Endurance Nation

From time to time, the Endurance Nation coaches field questions on Facebook, Twitter or via the Support Tab on our Training Plan FAQ page. We reserve the right to share this information if we believe it could be beneficial to the at-large triathlon community! “Rich or Patrick, I have been looking for a new training [...]

Endurance Nation has officially launched two unique programs created to encourage you to train with an Endurance Nation training plan or join TeamEN for your 2012 season. They are unique and probably controversial, but if they can help you be a better triathlete then bring it on!!!

Every year we watch thousands of athletes compete on the Ironman and 70.3 race circuit — after all as coaches we travel to most of the major events on the race calendar. Race day is special not just for what happens, but because it’s the culmination of months of training and focus.

It’s Time to Go Back to Tri School — You Ready??? photo credit: mueritz  We initially were going to title this post something like: “Everything I’ve Learned About Triathlon Has Come From Coaching Over 5,000 Athletes, Not From A Random Book”  But that wasn’t as catchy and we’re pretty sure no one would read it!The [...]

Lake Placid is officially done, and I can say that I am officially “back” from my accident of last year. The details are below, but the executive summary is as follows. A 9:56:38 finishing time, for my first effort below 10 hours. A 1:07:48 non-wetsuit swim, a 5:18:36 bike and a 3:22:43 run…all of this combined to give me a 5 minute PR for the course, 5th in the 35-39 Age Group and my fourth trip to Kona. Life is officially good.

“Should I walk the aid stations at my next Ironman run or just run through them?” We’ve been recommending a run/walk strategy for our athletes and at our “Four Keys” pre-race talk for years. It works and these are our thoughts: Run through the aid station to the last water, gel, coke, sportsdrink guy/gal, whatever [...]

There are two very important questions that you, as an Ironman athlete, have to be ready to answer about your bike fitness heading into the final eight weeks of your Ironman or Half Ironman training cycle. First you have to know what your Functional Threshold Power (link?) is, or at least the Heart Rate equivalent. Second, you have to be able to give a resounding “YES!” answer as to whether or not you have done all of your bike workouts, especially the longer sessions.

As an example, here are the links to Coach Patrick’s review of the Ironman Lake Placid Bike and Run courses from our 2011 Triathlon Rally. This talk is divided into five separate sections, so fire up your Internet connection, grab a nice beverage, and get ready to get your learning on.

  photo credit: Håkan Dahlström The triathlon world is littered with expensive bikes and fancy gear — part of the undeniable allure of our sport, on some level, is in the gear. Sure there are many triathletes who do without, but most of us enjoy our toys. The funny thing is, almost none of these things [...]

Since race day nutrition is such a big part of Ironman racing, and because Ironman racing generates so much noise in the triathlon space, it’s difficult to find good guidance on how to fuel yourself for a short course triathlon. It’s not uncommon to see new triathletes in their first short course races racking their bikes with 4 bottles of sports drink and 10 gels taped to the top tube — bringing an Ironman nutrition plan to a short course triathlon.