The Triathlete Hour

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Triathlete Hour: Ep. 76 - Lauren Parker is chasing gold Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

This week we’re talking to Lauren Parker about her dramatic silver medal in the wheelchair triathlon race at the Paralympics, and how she then raced the 70.3 World Championships with her toes severely burned. She won't let anything stop her.

Lauren was on her way to becoming a professional triathlete when she had a freak bike crash back in 2017 and was paralyzed from the waist down. She tells us all about what it took to check herself out of rehab, get to the annual Challenged Athletes Foundation event, and reinvent herself.

Plus, first Sid and Kelly do quick recap of that CAF event this year and discuss the big storm over the weekend that nixed the much-anticipated Ironman California. What’s to be done with increasingly common freak weather events?

Triathlete Hour: Ep. 75 - Tim Don does everything Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

This week we have another all British show! We’re talking to Tim Don—the Olympian and former Ironman world record holder is maybe best known these days as "the man with the halo," after breaking his neck when he was hit by a car in Kona and spending months in a halo device that was screwed into his skull and held his neck in place. He came back from that to run the Boston Marathon and race Kona.

Now we talk about all the things he’s involved in: serving as a team captain for Super League, a back-up guide for the Paralympics, and don’t count him out yet at the age of 43, he’s training in the UK rain and getting ready for next year’s races.

He’s also a dad and his kids interrupt us a couple times, because they want to play!

We also first do a quick preview of the showdown going on this weekend at Ironman California and why the pros are battling for end-of-year rankings.

For more questions with Tim, check out our Q&A on Super League and what's next at Triathlete.

This week’s episode is brought to you by Muc-Off, the world’s fastest race lube.

Fitter & Faster, Episode 21: Run Smarter to Run Faster Oct 15, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Fitter & Faster, run coach David Roche joins host Emma-Kate Lidbury to talk all things running—from how to get the most from your running this off season, to how to structure your training, how to improve your form, and how to stay injury-free. It's a fun and fascinating chat in which Roche gives us plenty of insights into how he helps guide the many runners he coaches through his coaching company, Some Work, All Play. He talks us through a typical week of run training and lets us into a few secrets on how to get faster, quicker—spoiler alert, it doesn't involve hours of run drills, agonizing over cadence, or over-analyzing form. We also talk about strength training for running, with Roche referencing a couple of different routines that he has on Trail Runner's website: 3-minute mountain legs and 8-minute speed legs. And if you're a triathlete who's keen to venture off-road this fall or winter, Roche has a few tips on how to get the most fun and fitness out of that. If you enjoyed Roche's perspective, you can tune into his own podcast, Some Work, All Play, which he co-hosts with his wife and fellow coach Megan.

And, of course, it wouldn't be Fitter & Faster without our Gear Up section with resident gear guru and Triathlete executive editor Chris Foster. As a distinguished runner and tech geek, Foster is in a league of his own talking us through some of the latest run trends, how they've impacted the latest run gear and gadgets, and what's best for you to use to get the most from your miles.

In the show, we reference our Fall Running Shoe Guide and this news story about On Running's IPO.

Triathlete Hour: Ep. 74 - Jackson Laundry Makes a Comeback Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

We’re back after a short break, and we’ll be bringing you weekly interviews for a couple more months as we finish out the season before the new year. This week we’re talking to the 5th place finisher at 70.3 Worlds, Canadian Jackson Laundry.

Jackson had a horrific crash at Worlds in Nice two years ago, shattering his scapula, took six months to get back, and then COVID hit. He tells us all about why he almost quit the sport six years ago, what he’s done to take things to this next level, and how he’s getting ready for his first ever Ironman this weekend in Mallorca—and then getting married the weekend after. (Yes, we discuss how this could go wrong.)

Jackson and host, Kelly O'Mara, also chat about the tachycardia they both have and the experience of having your heart rate go nuts while exercising—but a warning: both of them have seen extensive doctors for tests and diagnosis, if you’re experiencing any issues, go to a doctor.

We’ll have that whole chat with Jackson after a debrief about the latest triathlon news with Laura Siddall. Sid is back for Sid Talks: the great Kona v. St. George debate, the races to keep your eye on at the end of the year here, and the year-end PTO rankings.

This week's episode is brought to you by Muc-Off, the world's fastest race lube.

The Triathlete Hour: ep. 73 - The 70.3 Worlds Show Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Laura Siddall joins us this week for a "quick" recap of the 70.3 World Championship races—with all the details you might have missed from the broadcast and the report from the ground. Plus, we break down the rumors that Kona could get moved from Kona.

Check out the rest of our coverage:

Fitter & Faster, Episode 20: How To Stay Fit & Fast As You Age Sep 17, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of Fitter & Faster we discuss the many ways our bodies change as we age—and what this means for our training, recovery, and performance as triathletes. Former Ironman world champion Karen Smyers and ultra triathlete and Ironman champion Dede Griesbauer join host Emma-Kate Lidbury to talk about their experiences. Smyers now coaches a host of successful mature athletes, ranging in age from their 40s to their 70s, so she gives us plenty of insights into how, as a coach, she helps them adapt their training and their expectations. She also talks about racing as a pro into her 50s, something which Griesbauer knows plenty about as she's still going strong in the pro ranks with her 51st birthday just days away.

Whether it's more focused strength work in the gym or more diligent injury prevention and maintenance work, one thing is clear: If you want to keep training and racing well as you get older, you have to do so with a smarter approach and really know your body—as well as face up to the fact that you might not see improvements year after after. During our chat, we reference this article about the Lever running system and foam rollers get mentioned a few times, so here's one of our favorite rolling routines.

And, of course, it wouldn't be Fitter & Faster without our Gear Up section with resident gear guru and Triathlete executive editor Chris Foster. Chris talks us through some of his favorite gear and gadgets that can help you train smarter as you get older. We talk about the importance of really maximizing data to stay one step ahead of what's happening with your body and your training, touching on a number of topics, ranging from HRV (heart rate variability) to training zones (check out this podcast with Coach Ryan Bolton on Training Zones) as well as stress. We reference this article from PodiumRunner about stress: The Body Doesn't Know Miles, It Knows Stress. We also get in the weeds on the hot topic that is blood glucose monitoring, and you can check out our reviews of the two systems we talk about here: Levels Real-Time Blood Glucose Monitoring and a comparison of them both in this review here.

Fitter & Faster and all our Triathlete podcasts are now on one feed, so you can get all your triathlon news in one place. Be sure to subscribe to our Triathlete podcast feed so you don’t miss anything: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Soundcloud | Spotify | iHeartRadio

Triathlete Hour: Ep. 72 - There's no secret sauce to Kat Matthews' success Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the Triathlete Hour. We’ve got one last championship race in this condensed tri championship season: the 70.3 Worlds this weekend in St. George, Utah.

And so today Laura Siddall joins us first for a quick Worlds preview with our predictions—and why the women’s race is the way more competitive and exciting one this time around. Check out all the coverage on our site:

And then I chat with British up-and-comer Kat Matthews—who could surprise everyone this weekend in St George. Kat is a British Army captain and picked up triathlon back in 2015 with some colleagues and friends, realized as she says “she was quite good at this,” and slowly got more and more serious. In 2019, when she crossed the line second out of all the women at a big European 70.3 while still an age-grouper who trained part-time after work, she realized she could be really good. Kat moved up to the pro ranks and had a sub-9 hour ironman on debut, set the Ironman Florida course record last year, and then ran a 2:49 for second at Ironman Tulsa back in May.

She tells us how gradually progressing load has been her secret sauce, how there really are no secrets, and how it’s really all just a series of choices. Plus, we have an interesting discussion about how many athletes and commentators have remarked on her ability to run fast despite, in their words, “not being skinny." What does that say about some weird ideas we all seem to have about body image?

Triathlete Hour: Ep. 71 - Brad Snyder & Greg Billington teamed up for gold Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

This week we’re wrapping up Tokyo with a fun chat with the gold medal winning duo of Brad Snyder and Greg Billington. Snyder, who lost his vision after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan back in 2011, became the first U.S. man to win gold in triathlon in either the Olympics or Paralympics. And Billington, a 2016 Olympian, served as his guide and mentor.

The two of them talk to us about how they work together, the training that went into the improbable win, and how they both were back at work and school this week—back to regular life and back to business. Their insight is priceless, and you can tell they have a lot of fun, even if they do hours of workouts indoors on opposite sides of the country.

And before that we hear from Laura Siddall, fresh off her second place at Challenge Roth and a little sleep deprived. She tells us what it is that makes Roth so special and then we try to figure out why so many athletes are making so many last minute changes to their race plans. What can we expect at 70.3 Worlds in St. George next week?

Triathlete Hour: Ep. 70 - The Paralympics & Collins Cup Special Sep 01, 2021

Show notes

We’ll wrap up Paralympics Month next week with a chat with gold-medal winning Brad Snyder, but this week we’re just doing a quick recap show. Laura Siddall joins us from Tokyo for Sid Talks. She’s been quarantined in her hotel as a reserve for Team GB—so she's watched a lot of racing. We dissect the Paralympic races (and share our favorites) and then talk all things Collins Cup. It was exciting racing, was the event a success?Plus, we look ahead to the anticipated showdowns now at 70.3 Worlds.

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