hydration

One of the advantages of living in Hawaii is that we can do much of our training outdoors. The disadvantage to that approach is the impact of the weather. Guy Hagi says we have the best weather on the planet, and I agree, but 2026 has challenged that belief. Even if ours is still the best, the heavy weather that has dominated this summer has made outdoor training difficult. The impact continues long after the storm has passed. Debris and road damage impacts cycling, and brown water makes ocean swimming risky. 

A top priority for any coach is to get their athletes to the start line without injury. I did that this year, in spite of a heavier run training program. My last long bike workout was on October 20. Soon after that I made the decision that Pattie would not be strong enough to travel to Mexico for my IM Cozumel race, nor would she be strong enough to be left alone at home. I still had the Honolulu Marathon penciled in on my calendar, so I cleared away most of the remaining bike workouts and replaced them with runs.

As a general rule I do not advocate epic training days. There is clearly a tradition of bragging rites, in cycling and triathlon and perhaps even swimming, concerning eight hour bike rides and twenty mile runs, and similar feats of endurance. Then there is research that shows a peak cost/benefit at three to four hours on the bike, and one and a half to two hours of running, beyond which the training effect declines while the risk of injury increases.