STEP UP TO THE MIKE

4,354 of you responded to last week’s survey, where we asked who you wanted Mike Reilly to interview next on his Find Your Finish Line podcast.

39% nominated Jan Frodeno, and 36.5% chose Daniela Ryf.

Do Mike a favor and let the athletes know we selected them! Cut & paste this post into your Instagram feed:

Hey @janfrodeno and @danielaryf… readers of @triathlonwire chose you as our top picks to be interviewed next by @ironmanvoice on his Find Your Finish Line podcast! 

THE FORGOTTEN INTERVAL

You’ve discovered the power of interval training for improved performance (haven’t you?), so you’re probably focused on the speed and intensity of each rep.

But are you also mindful of the second component of HIIT… the recovery interval?

By fine-tuning your recovery period, you can manipulate both the work interval and the average intensity of the session, thereby maximizing the training effect.

Learn the nuances of recovery intervals – like when to choose between passive and active recovery, and why it matters – in this well-researched article.

You’ll even get detailed suggestions on how to integrate the best recovery intervals for your own swim, bike and run training.

FUEL THE WORKOUT

Kona age group record holder and sports scientist Dr. Dan Plews explores the topic of what to eat before a workout.

Should you exploit your overnight fast and train on empty first thing in the morning, to increase fat burning?  Or should you eat a high carb breakfast before your session?

In tests with well-trained cyclists it turns out that, for sessions lasting less than 60 minutes, there were no differences in performance.  In other words, what they ate beforehand didn’t matter.

So, if you want to optimize fat burning by training in a fasted state, then go for it.  Just be attentive to your nutritional needs for the remainder of the day to avoid energy deficits.  Dive more deeply into Dr. Dan’s research here.

TRACK YOUR SWIM SESSIONS

The new FINIS Smart Goggle tracks and displays your vital real-time swim data right where you need it most: in the corner of your goggle lens!

With just a glance see your laps, splits, set time, rest time, and more.  With the FINIS Smart Goggle you’re able to perfectly manage the intensity and speed of every set.

Not only does it keep you constantly informed for optimal workouts, the Smart Goggle also tracks and stores the details of each session. Once your workout is over, sync with the included mobile app and analyze the full breakdown of your workout.  It even pushes a summary to Strava!

From now through August 7, get a free bonus goggle with your purchase of the Smart Goggle Starter Kit.  Then you can quickly swap the interchangeable Smart Coach display module between the Smoke and Blue goggles, depending on light conditions.

TIME IS SHORT TO KQ

We’re now less than 85 days to the IRONMAN World Championships.

This year’s Road to Kona has presented detours for many triathletes due to rescheduled races and regional travel restrictions.  As of this writing, there are just 5 triathlons left on the calendarwhere pros can claim this year’s 16 remaining slots to the Big Show.

45 pros benefitted from 2020 entry deferrals due to the pandemic.  However many notables haven’t yet punched their tickets to Hawaii including Laura Philipp, Holly Lawrence, David McNamee and Lionel Sanders.  Check out the latest World Championships roster in this excellent KQ report compiled by TriRating.com.

STAY IN YOUR ZONE

All training zones are required to develop optimal performance, but Zone 2 is where endurance athletes should be spending 60-75% of their entire training time.

This is where your aerobic base is built.

Elite trainer Dr. Íñigo San Millán is the coach of Tadej Pogačar and professor at the Colorado University School of Medicine.  In this article he explains the critical benefits of Zone 2 training, which include mitochondrial development, improved fat utilization and glycogen preservation.

This is a bit technical, but understanding how the sausage is made will help guide you in the construction and management of an effective triathlon training program.

QUICK HIITS:

• Heart of a Champion
  2-time World Champion Vincent Luis is the heavy favorite for gold going into the Tokyo Olympics.  Learn how he overcame a condition that required heart surgery, and then emerged as the top short-course triathlete of our time in this compelling documentaryproduced by Super League Triathlon.
• Lionel, What About Kona?
  Although he hasn’t yet secured his Kona spot, Lionel Sanders is keeping busy.  He’s scheduled to face off this Sunday against Jan Frodeno in a head-to-head promotional exhibition.  Then he’s slated to compete in the Collins Cup on August 28.  These events benefit his sponsors and will satisfy fans, but Lionel still has one small task on his to-do list: qualify for the World Championships… which he hopes to do in Copenhagen on August 16.  That’s a lot of racing.
• Old School
  In our Tweet of the Week, supercoach Brett Sutton shares his 3 secrets to cycling success.  These might seem surprisingly basic, but winning never goes out of style!