Everyday Ironman Podcast

In this episode we hear from Doug Broughton. Doug recently completed his 1st full distance race at Ironman Tulsa last month. Doug shared that he and his wife celebrated their 22nd Wedding Anniversary 2 days before the race.Doug lives in the Southern part of Wisconsin and when not working from home commutes to Chicago, Illinois. He shared that he has several jobs that he is balancing along with Ironman training.  Because Wisconsin is still relatively cold this time of year, I ask Doug how that impacted his training.Doug gives us an overview of his experience and causally reveals that Ironman Tulsa was his very 1st triathlon of any distance. We discuss the idea of the “ideal” weight and I offer to diagnose the listeners’ aches and pains.Because Doug had described himself as a “cheapskate” I ask his how the conversation went with his wife regarding the Ironman registration fees. After giving Doug a hard time about his digital footprint, we get into conversation about his training plan. Doug followed the 6-month plan that I available on the Ironman website. We go into detail about his long training sessions and Doug is honest about 1 component of training he would do different.We get into breaking down Doug’s race and the Ironman Tulsa venue. Doug shares some does, and some don’t as we learn how his day went. But in the end, Doug shows that with perseverance and determination he can overcome anything that is thrown his way.Support the show

In this episode, we hear an incredible story of survival. Candace Gantt shares her story. Candace is a wife, mother, and Ironman finisher. Candace is also a survivor of a Traumatic Brain Injury. Cadace shares that before discovering running at the age of 35 would not have considered herself as an athletic person. Before long she found herself in the world of triathlon. She completed several 70.3 and while on a training ride, in 2005, Candace was hit by a truck and trailer. The impact of the trailer forced her head-first into a telephone pole. We spend a few minutes talking about the accident and Candace shares that because she was riding with a small group, they were able to get medical attention quickly. We talk about the pros and cons of outdoor riding and indoor training and Candace reveals that not only did she eventually get back in her bike, but she was able to train for and complete a full distance race!We discuss how Candace’s faith and the prayerful support of her community help with her healing process. I reveal how the is a difference between ignoring your doctor’s advice and choosing not to go to the doctor.We talk about some of the events that Candace was able to compete in after her accident. Candace has been able to run the Boston Marathon three different times. As well as the full iron-distance race at the Beach to Battle in Willington, NC. While she took time off from actively competing in triathlon to attend events for her girls, Candace share that she has returned to running over the last few years. Candace gives me a quick lesson on how the differences between a 2 person and 8 person crew team and we talk about how she and her husband are giving back to the team that help her when she needed it the most.In addition to all the things that Candace has been able to accomplish since her accident she is also a podcast host. She hosts the Mind Your Brain podcast where she speaks to clinical experts, research authorities and TBI survivors.For more information about the Mind Your Brain Foundation or to donate to the Russell and Candace Gantt CBIR Fund visit mindyourbrainfoundation.org To view the YouTube video to documented Candace’s story, click the link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ODgEnXqIE0Support the show

In this episode, we hear from Brian Valparaiso as he shares his experience racing Ironman St. George just a few weeks ago. Brian is married, has two adult children, and works full-time while balancing Ironman training.Brian shares that he signed up for Ironman St. George after completing Ironman 70.3 St. George in 2021 so he got in before the decision was made to use this as the World Championship this year. We spend a few minutes talking about his team, his coach, and the access that he has living in Southern California. Brian talks us through the week before the race. He gives some insight into his packing strategy and what he was able to experience in the time leading up to race day.Because Brian finished the race only 2 weeks prior to the recording, I took advantage of the opportunity to ask him to talk us through his experience step by step while it was still fresh in his mind.We talk through the swim, the bike, and the run. Since Brian had completed Ironman 70.3 St. George last year, he was able to compare the 2 courses for us. He also shares his nutrition plan.We round out our conversation talking about bikes and Brian shares what he has on the schedule for the rest of the year.Support the show

Pretty sure no one ever said “a family that trains and competes in triathlon together, stays together” but they might after listening to this episode. Tyler and Jenna Russell live in Ohio, have been married for 6 years, are raising 2 young boys and are both pursuing their multi-sport dreams.Jenna is a Special Education teacher, and she describes working with children with disabilities as both “exhausting and rewarding at the same time.” She admits that she ran cross-country and track in High School. Even though she claims that she wasn’t “very good at it” and remembers it being more of a good time with friends, she did continue into her 1st year of college but had to quit because of injuries.Tyler works full-time and is currently pursuing his MBA. While still training for triathlon, he acknowledges that with all that is going right now it’s Jenna’s turn. He is stepping back from 70.3 and will compete in smaller races for a while.The couple shares how they got introduced to the sport of triathlon and the disciplines that they are the strongest and weakest in. Through conversation we learn that Jenna learned to swim in middle school and Tyler qualified to run the Boston Marathon in 2019.We talk about the difference between qualifying to run the Boston Marathon and actually running the Boston Marathon. I ask them which discipline they would choose to tackle if participating on a relay team.Jenna is currently training for Ironman 70.3 Ohio and at the time of the recording we were about 13 weeks out. She gives us an update on how she is feeling and how training is going so far. She shares that Tyler’s dad is also racing Ohio and having a “buddy” to race with played into her decision when picking which race to sign up for.Tyler talks us through his experience at Ironman 70.3 Steelhead in Michigan last year. He explains that the race was shortened due to a small craft warning on Lake Superior. Since I’ve never been to Age Group awards or a World Championship Slot Allocation, and may never get to at this point, they share how that process worked for them.We get to hear some of Tyler’s experience in St. George and they talk us through how they balance life and training with 2 small children. At least for now, they are taking turns training and racing. Because Tyler’s dad is also signed up for 70.3 Ohio, they have plans to have Tyler’s mom to watch the boys while the 3 of them are out for a bike session.We discuss their thoughts on the full distance race. They both have plans to do a 140.6 but acknowledge the training would be too much for now. We discuss our “bucket list” race venues. Jenna explains how she got inspired to get back into racing triathlon while spectating the finish line at St. George. We learn what bikes they ride and for those of you with a triathlete in your life, Jenna reveals what she received for her last birthday. It turned out to be both practical and educational. We round out our conversation talking about the next generation of triathletes.To document Jenna’s triathlon journey, she has created a new Instagram account. You can follow her @ironman.mom.in.trainingAt the time of publish, Tyler has 100 Instagram followers and 1 single post. Baby steps.Support the show

In this episode, Scott Sugimoto returns to talk about his experience at Ironman St. George. Scott had the opportunity to complete his very 1st full distance race at the Ironman World Championships just weeks ago.Scott shares because of how close he lives to St. George that he had the opportunity to do some training on course 3 weeks prior to the event.Because the World Championships are the well the World Championships, before breaking down Scott’s race we talked about the days leading into the race.Scott gave an account of how he and his wife traveled to St. Geroge, talked about where they stayed, when they got there, and we discussed some of the items they purchased as souvenirs.We talk about some of the pros that Scott saw prior to the event, and we agree on who we were routing for in the Pro Woman’s race.I try to get Scott to predict the winning numbers to the lotto drawing because he finished the race within 6 minutes of the time he told me that I would take when I checked in with him the week before.We finally get around to talking about Scott’s actual race and we break it down discipline by discipline. Scott shares how it felt while I remind him of his finish times and Age Group placing.Scott shares what that he had so much fun that he is not finished racing. He is racing Ironman 70.3 Cozumel this September and told his wife that she can pick out the venue next year. Scott and his wife will be celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary and plans to take a racecation.Support the show

in this special mid-week episode I talk through my experience this past weekend in Chattanooga, TN.I had a great time, the city of Chattanooga is beautiful, I was able to connect with some friends that I have made over the last year, set a PR in the swim and the run and even got well wishes from a pro.Friday there will be another interview to enjoy. Scott Sugimoto stopped by just after completing Ironman St. George to share his experience at the Ironman World Championships. Support the show

It's finally here. It's Race Weekend. In this episode,  I give an update on how my training has gone over the last few weeks, share that my travel plans have changed and give an overview of my plan for the next few days.To see the video that I made to document packing my Trek Speed Concept for flight click the link below.https://youtu.be/1aqEG4yb6eISupport the show

It’s been said that no race can happen without the volunteers but there is another unsung hero that is critical to making any athlete’s race experience a success. In this episode we hear from Kim Ristow who has been called The World’s Greatest Sherpa.Kim is the wife of Jim Ristow who was on Episode 3 back in July 2021. Jim is an accomplished triathlete having completed in over 40 events of all distances. Since Kim has served as his Sherpa in almost all of them, she was gracious enough to share some of her experience.If you are being asked to serve as Sherpa for a friend or family member or if you have an important race on the calendar but don’t know what to ask your Sherpa to help you with then be sure to have them listen to this episode.Kim shares some of the fun things that she did at the first few Sprint races all the way up to passing her knowledge on to her “protégé” Holly. Kim’s level of understanding is amazing considering she has never raced a triathlon herself.She explains that the support that she provides doesn’t start an end with the race itself. She reviews her involvement during training, reveals the origin behind the painted rocks that she hands out as souvenirs, talks about how she makes sure Jim has everything that he will need as they pack up, talks about what she needs to be on course all day and how she manages to collect the bike and all the gear bags. We talked about race-cations and how she would prepare when Jim races Kona.I can’t thank Kim enough for sharing her knowledge with us and hope that this episode will help your Sherpa ensure you have the best race day ever!Support the show

Way back in December 2021, in episode 23, we met Brandon Hozack. Brandon is an endurance athlete that has Ankylosing Spondylitis or AS as Brandon refers to it. We learned that Brandon has decided to take control of his life and show his son and others affected by this disease that you can still live life to the fullest. In this episode, Brandon returns to talk about his recent 50K trail run. We also talk about some of the things that he has been able to experience since our last conversation.We discuss how the impact of COVID affected us differently. I was lucky and was able to train through it, while Brandon, because of his auto-immune disease, is still dealing with the effects.Brandon shares some things that inspire him, I bring up a post where he was the one giving the inspiration and he shares the goals that he has set for himself over the coming year.Brandon is honest in his struggles while proving that we are capable of so much more than we think. If you aren’t following him on Social Media, you should. His Instagram handle is @do.as.is Support the show

In this episode we hear from Ironman Maryland Finisher and Captain of Team Elbe, her relay team at Ironman 70.3 Texas, Evelyn Shreve. Team Elbe and Team Caliber, my relay team, we next to each other in transition in Galveston. Evelyn has been married for 29 years, lives in Philadelphia, PA and is an “empty nester.” She shares that when she’s not in the pool, on her bike or running that she’s a CPA.While competing with her brother and sister as part of the relay, Evelyn shares that she completed Ironman Maryland in 2019. Additionally, she has completed six Ironman 70.3 races and participated as part of another Ironman 70.3 relay team.Because we have now both participated as part of an Ironman Relay Team, I take the opportunity to ask Evelyn how the experience was different in her opinion from competing by herself. We were both responsible for the swim leg and we spend a few minutes talking about the responsibility that we felt to complete our section of the race. Because both of our cyclists had no triathlon experience before we compare how we prepared them for Ironman racing. In particular, we covered the no drafting rules and how they have never been subject to them in their experiences. Evelyn shares how her team decided who would do the different legs of the relay. Her brother, Marv, is an avid cyclists and was the obvious choice for the bike leg. While her sister, Irene, had completed a triathlon before, it had been a few years since she had been in the pool. Ultimately, they decided that Evelyn would swim, and Irene would run.Evelyn and I talk about how we approached our training leading to prepare for “only” swimming in this race. She shares that her coach modified her training to become more swim focused and that she has seen some unexpected benefits as she is always training for her 1st stand-alone marathon in the fall.We compare thoughts on how we feel about using the relay option as a way to introduce new athletes to triathlon and Ironman racing. We both agree that there was a certain level of anxiety that was removed for our teammates compared to being responsible for all the things as a solo competitor.I confess that I have started building a stacked team for my next relay. I have recruited a fast swimmer and runner so that I can enjoy the bike leg. As I am currently training for Ironman 70.5 Chattanooga, Evelyn talks about her experience having raced there already.Because we both raced on the same course on the same day, we took the opportunity to break down our race performance by discipline. Spoiler alert, Evelyn’s team beat us by over 40 minutes. I did, however, calculate the math wrong during the recording when we compared our rolling times when we got to the bike leg.We round out of conversation talking about bikes. Evelyn shares that she has a custom painted Trek Speed Concept. Which regular listeners know if my current favorite bike.Support the show