Today, we look at energy breakdowns for your swim, bike, and run. We also get into how to handle A, B, and C races. Are they really different? Are you setting goals for today or down the road? We also look at A, B, and C goals for each individual race. Do you want to see how much you can push the bike and still run? Swim hard or reel it in? How do you keep going on the bike. Self-talk, toughness, and nutrition. Can you put yourself in objective space? Are you ready to dig deep, or find in-race recovery points? What’s your your ceiling for discomfort on race day?

Topics:

• Join Our Email list and get a free swimming PDF at C26triathlon.com
• Ironman Facebook group panic
• Setting your race strategy
• Building a checklist
• Goals: Time or performance?
• What’s the goal for today?
• A, B, and C Races
• How much energy do you use on each portion?
• A, B, and C Goals for the day
• If you feel good, take what you got
• Don’t fold, figure something out
• The performance spectrum
• How long can you go without imploding?
• Experimenting with nutrition
• Practicing toughness
• The goal is to gain information
• Testing or body of work?
• Cramping and bonking . . . is it really sodium?
• What’s your ceiling of discomfort in the swim, bike and run?
• Ending on a good note
• If a race feels easy . . . .

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Note: This is a repost and may talk about us living in Chattanooga and being at the race. Both are not accurate. The information about the course is, though! Enjoy and best of luck racing.

Overdoing the bike could cost you dearly on the run. We get into fueling and cooling strategy, how to know if and when you’re ready to push the bike/run. We talk about the hills, the flats, how to approach a downstream “long” swim, and critical run information that could make or break your race. 

This cast is from 2021. 

Topics:

• Follow us on Instagram: C26_Triathlon
• Come see us at the C26 Hub in Chattanooga
• Whatever happens, stick with it 
• Swim Start Walk - What to pay attention to 
• Fueling Pre-swim 
• When to put on your wetsuit 
• Strategy for Swim 
• When and where to strip wetsuit 
• T1 - Long-ish Run. Be purposeful but patient
• Bike mounting tips 
• Watch your water bottles
• First 5 miles of bike course can be rough
• First 25 mile strategy 
• The “Big” hill
• Last 25 miles
• Climb at Mile 45 and fast descent 
• When to push the bike 
• Pacing and fueling the bike and run
• Always know where your effort level is 
• Aid station chaos and why you may want to carry
• First big hill out of T2
• Rolling hot roads
• Greenway thoughts
• Bridge number one
• Pedestrian bridge
• When to Let it Rip on the run

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected] 

Today we give you all the secrets to more enjoyable training, which will obviously transfer into better racing . . . and maybe even a happier life.

Are you going about your training in the right places with the right approach?

Topics:

• Summer is here . . .
• Finding routes you enjoy
• Having great training options
• It’s hard to get burned out
• Finding a groove that works for you
• Refusing to run or ride inside
• Knowing what works
• The wind
• Power meters and FTP tests
• The pool vs. a lake
• Watts inside vs. Out
• Cycling outside is a total mental shift
• Running outside vs. treadmill
• Training routes that check the boxes
• Spontaneity and adventure
• Going with what feels right
• Figuring things out through experience
• Pro racing vs. amateur racing
• Feeling younger as you get older
• You’re either hurt or getting better
• Running shoe talk - Newton’s, K Swiss
• Over seeking comfort

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Lots of talk about open water including, how comfort, how to approach workouts, and length of stroke. More discussion about the feel for water today, and a sidebar into the feel for the bike and run. How often should you use the pull buoy? What about paddles? How to breathe right and fix dead spots in your stroke.

Topics:

• Weather and running and emotions
• Open Water Training
• Integrity of swim workouts in open water
• Comfort in Open Water
• Smaller hands and feel for the water
• Counting strokes
• Timing of turning your head to breathe
• Feeling with your wrist
• Pauses and dead spots
• How to breathe
• Sighting as part of your stroke
• Weight training for swimming
• How often should you use a pull buoy??
• Paddles/pull buoy/mixed with all out 50s
• Plain old genetics
• Find the optimum stroke for your body type
• Feel for the water, bike, and run

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Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Are you struggling to get faster despite thinking your form is correct? Are you an adult onset swimmer that just can’t seem to solve the riddle? This podcast is for you. We go deep into being a stronger, faster, and more relaxed swimmer. We talk about the things you should actually be doing vs. spending your time on drills you don’t understand. Swimming is about connecting your mind to the action of the stroke. Today we look at ways you can truly get better by focusing on what works and not spending time overthinking.

Topics:

• Setting a tone for the day
• There’s no excuse not to get better
• Doing everything right, but not getting faster
• Adult athletes
• Good drummers (an swimmers) don’t think too much
• Don’t fight the water
• Stop trying to change everything
• Get better at what you’re doing right
• We can see you thinking
• What’s your swim age?
• Early development
• Wiring first the first time
• Can’t seem to get a feel for the water
• Fist drill, skulling, doggy paddle
• Slow down to feel the water
• Feel for water is an enigma
• Finding speeds in the water
• Limb swimmers
• Slip and path of the least resistance
• Bilateral Breathing
• Swimming with a band
• Strides in the water
• Disjointed vs. Fluid

Coaching Inquiries:

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Check Out Our Coaching Roster: https://c26triathlon.com/about/coaches/

Today we dive into Iroman Texas 2024. We get into the race venue, the conditions, etc, but largely talk about Coach Robbie's decision not to start. 

Topics: 

Ironman Texas Venue  Mike's Trip  Robbie Talks about his experience Taper/Pre-Race  What's been hard/frustrating Race frequency Race pressure vs. nerves When we're focused on performance Perfectionism Comfort in our own skin

Contact:

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected] 

c26triathlon.com 

This is a re-post of another of our favorite episodes/concepts.

Off a great, but tough weekend at Run Camp, we reflect on how and when to push and why it’s important to have fun in your life and training. We talk about your big race is “Just One Day” and how it’s better to be undertrained than burned out. Also, the little signs in your training will let you know you’re ready before you race. We look at burning physical and emotional matches, finding your pain threshold in each sport and when are the right times to dig deep. You’re the main character and author, it’s up to you to find more fun.

Topics:

• Relaxation
• The “Watts Game”
• How we locate the ego inside of us
• How stress impacts your life and training
• Pushing yourself when appropriate
• It’s your responsibility to have fun in life
• We’re in a world of leisure
• Escaping your life
• Venting about training
• Faster, stronger, and on and on and on
• The ability (and right time) to dig deep
• Sometimes we need to go rogue
• Inherent feeling about what we should accomplish in life
• Letting go of limits
• You only have to do it once
• The Hurt Locker
• Undertrained
• You’re the main character and author of your story
• Break through the “I cant’s”
• You should be chomping at the bit on race day
• Burning physical and mental matches
• Fit, fast, and fresh
• What’s your most comfortable level of pain?
• How long can you withstand pain?
• High Pain/Shorter Distance or Lower Pain for longer?
• Understanding your pain level scale
• What’s your training temperment?

Facebook: CrushingIron YouTube: Crushing Iron Twitter: CrushingIron Instagram: C26_Triathlon

www.crushingiron.com  

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected] Robbie Bruce - [email protected] 

This is a re-post of one of our favorite C26 Ironman stories. 

This is an Ironman story for Everyone.

If you've ever stayed until the end of an Ironman you know the level of emotions. But have you ever been out in the dark on the last few miles with someone who isn't sure they will make the cutoff? Today, we share the story of how one of our C26 athletes persevered to finish with just over a minute left at Ironman Texas. An emotional look at how the tone of an Ironman changes after the sun goes down.

Topics:

• Why Ironman is different
• Running races vs. Triathlon
• You can’t explain the Finish Line
• What it’s like to spectate Ironman
• What it’s like to coach at an Ironman
• The Race Course Goes Through Its Own Transition
• When the Sun Sets on the Course
• When Your Friend Is Getting Close To Not Making It
• Understanding an Athlete’s Personality as a Coach
• When Ironman is Symbolic of Life 
• Out Alone in the Dark 
• Sometimes all you need is someone to come by and help
• Understanding the 17 Hour Cut Off
• When You Deserve More Than You May Believe
• When it’s time to talk tough
• When we retreat inside vs. bring people in
• When others remind us who we really are 

Facebook: CrushingIron YouTube: Crushing Iron Twitter: CrushingIron Instagram: C26_Triathlon

www.crushingiron.com  

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected] Robbie Bruce - [email protected] 

Are you ready for your hot race? Today we look at physical and mental approaches to staying cool on the race course. 

From whether or not to wear a wetsuit to freezing your bottles to pulling back a little on the bike. Once you get too hot, you can’t cool down, unless you stop or walk. We’ll look at ways to keep your core temp down as long as possible. We talk about heat acclimation, huge mistakes, and the best way to use your watts. We also look at the week leading up to the race and some best practices to prep yourself for the weekend.

Topics:

• Rational expectations
• The week of the race
• The biggest mistakes you can make in a hot race
• Plain water vs. electrolytes
• Salt
• Heat acclimation isn’t bullet proof
• You don’t realize how much you sweat on the bike
• How long can you put off being HOT?
• There’ no turning back
• Wetsuit or not?
• How slow can you take the swim?
• Try to get cold in transitions
• Staying cool on the bike
• How to start the run
• Aero helmets and heat
• Heart Rate and feel
• Watts as a brake 
• Keep your head cool 

Coaching Inquiries

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

www.c26triathlon.com

How do you “get through” tough situations in training? Today, we look at the emotional roller coaster that is triathlon and some of the traps we all fall into, especially when chasing those elusive highs. Do you push harder when you’re struggling, or step back and let the body re-calibrate? What’s the deal with feeling awesome one day, then being ready to quit the sport the next? We look at mood adjustments, burning matches, and seeking highs. We also talk about how to train for situations in races that are usually mental and how to get through them. Are you addicted to feeling the high? 

Topics:

• Are you taking in too much fuel?
• Sugar 
• Fat Burning
• Boston Marathon
• 17 mile run on Nuun?
• Cake - post ride
• Overtraining - under recovery
• No water?
• What is a bonk?
• Withdrawal mode signals
• Pouring more gas on the fire
• The Middle Way
• Seeking a high
• Struggling with the mundane
• Addicted to Feeling
• When you know you have it
• Biggest training mistakes start here
• Can we dig as deep as we used to?
• Burning a match or is the flame just hot?
• Adjusting your mood on the fly
• We need energy
• Making good decisions.
• Coaching and the 3 headed athlete 

Coaching Inquiries

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

www.c26triathlon.com

Check out our NEW coaches 

We answer a ton of questions today, including a rapid fire ending you won’t want to miss. We get into the challenges of riding with wind. How do you handle tail, head, and cross winds? Is aero always better? What about your grip on the bike . . . why it matters. Do you need more or less rest on your swim sets? Today, we look at WHY you’re taking rest and how much you actually need. Is it better to do long interval sets in the water or short and hard? Can you recover WHILE you’re swimming? Race wheels and wind. What’s the key to racing with different wheels? Looking at how to ride hills and keep your power/effort under control. A lot goes into that. Shifting on hills. How to keep cool in hot races. What about choosing not to wear a wetsuit? Air temp vs. water temp. Plus a whole slew of other questions answered in the rapid fire section. 

Topics:

• Are raisins the perfect food?
• Riding with the wind - Tail, Head, Cross
• Is aero always faster?
• Bleeding time on the bike
• Overgripping the bike - Tension
• Swimming Rest - How much and why?
• Heart Rate in the pool
• Fatigued in the swim
• Re-set for swim form
• Can you recover while swimming?
• Long vs short sets/intervals in the pool?
• Race wheels and wind
• Controlling gearing and power on hills 
• Smooth, steady and controlled pedaling 
• Patience and execution on hills
• When does the bike climb actually start?
• Big ring/small ring panic 
• Saying cool in Hot weather
• Wetsuit or no wetsuit?
• Air temp vs. water temp
• 10+ Rapid fire answers 

Coaching Inquiries

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

www.c26triathlon.com