That Triathlon Life Podcast

Nobody knew Paula was racing, not her inner circle, barely even Paula herself until she was already on the plane to Vancouver. Three weeks out from Kona, she lined up at T100 Vancouver against an elite international field with zero expectations and finished fourth. We get the full race recap: the ocean current swim, the Race Ranger chaos on the bike that had Eric firing off texts from the couch, why riding to the front was the only move that made sense, and what it felt like to run a controlled 3:45/km pace and feel totally fine doing it. Then we debut a new segment, Rate It, get into your questions, and have a conversations about what it's like to be the partner on the sideline.
This week we discussed:
Paula's surprise T100 Vancouver recap: the decision to race, the ocean current swim, Race Ranger draft zone chaos on the bike, and running to a fourth place finish on fresh-ish Ironman legs
The T100 format from an athlete's perspective: what it does brilliantly, why the fields keep coming back, and an honest conversation about whether the series is sustainable long-term
New segment, Rate It: having multiple bikes, open water swimming vs. pool, training and racing with a smartwatch, and local events
The best and hardest thing about watching your partner race — Eric on the joy, the grief, and the slow process of making peace with a changing athletic identity
How big is Paula's team, really? The case for keeping it small, why Eric doing bike mechanics at 10pm beats hiring anyone, and what Carmen Small couldn't believe when she came to 70.3 Worlds
Swimrun gear on a budget: buoy size, paddle advice, whether you need trail shoes, and how the transition between swim and run actually works with paddles on your wrists
Self-confidence anxiety when training and racing with others — what it actually means when someone chooses you as their swim run partner
Paula and Eric are tentatively planning an Austin swimrun in November. 
The road to Qatar goes through Austin, Texas. Eric floats an idea. Everyone pretends it's not happening.
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

It's a warm, smoky evening in Bend, the kind where you drive to Sisters for training and now you're recording a podcast instead of sleeping. We kept it deliberate and efficient this week, which means we absolutely went off on mattresses, California Chicken Cafe, and ice cream. In between, a great bag of questions.
This week we discussed:
1x vs. 2x drivetrains: the actual advantages of each and why most people should just stick with a two by
When to stop pedaling and tuck on a descent
Draft-legal racing for a first-timer: how the pace works at the start of each leg, why staying near the front of a group saves energy
Build our ideal triathlon city using places we've actually been: road running, trail running, road cycling, gravel/MTB, open water swimming, airport, coffee, pastries, donuts, restaurants, and weather
Xterra racing and the suffering question: is it a matter of learning to dig deeper or a matter of training?
Getting comfortable in aero on a TT bike when you're scared, Paula's day-before-Challenge-Daytona story and why race day has a way of sorting it out
How many pro races have Eric and Paula actually done? Pro Tri News has a number that may or may not be right
Crank length and hip injury: when to experiment with shorter cranks and when to leave well enough alone
What actually constitutes good bike technique, and whether the pedal stroke matters as much as Eric thinks it does
Long rides on a gravel rail trail vs. TT bike before an Ironman
AQI thresholds for training in wildfire smoke
Heart rate spikes in T2 from bike to run, what's happening physiologically and the breathing reset trick
Disney princess themed bikes
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

We're loopy, and apparently incapable of saying basic words out loud, which means it's a great episode. We kick things off with a new This or That segment that goes off the rails almost immediately, then get into ten listener questions that end up going somewhere unexpected. Big week energy after the last two, different energy this week. This week we discussed:
This or That: firm surface with cushy shoe vs. cushy surface with firm shoe, foggy goggles vs. foggy conditions, and a third option Nick almost said on a family podcast
Do pros ever truly go 100%? The difference between not pushing hard and deliberately leaving something for future races, and why Paula once backed off to help a rival keep points
Who are the most polished, professional pros on the circuit, and who gets results while doing their own thing? (Morgan Pearson, Ari Klau, and Jackie Hering all come up)
What Paula actually did in the five hours between finishing Ironman Lake Placid and heading to dinner, and why she did almost none of the "right" recovery things
Grandpa Hector's Colnago: how to keep a vintage bike in storage without letting it deteriorate
Do pros want splits from strangers on course? When it helps, when it doesn't, and why they'll never acknowledge you even if they love it
Training through heartbreak: Paula's honest answer, Eric's RV-in-the-desert approach, and Nick's experience of it being the hardest time of his life
The Canadian Prime Minister shouted out Paula on Ironman Lake Placid, the story behind how that might have happened
Triathlon nightmares: missing the start, cascading gear failures, and why the dream is always the logistics, never the actual suffering
Passing etiquette in races: when to say "on your left," when not to, and AirPods on a single track trail (Eric has feelings)
Coaching high school swimming when you're a triathlete, and the unexpected parallels between inspiring athletes and inspiring music students
Why Nick fell in love with triathlon: the objectivity of it, the contrast with music
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. This week's random supporter winner is Joyce Leary! Joyce, your Thump instant coffee is on the way! To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Things are back to normal in Bend and Los Angeles. Paula's quads have finally recovered, training is back on, and we've got a full question bag to get through. We open with a food theme Rapid Fire, check in on what post-race blues actually feel like after something as big as Lake Placid, and get into the philosophy of fear in sport: before races, before hard sessions, and why accepting the thing you're scared of is usually what makes it less scary. Then your questions.
This week we discussed:
Food rapid fire: favorite ice cream, juice, bagel, donut, and pasta sauce 
What post-race blues actually feel like after a big result — why the further you get from the day, the more you want to go back
Fear in sport: how pro athlete fear differs from age group fear, what makes race morning dread feel inescapable, and whether doing hard training sessions produces the same feeling
The best thing you can do to mitigate pre-race fear: start one month out, not the night before
How much time should you spend in aero position training for a 70.3? 
Jedi mind tricks for hard sessions and long races
Mountain bike and off-road race passing etiquette: whose job is it to get out of the way?
Was the women's finish line box-out at San Diego International Triathlon bad sportsmanship? 
Youth sports and raising athletic kids: what Paula, Eric, and Nick each took from childhood sport
Challenge Roth 2027: all three are Roth curious
What influence has each other's racing had on what you want to do? Paula on Eric's ultras, Eric on Paula's Ironman
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

Paula Findlay wins Ironman Lake Placid on her very first full distance triathlon attempt. Setting the bike course record, ringing the first-timer's bell, and crossing the tape after one of the most composed performances of the year. Nick and Eric were both on course for the day, and this week all three of us sit down to relive every moment: the cold non-wetsuit swim chasing Chelsea Sodaro, the wind-whipped bike ride where Paula refused to let the gusts derail nine months of preparation, the broken flask on the run, running a 1:24 half marathon split before her quads staged a full revolt, talking herself through lonely miles of River Road, and what it actually felt like to turn into the Olympic oval.
This week we discussed:
Paula's full Ironman Lake Placid race recap: swim, bike, run, and every mental moment in between
Racing without a wetsuit in cold windy weather — staying warm, not panicking off the bike, and why the cold nearly derailed the first 45 minutes
Riding through 28mph gusts: how Paula stayed in her aerobars when everything in her said sit up
The Marta Sanchez dynamic: running together through the first half, trusting her experience, and slowly stretching the gap
Quad cramping from mile 13 of the marathon and choosing to keep running anyway
Ringing the first-timer's bell
The med tent, the wheelchair, and what "empty" actually feels like after an Ironman
How Eric and Nick tracked splits all day: whiteboard shorthand, the Iron Man app, texts from people on course, and educated guesses
What Paula discovered about herself: long activities are a mindset, not a personality type
The timing chip chafe solution that actually worked (and the neck chafe that still didn't)
TTL team finished 4th in the team competition — in their first year
150 people at the Lake Placid donut run and the volunteer team who drove 45 minutes for donuts
Is it better to race a new distance naive, or knowing what's coming? Paula answers just days after finding out
Long run advice for Ironman training: why 30K is probably enough, and why Paula wishes she'd run more pavement
TTL Kona merch is happening, and so is Nice
Samantha Skold qualifies for Kona off the back of a career-best run at Lake Placid
A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive — this pod has no ads, and your support is what makes it possible. To submit a question and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast