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Hi Fellow Athlete,

Some of my most loyal subscribers - those with the highest open rates and highest click-through rates, are not people I've personally invited to subscribe but those that you have referred.

So if you enjoy these, give me some more referrals by hitting Forward Newsletter below and send this to a friend!

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Goals vs Systems.

We all know you need to set goals, but how big and lofty should they be?

At one time, the thinking was that goals should not be too daunting or ambitious – that’s too stressful.

But research has shown that they indeed need to be BHAGs (big, hairy, audacious goals).

Problem is, saying you want to become a pro, qualify for Kona, or just complete your first triathlon is not enough to get you there. Not on its own.

You need to focus on the process, the system, the journey.

Then the results will come.

In fact, shift your mindset away from that goal as your ‘results.’ Acknowledge the journey and the daily wins you’ll achieve as your North Star.

I draw ideas from peak performance author Stephen Kotler and habit guru James Clear in this short blog post.

Goals vs Systems

Tales of Pain.

One thing that unites all endurance athletes, fast or slow, is the willingness to experience levels of pain that may seem unnecessary to outsiders.

Tales of Pain 1 comes from Aussie Trent Standen when he raced a 70.3 in Singapore.

This was his first 70.3, and he was inexperienced and new to the sport.

It was also after a broken ankle and displaced foot that had to be rectified with a plate and 5 screws.

The swim and bike went smoothly in the heat but it all came crashing down in a world of pain 5km into the run.

Trent says he could barely stand and fell to the ground next to friends.

Trent says, "Still, to this day, I’m not sure what hurt more, the ankle or my one and only ever DNF!"

Since then, he's become an accomplished triathlete, having finished plenty of half and full Ironmans and racing in the world champs multiple times.

Send me your Tales of Pain

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Triathletes

Last week I published a post on the 13 things great triathletes don’t do. I received a pretty good response from that, including comments and emails.

Among them was one from Beth Lamie, long-time tri coach, competitive cyclist, triathlete, and marathoner.

Beth published – way back in 2006 – Seven Habits of Highly Effective Triathletes (with apologies to Stephen Covey).

The seven points covered in her article seem to have quite a bit of overlap with mine (or should I say mine overlap with hers), which was reassuring to me.

Beth gives examples in each as well as what to do about each if you are struggling.

1.   They stay the course
2.   They are patient
3.   They refer to the schedule
4.   They take advantage of the coach
5.   They take nutrition seriously
6.   They are prepared
7.   They try to keep learning

Check out the full article here.

Thanks, Beth.

Sprint Reads

Forget your Wahoo or Tacx trainers, the Italians always do it better. Tuscan brand Magnet Days has the quietest, lightest…and expensive-est trainer ever.

I told you honey was big. Now Honey Stinger has a hydration product.

I also told you about Tonal last year, the Zwift of strength training. Their revenue grew 8x in 2020 and they just raised another $110m.

This must be the third or fourth company that I’ve found that has found a way to run electronics with sweat. By the sounds of it, this will be a thing!

I guess some pros don’t like that the PTO offers maternity leave. With the top three US women on maternity leave, PTO board member Sarah Piampian raises the issue in this Instagram post.

USA Cycling may boycott states that have anti-transgender laws in place.

Lucy Charles-Barclay takes 2nd in the British Olympic trials 1,500m.

Desiree Linden goes below 3 hours in the 50k; a world record.

Great article about sleep, or lack of it, and injury in athletes.

Kenyans have lost more than $42 million due to the pandemic

Doesn't sound like an Olympics cancellation is out of the question.

Follow me on Strava and Instagram and I'll follow you back.

None of the Sprint Reads are sponsored or affiliate links.

15% off UCAN

If you are in the US, and you want a deal on nutrition, go for UCAN.

Get 15% off with this link: https://ucan.co/Share/IronmanHacks

Doing so gives you a good deal but also supports me.

Optimize your Nutrition

Want to know more about how food can support you with your performance goals?

Looking for a deeper understanding on how to improve your training, recovery and your sleep?

Reach out to Karelle Laurent Nutrition (DipION mBANT rCHCN), a registered nutrition therapist (and triathlete!) to get expert help around those topics, how to best implement changes in your everyday diet, and get the best out of your training.

Receive 15% off your first consultation here when you quote IronmanHacks.

Alternatively, you can book a free 15 min phone chat here.

I have personally worked with Karelle and I can vouch for her. -Andrew

Tri Planner App

Need help getting organized for your races?

The IronHacks app allows you to:
1.

Calculate race split times (swim, bike, run, transitions)
2.

Calculate how much of what foods to eat per hour (200+ endurance fuels in the database)
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Get organized with a packing checklist

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