reframe it as excitement. Mantra: “I get to do this!”
Maintain steady breathing during moments of anxiety to prevent holding breath, which worsens the feeling of being stuck.
Physical Movement
Move around pre-race to release nervous energy.
Use gestures such as pumping hands in the air to shift energy from fear to excitement. I like pumping hands in air and saying internally or out loud, “Lets’ go!”
Body Awareness and Acceptance
Notice physical symptoms like sweaty palms or a high voice and reframe them positively (e.g., sweaty palms as a sign of energy).
Stay present in the body rather than getting lost in anxious thoughts.
Physical Reclamation
Reclaim your physical space by mentally affirming your right to take up space and be big on the race stage. This is YOUR day.
Use strong, assertive body language to counteract feelings of shame or self-consciousness. I like to pretend I’m a pro athlete here to do my job that I do very well. My body language suggests that I’ve done the work and I belong here.
The above has been adapted from the Art of Accomplishment Podcast: What to do about Stage Fright?
Another resource related to this topic from this week’s NYTimes: What Sport Psychologists Want You to Know About Mental Toughness
Don’t lock into one goal.
Focus on helpful thoughts, not just positive ones.
Get moving and use ‘cue words’ to regroup.
Visualize the most crucial moments.
Control the ‘controllables.’
Separate your performance from your identity.
Challenge of the week
Katie: Habit stacking, which has helped me actually do my PT and mobility work. Pair with workouts as a “this is part of the workout and is required for me to do the workout.” Soon becomes a pretty automatic part of the workout that feels weird if you don’t include it.
Jim: Incorporate some strength training while you are on the bike.
Gear pick of the week
Katie: Bougie one - espresso machine. Got a Breville Oracle Jet for my birthday and it has changed my life. Quick riff on caffeine as a performance enhancer.
Jim: Crocs - loving these for recovery and building a little foot strength. I was not a believer of “recovery shoes” but I think they do work a little by not constricting your swollen feet, allowing your toes to naturally splay, stimulate your nerve endings in your feet with their slightly nubbed soles and super cushy but not too cushy.