Welcome to Episode #29 of Mile High Tri podcast, I'm your usual host Rich Soares, joined today by the lovely and talented co-host Khem Suthiwan.  Mile High Tri  empowers you to reach your fitness and triathlon goals by connecting you with coaches and experts on the topics that you want learn.

Mile High Tri is recorded in the Rocky Mountain front range area in Denver, Colorado.   55 miles to the north is the triathlon 'Mecca' of Boulder, home of some of the most prominent pros in triathlon and related sports.  56 miles to the south is the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  The Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs is the flagship training center for the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center programs.

The 110 mile stretch between Boulder and Colorado Springs is one of the fittest and athletic populated areas in the world.  I share these statistics, not so much to brag but to give you the listener context for what the culture and vibe is here in the Mile High area.

Welcome to Episode #28 of Mile High Tri podcast, I'm your host Rich Soares and my co-host is Bill Plock.  The Mile High Tri  Podcast connects you  WEEKLY with coaches, experts and resources that empower you to reach your fitness and triathlon goals.

This month's episode steers our triathlon journey in the direction of Tri Tech.  Our feature guest on the show this month is Dirk Friel, (Founder and President of Peaksware) to talk to us about Training Peaks and WKO.   That interview is absolutely awesome.   The interview seems like it goes quickly, but it's longer than my usual interview.  To make sure I took full advantage of getting Dirk's time, I took all that he would give me.  I think you will be glad that I did not force a shorter interview or edit out content. 

There are two other timely guests on the show this week.  We have the co-owner of BBSC Endurance Sports, Michelle Lund, on to talk about how last week's Boulder Sunrise Tri went down.  We also have Scott Hutmacher (Lifetime Tri) to talk about the upcoming Boulder Peak Triathlon, which is coming up on July 10th.  Since today's episode is the last episode before that race, we wanted to make sure we got this out to you this week.  Scott has a lot of great timely information for you.

Because we have the two race director updates that are time sensitive, we are going to do a Part 1 and Part 2 on the Dirk Friel interview.  You will hear the first half (or 25 minutes of the 50 minute) interview today.  Next week you will hear Part 2 of the Dirk Friel interview.

So there are three interviews this week and we'll have a short wrap up at the end.  Stick around at the end because we'll talk about some resources and links that are on the website that supplement the interview content on the show.   For example, we talk to Dirk about some key terms to know in their analytic reports, what they refer to as a Performance Management Chart.  You are more than likely out riding your bike or on a long run while you are listening to this.  I want you to have resources you can go to in addition to the audio content.  There are articles already on the Resources page from Training Peaks, Firstbeat and more that you will want to check out.  We want to tell you this before the interview so you know you have the website to go back to when you are done listening and your bike is cleaned off an hung back up in your garage.

So with that, let's get into the race updates from Michelle at BBSC Endurance Sports and Scott Hutmacher of Lifetime Tri and the Boulder Peak.  Right after those two race updates we have the interview with Dirk Friel of Training Peaks. 

Welcome to Episode #27 of Mile High Tri Podcast, I'm your host Rich Soares.  The Mile High Tri  Podcast connects you  WEEKLY with coaches, experts and resources that empower you to reach your fitness and triathlon goals.

Today's interview is going to be a little different than usual.  I'm going to take you back to episode #24 for a minute and the interview with Will Murray, mental skills coach from D3 Multisport and author of the 4 Pillars of Triathlon.  A couple of weeks after that interview, Will and I reconnected and he mentioned he had heard a couple of episodes where I've referred to a swim panic attack I had early in my triathlon career and that I still "carry that experience with me".  Will offered to help me with a technique to help me not feel fear associated to that memory.  We arranged a time for a Skype Video call a few weeks ago and we agreed to record the call. 

Last weekend I went out to Grant Ranch for my first open water swim of the season.  I needed to get some experience in the open water before my first race coming up this weekend in Boulder.  I went out to Grant Ranch (west side of town)looking for my friends in the TriAnimals and had mistakenly thought they were participating in the OWS clinic being taught by Melissa Mantak from Swim Labs.  After a short orientation and instruction session, we suited up and jumped in the water.  Melissa described the training objectives and drill sequence that we would progress through.  Our first step was to swim the 300 or so meters to the first buoy - the moment of truth.  Of course, I'm competitive so I'm trying to get on the feet of the guy in front of me.  Then it hits me - this is your first OWS of the season, you better take it easy Rich.  In a second, your going to get winded and your going to start freaking out.  I started to do what helps me which is to count arm strokes.  Then it occcurred to me that I was not anxious in the least.  In fact, my reflex was to swim harder and see what happened…nothing, harder….nothing.    Long story short, I had an awesome clinic and OWS experience last Sunday and I'm super excited to race on Sunday.  So excited, in fact that I want to make sure you get a chance to hear the call that Bill and I had and then my reaction when I came back from the swim last weekend.   

When we cut to the call, Bill starts of by describing what we are going to try and accomplish and the process that I'm to follow.  During the original call there were some long silent periods that I have edited out.  I put a little tone in the pauses so you can know where those longer pauses exist.  

For any of you have issues where your enjoyment of open water swimming or racing in OW is somehow limited because of fear, folks you need to listen to this episode.  I mean, let's see how this race goes this weekend, but I am definitely encouraged.  Okay, speaking of races - let's talk about what's coming up.

This is shaping up to be an awesome triathlon weekend here in the Mile High city of Denver.  Hopefully you had a chance to hear last week's episode and the interview with Lance Panigutti.  Of course Lance talked about this weekend's TriBella triathlon.  This is a women's only triathlon at the Cherry Creek Reservoir in south Denver.  I am actually planning to get to bed early tonight and get up early to help when the transition area opens at 6:30 tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, I have several friends who are racing the Lake to Lake Triathlon in Loveland, CO.  For those listeners outside the Mile High area, Loveland is about 65 miles north of Denver.  The west side of Denver and Loveland are pretty close to the foothills and the views and course of the Lake to Lake Triathlon are awesome.  Among that list of friends (as you would know if you listened to last week's episode), is Tom Beal.  Also racing is Todd Stockford from episode #18, and Steve Maas.  Good luck gentlemen!

About a 3 hour drive into the mountains is Steamboat Springs and the Try The Boat Triathlon with a Sprint, Olympic on Saturday (That's 3 races on Saturday) and Half Ironman distance race on Sunday.  Another one of my good friends Aaron Monroe is racing the half ironman.  I think Aaron is doing 4 half ironman races this year. 

Continuing on Sunday we have the Boulder Sunrise organized by BBSC Endurance Sports.  This sprint race, as the name implies, is located in Boulder and the transition area opens at 5:30 and my wave starts at 7:45am.  As soon as I publish this episode Saturday night, I'm going straight to bed.

Also on Sunday are the South Suburban Youth and Adult Beginner Tryathlon.  This is a pool swim and looks to be a great race for a triathlete to enjoy the pool swim format.  I met the race director, Sarah Neilson, this past week during bike to work day.  I stopped at one of the stations in the morning, which turned out to be sponsored by South Suburban.   It sounds like Sarah has a couple of races, the TRYathlon at Goodsen Rec Center this Sunday, June 26th.  They have another race

Finally we have Tri On The Plains https://triontheplains.org/ which is 2 hour and 30 minute drive to the northeast of Denver.  This event has a duathlon and sprint distance. 

One last race to talk about before we go into the call with Bill, let's talk about his recent race at Escape From Alcatraz.  There is a great article that is at 303 Triathlon and the link is on the website.  Go to http://303triathlon.com/Boulders-Will-Murray-Escape-from-Alcatraz-Recap to check it out.

With that, let's go to the call with Will Murray.  Following that I transition straight into my reaction coming back from Grant Ranch this past weekend.  And finally, I'll come back on at the end for a little wrap up.

Welcome to Episode #26 of Mile High Tri podcast, I'm your host Rich Soares.  Mile High Tri  empowers you to reach your fitness and triathlon goals by connecting you with coaches and experts to help you in your triathlon journey.

I'm joined by Tom Beal, who is a good friend and mentor.  Tom has been racing in the sport since the 80's and has a tremendous amount of experience and talent.  Tom shares his thoughts on the progression of triathlon.

Feature guest, Lance Panigutti from Without Limits gives an update on their races so far and talks about upcoming races.

I'm excited to announce moving to a weekly and shorter format.  Releases will be on Sunday midnight Mountain Time.  I hope you will find that the weekly format fits into your routine.  Whether you enjoy it on Sunday on your long run, or Monday on your commute to work, I just hope you enjoy it.    

Mile High Tri is recorded in the Rocky Mountain front range area in Denver, Colorado. 55 miles to the north is the triathlon 'Mecca' of Boulder, home of some of the most prominent pros in triathlon and related sports. 56 miles to the south is the US Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs is the flagship training center for the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Olympic Training Center programs. The 110 mile stretch between Boulder and Colorado Springs is one of the fittest and athletic populated areas in the world. I share these statistics, not so much to brag but to give you the listener context for what the culture and vibe is here in the Mile High area. -Denver was ranked 5th fittest city in the US in 2015 by the American Fitness Index. -Denver is home to many Olympians, including 2012 4 gold medal winner Missy Franklin. -Denver is also the 4th ranked "bike friendly" city in the US ​The objective of the Mile High Tri podcast is to connect you to the triathlon community and empower you to achieve your triathlon and fitness goals. Each month we will take subjects that you are interested in and connect your interests with news, expert interviews, and information about services and products in a way that inform your decisions to achieve your full potential in the sport.

Welcome to Episode #25 of Mile High Tri podcast, I'm your host Rich Soares.  Mile High Tri  empowers you to reach your fitness and triathlon goals by connecting you with coaches and experts to help you in your triathlon journey.

Today's episode is Part 2 on the theme where we are asking the questions "do you need a coach?". 

So do you need a coach?  There are plenty of training plans online.  In fact, the information resources available to the self-coached athlete are nearly infinite.  I don't need to tell you that there are plenty of books, websites, forums, specialty services, physiology testing, and let's not forget podcasts!.  

The good news is there is a ton of information out there.  The other good news is that you have tons of time on your hands to research it, right?  No?  Well, assuming you do have a lot of time on your hands, and you can research everything there is to know about nutrition (eg, strength training, endurance training, speed/intensity training, recovery, race strategies, form, technique, etc.), there is more to the role of a coach than technical expertise.   

The roles of a triathlon coach are numerous.  The best collection I've found is from coach Brian Mac's website.  The roles he lists include: Advisor, Assessor, Counselor, Demonstrator, Friend, Facilitator, Fact-finder, Fountain of knowledge, Instructor, Mentor, Motivator, Organizer, Planner, Role Model, and Supporter.   You can probably come up with a few more without trying too hard.  You could extend it to specifics like strength coach, swim coach, or physical therapist and on.  Perhaps I'm being too fast and loose with the roles, but that's how I see it.

Last week, in episode #24, I interviewed Will Murray, Mental Skills Coach with D3 Multisport and Jim Galanes of EPOC Performance Training.   As with each subject that I take on with the podcast, I'm trying to examine the question from multiple lenses.

The 2 lenses that we explored last week were aimed at the role of a coach in helping train your mind, and the role of guiding the training load and recovery balance. 

On training the mind of an athlete, we spoke to Will Murray, author of the book, "The Four Pillars of Triathlon". 

1. Imagination
2. Motivation
3. Discipline
4. Recovery

On the physiology loading and recovery process with 3 x Olympic Nordic skier and coach Jim Galanes.  Jim described how his curiosity for sports physiology budded early in his Olympic career and developed through decades of work with researchers, coaches and athletes.   I confess I got a bit ahead of myself and started down the path of July's theme how to get the most out of software training logs and analytic tools.

This week we continue the discussion with:

• Nicole Odell is a Level 1 USAT coach, Level 3 USA Cycling, Training Peaks Level 2 coach out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.  Coach Nicole's company is NEO Endurance.
• Dierdre Moynahan - Ride and Race director (Tri Velo Series and DMM Events) and Try Something New with Cyclocross and Urban Cyclocross.

The question "do I need a coach?" is something that I ask myself frequently.  Actually, I don't really ask the question in my head in the same way I express it in writing here.

The questions in my head sounds more like:

"why can't I push to zone 5 this morning?", or

"yesterday was a pretty hard day, this plan is written for the average person, I'll bet it's okay to take it easy today...I think...wish I knew.", or

"oh great, their closing transition - I hope I'm trained and ready for this day..am I?" or,

"am I taking in enough calories for...?" and it goes on, right?

These questions are personal to me.  They are my personal needs, which are derived by a goal that has been set to achieve a result.  That goal could be to lose 40 pounds, lead a healthier lifestyle, or finish an Ironman.

I have my questions and you will have yours.  As you train of the next few weeks, pay attention to the voice in your head and the questions being presented.  As you are doing that introspection, listen to the interviews from experts from different perspectives.  There is no agenda other than to provide you with a rich layering of interviews, discussing the fundamental of triathlon training, development, and racing.  From there, we will talk about the many roles triathlon coaches fill in helping athletes achieve their goals safely. 

The podcast is my way of sharing the lessons I've learned in triathlon with others.  When I lived in my first college apartment, I learned the lesson don't fry bacon naked.  Until today, I have not had an opportunity to share that with anyone.  Of course, the lessons of triathlon rarely give you love handles and skin welts.  No, these are lessons that take the shape of being injured, sick, unmotivated, unimaginative, plateauing performance, DNFs, IV's, and so forth.  Actually, the lessons of triathlon can sometimes be painful.

The Merriam-Webster simple definition of coach is a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer. Just how hard can it be?  There are plenty of training plans online.  In fact, the information resources available to the self-coached athlete are nearly infinite.  I don't need to tell you that there are plenty of books, websites, forums, specialty services, physiology testing, and let's not forget podcasts!.  

The good news is there is a ton of information out there.  The other good news is that you have tons of time on your hands to research it, right?  No?  Well, assuming you do have a lot of time on your hands,and you can research everything there is to know about nutrition (eg, strength training, endurance training, speed/intensity training, recovery, race strategies, form, technique, etc.), there is more to the role of a coach than technical expertise.   

The roles of a triathlon coach are numerous.  The best collection I've found is from coach Brian Mac's website.  The roles he lists include: Advisor, Assessor, Counselor, Demonstrator, Friend, Facilitator, Fact-finder, Fountain of knowledge, Instructor, Mentor, Motivator, Organizer, Planner, Role Model, and Supporter.  

In this month's theme on coaching, I share my experience as a coached and self-coached athlete and work with my hosts to help you hear the hot topics are for making that decision. My goal at Mile High Tri is to bring you the resources that empower you to achieve your fitness and triathlon goals, and these guests are here for you.

• Will Murray, mental skills coach at D3 Multisport and co-author of "The Four Pillars of Triathlon"
• Jim Galanes is a three time Olympian competing in cross country skiing events in each 1976 (Innsbruck), 1980 (Lake Placid), and 1984 (Sarajevo) Olympics.
• Nicole Odell talks about her role a coach and what it's like coaching coaches. 
• Carole Sharpless Pro and now coach, Carole talks about the role of coaches in her career and how she applies that in her coaching today.

Welcome to Episode #23 of Mile High Tri podcast, I'm your host Rich Soares.  Mile High Tri  empowers you to reach your fitness and triathlon goals by connecting you with coaches and experts on the topics that you want learn. 

Today's show is part 2 of 2 on the topic of "open water swimming".  We are staying focused on helping you tackle the swim segment of your next triathlon with confidence and make this your best season yet.

Before we get into today's show I'd like to once again thank Bill Plock (news), Liz Sharpe (wet suit selection and fitting) and Michael Mann (coaching form and Grant Ranch open water swimming for joining me on episode #22.  If you did not get a chance to hear those interviews, go back and check those interviews out.  There contact info will be on milehightriathlon.com.

For those who did listen to last week's episode you know we have two exciting guests this week to continue our examination of 'Open Water Swimming'.  For those of you who don't have access to a good coach, but have questions about how to tackle open water swim training, coach Trista Francis (USAT Level 2 coach with ITZ Multisport coaching) helps breakdown how to get you ready for your open water season.

Heck, what triathlete hasn't been training or racing (whether in an open water swim, the long lonely stretch of a bike course, or a moonlit marathon) and asked themselves "where's a good sports Psychologist when you need one?"   After today's episode, you'll know just who to call.  I have Dr. Justin Ross on to help us understand what's going on with open water swimming anxiety and how to manage it and develop into a confident open water swimmer.

For the record folks, I am having an absolute blast producing this podcast and hope you're are enjoying the content.  It is my goal to make this your 'go to' podcast.  If you have suggestions or content you want to hear, please get in touch with me via the website, Facebook or Twitter.  You can also just email me at [email protected].

If you are enjoying the podcast, the best compliment you can pay me is to refer it to a friend. The podcast listenership is growing quickly, only furthering my excitement about bringing you more content.

If you would like to learn more

If you want to get in touch with

Other resources:

www.beginnertriathlete.com

Coach David Warden also had a

Familiarize yourself with

For listeners in Colorado, check

http://swimlabs.com/denver/open-water-swimming-at-grant-ranch/

www.comsa.org/openwater -

http://www.bamswimteam.org/ -

http://longmontcolorado.gov/ -

Of course, all of the guests and

Bill Plock and I mentioned at the

What I've decided to do is go

Before we wrap up episode #22, I

Of course I hope you found the

Each of our race directors

I'll hold off on giving the

On a personal note, my training

That's it for episode #22. 

For more information on racing

As always - Stay tuned, stay

Today's show is "Part 3" of the 3 Part Theme on Racing.  Part 1 (Episode #19) was published on April 1st and featured Dave Christen if IM Boulder, Coach Khem Suthiwan of Mile High Multisport and Lance Panigutti of Without Limits.  Part 2 (Episode #20) was published on April 8th and featured 2015 ITU Long Course champ Mary Beth Ellis, and President of the Board of USAT, Barry Siff.  Part 3 (today's episode) features  Peggy Shockley of the Lake to Lake Triathlon in Loveland, Hessam Salim with Lifetime Tri and the race director of the Boulder Peak.

Since this is the last episode in the May focus on "choosing races", I'd like to once again thank the guests for their time and extend an open invitation for any other race directors who would like to come on the show and educate the triathlon community about their races.  I had intended to get invitations out to all race directors in the hopes of talking to a couple.  My thought process is that I may get a 1 in 4 response.  I actually received a 1 for 1 response, so I simply truncated the asking process and did not get to everyone I had intended. 

In fact, if you are a professional in this industry and see yourself fitting into any of the show categories ("Ask A Coach", "Resources" or "Try Something New"), and you feel you have something that would contribute to the listeners development as an athlete and empower them to meet their athletic and triathlon goals, please contact me.  I would love to talk to you about an opportunity to be on the show.

Coaches of triathlon or of any of the individual sports are welcome.  Resources is simply any triathlon-related product or service that helps the aforementioned goal of helping athletes reach their full potential are game.  I select resources that are relevant to the subject or arch of the episode or month.  The objective of the interview is to add an educational dimension from the perspective of the product or service industry.  There is an obvious opportunity to advertise, which I encourage, but it is limited to that episode or theme. 

Those who wish to have a consistent presence on the show and website, please contact me for sponsorship opportunity.  I am looking to invest in the show to develop the show (eg, equipment to interview "on location", increase frequency, show storage, etc).  You can contact me via the website at www.milehightripodcast.com.  Thanks and look forward to those opportunities.

Today's show is "Part 2" of the three part theme theme on choosing races.  Part 1 was published on April 1st and featured Dave Christen if IM Boulder, Coach Khem Suthiwan of Mile High Multisport and Lance Panigutti of Without Limits.

Usually the sequel to any show fails to deliver on the quality of the original, but not at Mile High Tri.  Today we continue seeking advice and perspective on choosing races and get input from the experts.  On today's show we have 2015 ITU Long Course champ Mary Beth Ellis and none other than the USAT president of the board Barry Siff.

Mary Beth Ellis, last year's ITU Long Distance champ joins us to reflect a bit about 2015 and her race plans for 2016.  To know Mary Beth is to enjoy her.  She's just a real cool lady who continues to achieve at such a high level.

Barry Siff, president of the board for USAT talks about his years as a race director of the Boulder Peak, his achievements as a community leader in Colorado, and his role at USAT.  Great information about the status and progression of the US Olympic Triathlon Team selection between now and the Rio games.

Be sure to check back in 1 week for the 3rd in the race series (episode is #21) with Hassam Salim from Lifetime Fitness and the Lifetime Tri Series and Peggy Shockley of the Lake to Lake triathlon in Loveland Co.

For more on Mile High Tri guests, go to www.milehightripodcast.com   For more information on racing and news in general, please check out www.303Triathlon.com.  

Stay tuned, stay informed, and enjoy the triathlon journey.  Good luck with your training and races this week!