Everyday Ironman Podcast

In this episode I introduce my teammates for Ironman 70.3 Texas. In April Eric Horton, Lindsay Klimek and I will be taking on the relay in Galveston, TX.We get to hear how both of their backgrounds and how they are approaching training. While Eric, Lindsay and I come from different backgrounds we feel that our balance is our strength.We discuss which of the 3 disciplines we personally consider to the be easiest and which do we believe are the hardest. Because I have raced Galveston before I give them a little insight to the course, and we talk about Lindsay’s bike and Eric’s shoes.While we have no idea of how fast or slow we will be on race day, we invite you to follow along on this journey with us. Support the show

In the episode we hear from Chris Tubbs who is a husband, father and has a PhD in Biochemistry. If that wasn’t enough, Chris also invests in real estate, has started a charity walk that grew to the point he had to enlist help to manage it and is a Prostate Cancer survivor. After being diagnosed with cancer, Chris started journaling as a way to document his thoughts and emotions. After Chris shared his journal with a few close friends they encouraged him to transition to blogging so that he could share his experience publicly in the hopes that someone who might be facing a similar situation would find comfort in the knowledge they aren’t only facing adversity.Chris shares that during his junior and senior years of high school in Los Angeles, CA he was ranked in the Top 25 swimmers in the city. He then took a 25 year hiatus before finding Triathlon in his mid-40s. We spend a few minutes talking about family, high school swimming, and Chris sets me straight on how long it takes to get a PhD. I ask Chris if Ironman would allow my idea on how to get faster in the pool by getting cosmetic surgery. We talk about Chris’ blog journeyto140. Chris reminds us of the importance of documenting our progress as most progress comes in small incremental steps that are more obvious when viewed over a longer period of time. Chris a 2X Ironman Finisher with both of his races being at Ironman Florida. Chris explains how he came to race Florida twice through a series of deferrals and needing time for his body to recover. Being completely open about all things, Chris shares that he was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and had a complete Prostatectomy just weeks after completing Ironman Florida in 2020. Chris acknowledges that considers himself lucky as his Cancer was initially discovered through a blood test when he went in for a “regular” physical.Because Chris raced Ironman Florida in back to back years, I take to opportunity to ask him to compare the differences from one year to the next. Chris walks me through his experience this year on the swim. At one point he thought he might have been swept out to sea as he lost sight of all the buoys and the pier that the swim course follows. Chris is very honest about how his body is still recovering from surgery and spent more time than intended off the bike. Because of his experience with the change in weather the days leading into race weekend, I agree to pack a light jacket regardless of the venue moving forward.After getting distracted talking about Ironman 70.3 Texas, Chris explains how he had planned to attack the run course this year with a much different plan than in 2020. Chris’ plan to run at a slower pace while walking the Aid Stations got him to mile 18 but soon found himself walking more than running. Luckily for Chris, another athlete whom he had run with earlier in the day, provided the encouragement that was needed to finish strong.We discuss the benefits of talking to others on the run course. Chris admits he enjoys the connection he is able to make through the community that is triathlon. Because I follow Chris on Instagram, I know that he has added Yoga to his workout routine, so I put him on the spot and ask him to share his favorite yoga pose. Because the Warrior pose is what gives him the most challenge, Chris list it as his favorite at this moment. We agree that adding yoga to your triathlon training is key to developing core strength.We talk about Chris’ customized QR tri bike, and I ask him his thoughts on those athletes that ride a non-traditional bike to increase the difficulty of the race. We laugh at the notion of someone riding a bike from the early 1900s. And Chris share what’s on the race schedule for 2022.You can follow Chris on Instagram @journeytoironmantexasSupport the show

In the last episode of 2021, I had the opportunity to speak to Lissette Mares. Lissette currently works full-time in hospitality and lives in Yosemite National Park in California. Through the conversation she reveals that she grew up swimming, though conversation I determine that she may or may not have been an Olympic hopeful. She is also very open about living with Multiple Sclerosis. She was diagnosed in 2013 and has chosen to live her life as an example and to inspire others to reach their full potential.Once again, because I didn’t graduate Doctor school, I had to get a high-level overview of an autoimmune disease. Lissette shares that MS attacks the Myelin Sheath, the protective coating that covers nerve fibers between the brain and the rest of the body. While she is currently in remission, she explains that heat, humidity, and stress can cause her symptoms to flare up.Recently Lissette completed her 1st full distance Ironman race in Cozumel, Mexico. We discuss her decision to race Cozumel in spite of the heat and humidity, Lissette revealed she intentionally choose to subject herself to the toughest environment that she could.Before talking about her training to prepare for Ironman, we discuss the 10 days that she spent in Mexico before and after the race. Lissette took the opportunity to arrive several days in advance to acclimate to the local climate which allowed her time to see family and explore. Being in hospitality, she provides some travel advice, rent through Airbnb and get a car.Lissette trained for 1 year to prepare for the full Ironman distance. Living in Yosemite National Park there were plenty of opportunities to run and bike, but she didn’t have access to a lap pool, so she had to overcome her fear of open water to get ready for the ocean swim.Because Ironman Cozumel is on my personal race bucket list, I was excited to hear her firsthand account of the race. She was so gracious to break the race down for me discipline by discipline. We start by talking about this year’s swim. There has been online conversation of how fast the swim was this year and if there was an advantageous current. Being an extremely strong swimmer, Lissette preferred the warmer water of Cozumel and the fact that she didn’t need to wear a wetsuit. While she personally didn’t feel she benefited from a current, she does point out that the clear water made for a fast and fun swim.After exiting the water 50 minutes faster than she had projected, Lissette celebrated with a chocolate bar and dancing to a song being played in the background. She had time to double-check her bike and nutrition before heading out onto the bike course.Lissette gives a thorough account of her on-bike nutrition. We agree that no loosing water bottles on the bike course is better than loosing bottles on the bike course and we talk about the rain that fell race day and the impact that it made on the bike portion of the race. Because heat and humidity is her kryptonite, Lissette believes the rain helped cool her core temperature which was a welcomed relief.Before talking about the run, I take the opportunity to ask Lissette about the actual bike course surface. The majority of the bike course takes place on the original highway that circles Cozumel island. While in Cozumel over the summer I was able to drive on the new highway that was installed several years back but was curious how well the original road is maintained.After discussing how she grossly overestimated how long it would take her to swim and bike, we talk a little transition before breaking down the run course. Lissette confesses that she had a panic attack in T2 but was comforted by two other athletes assuring her that everything was going to be OK. After heading out on the run course a little faster than she wanted she was able to slow dSupport the show

In this episode, I speak to triathlete and author Brock Gibbs. Brock is a 2 time Top 10 Finisher, in his Age Group, at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Recently, Brock released My Coworkers Think I’m a Pro which provides a witty and entertaining account of how Brock got started in the sport of triathlon.During the day Brock is a Physical Educator teacher in Montreal, Canada. He was introduced to triathlon in his 40s. Growing up in Canada, Brock played hockey through school as well as football and baseball. He started running in college, even participating on his school’s Cross Country team.I spend a few minutes complementing Brock on his book, specifically on his ability to paint a vivid picture with his words. Brock shares the story of how he met Lionel Sanders at an Ironman 70.3 early in both of their careers and he explains the metaphor that he uses for the times in your life when “bad stuff happens and you gotta to let it go.”While being very close in age and physical appearance, we talk about some similarities that we share and some of our differences. Brock gives some context into the cover photo for his book. After acknowledging that he has always been a “fast runner,” Brock talks about his 1st marathon; one in which he would qualify for the Boston Marathon. We talk about how Brock has always trained by feel as opposed to a structured pace and he shares how he has modified that over the years. He acknowledges that he no longer runs everyday and breaks down his approach to his two sessions per day training regimen.I ask him about his thoughts on triathlon being the only sport where an amateur can complete on the same course at the same time as the pros. We discuss our thoughts on why triathletes, even professional triathletes, are more approachable than in other sports. Brock even points out that you can pick up a good amount of race strategy while standing in line at the porta potty, pre-race.I get the opportunity to share some of my favorite quotes from Brock’s book and there are a bunch in there. And Brock explains what prompted him to write the book and talks us through some of the process it took from initial though to publication.We spend a few minutes talking about some of the childhood stories that Brock included in the book. Growing up in a small town in the 1980s allowed he and his friends plenty of opportunity to do fun stuff. We agree that most of the time fun stuff means the same as dangerous stuff. That conversation transitions nicely into Brock sharing about his most recent mishap.During this year’s Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Brock was involved in a single bike accident that would leave in with a compound fracture of his collar bone and broken pelvis. Rob acknowledges that this incident placed him in a situation where he was forced to accept help from others, something that he is not normally comfortable doing.After getting Brock to acknowledge is a fast runner, I ask him to rate his swim and bike performance. Brock recommends that seeking out specialized coaching if you’re struggling with one particular discipline. And of course, we talk bikes. Brock shares he has future plans to ride a traditional road bike versus a TT bike due to certain advantages.If you haven’t already, be sure to get your copy of Brock’s book My Coworkers Think I’m A Pro. You can order online by using following link:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1777147301/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_BTAYB794TZ87MDS2W8WTSupport the show

In this episode I get the opportunity to thank a volunteer!In my Ironman Waco 70.3 race recap, I told the story of how I met someone in the Ironman store the day before the race and during conversation he said that he would make plans to present me with my medal when I crossed the finish line. True to his word, he encouraged me during the last mile of the course and greeted me at the finish line to place my medal around my neck. Through the power of Social Media, I tracked him down and he agreed to be a guest on the show.Nathan Jones shares how he came to be a volunteer during Ironman weekend in Waco, TX and we talk about some of the areas he was able to serve. Nathan is on staff with Fellowship of Christian Athletes whose mission is to lead every coach and athlete to a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. FCA, as an organization, has a world-wide reach and they have the opportunity to work with everyone from the local “pee-wee” to the professional level. We discuss how important the role a coach can play in a young person’s life and Nathan shares how working with coaches at the Junior High, High School and Collegiate level is his “bread and butter.”We talk about the role of the volunteer and the impact that is made by giving of your time. Nathan shares a biblical verse that he believes really captures the “heartbeat” of the volunteer. During the two day weekend, Nathan spent 20-24 hours working at different stages of the race. Beside working the finish line on Sunday, he shares that he was able to provide support on the swim and we discuss a few of our previous swim misadventures.Nathan is currently on his own Ironman journey. He is currently training for Ironman 70.3 Texas in April 2022 and Ironman Maryland in September 2022. We talk about how his training is going so far and he even shares if he has plans to get the M-Dot tattoo.And we of course talk about bikes. I even try, unsuccessfully, to get Nathan to agree he needs the custom painted Ventum bike that we both admired in the Ironman store.  Support the show

In this episode, I speak to Kostas Lozanas who recently released a documentary about his experience at Ironman Waco in October 2021. The documentary titled Keep Moving Forward is currently available on YouTube.Kostas is a husband, father of four girls and owns two Greek restaurants in the Dallas suburb of Rowlett, Texas. He shares that his athletic background consisted of performing early morning PT at a South Texas boarding school and competing in bodybuilding competitions which led him to win Mr. Teen Texas in 2007.After retiring from bodybuilding, Kostas focused his attention to business and his dream of owning his own restaurant. He opened his first restaurant in 2013 and his second recently, during the Pandemic. He admits that having completed two 70.3 races in the past did leave him with a feeling of unfinished business and this year found himself in a position to dedicate the time to completing a full distance race.Kostas acknowledges that he officially started training for the full distance race only 3 months in advance of race day. His coach, while hesitant as first, soon realized that Kostas was willing to put in the necessary work. They focused on getting him to the starting line fit and injury-free. Trusting his management team, Kostas was able to reduce the hours that he spent on the business and make Ironman training his full time job.We spend a few minutes talking about how he got his start creating YouTube content and his passion for filmmaking. We discuss the format for his documentary, and he gives me a quick lesson on the importance of the story arc in filmmaking.We spend some time discussing the Waco course and Kostas’ experience. He acknowledges that he embraced the fact that you only get one time to experience your 1st Ironman and wasn’t concerned about his finish time. We compare our approaches to bike training and breakdown some last minute advice his coach gave him the night before the race.We talk about his thoughts on being social during the run and he gives advice on how to leverage other athletes to help with pacing. We compare stories on how easy it is to “forget” that you have to run all 26.2 miles of the marathon. And Kostas gives a little glimpse into his previous experience hiking/backpacking in Ruidoso, NM.And of course, we talk bikes! Kostas explains that he had to buy a bike during the height of the bike shortage and was lucky to find a bike in his size that would suit his needs. We round out of conversation talking about what is on the horizon, Kostas shares that he would love to complete in Ironman Florida in 2022. I announce that I will be participating in Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston, next April, as part of a relay team and have plans to serve as a volunteer after completing the swim portion of the relay.If you haven’t already, click the link below to view Kostas’ documentary Keep Moving Forward.https://youtu.be/1kvDRywhY-MYou can follow Kostas and his adventures on Instagram @kostastxSupport the show

In this episode I speak to Endurance Athlete Brandon Hozack. Brandon lives in Vancouver, Washington with his wife and son. Previously a firefighter/paramedic he currently works as a tattoo artist.While claiming to not have an athletic background, Brandon got introduced to the sport of triathlon in 2014 where he started competing in local sprint and Olympic distance races before making the move to Half Ironman. In the summer of 2021, he completed Ironman 70.3 Washington. Brandon is currently training for a 50K trail run in April of 2022 and has his sights on completing the full distance Ironman in Alaska in 2023. Brandon shares that he lives with an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis, which is a rare form of arthritis that targets the spine and ribcage. Brandon explains how AS effects the body, some of the 1st symptoms, and what he deals with daily. Even through adversity, he believes that this disease has changed his life for the better.Brandon is passionate about living his life in a way to prove to his son and others that you don’t have to be limited by AS. Taking the words of both his doctor who said “…we can’t let these diseases push us around” and his wife who reminded him that “an object in motion stays in motion” Brandon is determined to continue and push forward by staying active.We talk about some of the things that Brandon has been able to accomplish including his favorite race to date. We have a good time analyzing how he could have improved 59 seconds in a Sprint Triathlon that would have yielded him 3rd place in his Age Group, and he vows to return to the same venue next year to improve his finish position.Brandon shares how he has gone from a feeling of anger to acceptance and is beginning to share his story in the hopes to inspire others dealing with a similar situation. You can follow Brandon on Instagram @do.as.is to see daily accounts of life with AS. He believes that with perseverance and the right mind set someone doesn’t have to be limited by this disease.We talk about the 50K race he has coming up, our thoughts on being social on the run, he shares a story of how he “paced” another athlete to the finish line and we, of course, talk about bikes.Support the show

In this episode we hear Travis Coffey’s incredible story. Travis is the father of Brookelyn Coffey who was my guest in episode 20. In 2019, Travis suffered a traumatic injury that forever changed his life.Having completed Ironman Louisville in 2018, Travis was not going to accept the diagnosis of his doctors and not only knew he would walk again but that he would race Ironman once more.Travis shares his story of the day he suffered the injury, what he remembers of the days following and his and Brookelyn’s training as he rehabbed his way back to the starting line.We talk about training and racing before his injury including his experience at Ironman Louisville in 2018 and his experiences this year at Ironman 70.3 Ohio and Ironman Indiana.Travis’ personal motto is “Never Give Up” and he definitely plans to live by that as each takes each day as a gift.If you are struggling to overcome an obstacle in your life, we hope that you will be inspired by Travis’ story. As athletes we have been told to “listen to our bodies” and to heed our doctor’s advice but what do you do when those don’t necessarily line up. It’s an incredible story of perseverance. I am honored to have meet Travis and excited to see what he accomplishes in the years to come.Support the show

In this episode, I speak to Rob Hutchings. Rob is currently living in New Zealand and has recently published a book titled Downriver Nomad: A Triathlete’s Adventures and Adversities into the Rapids.His book chronicles how he got introduced to the sport of triathlon as a teenager in Newfoundland Canada, discovered marathon swimming shortly after, received his degree in Chiroptic care in England, meet and married his wife in Australia and eventually became the 1st person to ever swim New Zealand’s Clutha River.Rob shares some of those stories and more as we breakdown a few of the details that went into his journey to swim the full length of a 256 km river. Rob self-produced a documentary with video that he and his support team collected during his 4.5 day journey. To view that video click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeIW6ioSHZA&t=162sThinking about putting your open water swimming skills to the test? Rob has you covered with a light-hearted instructional video: https://youtu.be/SuWhwPv6ipYTo purchase Downriver Nomad: A Triathlete’s Adventures and Adversities into the Rapids and read Rob’s full story search your favorite bookstore, your favorite source for e-books or click the Amazon link below: https://www.amazon.com/dp/047358834X/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_795757QBERP6SYT7F4KZSupport the show

In this episode, I speak to 19 year old Brookelyn Coffey who recently completed Ironman Indiana. After establishing her athletic background, Brookelyn shares how she got started on her Ironman journey. To keep her dad company while he recovered from a stroke in 2019, they trained together to be ready for the 2020 season.Brookelyn confesses that she had wanted to join her parents and train for a triathlon with them but didn’t want to hold them back, after her dad’s injury she realized that she would be able to build fitness with him and he recovered. They had originally signed up to race Muncie 70.3 in 2020 when she would have been 18 years old. After the crazy that was 2020, her dad, her mom and Brookelyn all registered for and completed both Ohio 70.3 and the inaugural race of Ironman Indiana just a few weeks ago. Brookelyn explains how she was 1st out of the water for family bragging rights and that since they has sequential race numbers, she and her mom where able to hang out in T1 to make sure that her dad, Travis, made it safely out of the water before heading out on the bike course as a family during 70.3 Ohio.For Ironman Indiana, it was everyone for themselves as they all decided to race their own race. Because it’s a loop course with a few out and backs they did get to see each other several times, in passing, on both the bike and run courses.We breakdown her finish times for all 3 disciplines and talk about the advantages and disadvantages of a multi-loop course can be. Additionally, we agree that there are so many fun people that you meet on the run course when you’re a “back of the packer.”After completing Ironman Indiana, Brookelyn was able to get the M-Dot tattoo. She explains how her tattoo has more meaning than just completing a 140.6 mile endurance race.We talk about what she has planned for next year and she shares some advice that she was given.Support the show