“The lowest common denominator.” 

We’re all familiar with this concept.  But do we understand what it really means?  In team sports, most of the team members are going to be more heavily influenced by the worst players on the team than they are by the best.  I’m not talking from a talent perspective but rather from a commitment perspective.  When athletes and coaches are all dedicated to the same goals, to both self- and group-improvement – when everyone is rowing in the same direction – this type of team culture makes the commitment to the tasks a bit easier.

But, when there are outliers who tend to de-focus the group due to negativity or being the class clown, what have you, then those negative feelings become infectious.  Lack of enthusiasm by one team member can spread like wildfire.  Despite team captains trying to buoy morale, those who act as anchors are unfortunately more influential.  Those choosing to spread negativity across a team will more greatly impact the progress and success of that team than either the coaches or team leaders.

This is because in large part the ability to improve is influenced with whom you surround yourself.
Again, this isn’t about who is the best or worst player on a team (or within any group situation).  The worst player can be the most positive and bring the most enthusiasm to the team.  The star of the team could be negative or alienating to the other players.  Enthusiasm spreads, but apathy or negativity kills momentum. 

When we first try a sport, we improve quickly and relatively easily.  It’s new, exciting and fun, and our learning curve looks like a hockey stick so rapid improvement follows.  Until it doesn’t.  Then, we start having to work harder and harder to continue improving.  The newness wears off and what was once considered fun is now a grind.  Athletes may enjoy competing or enjoy the results of all the hard work and dedication, but serious training is not fun.  Showing up to a workout that going into you already know will require quite a bit of discomfort sucks the fun right out of it.  Misery loves company, so experiencing the challenges and discomforts of training with others makes showing up more palatable.  And when everyone, to a teammate, is positive and enthusiastic, well that makes everyone motivated to tackle the hard work.  It is when you are trying to motivate yourself that the negativity of others can quickly bring us down – because we are already predisposed, through direct and repeated experience, to flinch away from the deep dedication improvement requires.

Those who help motivate a group or bring it down don’t even have to vocalize their enthusiasm or negativity.  Simply looking at how athletes carry themselves will impact your frame of mind.  Back in my swimming days, watching teammates get psyched up for their events and swim with all their heart most definitely had a positive impact on my own performances.  Likewise, in situations where most of us simply wanted an easy workout, our body language showed what none of us stated.  And, if only one teammate sighed in exasperation for what we knew was coming … well, let’s just say I’m surprised I’ve never read about a mutiny on a pool deck!

If you’re in a team sport, or if you regularly train and/or compete with others, be cognizant of the power and influence you have over them and they over you.  If you would rather be sleeping than jumping into a cold pool at 5am, guess what?  The majority of those around you feel the same!  Remember this.  And, instead of complaining, show some positivity and levity.  Have a smile on your face, think of something positive to say, and dive in with some vigor.  Others will follow suit.  Same goes for group rides or runs, or team-based performances like in bike races.  Showing and sharing common purpose elevates results. 

When you think of your own training and racing situations, take stock on with whom you surround yourself.  Is your team (or your tribe) nurturing or negative?  Is the group’s commitment full or half-ass?  How does everyone’s attitudes impact your own?  How does your attitude impact everyone else’s?  How do you honor yourself and your team, and the culture you all are trying to build and keep? 

These are all important questions to answer honestly.  The answers to them will help you better understand and define the type of cultures the groups in which you find yourself are trying to cultivate. As athletes, we dedicate too much of ourselves to our pursuits to allow for someone else to pull us down or for us to pull others down.  Help build others up and they in turn will return the favor. Being more mindful of all this will help ensure you’re getting more out of your training and competitions than what you’re putting into them. 

And in the end you will all win.
​
Happy Training,
Coach Nate
 

Athletes tend to be really good at doing what they are asked to do, without question.  However, a common theme I see with athletes is that the act of completing workouts, even to the letter of the workouts, is as far as a lot of them take it.  Put in the work and reap the rewards, right?  But is it that simple?
 
The best way to increase motivation is to link our workouts to greater purpose. 
 
Focusing your activities around purpose will allow you to get more out of them and in turn make you a better performer – both in the workouts and in competition.  Do you understand why you’re doing a given workout on a given day?  If not, it’s important to ask your coach (or yourself, in the case of being self-coached) why you’re doing that particular workout.  With my athletes, I want them to understand the flow of the workouts – what we’re doing today based on what we did yesterday and what’s coming tomorrow.  What are we doing this week compared to last week and next week, and what’s the focus of this cycle compared to the last cycle and the upcoming cycle.  When I get additional questions, I do my best to provide comprehensive answers and deeper perspective.  I want my athletes to understand the purpose of what they’re doing.
 
For example, if we’re performing an SST workout on the bike, it’s not enough to just hold watts in the proper zone.  I want them to understand where within the zone the target is, and how the efforts should feel.  If there are multiple workouts on the day, then should this workout be done first or last?  This deeper level of knowledge around a workout helps create better connection to it and better motivation.  Athletes constantly balance perception of effort with motivation, so the more motivated athletes can be, the more effective they will perform.
 
Greater purpose and motivation is also critical on those days when we feel tired or worn out.  Sometimes, we should dial things back or take the day off.  But, in many cases, reminding ourselves why we are doing what we’re doing can inject us with more energy and then more motivation.  Sometimes on the days we think we’re feeling our worst we perform at our best.  If the default response to “feeling tired” is to dial a workout back (or skip it), then athletes will definitively miss out on some opportunities to challenge barriers, test their mettle and force progress forward.  Sometimes, during warm-up the body will open up and let you know it is ready to be pressed – and to perform.  Sometimes not.  In either case, performing the warm-up and then attempting the first interval of a key workout will tell you what you need to know in order to either keep going or to dial things back.  But, unless you try, you run the risk of missing an opportunity for improvement.
 
So look at your own training regimen.  Are you completing the workouts “to the letter” but are leaving some purpose and motivation on the table by not really comprehending why you’re doing what you’re doing when you’re doing it?  If so, engage more with your coach to gain the comprehension, which will then lead to more purpose behind the workouts and greater motivation during them.  Changing nothing else but this one thing will help you perform better in racing, making all the blood, sweat and tears well worth it.
 
Happy Training,
Coach Nate

​Today is the final day of the 2017 Vuelta a Espana, historic in that it marks the closing of the curtain on Alberto Contador's racing career and the first successful Tour/Vuelta double in cycling history by Chris Froome.  The day marks a really interesting intersection of careers, marked by questionable pasts and acceptance into cycling's pantheon.  Contador is admired for his panache while Froome is vilified for, as one observer put it, looking "like a praying mantis trying to have sex with a grape" on the bike.

Next weekend is Ironman Wisconsin.  There is also Kona in October and IM Florida in November, as far as key 140.6 races left on the calendar.  For some, this will be their firs tilts at this distance.  Others will have raced multiple times, while still others have raced 1-2 Ironman-distance races every year for many years.  It is the most mythical of triathlon races, and can also be the most frustrating when things don't go to plan.

More than any other triathlon distance, the Ironman is all about patience. World-class athletes have been brought to their knees – literally – because their bodies have cried, “No more!” and shut down. Some athletes positive split the bike and run legs, meaning their marathon run was slower than their split for 112 miles of biking. This is another sign of gross overestimation of an athlete's talent and capabilities, as well as a breakdown in nutrition, hydration or both. If your run split is anywhere near your bike split, then you swam and biked too hard.

The best way to think about racing an Ironman is to think of what a realistic run split is if you're having a solid race. Don't even think of your swim or bike splits when contemplating this. Based on your training and the goal of having a solid race, what sort of marathon split would you be happy with? Plain and simple. Once you've answered this question, then your goal should be to race the swim and bike in such a way that sets you up to achieve your marathon goal. If you've set a realistic run goal and you don't achieve it, you raced too hard during the first 2 legs (again, nutrition and hydration challenges aside).

So, what to do. . . 
 
The swim leg of an Ironman race can be looked at as an extended warm up. After swimming 2.4 miles, you may feel a little stiff, but you should definitely feel fresh, all things considered. The goal should be to draft as much as possible, avoid the washing machine (as this can strip you of much-needed energy) and conserve as much energy as you can for the bike and run. It is better to swim a few minutes slower and get out of the water thinking, “That was easy!” rather than to push yourself to a PR swim split and possible sabotage the remainder of your race. 
 
That being said, your HR should fall well below 78% during the swim. The top Ironman performers always look nice and relaxed during the swim leg, like they are out for an easy splash in the ocean (or lake). They don't care what place they are out of the water, only about what their place is at the finish line. Keep your HR below 70% for the entire swim. If you are swimming on someone's feet and your level of effort is below 70% that is fine too. The goal is to swim reasonably well, not set the world on fire, and conserve as much energy as you can for the rest of the race.  Burning energy in the water means less energy for the latter stages of the race. It's going to be a long day! 
 
As you exit the swim and jog to your bike, be sure to drink some fluids on your way. You've been swimming for the better part of 1-2 hours and, aside from any seawater or lake water you inadvertently consumed – you have not taken in any fluids. You have been sweating, however, so you're on your way to dehydration if you're not careful.  Especially if you wore a wetsuit. Drink some fluids, get changed into your bike gear and head on out to the highway. 
 
Once on your bike, your body will take awhile to reach stasis. After being in a prone position for 1-2 hours and using primarily your arms to propel your body, you are now in a more vertical position and are using your legs to do the pumping. A lot of blood is getting shifted around in a short period of time. Give yourself time to settle down and settle into a comfortable pace. Hold off drinking and eating anything for the first 15-20 minutes. 

You should settle into a pace that is between 60-78% for the ride, the majority of which should be spent below 70%. I know, I know. . .You're thinking that sounds too easy, that you'll be out for a slow, easy ride and destroy your chances to hit a PR. This is not the case. Mark Allen, whom I consider the best triathlete of all time and the most-feared Ironman athlete, normally kept his HR between 120-140 beats per minute for the entire bike leg. His aerobic zone topped out at 155 beats per minute, so the above-mentioned zone was well below 78% for him. The only time I saw him actually go above this zone was the year that Thomas Hellrigel blew  away the bike course record. Mark and other athletes had a tough decision to make – go with Thomas or not. Several of them did while others tried and blew up. On the run, the rest of the athletes blew up, too.  We see it today as well.  Some male pros are jockeying to be the first to break the 4-hour barrier on the bike.  While that sounds cool and would certainly be impressive, those athletes leave themselves with little in reserve for the marathon; both their run split and overall results show the negative impact of pushing so hard on the bike.
 
Back to our story.  When Allen began the run that year, it looked truly painful! Gone was the fluid, gliding stride. He eventually loosened up, picked up his pace and won the race, but he also told me he was second-guessing his strategy to push the bike extra hard for the first half of the run. That's a long time to second-guess yourself! Best not to put yourself in that position. 

So, back to strategy. You should be spinning at 90-100rpm on flat sections and 85+rpm on any climbing. The pedaling should feel “soft”, like you are not applying much pressure to turn the pedals. You can hold your HR at, say, 70% and grind it out. While your HR is where it should be, the added tension in the legs will kill you for the run. Better to hold your HR at 70% by picking an easier gear and spinning higher RPMs. Your goal should be to negative split your bike leg. If you find yourself having to back off the pace around mile 70-80, you completed the first half too strong. It is best to hit the halfway mark afraid that you have been taking it too easy rather than questioning if you've gone out too hard. 
 
When – not if – you have to relieve yourself, you have two options. First, you can learn to pee on the fly (while still biking), or you can pull off the side of the road and dismount. There is nothing wrong with stopping to pee. Your pride will not be shattered, your race will not be blown. Always remember that the races lasts a minimum of 8 hours for the top pros and as many as 15-17 hours for the final finishers. There is plenty of room for patience and for getting off your bike to pee a couple of times. 
 
In the last few miles, switch into one easier gear than normal and spin a little higher RPMs. This will help loosen the legs up a little bit and give them a quick break before the most important part of the race – the run. 
 
The Run Leg 
The bike-to-run transition should be a time for you to take inventory. How are you feeling? Take in some extra fluids and nutrition if you skimped in the latter stages of the bike leg. Stretch out stiff and tight muscles. Make a final pit stop in the Port-a-John, even if it feels like you don't have to go. Get centered and focused on the marathon before heading out on your feet. 
 
No matter how poorly you might feel at the finish of the bike leg, chances are you will feel somewhat rejuvenated when you begin the run. It's probably equal parts the euphoria of beginning the final leg of the race among the throngs of spectators and the fact that you are using your major muscle groups in an entirely different way than you did during the past two legs of the race. Believe it or not, there still exists the danger of beginning the run too fast.
 
Give yourself time to find your rhythm. Your leg muscles will be somewhat tight and will take awhile to loosen up and lengthen out. Keep your HR below 65% the first couple of miles until you know you're good to go. If there are some hills in the first several miles, slow your pace down or even walk up them (depending on their length and steepness) so you don't jack your HR up too high. At this point you have to remember that you still have in excess of 3 hours to race!! And, with many hours of racing already under your belt, any push into the anaerobic arena can prove devastating to the most crucial leg of the race as well as your overall performance. 
 
The goal should be to either even split or negative split the run leg. Your HR should fall within the 65-78% range for the first 20 miles, if not longer. Find a pace that feels almost too easy. If, during the first 13 miles, you keep asking yourself if you're going too easy, if you should speed up, don't! You have chosen the perfect pace for the first half of the run. If at around 13 miles you feel like your tank is still mostly full, then gradually pick your pace up, but keep your HR below 78%. You can bleed a full tank empty in no time this late in the race. 
 
If after picking up the pace you are still feeling strong at around mile 20, then you can safely bump your effort above 78%. Take each mile as it comes, do a quick inventory of how you're feeling. If you're feeling the “finish line surge”, then pick it up some more. If you're wondering whether or not you can hold your pace/effort for the remainder of the race, then hold steady or slightly back off. If you're wondering if you can hold your pace/effort for another mile, then definitely back off for the next mile and reassess how you're feeling at that point. 
 
When you cross the finish line, hopefully you've enjoyed your experience. There will be plenty of peaks and valleys in terms of how you're feeling – no matter how good your overall race goes. The goal should be to ride the peaks as long as you can and to push through the valleys. They will pass! While setting a PR is nice, time is truly inconsequential. Too many factors – temperature, choppy water, wind, flat tires, climate, etc. - affect your overall race time, and the effects are magnified greatly at an ultra-race such as an Ironman. If you've raced hard and smart, then you should be both happy and satisfied with your results. 
 
Summary 
How hard you race is dependent on the distance of the race as well as how long you will be out there on the course. If you respect your body, listen to it and take care of it, it will respond quite well to your demands. However, if you ignore its signs, and try to abuse it and push it pasts its limits, it will shut you down and sometimes take you out. 

Best to race smart so you can enjoy a strong, solid performance. 

Happy Training, 
Coach Nate ​