Episode 144: Workout Creativity, Key Recovery Principles, and Ironman Canada Review
In this week's episode, we talk about getting creative with your workouts when heat, time, terrain, or life get in the way, and why understanding the intention of a workout gives you more flexibility than you might think. We also dive into key recovery principles for high-volume training as Jim prepares to tackle the Haute Route, a seven-day cycling race in the Alps, including fueling before the workout is even over, hydration, sleep, cooling down, and arriving at a big event with a full "body battery." Finally, we take a closer look at Ironman Canada in Ottawa and how it stacks up against Ironman Lake Placid, from travel and logistics to course difficulty and choosing the race that best aligns with your goals. Check it out!
Katie
Thoughts on flexibility/adaptability and the “right tool for the job”
It’s been hot! No surprise there for summer in New England. This weekend I had a 10 mile run on the calendar with 4 miles easy warmup, then 2 x 1 mile MP, 1 mile HMP, 1 mile float. I was off baby duty starting at 8am on Sunday morning and it was already 75 degrees with 85% humidity and temps only expected to climb.
I knew these conditions were not ideal to push hard outside, but I also am not the type of person who really wants to run 10 miles on the treadmill. Considered my options:
Go outside and try to execute the workout, just running by feel rather than pace → knew I would be frustrated with the paces and would probably end up overcooked by the end of it
Go outside and just run easy Z2 → doable, but since my goal race is a HM rather than a marathon, the workout style long runs are definitely important
Move long run to another day → not great because this heat is not breaking for a while (only recommend this option when 1-2 day delay will make a huge difference)
Get creative!
I ended up doing 4 miles easy warmup outside, and then jumping on the treadmill for 6 miles of intervals. That way I got the quality work done, but 6 miles on tread seemed so much more doable than 4 miles, and I nailed the intention of the workout as well as the executed goal paces.
Made me think about the broader important topic, “what is the appropriate tool for the job?” which also relates to our intention of the workout discussions. Treadmills aren’t the appropriate tool for every job, but they serve a great purpose when you want to nail controlled speed and not worry about the heat. (Heat training is useful, but I prefer it for easy easy effort feel-based runs rather than pushing hard, as pushing extremely hard in the heat can in some cases be dangerous.)
Many other examples of asking yourself “What is the appropriate tool for this job?” and/or what options do you have?
E.g. stroller runs are fine for any Z2 volume stimulus but not my favorite for intervals, and not ideal in heat/wind etc.
Cross-training subbed for Z2 volume is also usually fine, but I wouldn’t sub x-training for the big rocks of the week (in my case currently midweek speed workout and long run workout)
Things like hiking or weighted carries can act as a Z2 strength ish stimulus, but they are not a substitute for heavy weighted strength in the gym/ targeting muscles that get neglected by endurance athletes
In general creativity can help you stay in alignment with your goals as well as what you enjoy even when the conditions outside are really tough!
And note this also applies to training puzzles like limited time, etc. – could you turn your commute into an exercise snack? Incorporate kids/family/friends into your workouts? Do something at home instead of having to go to the gym? Plan a vacation where training is seamless? Etc.
Jim - Good topic: It’s been a JAHI workout adjusted week for almost everyone..lots of TP comments of people suffering, not feeling fit, frustrated with pace. It’s like trying to exercise with a hot, wet blanket on.
My experience this week:
Friday: 3 hour bike with 5 x 5 sweet spot turned into a very light effort warmup into 4 x 4 light sweet spot paying close attention to HR, into 90’ of low Z2 / Z1 spin for heat exposure/training. HR way up, watts way down. The only goal was to stay exposed to the heat as it looks like my main goal event this year will be super hot.
Saturday - originally a 4 hour road ride with tempo intervals turned into a 45’ mtn bike as Friday’s heat exposure left me unmotivated and my central nervous system tired.
Sunday - Long ride executed but at a 10 - 20% below original effort level / plan.
3 T’s - time, terrain, tools. What do I have in order to get creative with making adjustments to my plan? Stepping back from the disappointment that my day is not going to go as planned, taking a few deep breaths and allowing myself to get creative with time/terrain/tools today and over the next few days to get in the level of stimulus that is intended for this week.
Extreme heat/humidity call for creative solutions and sometimes going way off plan.
Jim:
Haute Route - My August Event
On a personal note, a number of folks have asked about the event I’m doing in August in France. It’s called the Haute Route. It’s a seven day stage race over 500 miles with ~60,000 feet of climbing. It starts in Nice and ends on Lake Geneva through the Alps.
The first day starts with 112 miles and 13,300 feet of climbing. Oof.The fourth day is a time trial up Alpe D’Huez.
My primary goal is to finish, have fun, meet people from around the world and learn about the area so I can go back again without having to sign up for an event.
If you are curious the Strava stage maps are below:
Stage 1: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494452314479417584
Stage 2: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494437922483259994
Stage 3: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494448368233522778
Stage 4: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494446514619187802
Stage 5: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494452314495083760
Stage 6: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494449002686730842
Stage 7: https://www.strava.com/routes/3494452314498910448
www.hauteroute.fr
Post-Workout Recovery Checklist
Haute Route Recovery:
One of the biggest challenges of training for this event is recovery. A dialed in recovery routine will be critical after each daily stage. With that, I’ve been practicing my recovery routine after long and/or hot training days so that it becomes automatic when I arrive in France. No thinking, just execution!
What have I been focusing on? * Cool down gradually — don't go from hard effort straight to sitting or lying still. On long rides,it’s tempting to ’smell the barn’ and storm for home. Try to make the last few miles a cool down - Z1. Use the cool down to move from sympathetic to parasympathetic state.
Refuel during the last hour of the ride and particularly last 30’ of ride to speed off bike recovery. This has been a game changer. If I’m feeling even the slightest bit hungry during the last hour or 30’, I eat. *Refuel within 30–60 minutes: carbs + protein. If a long drive back home, bring protein shake and/or plan to stop for food at the end of ride.
Rehydrate with fluids + electrolytes, especially after sweaty or hot-weather sessions. Aim to drink a full water bottle of electrolytes in the evening and first thing in the morning. I've attached to my big Hydroflask with PH 500 tabs recently!
Integrating brief cold exposure (1–2 min cold shower). I find this very effective to cool the body down and move from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state. If the stage finishes near a river, I will try to dip in right away and/or will be using cold showers right after and before bed.
Reduce screen time for 1–2 hours post-session and / or before bed. No scrolling after 7-8pm.
Prioritize sleep — this is where most of the actual recovery happens.
Focused breathwork: 3–5 minutes of nasal, chest / diaphragmatic breathing with a longer exhale than inhale. This helps before bed.
Watching for signs of accumulated stress across a training block: disrupted sleep, persistent fatigue, feeling of exhaustion, irritable. The point is to get fit, not exhausted.
Ironman Lake Placid vs. Ironman Canada
Have you heard there is a new Ironman in the Northeast? Ironman Lake Placid is no longer the only option for our Eastern seaboard tribe. It’s called Ironman Canada and as of 2025 it’s been relocated from the west coast of Canada to the east.
If you are dreaming about a flat, urban, closed road course where your family can see you up to eight times on the bike and many times on the run, stay with us as we put it head-to-head against Lake Placid.
I already have athletes asking to build their 2027 season around an Ironman. And the answer is: it depends on your fitness, durability, experience and what type of challenge you are looking for.
Travel & Accommodations:
Lake Placid: 5 hours from Boston and NYC
Ottawa: 7 hours from Boston and NYC plus a border crossing.
Lake Placid accommodations are limited and expensive with most places requiring you to pay for 5 nights. Ottawa is an urban city with many accommodation options. And the USD tends to be very favorable to CAD.
Lake Placid is a cute town but try to get breakfast and coffee on race morning as a spectator and you’ll wait in line for an hour. Ottawa is a city, many more options for your family/friends.
The Courses
Let's start with the shape and nature of each race course, because this may be the biggest deciding factor where you want to race.
First a notable logistical item for Ottawa is the split transition T1 / T2 area between the downtown and beach locations, which could be difficult for athletes flying in without access to a car. With a car, no problem. Lake Placid is all one tidy T1/T2/finish area on the legendary speed skating rink.
Lake Placid swim: Advantage Lake Placid. Mirror Lake is one of the best places to open water swim in the country, given its clean water, the underwater cable to guide your navigation, the course being broken into two loops which helps with energy management and usually calm conditions.
Ottawa swim: It’s a single-loop course in the Ottawa River near downtown. When most people hear the river swim, they think it’s fast and all down river. Not the case here. The reality is you will face currents, potential chop and your swim times might be slower on this course. I rate this as a neutral factor, just being aware it’s not your typical downriver swim.
Lake Placid Bike: two-loop bike, 112 miles, and you're climbing somewhere around 6,500 feet. That's tough mountain, hilly terrain through sometimes at least three different weather systems. The weather you get in Lake Placid can be very different from what you get in Keene and what you experience in Wilmington/Whiteface. You need to be very environmentally adaptable to race this course.
Ottawa: 2.75 loops - a number of out and backs, fully closed roads and only about 2200 to 2,400 feet of gain. That's a third of Lake Placid's climbing.
Some people complain that the road surface in Ottawa is rough. This might be the case but it’s probably mitigated by proper tires / PSI and not surprisingly training - the more fit, the less problems seem to arise on race day.
Here's the number that tells the real story: I pulled projected times for a mid-pack athlete on both courses, same fitness level. On Lake Placid, that rider's bike split is about 7 hours flat. Same rider, same watts, at Ottawa — 5 hours 49. That's a 70-75’ minute gap, and it's almost entirely the hills. Being off your bike for more than an hour, maybe up to an hour and a half, is a big deal for many triathletes.
Which is to say, if you are an experienced, strong cyclist looking for one of the toughest Ironman bike courses, Lake Placid is for you. If you are just starting your endurance journey, have limited hilly terrain - I’m looking at you Boston/NYC athletes - and spend more time on Zwift than outside, Canada is more suitable.
Lake Placid Run: Two loops, rolling, with a couple of major hills hitting you twice. And it's rural out on River Rd. Your family can see you multiple times in town particularly if they congregate at the top of the Lisa G’s hill or Mill Hill.
Ottawa run: The run is flat, out-and-back along the Rideau Canal, finishing at Parliament Hill. And there are multiple times your family can see you. It’s an urban race.
Interestingly, the run splits, by contrast, are basically identical between the two courses. Why? We’ll explain below.
Weather Roulette vs. Heat Risk
Weather is probably the biggest ‘x’ factor for both of these courses and highly affects the outcome of the day and how we train for each one.
Lake Placid's weather is not predictable. It's genuinely a roll of the dice. 2018, athletes got hit with hail and gusty wind and cold rain on the bike — people were pulled off course for hypothermia — while downtown Lake Placid stayed bone dry the whole day. 2025, it was cool and wet on the bike, slow swim, slow bike — and pro athletes still shattered course records because the temperatures stayed manageable.
2026 was one of the nicest days of the summer: sunny, dry, cool (maybe a little too cold in the morning). It was a pleasant day and times reflected this. But remember: You can get anything at Lake Placid: 30s at night, 90s in the day, sometimes both in the same 24 hours.
The weather data is limited on Ottawa as the race has only been held there two years.
Ottawa’s 2025 inaugural race hit 86 degrees with wildfire smoke and an air-quality warning; some athletes didn't even start. In sum, hot and smoky, not a favorable combination. In 2026, it's the complete opposite. Race day athletes were swimming and biking and running through precipitation. No heat, no smoke — just a soaker.
So two years in, Ottawa's risk isn't "it'll be hot." It's "it's an exposed, flat, closed-road course in a river city in high summer, and whatever August decides to do, you're getting the full dose of it — heat one year, a deluge the next." That's unpredictable! Roll the dice. But I would go in assuming heat for any August race.
Is this why the run splits are about the same even though objectively the Ottawa course is easier? Yes, most likely. (I could be wrong!)
DNF Rates
Lake Placid has the higher DNF rate. Lake Placid's been running 11 to 17 percent DNF over the last several years. Ottawa's inaugural year, even with the heat and the smoke, came in at 8.1 percent. Lower. There are no official DNF stats yet for this year but I suspect it was on the lower side given the cooler temperatures.
So even on a bad-weather day, the flat course still lets more people finish than Lake Placid does in a normal year. That tells me terrain — not weather — is the bigger reason people don't finish at these two races. Heat will slow you down and make you miserable and perhaps take you out of a race. But hills, and the associated accumulated fatigue plus heat/humidity actually take people out of the race.
In sum, Ottawa's flat course shrugs off bad weather better than Lake Placid's hills do.
Who Should Race Which
Some general guidance:
Lake Placid is for experienced triathletes, strong climbers, confident descenders, the athletes who pace well by power and can handle multiple, unpredictable weather.
In other words:
If have just started your endurance journey and triathlon is a new sport or;
If you can't get real hill work into your build, or
If you get nervous on fast descents,
If you don’t operate well in potentially extreme weather…
Ironman Lake Placid may not be the best course for you.
On the other hand, Ottawa is for the flat-course, athletes whose limiter is climbing, first-timers who want a friendlier profile and a lower statistical DNF risk, and anyone who can execute disciplined heat pacing without blowing up the run.
Bottom line: Lake Placid is an advanced test of your fitness and durability often built over many years in the sport. Ottawa is a course to finish your first Ironman and test your discipline in the heat.
As always, reach out to us to discuss. We are happy to help guide your decision.
Challenge or Resource of the week
Katie: Get creative with your workouts!
Jim: Strava heat maps / route planner.
Gear pick of the week
Katie: Snake & Pig Basilisk goggles