Matt Bach was in the best shape of his life in 2015, winning IM Maryland, finishing 74th overall at Kona, and about to turn pro. But crushing fatigue, sudden weight gain, and a missing libido made him start to realize something was very wrong. He wrote his symptoms off for a while until he couldn't ignore them anymore. On the podcast this week, we talk about how Matt accidentally became overtrained, how his missing libido was the biggest clue, how blood tests were key to his recovery.

Triathletes obsess over their training but quite often overlook race nutrition, and then wonder why they don't feel nearly as good as they should or even, why they DNF (Did Not Finish).  Most of the time it comes down to nutrition. That's why we wrote Triathlon Nutrition Foundations, which gives you an easy-to-follow guideline on how to fuel yourself in a race to make sure you have the best performance possible.  We talk about the book and more on today's show.

Tom Oosterdijk is an age-group triathlete who went from sedentary and overweight, to fit and winning the overall age group titles at IRONMAN NZ an IRONMAN Cork, all in the space of about 15 months.  We found out how he did it, and what his plans are for the future (as in, when does he intend to go pro!?)

Dr. Andy Pruitt is the Sports Medicine Consultant for iKOR Labs, a Boulder-based producer of hemp oil/CBD (cannabidiol) products. He talks to us about CBD for triathletes and endurance athletes. He's a former bike fit specialist with Specialized bikes, and a two-time paralympic road cycling world champion, as well as a Nordic ski racer.

One of the greatest IRONMAN athletes of all time, five time Kona champion Craig "Crowie" Alexander joins us on the podcast today. He's been using CBD as a recovery tool for a couple of years, we learn more about his experiences with it, as well as his thoughts on training during the pandemic, and various performances at Kona!

John Clark was somewhere around 400 pounds at his highest weight, as multi-time UK's Strongest Man. He could pull vehicles and throw logs, but he couldn't close a seatbelt around his giant torso. After injuries and surgery put an end to his Strong Man career, he knew he needed other fitness goals. Now, he has lost a ton of weight and is getting ready to complete his very first triathlon -- an Ironman distance race!

SHOW LINKS

The Uncomfortable Truth podcast with John Clark (featuring Triathlon Taren)

John Clark Instagram

Reggie Harrison is a Black age-group triathlete from Atlanta, Georgia. A tremendously talented youth swimmer, now as an adult, he's completed several IM 70.3 races and three full IRONMAN distance races. On the podcast today, we talk with Reggie about race in triathlon, and Reggie describes the extra steps he has to take, as a Black person, just to be able to train safely, and without putting his life at risk. 

Luke McKenzie is an 8-time Ironman champion, and was the 2nd place finisher in Kona 2013.  His wife, Beth McKenzie is also a pro triathlete with multiple 70.3 and Ironman wins.  The pair lives in Australia with their kids where they not only train for triathlon but run a triathlon clothing apparel company, Wyn Republic, one of the most successful lines in the world.

Hannah Wells has a PhD in BioTech Engineering, but recently left her science career to pursue a career as a professional triathlete. And the decision was clearly the right one, as she has won 4 of the 7 Ironman 70.3 races she's entered over the past 18 months. We talk about an illness that sidelined her for five weeks, what her plans are post-lockdown, and more.  

On today's podcast, Taren discusses the basics of triathlon running for beginners, with explanations of why triathlon running is not like regular running, and now to make the most of your run training.