On this episode of Ask the Coaches:

* Followup from ATC 234:

* Were we ‘too harsh’ or even wrong on American marathoners slowing? Lucho spews some stats and another good article mention.

* Speaking of fast running, we discuss the Sub-2 Hour Marathon attempt, before it happened.

* Correction from that episode: The Ironman swim cutoff is 2:20 not 1:30!

* Are neoprene shorts (like Roka Sim) legal in warmer water triathlons? Do we think neoprene shorts might be a good speed boost?

* What you can and can’t wear in triathlons, based on water temps, etc. – read and learn the official rules here!

* If each of us were to open a restaurant, what would your menu look like?

* Is the MAF approach arbitrary, overblown and over-hyped? Do we “idolize” MAF? One fan chimes in.

* Are both MAF and the 220-minus-age formula not based on good science and lacking consideration of the athlete’s fitness, or do they have value?

* When finding target HR goals – considering the fitness of the athlete, metabolic efficiency, cross-over point, etc.

* The MAF White Paper

* Is there a market saturation of triathlon events, Ironman specifically? Too many events to the point of many races not even fulling up? What is the current state of the sport looking like? 

* How to better estimate my future race paces? Coming off a marathon and actually ran much faster than the ol’ “MAF minus 15 seconds” for overall pacing (estimated my target race pace to be 8:40 min/mile, as it turned out, ran at an average pace of 8:25 min/mile, and in control).

* Using marathon time to predict half-marathon goal pace.

* What went wrong aka common half Ironman mistakes? Help with possible reasons that one athlete’s 70.3 race went poorly.

* In  a nutshell, issues with cramping, pacing, weather and nutrition that we tackle and try to make sense of. 

* Possible theories:

* Not enough training in the heat before the race.

* Overcooked the bike, even though the heart rate was really low (aerobic endurance vs muscular endurance).

* Dehydration, the “wrong” type of drink, or too few calories.

* Thanks for any input you can give me. I don’t ever want to feel this way again…

* Link to an interview with Stacy Sims, possible answer in there as it relates to hydration.

* Talking about hydration needs on EP with Paul Lausren.