The TriDot Triathlon Podcast

As Coronavirus continues to impact nearly all areas of our lives, many athletes are working to navigate this strange and unprecedented time. Not only has COVID-19 caused the cancellation or postponement of numerous races, but it has also caused a shut down of most local businesses, including gym and pools. The TriDot team addresses athlete questions about how to adapt your triathlon training in this unique environment.

To reap the full benefits of a training session, you must recover properly. In this episode, sports nutritionist Dr. Krista Austin details the importance of post-workout nutrition and how it impacts recovery. The TriDot team discusses how factors such as the time between training sessions, time to the next scheduled meal, and overall nutrition goals impact how you should fuel after your training. Establishing a recovery nutrition protocol will not only allow you to conquer your next scheduled session, but can also improve your sleeping habits and cognitive function, which will further benefit athletic performance.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed as you enter the sport of triathlon. Balancing swimming, biking, and running is already a lot to take on even before considering the gear requirements for each discipline. Join us as we discuss the essential (and optional) gear for completing your first tri. Spoiler alert: you don't have to spend a fortune for your first race!

Improving your run efficiency with better biomechanics can dramatically improve your triathlon run performance and reduce your injury risk. In this episode, Coaches Jeff Raines and Elizabeth James dig into run biomechanics and discuss running cadence, arm swing, body lean, breathing patterns, vertical oscillation, stride length, and more. Learn to identify inefficiencies in your run form and how to incorporate drills to improve your mechanics.

Olympic Gold Medalist and former World Record Holder Brendan Hansen is "allergic to average." In this interview, Hansen describes his competitive instincts and underdog work ethic in preparation for the Athens, Beijing, and London Olympic Games. Hansen also shares his experiences as a triathlete and unveils the importance of focusing on the training process and how the best athletes respond to failure and disappointment.

Open-water swimming can be a new, and often intimidating, experience for triathletes. In this episode, Olympic Gold Medalist and former World Record Holder Brendan Hansen recalls his first experience with triathlon's open-water swim. Hansen and Coach Jeff Raines discuss common swimming mistakes, open-water skills that can be practiced in the pool, and other considerations for your upcoming open-water swim event.

Dr. Krista Austin cuts through the noise of sports nutrition marketing as she offers insight about what a triathlete needs and the guidelines for using nutrition products. Join the TriDot team as they discuss shopping for sports nutrition products, sweat testing, electrolyte replacement, and determining the best use of particular products based on their molecular weight, osmolality, and carbohydrate oxidation rate.

Strength training is a key component of a well-developed triathlon training regimen, providing not only increased power generation but also enhancing muscle recruitment and encouraging proper technique. And yet, few triathletes make strength sessions a priority. Today's episode discusses how to balance strength training with swim, bike, and run sessions as well as tips for implementing this important part of training into your weekly routine.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies are not only changing triathlon training for athletes, they are significantly changing the role of a triathlon coach itself. Today's athletes are re-assessing the value of a coach and their expectations of what a coach brings to table. In this episode, we discuss how technology is changing the triathlon coaching environment, how athletes can determine if, when, and why they should hire a coach, and how coaches can best leverage technology (as professionals in other industries have) to increase their value to athletes and grow their business.

We all know there can be great power in goal setting. There are few things more satisfying than achieving a lofty goal after significant hard work and sacrifice. But the mere establishment of a goal rarely results in goal attainment. Today, the team walks through a practical process for effective triathlon goal setting that leads to successful follow through and increased likelihood of achievement.