It was Joe Friel’s book Fast After 50 that inspired me to become a coach. The book begins with a convincing argument why remaining active is important to health – something echoed by my doctor at every annual physical – and more specifically how important it is for that activity to include a regular dose of high intensity work. I was already active, so that was covered. What inspired me were the numerous convincing arguments Friel presented on why staying active is in so many ways the fountain of youth. 

No doubt everyone reading this has heard of or used an off the shelf, prefab, “canned” training plan. They are a big improvement over winging it, and a great time saver for athletes who know how to train but lack the time or incentive to write their own. One really big limitation of such plans is the lack of flexibility. 

Long course triathlon is not a good spectator sport. For the first hour you watch a gaggle of swim caps navigating the course, then they all get on their bikes and ride off, out of sight. A few hours later they return, change into running gear, and disappear once again. 

Last Saturday I raced Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, aka “Honu.” This has to be, hands down, the most beautiful Ironman race in the world. Well, at least the swim and bike. The run is not so much beautiful as it is challenging, snaking through the Mauna Lani golf course. By that point what beauty is there is easily overlooked by the desperate desire to get to the finish.

This is my race report. I have split it into two parts. This first part is more conceptual, and the second part is more analytical.

Stress overload can drail even the fittest athlete. 

Last Sunday was the annual Haleiwa Metric Century Ride, hosted as always by the Hawaii Bicycling League. The ride begins at Kaiaka Bay Park in Haleiwa and passes several iconic surfing spots, including Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach. It’s place on the calendar make it a perfect shake-down for anyone doing Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, aka Honu, and there was a bunch of us doing just that. 

I am pleased to announce my Spring Into Action promotion, a great deal for new members. I am fortunate to live in Hawaii, where I can swim, bike, and run outdoors year-round, but I am not looking to build an in-person squad. We have enough of those here. 

I am looking for athletes who have been doing triathlon for a year or more and just need a little help with managing the process. I specialize in seniors and coach primarily on-line, but have limited availability for in-person coaching in Honolulu. 

I am pleased to announce that I am now an IRONMAN U Certified Coach. It has been quite a while since Ironman had a coach certification program. I know because I asked when I started by business. That was just when COVID took us into lockdown, so my USAT course was the first one on-line. At that time, Ironman was struggling with how to survive in a world turned upside down, canceling races and starting their really fun virtual program. Late last year they finally got it together. It is huge, almost a semester's worth of content that covers everything except how to tie your shoes.

It is no secret that sugar is the most effective fuel for endurance training. But are they the best? Some people disagree.

I am a fan of eating everything. I am not going down the rabbit hole of high carb, high fat, vegan, organic, gluten free fads that persist in adding confusion around what fuel is best for athletes. What I am dealing with here is sugar. Specifically, the confusing, even contradictory messaging about endurance athletes and the sugar intake.

Recently I swapped my planned Sunday workout – a run and long bike combo – for a hike with a group of co-workers. The planned bike was three and a half hours and the hike was advertised as four hours, so I thought it would be a good substitute, a welcome break from the swim-bike-run routine and some much-needed cross training. We hiked the Hawaii Loa Ridge Trail which features a fair bit of high step movements, quite different from my typical run. I was so glad I have been hitting the gym and flex sessions lately.