TriStar Athletes Coach Cliff sits down with Tristar Jay Heller to interview him about his recent Chicago Marathon performance, what he would do if he lived on a deserted island, and his goals towards 2020! “Want to give a special shoutout to my wife, Austin, and my parent-in-laws, Mindy and Art, for being in Chicago to cheer me on and for navigating the city so well to see me at multiple places throughout the race! They had great signs and T-shirts that said “Run Like Heller”
In this podcast interview coach Suzanne and coach Cliff debrief the Ironman Chattanooga course. Covering the swim, bike and run in detail in terms of pacing and nutrition.
In this athletes interview we sit down with Kona Jeff Schleppy to discuss his recent race at Ironman Lake Placid placing 7th in the M40-44 age group, the “Jeff Effect” and his upcoming race at the 70.3 World Championships in NICE France.
Tristar Athletes Bryan Schleppy qualifies for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in NICE! We interview him about his training, the approach, the race and his superstar mustache.
We interview top Tristar age grouper Tom Aaker as he PR’s and moves his way up the all world athlete ranks. Quietly snagging top 10’s at all Ironman and 70.3 races he has entered in the past two seasons. Not bad considering Tom is 10yrs into the sport and keeps on getting better!
We sit down with Tristar Christopher graves fresh off his PR at the Long Beach Marathon. If we were to sum it up for Chris - “work hard, play hard and never settle!”
Congratulations to Durst Breneiser who PR’d big time this weekend at Ironman Maryland shaving off a huge 2.5 Horus from his previous Ironman distance best. Durst was collected and executed to make this day happen. Learn more about his training and the great day at Cambridge.
Race report
“Got to hear those immortal words once again “Durst, You are an IRONMAN!” on Saturday. For those of you who want to read on, I’ll do a little race report: Pre-Race: Day started well, woke up a little earlier than I wanted but felt primed and ready. The previous’s days wind had died down and on the way to transition the weather was perfect. Checked in the special needs bags that I never ended up using, got some last minute encouragement from the support crew and headed to the swim start. Swim - Felt good in the swim but often found myself kind of in no man’s land with no one to draft off of. The sun also made it difficult to see the buoys til the first turn. Add on top of that the swim course was long, looked like on average about 500 yards long. Stuck to the race plan, executed the pace, kept it mentally together even with the longer route, got out of the water and started toward the bike. Bike - This was a FLAT course, unlike where I train in the mountains. The nice part about training in the mountains was that the elevation drop to do the race gave me a little extra in the tank. Crushed the bike, some winds but nothing too bad or exciting to report. First sub 5 hour century bike ride and headed to the run. Run - Those first steps out of transition even that first mile tells you exactly where you are at. Turned my watch so it just showed heart rate and would notify me on mile splits. That strategy worked perfectly. Aid stations were amazing and once again a flat course. Overall - First Ironman in Wisconsin I did in a little over 14 hours. This one I did in about 11 1/2. Two very different courses but nonetheless extremely happy with my progress. Thanks to my coach Cliff Scherb of Tristar Athletes LLC. Cassidy for being the best sherpa, girlfriend and sports nutritionist to dial me in food wise. My parents for helping me get there, and everything else they did that day, Julie and Jeffrey always there. More to come!”
— Durst Breneiser
Durst, managed to beat or match our expected pacing and Raceday targets. Durst was a pacing archer, having little deviation from the plan and it paid off big time.
A custom training plan for you and your goals up to the Ironman Arizona. Includes race specific coaching and sessions geared towards a peak Raceday performance. Plan features, audio and video content from Tristar Athletes coaches on how to best prepare for the event. Follow your custom training plan up to Raceday to achieve your personal best. - Coach Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach
We want you to set a personal record on this course, or if its your first finish in the best possible time. We LOVE the Florida spectator vibe on this run course and in general great weather conditions. (..Not always!) The Tristar plan calls for big ring riding, trainer specific workouts that sync with your device and run workouts with pace specific and ♥ rate targets. Get dialed in with your coach and plan. — Haluk Sarci, TSA Level II Coach
Its is the beacon of triathlon, shining brightly and it is the steady pull and allure that all triathletes are drawn to... Just getting there may be the ultimate challenge and which much of the thrust of our coaching and planning for this course will be all about. Once you get into the race; we build the approach from the ground up to prepare you for the race of your life. You know its hot... you know its windy, and your know you will be ready because you are working with the Kona experts, Tristar Athletes! —Cliff Scherb, TSA Level III Coach
A long 116 mile bike and "buzz saw" run makes this course formidable if you don't have the proper plan and raceday strategy. Our key bike sessions most remember when preparing for this course in their training peaks plan.... we build up lots of firepower on the bike in training only to not use it in favor of unleashing efforts on the run. We LOVE this course as our Tristar plan includes a sound raceday strategy prepared by our TSA level III coaches that beats out the competition. We find pacing so crucial to both the bike and run that we have been able to have our athletes consistently beat "fitter" athletes based on pacing intelligence. Ask your Tristar coach about our proprietary pacing calculator for this race when registering for this plan and coaching. — Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach
“This race is Canada’s gem. Not once have we ever heard of a bad aspect of this race. The course is challenging but fair, and requires good pacing to deliver a good day. Tristar custom plan features extensive hill climbing, trainer intervals to simulate the major climbs and heart rate challenging sets to run well. ”
“The beast of the Ironman East Coast! It is one of the top Ironman races on the circuit and we as TSA coaches love it because our training plan and raceday strategies help you achieve your goals. This course takes "artwork" in terms of preparation and pacing.” —Coach Adam Daniels, TSA Level II Coach
A cooler temp (Usual to this early season race) and great since it is in wine country! Also a great first timer course and a place to PR. For this Tristar race specific plan we have added quality training sessions in the aerobars due to the flat nature of the course. Longer runs and rides have a steady effort to the training as both the bike and run being flat need constant efforts to keep moving! Course coaching will discuss the benefits of pacing this course over video and audio. —Kyle Halloran, TSA Level I Coach
"Go big or go home" is the motto we adopted for this training plan and coaching style for Ironman Texas. The flat + fast bike course requires diligence on the bike and we raised training stress (TSS) to that end so you can run strong off the bike in the woodlands. The trainer based and outdoor ride sessions use a combination of power, RPE, and ♥ rate to create the highest fitness level possible. All of our sessions on the run are timed with your Garmin or similar device so you can do your training and intervals at goal race pace. This plan features a deep base of training that is applied to each individuals ability when filling out the athlete questionnaire. —Cliff Scherb, TSA Level III Coach
Tulsa is NOT flat... ! The rollers on the bike in this area + the heat will challenge most long course racers as they ride through the Ossage Hills. The run leaves Oklahoma State University’s Tulsa campus and make its way through historic vibrant downtown Tulsa to the River Parks Trail System. Runners will have flat and fast views of the Arkansas River as they make their way down past Tulsa’s Gathering Place and back to downtown to finish at the beautiful Guthrie Green. Our Tristar coaches have a plan for being balanced on all three disciplines and hill specificities to ensure a great run off the bike.. — Coach Cliff, TSA Level III Coach
A beautiful and scenic race but not to mention challenging. Those who can rise to the occasion on this tough course will move up the ranks. Not a first timers course but certainly one if you are looking to test your limits. Our Tristar Athletes plan for this course develops the necessary sessions for extensive muscular endurance found both on the bike and run course. Each training block will have regular testing to ensure you are making progress towards your goals and raceday. - Coach Cliff Scherb, TSA Level III Coach
The air may be thin but the training is “thick”! Steady ups and downs on the bike and run course make this course challenging but quick. Quick? The bike paced well with our Tristar Athletes plan teaches you how to pedal when up to speed and coast when effort is not needed. Onto the run you will benefit from key sessions we put together that tax your legs when running uphill. Our coaches know Boulder, live in Boulder and can help you be your best at this course. —Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach
A quick swim and quick bike but you will have some conditions to contend with. HOT and windy.. still the flat course does lend itself to faster times if you are well prepared. Our Tristar plan features key bike and run sessions designed to simulate the Cozumel course conditions and demands. Athletes as part of this plan will receive a power course race file they can train and practice with either outdoors or indoors on their smart trainer. Sign up for our nutrition and hydration plan to be Raceday ready. —Cliff Scherb, TSA III Coach
Plenty of bike climbing and technical descents will challenge athletes on the course. How you pace your day and these hills will dictate what happens on the run. Athletes will want to follow the key mid week Tristar training plan session bricks that simulate the "Pemberton flats" so as not to blow up your run legs. This is one of our favorite courses to coach and dial in your training plan. — Haluk Sarci, TSA Level II Coach
A very underrated Ironman that is one of our favorite courses as coaches here at Tristar Athletes. The hills keep coming on the bike and can really slow even the strongest of Ironmen and Ironwoman. This Tristar plan calls for vertical elevation training specific to this course with sessions that take you at and beyond the TSS required to ride well on this course. All sessions sync with your devices so you can learn to pace both the bike and run well. Our Raceday nutrition plan and strategy also are a Tristar favorite for this race.. — Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach
...Don't be deceived this bike course has some elevation! For the Tristar plan we dial up the total training stress and hill work to be well prepared. (Be sure to tell us if you live somewhere flat ; ) ....Featured bike and run course specific time trials are part of this plan as well for IMLV. This ironman course takes place in the South in October which can be warmer during the day and cooler in the morning and evenings with heat being less of an issue. The flat run finishing on Fourth street is fun as the fans pull you home! —Cliff Scherb, TSA Level III Coach
Get low and stay low on the bike, prepare yourself to run quick! This flat and fast course does demand your full attention all day long as there are no breaks on this course. Weather can be a factor with how to pace the bike and typical for this time of year can still be hot or even rainy. The Tristar training plan has several key swim to bike training sessions to derive confidence in the final Build II phase. The overall base is a steady build. We highly recommend listening to our course overview. — Adam Daniels, TSA Level III Coach
A custom training plan for you and your goals up to the Ironman Western Australia. Includes race specific coaching and sessions geared towards a peak Raceday performance. Plan features, audio and video content from Tristar Athletes coaches on how to best prepare for the event. Follow your custom training plan up to Raceday to achieve your personal best.
