Everyday Ironman Podcast

In the episode we hear from 11 time Ironman Finisher, Vicki Muir Cherin. Vicki is signed up and will be going for finish #12 at Ironman Texas on April 22, 2022. Vicki currently lives in Boca Raton, FL with her husband and they 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren. Vicki talks through how she got introduced to the sport of triathlon. Because of an injury, she had gained some weight. After the birth of her granddaughter, she found that walker her in the stroller allow her to become more active without pain. Six months and 60lbs lighter Vicki no longer required medication for pain management. Vicki explains that her original plan was to complete every Ironman race in the upper 48 states. When the Legacy Program was announced she realized that would be a great opportunity to race Kona. She actually lived in Hawaii when she was younger. When I ask her how she’s feeling coming into IMTX, Vicki says that she is feeling good. Her back is not giving her trouble and she’s been able to get in quality work. She seems particularly satisfied with her bike workouts.Vicki gives a little history of when she met Jim Ristow. Jim was my guest on episode #3 in July of 2021. I We learn that Jim’s wife Kim, who has been referred to as “the world’s best sherpa,” as taught Vicki’s daughter all that she needs to know and is now Vicki’s sherpa. I announce that Kim has agreed to be a guest on an upcoming episode where I hope to get her to provide insight into how to best assist an athlete during race weekend.Because Vicki has been on the quest to finish 12 full distance races and qualify to race in “Kona” and because in May 2022 Ironman will hold the World Championships somewhere other than Hawaii for the very first time, I ask Vicki her thoughts. Because of the current uncertainty of if/when the World Championships are actually going to return to Kona and the ongoing concern of her back, she acknowledges that she would welcome the opportunity to race in St. George, UT if invited.Our conversion gets real when Vicki talks about the recent passing of her mom. Her mom loved Hawaii and Vicki has plans to return there to memorialize her either as part of Ironman or not. We talk about how small the world can be sometimes. John Lueder, who I met at IMTX in 2018 and was my 1st guest in Episode 1, was with Vicki on course in Santa Rosa a few years back. John provided support to Vicki during the run portion when her back was giving her trouble.I take the opportunity to provide a little insight and course recon for the IMTX road conditions. The last time Vicki raced in Texas the bike course went through the Sam Houston forest. The Hardy Toll, while relatively flat, has its challenges.Since part of the Legacy Program requirement is to complete at least one full distance race per year until your “Kona” opportunity is realized, I ask Vicki what race see is targeting after completed her 12th at IMTX. She acknowledges that she and Jim have had that conversation and the plan is to race IMTX in 2022. Which means that when she finishes IMTX in 2022 she will have almost a full year to do something other than triathlon! I eventually get around to asking Vicki what bike she rides. At the time of the recording, she shares that she is on a “basic” Cervelo P3 that she actually has to “shift the gears.” Since the recording, she has ordered a new Cervelo with Di2 and disc brakes. IMTX is scheduled to be the last race on her P3.As expected, Vicki shares some insight and wisdom that she’s learned over the years as well as her plan to dye her hair purple to promote Dementia awareness. Vascular Dementia is what Vicki’s mom was diagnosed with before her death.We wish Vicki and Jim both well as they attempt to finish their 12th full distance Ironman race on May 23, 2022.Support the show

In this episode we hear from Ironman Wisconsin finisher, Paul Wilson. Paul and his wife of 33 years, Charlette, live in San Antonio, TX and have two adult children. Paul serves as pastor at Cibolocreek Community Church which he started 25 years ago.Paul describes himself as being an average athlete growing up. He shares that he went to small private schools and played basketball, soccer, and ran track. He feels that it was the comradery, more than the competition, that drew him to team sports.He did have the opportunity to play soccer and run track for the first two years of college but suffered a knee injury that caused him to put his athletic career on hold. He acknowledges that he found himself in a similar situation that a lot of us can relate to, he would start the new year with a goal of getting in shape. After two weeks that goal would be put off due to other obligations.When I challenge Paul on his statement that he was only able to play sports because he went to a “small” school, he stands by his claim. He believes that while he was quick and coordinated, he enjoyed encouraging other athletes and being a good sport over anything else. Something that he has brought with him into triathlon. He feels that from the back of the pack, he is better able to cheer his fellow competitors and thank the volunteers and police staff on course.I ask Paul why he selected Ironman Wisconsin as his full distance race. He shares that several factors went into his decision. Among others he cites the time of year, cooler climate, and the lake swim would help reduce some difficulty but in the end he and his wife spent 6 years in Madison and have a strong connection to the area. Paul was first introduced to cycling in Madison and still has friends that live there that he knew he could stay with to keep cost down.Paul reveals that while he “found” triathlon after turning 50 his fascination of the sport dates back to when he read about one of the original Hawaii races in Sports Illustrated when he was 18 years old. He talks us through how he started out by doing a Sprint distance race in Austin, TX and then after several years moved up to the half-distance at Ironman 70.3 Texas in Galveston. After completing several more ¼ and ½ distance races Paul realizes that he was letting fear get into way of attempting a full. After researching his options, he “clicked” send and registered for Ironman Wisconsin in 2019. The race was originally scheduled for 2020 which would be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul believes that the additional year to train was good for him personally. We spend a few minutes comparing the similarities in our stories. I recall my concern over wearing tri-shorts in public the first time. Paul provides the mantra that he adopted after coming out of his two years of reflection. #iwillnotquitWe agree that the 70.3 race is a fantastic distance. While you still have to train, the training is much less then for a full distance race. Its not as expense and most of our non-triathlon friends don’t know the difference between completing and ½ or full Ironman race. However, Paul does say that he plans to finish 3 full Ironman races. He lists several factors that would require him to space them out over a period of time.Paul provides a breakdown, by discipline, of his Ironman Wisconsin race. I’m compelled to admit that I have a problem that my require professional help. I ask Paul to elaborate on something that he posted in the Pathetic Triathletes Facebook Group. We spend some time talking about the importance of having a “why.” We both have experienced a sense of loss of direction after completing something that we trained for years to prepare for. While he claims to hate running Paul talks about his 3 stand-alone marathons. He recently completed the RSupport the show

In this episode, I talk about my experience during Ironman 70.3 Texas. During my conversation with Angie Jackson way back in episode 18, I committed to being a volunteer.  Since is was only swimming, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to make good on that promise.Like most things, you get way more than you give! I met some incredible people, had the opportunity to talk some 1st timers through the process, and hang the finisher medal around more athletes that I can count. Support the show

Fresh off our finish of Ironman 70.3 Texas where Eric, Lindsay and I competed as a relay team, we discuss our experience. We talk about what we learned, how we performed relative to our expectation and why one of us found our way into the Medical tent at the end of the race.Support the show

In this episode, I speak to Davin Main. Davin is an elementary school teacher from Sacramento, CA. He and his wife, who is also and endurance athlete, have a 16 year old daughter along with a few pets.After giving me a quick US Geography lesson, Davin and I compare stories of on the benefits of being a teacher in a small town. My wife can’t go anywhere without being approached by a former student and Davin declares he’s James Marshall famous.From the ages of 16 until 36, Davin admits to being a gym rat. He would “pump iron” 60 – 90 minutes a day, 5 – 6 days a week. Until 1 day he got bored and decided to something completely different and choose triathlon. Davin explains if you manage your time right, you can get a 90 minute workout done in 70 minutes.Davin reveals a philosophy lesson that he shares with his students. Having a Growth Mindset is when you recognize that progress is made over a period of time. He compares his 1st 500 yard swim that took him 24 minutes to complete to the 500 yard swim he completed in 9 minutes recently.We get into a conversation to determine who was the worst swimmer when we started training, Davin introduces me to a new term. Being a crocodile swimmer is when you swim for multiple strokes before lifting your head to take a large breath and repeat. Davin shares that his secret to swimming faster came at a cost last year while rehabbing from knee surgery. He was able to set a PR in 100, 400, and 1000 yards within 3 weeks but his already budging lower back discs didn’t appreciate all his hard work. Since we are both self-proclaimed slow swimmers, I ask Davin what he considers to be the definition of average person fast. Davin first acknowledges that everyone is at a different place on their journey, and we should only be concerned about being faster than we were but says that 1:30/100 is fast. We discuss the advantage of learning proper pacing. We talk about the pros and cons of learning how to do a flip-turn. We compare a paranoid feeing that we share when swimming with others at a public pool. Davin shares that he swims more than the average to give his knees a break from running. Hs goal is to swim 160 miles this year. He’s already at 32 miles at about 10 weeks into 2022.Davin explains that because he knows his body’s limitations, he is really limiting his running. He is following a 10:1 bike to run ration with his training volume in the 1st half of the year. As his A race gets closer, he will shift to a 5:1 ratio. When I try to get Davin to commiserate with me on my inability to swim straight on the pool, he tells me that not only can he swim straight in the pool that he swam so straight during Santa Cruz 70.3 he only clocked 1.1 miles on his Garmin. To be fair, Davin explains that he speeds time during strength training including paddle work to even out his stroke.When we get around to talking about training for the bike portion of triathlon, Davin acknowledges that he is also an indoor rider. He has completed 112 miles in one session. Davin plants the seed that I need a direct drive trainer.Davin shares that his goal at every race is to minimize pain. He lists some of the tools/techniques that he uses for management and recovery. We talk about his experience last year at Santa Cruz and Davin explains his plan for Ironman California this year in Sacramento.Davin was originally signed up to race Ironman California last year. He unfortunately was having knee pain with 2 weeks to go and was able to defer to 2022. He still had plans to volunteer and talks about what it was like to morning of as the Race Director made the decision to cancel the race just before start time. We agreed that as disappointing as it must have been for all, it did appear to be the right call.We talk about the advantages of short course raSupport the show

In this episode, I give an update on where I am in my training. I share some excitement about my swim tools. I detail my schedule for Ironman 70.3 Texas weekend, and I provide some insight into what’s next.If you want to follow us on the Ironman tracker April 3rd our bib number is 4057.Support the show

In this episode we get the opportunity to hear from Ironman in Training, Scott Sugimoto. Scott is currently training for his very first full distance race. He will be racing in St. George, UT in May of 2022.During the get to know you, Scott shares that he has been married for 29 years, has 3 adult children, and was blessed with a granddaughter a year and half ago. Scott grew up in Utah not too far from where he currently lives. Scott shares that he did try the standard North American sports as a child but never felt that there were a good fit.After establishing that Scott did not grow up with a background in swim, bike, or run; Scott shares how he found himself in the world of triathlon. Scott was introduced to cycling in his 30’s. Starting with mountain biking before transitioning to road cycling. Scott really enjoys riding with the guys and has completed in a yearly road race that spans over 200 miles. After having a few bad experiences when he was 10 years old, Scott would have to overcome his fear of the water before he could even think about triathlon. In October of 2020, Scott’s wife did something that would allow him to get in the water and start swimming. Scott shares how he to a more traditional approach to race distances. He started with Sprint, moved to Olympic, and then the half distance picking up a few Age Group wins along the way. Because we are close to the same age, we take a few minutes to compare our performance numbers by discipline.As we begin to talk about the next step in his journey, Scott comes to realize that once he completes Ironman St. George he will be ranking as the best in the world for his Age Group. Being 9 weeks out from race weekend, Scott gives us a peak into what his weekly training schedule consists of. We talk about how he integrates training into his daily schedule, and he shares he is turning his basement into a Pain Cave.We talk about Scott’s nutrition plan both during training and on race day. I hijack the episode to rant about my sub-par performance at the recent Cowtown Marathon and Scott convinces me to try a new product.We compare our favorite gadgets and discover that we both share a love of the FROM Smart Goggles. Because Scott has a Trek Speed Concept, I get him to provide a detail description of it. We talk about the 2022 Speed Concept, and I reveal my secret and up to this point unsuccessful attempt on how to get a new bike.Support the show

In this episode we get an update from the Anchor of our Ironman 70.3 Texas Relay Team. Eric shares how his training is going and what his plan is for race weekend.He also challenges you the listener to predict our finish time(s).Think it through and email how long you think it will take us to finish at eveydayironmanpodcast@gmail.com or send us a message through Instagram @everydayironmanpodcastSupport the show

In this episode, we get our 1st check-in with my Ironman 70.3 Texas relay team. With just over 5 weeks until race weekend, we hear from Lindsay Klimek. In episode 30, I introduced you to Lindsay. To recap: We work together, she has a strong athletic background and while new to triathlon, she is an avid cyclist.Lindsay and I talk about how her training has been going over the last few weeks. She confesses that she recognized that she need to take a week off, she explains her approach to indoor training that includes shopping online while on the bike and she explains the difference between bike shorts and bibs.I share some tips on how to remove some anxiety for the first timer and we look past the race itself and make plans for the Race Recap episode.Support the show

in this episode, I have no one to blame for not being ready for the Cowtown Marathon so I provide all the reasons why I'm not in the correct physical shape.Support the show