That Triathlon Life Podcast

Eric and Paula are recording from Canada, Nick’s in LA, and the mailbag is full of Kona questions. We work through what the race actually does to your body and why it breaks even the best in the world, answer your training and gear questions, get a van update, and weigh in on the Moab 240 weather cancellation controversy.
This week we discussed:
Bike Tech with Eric: should you remove dried tubeless sealant film from inside your tire, or does it actually add protection?
What truly makes Kona harder than any other Ironman, heat, humidity, wind, the pre-race demands, cameras, and the psychological weight of the race itself
Should athletes have the option to keep their Ironman race tracking private?
Running vs. cycling right of way on Ali’i Drive, and the broader question of pedestrian lane etiquette
Would extending the trash zone at aid stations improve safety and fueling, and did Gustav Iden and Matthew Marquardt's penalty tent stops accidentally help put them on the podium?
Carbon plated shoe lifespan: are your Hoka Rocket X 2s still worth racing in over 200km?
How hard should you actually swim a 70.3, and if swimming is your highest heart rate activity of the day, are you costing yourself on the bike and run?
Off-season training structure, to rest or not to rest?
How do you keep up with the laundry that three sports creates?
The Moab 240 cancellation: the decision to start knowing bad weather was coming
Treadmill workout structure: TrainingPeaks, Zwift custom workouts, or just winging it?
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Paula raced the Ironman World Championship in Kona, and this is the full, unfiltered debrief. No questions this week. Just Paula, Eric, and Nick working through the whole day: the rough, choppy swim, the windy bike leg, and a marathon that became something else entirely. This episode is the whole story:
The days leading into Kona: the commitments, the exhaustion, the headaches, and whether the race week experience matched four years of FOMO
The TTL Kona Donut Run recap, Malasadas, two kilometers in the heat, and a star-studded crowd
The swim: rough conditions, a swollen lip, disorientation near the far buoy, and finishing in good position despite it all
The bike: treating the first half like a 70.3, riding above watts to chase people, Race Ranger dynamics, and what Paula would do differently
Navigating the aid stations in 28mph crosswinds on a day when the fastest male pro bike split was 4:11
The run: from the first steps on Ali'i Drive to the Energy Lab turnaround and back, what it actually felt like, minute by minute
Rachel Zelenkas, Kat Matthews, and the camaraderie that got Paula to the finish line
Lucy Charles, Solveig Løvseth, and a day that humbled the entire pro field
Whether finishing without a medical reason to stop is something to be proud of
What Paula thinks about doing it again
Kona TTL gear still available, Energy Lab hats, Castelli technical apparel, socks, and swim caps
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To help support the podcast, and if you have a question for next week, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Just the boys this week. We're recording live from Kona, a couple of days before Paula toes the line at the Ironman World Championship. Eric and Nick recap the week so far, including the TTL Donut Run, which brought out some familiar faces including Flora Duffy, Heather Jackson, and Jodie Stimpson. Then listener submitted questions.
This week we discussed:
Kona race week: what it's actually like to be here, the energy, the chaos, and the pro athlete sightings
The TTL Kona Donut Run recap, malasadas, a big turnout, and some A-list company
Best apps for finding triathlon training routes, gravel rides, and camping spots
Hip mobility stretches that actually work
Would Nick take over from Bob Babbitt someday, and what would he call the series?
Miscounting laps in the pool: do you shorten the next interval or just carry on?
Advice to your past selves at the inception of TTL, and what it means for anyone building something big from scratch
Surviving washboard gravel roads: positioning, speed, and whether anything actually helps
Hydration on long trail and gravel rides with no gas stations in sight
Backing out of a race you signed up for with a friend, how to feel about it
Why marathon swimmers hold 1:10 per 100m for 10K but pro triathletes swim 1:20 for 3.8K
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

One week out from leaving for Kona, Paula is in the background sketching the donut run poster while we record. We open with a busy weekend of racing, Augusta 70.3, the World Triathlon Grand Final sprint in Pontevedra, and UCI Road Racing Worlds, then get into Team TTL applications opening today, the Kona donut run details, and your questions.
This week we discussed:
Augusta 70.3 results: Lydia Russell wins, Samantha Skold third, Adele Likin's wrong turn with two miles to go, and what it highlights about race coverage
The Grand Final sprint finish: Matt Hauser wins the race, Vasco Vilaça wins the world title, and whether Matt held his line
Aerodynamic gravel bikes: what pro racing demands of equipment and what it means for the regular consumer
Team TTL and TTL Racing Division applications are open now through October 19th, what the Racing Division is, who it's for, and how it's different from the main team
Kona TTL Donut Run: Wednesday October 7th, 2pm, featuring malasadas
Team Canada Kona shakeout run: Monday October 5th, 8am, hosted by Lisa Bentley at Big Island Running Co.
FTP tests for seasoned athletes: how often pros actually do them, what Paulo Sousa uses instead, and why the scariest version might actually be a QOM climb you care about
Nick's volume experiment: six minutes off a 27-minute climb after a month of Z2 only
Paula's Ironman swim set: 10x400 on 15 seconds rest, no toys, no alternatives (well, maybe five 800s)
Rest days vs. active recovery: how often Paula and Eric actually take full days off 
Backyard ultras: how long could each of them last, and why laps are their own special kind of suffering
Strength training in a triathlon program: how to stay consistent without it wrecking your other sessions
Looking up race results and imagining where you would have finished 
First 70.3 Worlds advice: why going three weeks early might be the wrong move, and what Paula's Kona build has taught her about not putting races on a pedestal
The creative process in music and video: prosody, co-creation, and why you can't make art formulaic even when you really want to
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

We're recording at 7:15pm and going to bed at 7:30, which means we are bending time and space to record this. First up: TTL Mad Libs, a new segment submitted by Mike the Botox guy, in which we fill in a Kona race guide and somehow end up with Pierce Brosnan at the finish line. Then we get through a full question bag before someone's bedtime.
This week we discussed:
Kona apparel update: almost everything sold out; what's still available at the Castelli booth on race day and why you can't say "Kona" inside the expo
Your proudest Strava CR or QOM — Eric's COVID-era Portland climb rampage, Paula's Bend segments, and Nick's Santa Monica Pier sprint Up
Losing 30-45 seconds per mile in the second half of a 70.3 run: fitness limiter, pacing problem, or both?
How pro personal needs bottles work at 70.3 Worlds — the sticker system, race number order, and why Paula's never actually used one
The best triathlon commentators
Should athlete vitals be shown on the broadcast? 
Alcohol before a key race — how Paula and Eric have approached it differently this year, and the NA whiskey price problem
Waterproof shoes for a 240-mile trail race: Gore-Tex uppers, the bathtub water retention test, and the dry pair rotation strategy
Cooling techniques for extreme heat: ice bandanas, hands, neck, and where not to put ice cubes
Aero helmets, bucket hats, and the Omius — where the line is between functional and ridiculous
Torn wetsuit: repair it, cut the sleeves off, or buy new? 
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question — or a Mad Libs — head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast