Focus: Race nutrition for long course + ultra endurance (anything over 2-4 hours in length where the body can’t sustain an effort without exogenous (outside sources)).
 
Race day overview:
Pre-race brekky:

• Big meal 3+ hours from race start.
• Within that time <3 hours, go for smaller meals i.e. toast, small bowl of oats, something small/light.
• The closer to race start, the smaller the portion or the more liquid the source.
• Practice in training, particularly big days.

Fluids:

• To thirst. Avoid overdoing it, but at the same time, don’t forget it.
• With meal is good.
  ​
  

During race:

• Research tells us:
  • ~60g/hr from glucose source
  • 90g/hr with a 2:1 ratio of glucose:fructose (60g glucose:30g fructose)  – some anecdotal reports say you can get in more with practice
• The higher the intensity, the less blood flow goes to the gut, therefore making it harder to digest anything solid. Hence why most nutrition products are based around gels, bloks, chews, liquid nutrition… it’s easier to digest.
• Conversely to above, the lower the intensity, the more solids we can handle.
• The more we practice this in training, the easier race day becomes.
• Trial and error… reserved for training and B/C races. Think of your gut like any other muscle in the body. It needs to be trained, under stress and/or race simulations are even better.
• Create a steady flow of nutrition from as soon into the race as possible. We are aiming to minimise losses. We can’t physically match the input of energy from fuel sources to the amount going out, but we can minimise the shortfall.
  • Set and use a timer:
    • Every 15-20 mins eat and drink
    • Stay with it. The more you nail it… the more vanilla/smooth sailing the day, generally speaking, the better the end result. We ideally want to have a steady, consistent effort throughout the race, married to steady, consistently applied nutrition and hydration.
• The fitter you are, the faster you can go for the least amount of effort = efficiency. And, the more you practice this in training, the more efficient your gut will be at handling the stress of processing everything you throw down, whilst trying to keep you travelling forward as fast as you can.
• Hydration v fuel = keeping them separate is good.
  • Liquid fuel sources are good, but it’s also good to practice keeping the two separate especially in the heat.
• Avoid trialling new products on a whim on race day, particularly an A race or Ironman event. You spend hours training for a big race, not to mention thousands of hard earned dollars, and this is one thing under your control, so invest some time and energy into it and make it count.

 
We talk regularly about the things within our control for any given race.
Nutrition is one of those main controllables and should be well practiced. Going into a race knowing you have dialled things in practice can help both physically (your gut and body know what to expect) and mentally… peace of mind knowing you have practiced and dialled this in for the last few months goes a long way in keeping the mind at peace on race day. There’s enough to focus on already!
 
Control your controllables and leave the rest for the triathlon gods… whoever they might be 😉
 
Have fun!
SF

Head Coach Scotty Farrell
Bachelor of Nutrition 

​BRISDIVIDE, 3rd-5th October, 2020 
640km 90% off-road loop, 14000+m of elevation gain (lots of climbing steep, rough trails/forestry roads).

Bikepacking is essentially... strapping a bunch of stuff to your bike (storage bags, bottles mainly). 

Depending on how long you’re going for determines how much and what stuff you need. Think of it like multi-day hiking but on a bike. Things need to be lightweight and stuffable. If going to remote areas you’ll need the ability to cook on a stove, heat water etc. If venturing not too far from towns, then a credit card, some sleep gear and some snacks are probably all that’s needed as you can just buy supplies from wherever to keep on truckin’. 

For the BRISDIVIDE being a Bikepacking race, the prerogative for us was to pack light, keep things tidy and move relatively quickly. I did the race with my two long time mates Robbie and Tony. Robbie has done a bunch of adventure racing so knows how to grind it out over a week, and TB threw himself into Bikepacking at the end of last year and has banked a bunch of overnighters including a week long expedition in NZ’s North Island from Wellington to Auckland over 7 days. For myself, I have a history of outdoor activities including many week-long and multi week long hiking expeditions throughout NZ and even 3 week trip to Everest Basecamp in Nepal, plus all the rock climbing, sea kayaking overnighters I used to do 20 years ago. It was our first Bikepacking race, but not the first trip we’ve been on. Normally, these races are done solo, but we decided to stick together for this one, which worked well and likely was lucky as we all made a few little errors along the way and helped each other out. 

Personally, I went into the race conservatively. Both nursing a sore lower back, and not as fit/strong as the lads, I wanted to get through it, so I paced myself accordingly. This likely wasn’t ideal for the boys who could quite easily have kicked on and gone a fair bit faster. But in the end, the extra rest they got, the spare Clif Bars in the last few hours, and a handy spare tube probably helped them out. 

The course started and finished in Brisbane atop Mt Coot-tha. On sunrise we headed south-west and ventured out and connected with the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT) before heading north to Nanango, back across to Borumba Dam, Kenilworth, Kilcoy, Nuerum Creek, Mt Mee, Mt Glorious, Mt Nebo, and back to Mt Coot-tha. Plus a few other little towns along the way. The majority of the course was off-road and a mixture of really rough forestry roads, gravel roads, 4WD tracks, the odd single track, and a few short stints on sealed roads which felt amazing after the constant shudder and distinct lack of flow on the rough dirt.

DAY 1 
Day 1 started at 5:30am and we rode through until around 11pm clocking up about 250km with a heap of that being pretty fast riding along the rail trail which in the direction we were going was slightly uphill the whole way… 1-2% grinding all day. A couple of flats and a bent derailleur stalled us by a good hour all up across Day 1. We stopped for water refills, a bakery binge, and a burger in Blackbutt, but other than that we moved well all day and by the end of the day, my old man back felt better than at the start. I got talking to a 78 year old, recently retired fruit farmer from Blackbutt whilst waiting for my burger. Randomly he told me about an old dinosaur fossil he had ploughed up a while back and had it in the car. He asked if I wanted to see it… be rude not to really and what else was I doing at Blackbutt on a Saturday night whilst waiting for my burger? He also asked if I wanted to take a photo, so I kindly obliged. Turns out it was pretty cool (see pic) and is of a three toed something or other. He was taking it to sell to someone. 

After Blackbutt we followed the GPS route down through a sketchy looking “Private Property-Keep Out” sign and ventured down then up what can only be described as a dried up, boulder lined, white water rafting river bed with some resemblance of a skimpy little trail, that my dynamo light sure as hell couldn’t see very well. What an adventure it was hike-a-bikepacking down through that valley and back out. We were lucky to get through there unscathed really. We finally made Nanango and found a delightful, well lit, kinda shady (as in felt spooky), picnic table and roof to set up camp for a few hours. Rookie error number 1 for me - forgot to put my thermal pants in so I froze my nuts off for 6 hours whilst listening to the humming, knocking, and snoring coming from a cacophony of pool pumps (turns out we were next to the town pool) and the lads’ snoring their big hearts out. I had a bivy and sleeping mat, sans sleeping bag, TB a sleeping bag and mat, and Robbie just a sleeping bag. Nutbags! Night 1, I think I had maybe 20 mins of broken sleep and woke feeling very cold (shaking like a rattle snake) and rather shite. 

DAY 2 
The plan was to sleep for four hours then get up and hit it for Day 2 (Sunday). Six hours later one of the lads made some noise and we sprung into action. A quick stop at the local servo for a $1 coffee and a sanga and we were off. 

Despite not a great deal of climbing initially, Day 2 had a fair chunk of flat but really rocky old farm road that seemed to go on forever. It was flattish, but technical, so it was a hard slog through to Jimna for lunch. TB fell victim to the sleep dragon and passed out on the side of the road for a power nap whilst Robbie and I had a coke and chips party. TB got his second wind and we headed for Jimna. He’d also, in his OCD highly organised spreadsheet living life, pre-ordered us a lunch/dinner pack each from the coffee van at Jimna, and the guy had prepared it and left it out for us the night before. We were only about 18 hours behind where we thought we’d be, but man it was good to arrive there, see a couple of other racers, and chow down on a few sangas. 

Logistically we were behind the mark a bit and chasing tail to reach Borumba Dam/Kenilworth on time to eat a meal or refill snacks and food. But we hightailed it and got lucky… twice. At Borumba Dam, there was no visible potable water and the camp shop had closed earlier, but randomly I asked a lady if she knew where I might find some water and she just happened to be the owner and kindly opened the shop and gave us some bottles of water… score! 

After a brief climb out of Borumba, we settled into a good rhythm over the smooth forestry road (yep smooth for a change) to Kenilworth we arrived to a ghost town! Nothing but people cleaning floors with the ugly lights on. Robbie (the nicest guy in the world) must have sweet talked the other nicest guy in the world into opening the kitchen and reheating us some lasagne at the Kenilworth pub… winning! Leaving Kenilworth at 9:15pm we had ahead of us the biggest climb of the trip up Sunday Creek Rd topping out at 830m elevation, it took us about 3.5 hours to ride about 18k up the climb… hectic. We road through until 1:30am and set up camp for a few hours in the bush. Again, I was cold and had very broken sleep (if any). 

DAY 3 
We set off at 4:30am for Kilcoy and ventured down a very rough and steep downhill before popping out into prime farming country and a few of the straightest, smoothest, country roads I have come across. Another flat tyre saw TB chuck a mini tantrum after realising he packed the wrong size tube (hehe). Borrowed tube, (slow mate to the rescue) and we were off again. 

Kilcoy provided the best bakery feast ever… potato top pie, chicken wrap and a coffee. Food supplies stocked and home is calling. A brief stint on road before we hit the forestry/4WD roads for the rest of the day/night, and some of the steepest, roughest climbing and descending of the trip. The climbs on that final day were unrelenting. It was hot, dusty, rocky as all hell and steep. 

My knees felt the pinch on Day 3… not sure whether it was the uphill grinding, the downhill bracing, or the constant unclipping to stop for a quick drink that caused so much pain. Note to self, loosen pedals and keep lubed. 

I succumbed to two nights of next to no sleep and had a 20 min power nap on the grass at ‘The Gantry’ (wherever that is… I think near Mt Mee?), which was unreal. We hit the top of Mt Glorious after more of the steepest fire trails in the country, and were greeted by the smoothest road of the trip on nightfall and from there to the finish was fairly well downhill (apart from climbing back up Mt Coot-tha to finish). We hooked it downhill as best we could, the boys were running super low on fuel so we traded Clif Bars and this got them through to a last minute stop at Maccas before scaling Coot-tha for the finish at 10:30pm on Monday night. 2 days, 17 hours later (65 hours). 

What an epic adventure. It was a solid challenge for me. I paced it well based on my current fitness, and despite the lack of sleep and knees having had enough, I finished pretty well. 

Would I do it again? Hell yes. I’m already looking for another one and fine-tuning my setup some more.

Gear and Tech
My bike is a gravel bike. A Bombtrack Hook Ext-C. Running a SRAM mullet AXS 12 spd 1x groupset. Hunt 650b wheelset with a SON Dynamo front hub connected to an expsosure revo dyno light and a Sinewave USB converter to charge electronics. 

I navigated using a Garmin GPS Maps 66i which has built in SOS and tracking technology. For these races where you have to rely on the gpx files for navigation (pre set and reccied by the person setting the route/race) and you have to have a tracker, this device was awesome. I had a back up 10000mamp powerbank which I kept charging during the day. 

I carried 2.6 litres of water, plus a raincoat, thermals (sans leggings), hygiene stuff, tools, spares, food and first aid kit. 

Nutrition
Given the race was over 3 days (potentially more), my plan was to eat a variety of snacks and meals and compliment this with water (and coke when the opportunity presented itself and was needed). 

I pre-made 3 x Vegemite and cheese sandwiches before we left and ate them periodically across Day 1, and mixed this in with a couple of bakery stops and a burger and chips for dinner. 

Because the intensity was steady/aerobic, I went more with the ‘eat whatever you want approach’ than strategically sticking to easily digestible carbs like gels and bloks. 

I had a Clif gel every couple of hours, a couple of Clif Builder’s Bars each day, bought wraps from bakery stops, sandwiches, a couple of pies, and the best reheated lasagne I have ever had at Kenilworth pub. 

I was super diligent with my fuelling and just kept feeding the entire time really. I didn’t monitor carb content as such like I would a one-day event, but I was definitely mindful of not getting behind and having enough food logistically between towns/shops. Variety is key for these long events… too much of one thing and you’ll end up with flavour fatigue, especially the sweet stuff. Job done.

How did I end up venturing into the world of Bikepacking? 
TB went there first out of our crew. We’ve been looking at gravel bikes for a few years, and he took the plunge so we followed and haven’t looked back. 

After snapping my ACL a second time at the end of last year, I hit the pool, training for rehab and training for a marathon swim but that got canned and when opportunity knocks, I sold my TT bike and dived head first into the gravel world which has also been doubling has rehab for the knee. 

I’m back running a bit now, and looking forward to doing a few tris next year, as well as off-road tris, 12-24 hour mountain biking events, mountain bike marathon races, maybe a stage race, and another big bikepacking race! Whatever comes really, if it fits in with my work and family 😊

Ask not why, but why not! 

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HEAD COACH SCOTTY FARRELL
​

Ciaran Kelly
Perth, WA
 
‘Every session has a purpose. Coach Scotty drills in the “turtle gains” every now and then to remind me of the big picture. You can get caught up in the present without understanding the longer term plan’

​Our October Fast Five athlete is Ciaran Kelly who has been training with Coach Scotty for just over 12 months. 

Ciaran’s been participating in triathlon since early 2017; finding his way in the sport after working FIFO for a number of years and making a personal promise to practise a healthy lifestyle once he finished working offshore. 

Most recently, he’s competed in both Challenge Roth (2019) and Busselton 70.3 (2020). While Challenge Roth has been his favourite race to date (see question below), Ciaran is partial to the 70.3 distance, feeling that it’s just the right length to allow flirtation with pace to find that tipping point.  

Although he finds it challenging to incorporate triathlon training with the demands of his full time job, Ciaran’s favourite thing about the sport is the people he meets along the journey - everyone is here for different reasons but bound together by a common interest. 

Ciaran counts his proudest triathlon moment as placing 3rd in the Western Australia AG Triathlete of the Year Awards 2019. 

Currently, he’s gearing up for the Tour of Margaret River - a 3-day cycling race in November - and plans to focus on strengthening his run off the bike coming into the 2021 season. 

Favourite race? Why? Has to be Challenge Roth. It’s a race on everyone’s bucket list and now I know why. 200,000 volunteers and the area just stops and gets involved for the week. 

Favourite training session? Coach Scotty has a few classics, however, he likes dishing out a long bike session with a steady increase in power with a nasty 20min TT at the end. It requires a lot of disciple to hold back early on. 

Have you ever had an apparent training or race day “failure” that has set you up for later success? Watch not working. When this happens you forget about the data and just concentrate on yourself in the moment and run/bike to feel. Since this I try not to use a watch while swimming. I’ve realised that when I come out of the water I can’t change what has just happened so I might as well be in a good head space and keep pushing on for the bike/run legs with a positive approach.

What motivates or inspires you to train/race/participate? To constantly try and improve my performance. While I’m new to triathlon I’m also behind the majority of other triathletes who have been in the sport for a number of years. It’s good to try and keep pushing myself to progress and develop.

Best piece of advice for someone starting out in the sport? Or best advice you’ve received? It’s not all about the data (although some coaches might say otherwise). Don’t get caught up in the numbers when starting out. Progression comes from building page upon page of sessions stacked together and before you know it, you will have developed and learned quite quickly.

And one more for good measure (and a big head) …
 
Why do you love being part of the T:Zero Multisport team?
The personalisation of the program and the relationship with Coach Scotty. With a busy work schedule I need a coach who understands my work/life balance. 

By Head Coach (and qualified nutritionist) Scotty Farrell

​When it comes to race day nutrition, experienced athlete or not, I still hear and see so many basic boo boos. We know this stuff, we just forget, especially if we are not racing often, as has been the case this year.
So… a refresher for your convenience.

The please do’s:

1. Practice your race nutrition many times (5-6x) before the event. Experiment with different products, amounts, and timing strategies in the lead up to your race and find out the product and the amount of fuel you can handle. With plenty of concerted practice, you can really dial this stuff in, so that race day isn’t such a gamble on the gut
   1. For running specifically (as this is where we tend to see gut issues happen most often) aim for around 50g of carbs per hour and work up from there.
   2. Smaller feeds more often works well, especially for more intense racing. I personally like 15-20’ between feeds (a couple of bloks or half a gel).
2. Practice your pre-race eating routine.
   1. If you’re wanting a big brekky, let’s say you’re doing an Ironman, then it’s a good idea to work backwards from race start and aim for about 3 hours for a bigger feed (big bowl of oats and fruit).
   2. If your race is shorter or you’re not a big fan of eating whilst having the butterflies, you might prefer to nibble on an energy bar or a banana. But keep to small bits and every 20’ or so, like you would during a race.
   3. Big feed/longer racing = think 3 hours or more pre-race for time to digest. Smaller race or don’t like eating then think small feeds and spread the love.

 
Please don'ts:

1. Smashing down a clif bar, a banana and a bowl of cereal with an hour to go until race start isn’t enough time. Expect a good bout of stitch or some gut cramps and trip or two to the porta loo.
2. Have nothing and expect your body to go all day.
3. Aim for high amounts of fluid and carbs when you haven’t practiced it beforehand.

 
Think of your gut like any other muscle in the body. If you want it to perform well on race day, then you need to teach it what’s expected and train it accordingly.

On the bike, in my experience, I find it’s a lot easier for athletes to consume a higher amount of carbohydrates, so perhaps start with 60g/hr and work up from there. Using a glucose/fructose mix, athletes can train their gut to absorb around 90g/hr and in some cases even higher than this. Personally, I like the 70-80g/hr mark on the bike.

On the run, with pavement pounding happening, I find my gut struggles a bit more and I need to down regulate and aim for more like 50g/hr. But again, practice and trial it out.

Same deal with hydration… train your gut to handle the amounts of fluids you will ideally need on race day. If your race is going to be hot, then it makes sense to keep your fluid intake up, so train for this. If it’s going to be a cold weather race, then maybe a bit less fluid is needed? Use your nut, it’s common sense stuff, we don’t need to over complicate it, we just do.

The other thing to consider is that if the race is intense and short (let’s say under 90 minutes in length) then smashing down carbs and fluids isn’t as important. A well trained athlete could very well punch out a 80-90 minute race with barely any nutrition at all, maybe a gel or a couple of Clif Bloks and a few mouthfuls of water. And the more intense a race is, the more blood flow is diverted away from the digestive system to the working muscles, and the harder it will be to digest anything.

If the race is longer than 90 minutes, then nutrition and avoiding total energy depletion and the dreaded bonk, becomes more important.

The longer an event goes, let’s say all day or multi-day, the lower the intensity, but the more important it is to keep the fuel going in steadily. An Ironman, in my opinion blurs the lines of pushing ‘hard’ all day and being classed as ‘intense’ for most of us. And therefore, it’s super important to be practicing and training your gut for the rigors of race day stress. For multi-day events or ultra distance runs, we find that the intensity is generally low enough, that we can train our gut to eat almost anything. The longer an event goes too, the more important it becomes to avoid flavour or texture fatigue and mix up your nutrition between sweet, savoury, umami etc.

There you go. Keep it simple. Control the controllables.
​
Coach SF

The finish line feels!!! It means so much to all of us. But how we get there, how the race unfolds, how we deal with adversity and effectively problem solve throughout the day comes down to the months and sometimes years of preparation, and to some degree, how specific and customised your training program and coaching was, guiding you to that finish line.

Below is the latest blog from Head Coach Scotty Farrell who takes a dive into T:Zero's customised coaching approach.

At the very heart of what we do at T:Zero lies the notion of customised coaching. The group of awesome humans we have attracted and brought together, all have the shared belief of treating each individual athlete that graces us with their presence, as you guessed it… individuals.

In a recent exchange of ideas behind the scenes, I threw out the macro planning/periodisation question around season structure, and general planning. What overwhelmingly came from that discussion was that, well, ‘it depends’. Every statement made suggesting one method over another, backed by science, art, and experience, was caveated with ‘it depends on the individual’. 

This exact phrase of ‘it depends’ underpins everything the team of coaches at T:Zero do on a weekly/daily basis with their athletes, and it makes me so proud to be a part of such a great bunch of humans. There is no progression without adequate recovery and adaptation. Therefore, a traditional approach of base/build/peak/taper and 3 weeks on 1 week recovery, that you might find in the classic training ‘bible’, is somewhat null and void, unless, the individual has a lifestyle that allows for an almost flawless routine, and next to zero outside influences effecting their flow. In all my years of coaching, this happens rarely if ever. Sickness, injury, family commitments, work commitments, all rear their face at some stage in a person’s life and without a coach to understand this, and adapt an individual’s training to suit, you are pushing the proverbial shit up hill/going nowhere fast.

There’s lots of buzz in the coaching world on a performance level at the moment around technology… AI, machine learning etc and the ability for machines to make better decisions than humans. There’s no denying that with the right programs and algorithms, a machine can indeed make more accurate decisions than us mere mortal humans. But, I am still waiting on a machine that can understand emotions and apply empathy… as I say this I am thinking I am probably going to be slapped in the face with a ‘yeah they can Farrell’. 

I love the geeky side of coaching, but like the rest of the team of coaches at T:Zero, we believe the tools are there to aide in the daily decisions we make as coaches to treat every individual with respect and empathy, whilst at the same time, being acutely aware that each day, week, month, year, is all part of a bigger picture… the big picture of consistency, patience, stacking the layers, staying healthy, and enjoying the process. 

My advice to you… if you are training, following a program, working with a coach… and you are not being treated as a unique individual, then find a coach who does. It’s the difference you could be missing.

You could for example start right here 😉

Coach Scotty - Sunshine Coast, Qld

​“Successful athletes see the big picture and have a long-term approach to their training and goals. They also generally possess a growth mindset. Rather than seeing setbacks as failures and obstacles as a potential risk, they see them as an opportunity to learn and develop.”

T:Zero co-founder, Director of Coaching and resident qualified nutritionist Coach Scotty has been “officially” involved in triathlon and endurance sports for over 15 years and “unofficially” running his entire life. Making his debut via sprint triathlons in Hervey Bay in the early 000’s, he subsequently discovered his real love for the sport existed after 7+ hours of anything endurance related … aka “when the fun begins!”.

Scotty’s favourite race was Ironman New Zealand 2014 - a day where everything fell into place and he learned how deep he could go and still come out smiling! His favourite leg is the bike, because, as he says, it took him “forever” to get any good at it. 

As a coach/dad/pseudo dad, Scotty derives his greatest pride from seeing an athlete achieve their goal - especially when he’s able to be there and see it happen in person. An experience, he says, that is second-to-none.

While he has some big, scary goals for 2020, at the moment, Scotty’s training purely for the love of it, and is motivated daily by the search for new boundaries and facing his fears. He cross trains with some yoga, Brazilian Ju Juitsu, chasing his kids, mountain biking and surfing. Outside the normal swim/bike/run, he dabbles in gardening, home schooling his kids, bee keeping, reading and listening to podcasts. 

In lots of ways, Scotty is not your typical triathlete. In his own words, he’s more “laid back than most” and he says that while his process is still “methodical and precise”, he has chosen to do this sport and at the end of the day, “whilst I love it, it doesn’t define me”.  His endurance goal for 2020 is to get out there, have as much fun as possible and race something scary and new!

Since becoming a T:Zero coach, what is the one new belief, behaviour, habit formed or skill honed that has most impacted your coaching performance? 
As I become more experienced and my skillset has developed in all areas, I think the most valuable thing to come with the experience is the ability to zoom out (when required) and not get too caught up in the weeds. Educating athletes to be able to see things this way, from a global, long term perspective, is key to kicking over those big goals. Let the coach deal with the weeds and get down to the business of nailing the process ;-) 

Have you ever had an apparent training or race day “failure” that has set you up for later success? 
So many. Huge one for me was Kona 2014 and learning (in hindsight) all about the effects of outside mental stress leading into a big race. In order to nail an A race at that level, stress levels on all fronts need to be nice and low leading in, in order to firstly make it there in one piece and then be fresh enough to have a great performance. 

Best piece of advice for someone starting out in the sport? Or best advice you’ve received? 
For those starting out: be patient, be consistent and don’t be in too much of a hurry to go straight to full Ironman distance. Play around for a while in the shorter distances and get some decent skin in the game. It takes many years to build true endurance fitness, so be prepared to think in two year blocks as opposed to two months. 

Do you have any tips for athletes struggling to find some motivation or who may have temporarily lost focus? 
Take a break. If the motivation is not there and you can’t see the big picture, then either you’re heavily fatigued and in need of a rest, or you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. For the most part, motivation will ebb and flow, but you shouldn’t have to be constantly searching for it … the love of it all should be dragging your backside out the door each day. Otherwise, don’t forget the big picture … not every session needs to be all fancy and motivating. The big picture tells us that the real results come from putting together the big blocks of training, rather than the odd magic session. 

What is your favourite thing about being a T:Zero coach? 
I like when I get to share in the journey of ticking off big goals with an athlete, the same goes for sharing our coaching team’s experiences in training and racing. The joy in the lightbulb moments and breakthroughs is awesome. And sharing it means I get to vicariously relive all these experiences over and over. As well as this, I am constantly having my thoughts and perspectives shaped and challenged by the team environment, effectively making me a more well-rounded coach. 

And one more for good measure (and a big head) …
 
Why do you love being part of the T:Zero Multisport team?
Helping athletes and other coaches to achieve their goals is what it’s all about. I got into coaching because I am drawn to helping others and sharing my knowledge, and the more you help, the more you receive in return. I get so much out of working with athletes and coaches. And I’m a not-so-closet nerd… so the technical side of coaching is always fun too. 

By Head Coach Scotty Farrell.

Jack Johnson wrote a song about Bruce Lee. He changed the word ‘Bruce’ to ‘everyone’. But essentially, the song (called ‘Inaudible Melodies’) was all about how Bruce Lee was moving too fast for the speed of the camera shutters at the time. Imagine being that well practiced the camera couldn’t keep up? Do you think Bruce Lee started out at lightning speed? Or do you think that lightning speed came from years upon years of laying the foundations and building some slick neural patterns ?My guess is the latter.

What’s your point Farrell? I hear you saying.

Well... one of, if not the biggest things I see with athletes is this want to operate in the grey zone. Too fast to be easy, and too slow to be hard. A no mans land if you will, probably where you’ll find yourself during a marathon or Ironman - which is perfect for race day... training, not so much. The hard thing for us athletes, and coaches, is finding that zone of optimal easy endurance. Given, the majority of our training across the years is spent here (~80%), it’s important we get it right, right?

So, how do we nail it and make sure we are operating at a truly easy endurance effort, and not pushing that little bit too far into the grey zone?Without diving into a full blown lecture on ventilatory and lactate thresholds, let’s just say there are two important markers for endurance athletes, VT1/LT1 and VT2/LT2. The first one (your aerobic threshold) is what we want to stay under for the majority of our training and the second (lactate threshold) is a top end marker to base your interval and high intensity work around, and a handy marker to set training zones from. Without going into a science lab, coaches will get you doing some basic field tests/ time trials or analyse race data to determine these markers and set your zones. But there is a pretty easy way to monitor things for yourself and make sure you’re going easy enough, that also correlates really well with the above threshold markers.

The ‘talk test’. As simple as it sounds, if you can maintain a steady conversation whilst training (obviously not in the pool), you are on the money. If you find that you can’t hold a convo whilst ticking along, then you’re probably smoking things out a little bit too hot, and need to cool the jets and slow down until you get things under control. Another way I measure things myself is simply to try breathing through my nose... if I can, I’m zeroed in, if not, I pull on the reigns. I can’t underestimate the value of keeping things easy and ensuring you are training at the right intensity for your easy endurance training.

Time and time again, we say it, the research says it, and yet we still see the want to half wheel things. Dial it back, cool your jets and save some biscuits for when you really need them. Like race day or your high intensity focused sessions.

Try it and see 😉

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“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” - Epictetus

You’ve heard it before… we speak about it often. Some of the underlying pillars of T:Zero’s ethos is that we train smart, we are uber consistent, we trust the process, we support each other no matter what our experience or current ability and we go about our business with little fuss and zero ego. Sure, a little confidence doesn’t go astray... you have to believe in yourself and a positive, confident outlook goes a long way to dispelling nerves and enhancing performance… but we ain’t brash about it.

Letting go and not being concerned with what everyone else around you thinks is a mighty hard task. Zen Buddhists spend their whole existence trying to attain true enlightenment and still, I imagine, have trouble not being sucked into the realms of our consumer / ego driven society. For me, it’s a work in progress, I’m not sure whether it was a coming of age thing or a becoming a father thing, but all of a sudden in life, and I’m sure this happens to everyone at some point in time, we realise most of what we work for and are driven to want or have, really doesn’t matter all that much. You know the term ‘keeping up with the Joneses’ right!?

​What matters most is ‘how much you live, how much you give and how much you love’. This doesn’t mean you need to sell everything, buy a combi van and start growing your own veggies (although growing stuff is pretty cool). It simply means, the search for happiness and contentment, doesn’t lie within attaining stuff. It’s in the relationships, the moments, the breakthroughs and the experiences we have and share with each other. It’s also about being the best person you can possibly be. Sure, you’re already awesome, but there’s no harm in trying to be a little better and give a little more each day right!?

I’ll get back on track... today I’m here to lay down a challenge for you, should you choose to jump on board. My challenge is this: let go a little. Get rid of Strava and stop comparing yourself to others so much- you know you do it far too much. As our coaches have said many a time, focus on the session in front of you and that square metre surrounding you. That’s the one you can control and that’s the one you can improve. Little by little, session by session, add the layers on and do what is necessary to improve you. The sooner you stop comparing and start focusing on you and controlling your space, the sooner those breakthrough moments will happen. Whether in a single training session or your next race… bring your focus back to you and stay present in the moment. It works!

“Because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you will have more time and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’” - Marcus Aurelius

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​

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” - Epictetus ​

It’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game that matters most.

This is a great ‘quote’ that resonates loud with me in my life and in particular, how I raise my two young boys. Whilst we strive for ‘mastery’ and progress each day, the most important aspect is that we enjoy the journey and play nicely with our friends - whether we win or lose. 

In the big scheme of things, how you carry yourself when you ‘win’ and when you ‘lose’ is far more important than the actual result itself. It is what it is, things happen one way or another, and your reactions to these events in time, determine whether you grow your character for the better or to your detriment. Let the ‘wins’ go to your head and you’re on a path to becoming a self-centred egomaniac. Dwell too long on the ‘losses’ and mope around feeling sorry for yourself, and you’ll find it hard to stay consistently motivated for all those gains you’re after. 

The trick is to find some solace - a level of cool handedness and balance - that helps you keep it real and see things for what they truly are - lessons in life. Celebrate the wins and learn from your losses but take a step back each time and take stock of the true learnings. Ask not why did this happen to me, but what can I take from this result to enhance my skill and progression forward as an athlete and person. Just a little better each day, week, month, year or event, and all of a sudden, when the time is right, the accumulation of all those micro lessons will be allowed to flourish. Like anything in life, your time to shine will happen when it’s your time. There are no rules with how fast someone should reach their potential - each journey to their own. How many lessons you learn along the way, depends on how much you’re prepared to listen and how bad you really want it. 

Stay true to the course. Take the ebbs and flows of the journey for exactly as they are, and you will arrive fulfilled and ready to rock n roll. 

Cheers - Scotty

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By Head Coach Scotty Farrell

“Without a struggle, there can be no progress” – Frederick Douglass
 
It’s talked about regularly – in order to achieve that next level result, you have to be prepared to endure a good sold smattering of cold hard suffering on race day. But how many of you are prepared to ‘suffer’ just a little more than the rest, on a daily basis? How much are you really prepared to sacrifice in order to put yourself in a position to even attempt to reach the outer limits of what is possible? Do you take the easy option? Are you doing the mundane, extra little things, that makes the difference between a successful and mediocre performance?
 
These are big, somewhat deep questions – but honest questions nonetheless and questions that for those of you who want to go next level, need to be asking yourself on an almost daily basis. Stick a post it note on your mirror – “have you suffered a little today?”
 
The word suffer can mean a few different things depending on what angle you’re coming from, so let me explain what I mean when I say suffer, for the purpose of this article at least. Firstly, keep it in the context of triathlon and your life bubble, and relate it directly to your ultimate goal (ultimate goals – this is a whole other blog, but for now, let’s just go out on a limb and suggest that for most of us, this means putting together a truly honest, grit filled performance that you can step away from and smile with pride. Not so much a number on the clock, but a performance worthy of a deep, intrinsic smile and maybe a few tears of guts and heart). I digress (sorry, I’m a tangent master at the best of times – mum called me a day dreamer). Back to suffer and its definition.
 
The Oxford dictionary defines the word suffer as “To experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant).” Let’s define suffer for our bubble as ‘putting yourself in situations you’d rather not be in and enduring it for want of facing fears and improving your weaknesses’ – much the same as the dictionary, but with a slight twist, geared at performance.
 
If you’re still with me and you’re willing to endure a few more tangents (possibly suffer a little), I will attempt to share with you, my thoughts and opinion on what it takes to suffer on a daily basis and take yourself closer to living your potential.
 
How to suffer 101

1. How big is your ‘why’? This is something we aim to spread and foster within the culture of T:Zero and speak regularly about. This is your reason behind your ‘being’, your ‘carpe diem’ – is your reason for doing this sport bigger than the comfort of your nice warm bed early on a cool winter’s morning? If it is, then your have your ‘why’. If it’s not, then you may need to search a little deeper until you find your reason why and make that sucker prominent in your mind – cause without it, you ain’t suffering one iota more than the next comfy soul. I believe this one factor is the master key to unlocking your ability to suffer on a daily basis – combined with a few of the following.
2. Get a coach – and I’m not just saying this because I’m a coach. Nobody said you have to do the journey towards mastering your process solo. Sure, the first part of any forward progress is you deciding where it is you want to be in life, but geesh, she’s a hard lonely road if you’re attempting to conquer your demons and reach your true potential if you’re trying to mono your way through it all by your lonesome. So, choose carefully, someone who inspires you, some with some street cred, someone who cares and is prepared to endure, feel the feels with you and will keep you sane/healthy in the process – all the while, gently helping you suffer a little, each and every day. The accountability, reassurance and guidance of a coach is huge – done right, working with the right coach for you is a must. When my ‘why’ and my motivation to go next level is at the forefront of my current focus, whether for life, business or specifically for endurance related goals – I get myself a coach and always will.
3. Get set up properly – if your goal is go next level, you have accepted your fate and are ready to suffer, you need to be organised. Unless your name is David Goggins, you are a mere mortal person getting amongst the daily grind and it’s our default mechanism to take the comfy, easy option, most days of the week. If you’re organised however, you’re taking the sleep in and do it later option out of the equation. Simple things like setting your bike, training gear and nutrition up the night before so you can get up and get amongst it in the early hours of the morning, can make that split-second decision a whole lot easier. Go to bed thinking you’ll do it all in the morning = sleep-ins and cuddles – we both know that isn’t going to help you suffer a little each day. Sure, it’s nice and I’m not saying cuddles and lie-ins aren’t required – but if you’re truly ready and willing to endure suffering, then get you’re A into G!
4. Work on your weaknesses – you’ve heard it a million times. But do you do it? I doubt it. “My left hip is tight and my lower back is sore” (If I had a dollar). Have you done your strength work, yoga, rolled lately? Working on your weaknesses doesn’t mean getting a massage every week (although this is very nice and good for the soul as much as the body). It means 2-3 times per week, consistently, for months/years on end, subjecting yourself to the planks, bridges, lunges, uncomfortable Yoga moves, rolling out your quads etc. The things we easily let slide are the things that make the difference. ‘Suffering’ and enduring working on your weaknesses are an integral part of you becoming the athlete/person you aspire to be.
5. Do it now – in a similar vein to step three above, you need to stop procrastinating and get it done. “I’ll do it later” won’t happen. Get yourself out of bed and do it now. Stop putting it off and just get it done. It’s so easy to put it off until later, but it won’t get you any closer to your goal. Stop making excuses for being soft  and lazy – do it now.
6. Love it – there’s no denying it, suffering is an integral part of what it means to be an endurance athlete. So, you may as well enjoy the pants of the process while you’re suffering your way through hours and hours of training each week, in pursuit of that stellar performance you’ve been searching for. Embrace the moments, the good and the bad, but mostly the uncomfortable ones. For those moments are the ones that build character and resilience. And most of all, smile your way through it, you chose to do this sport, so quit whining and get after it!

 
It’s a broad and subjective term is ‘suffer’. We can define it in a few different ways. But ultimately, it’s the collective ability to consistently put yourself in positions where you feel discomfort and work towards being a better person/athlete. You don’t have to be a navy seal and put yourself through hell week every day of your life, but if you want to take your performance to the next level, then you have to be willing to suffer, every day, period – even just a little.
 
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​It’s taper time, time to start getting fresh and prepping yourself for the big day ahead in a couple of weeks. It’s a time to reflect upon the work you have done, the sacrifices you and your loved ones have made for you to be where you are and to remember how lucky you are to be in a position to be doing an Ironman in the first place.
 
In a perfect world, we remain completely zen about it all, cruise into the race with linear, cool as you like emotions intact and crush race day like it’s a walk in the park.
 
However, this is so far-fetched from what normally goes on. For most of us, we go into self-sabotage mode. We reflect on our training, but rather than focus on how much we have done, it’s about what we missed. We begin to doubt our strength and fitness and enter into a somewhat negative mindset which from where I sit, isn’t going to help things in both the lead up and on race day.
 
Whilst hindsight is a beautiful thing, let’s instead bring our focus to what lies ahead, what we can control and how we can set ourselves up for a kick arse taper.
 
Control the controllables: we say it time and time again. There are a few things you have control over. Such as the few listed below:

• your perceptions/mindset/attitude about all of the things – keep things positive and focus on your strengths. Limit your time talking about your prep (what’s done is done- you can’t change it) and how you’re feeling- focus on how much you’re looking forward to race day and how tough but fulfilling it is going to be;
• your training and recovery – stick to the program set, sleep like a log and eat well. This is not the time to be cramming in last minute volume or sessions that your coach hasn’t prescribed. The hard work has been done, let the taper take it’s course and you will arrive to race day feeling amazing;
• your equipment (to a point) – make sure your bike is serviced, your shoes, goggles, helmet etc is all in good condition. Do it now. Obviously you can’t stop a random flat or mechanical, but you can make sure you have everything in as good a condition as possible to minimise the chances;
• travel and accommodation – confirm it and plan ahead, make sure you have a nice bed and quiet location;
• an itinerary/timetable of sorts – there’s so much going on in your head leading into a race without having to think/worry about where you’re eating, when and where you’re training, when you’re meeting your coach or team for a coffee etc. If you have all this written down or at least thought out, especially if you’re the nervy type (let’s be honest- that’s all of us), then things might flow a little easier for you;
• people – choose the people you surround yourself with carefully. Hang out with the peeps that keep you smiling and lift you up. And the ones who can put up with your rolling emotions;
• race guide/maps etc – read the race guide from cover to cover… a few times. Transitions and gear bags and special needs… lots to sort so read the guide and get it right. It’s good to be prepared and know what’s coming in an Ironman and this will help you.

 
Embrace the butterflies:
You’re going to feel nervous leading into an Ironman, particularly if this is your first one. But rather than trying to suppress these feelings and be super positive all the time, embrace the nerves and butterflies – it means you care and it really is a part of why we do this amazing sport. If we didn’t get the butterflies, it wouldn’t scare us and then what’s the point right!?

So embrace all of the feelings that come your way and whilst it’s important to keep things positive and focus on what’s to come, remember that they’re all a big part of the journey to that finish line. It’s a rollercoaster is this Ironman thing, with big waves of emotions - the better you can navigate your way through it all and stay mostly positive, the better your experience will be.
 
Enjoy the experience:
As mentioned earlier, it’s a time to reflect and be grateful for everyone and everything in your life that has lead you to being able to be where you are today. It’s a privilege to do this sport, so get out there and enjoy the experience, soak up the atmosphere, the highs and the lows, embrace it all! You deserve to be there, but you are also very lucky to be who you are – adopt an attitude of gratitude!
 
Go forth and race well. Find your flow, race with grit and above all, embrace everything that comes your way both in taper and race day. It’s one hell of a journey you’ve been on to get there and such a very cool moment in time it will be when you’re smashing down that red carpet like a young Jane Fonda!
 
“Things work out best for those people who make the most of how things turn out” Coach John Wooden
 
Coach Scotty Farrell

Click here to find out more about Head Coach Scotty Farrell