SIGHTING in PARTICULAR RACES--in MOST races I sight every 5th stroke......in KONA I rarely sight & when I sight it is only to see how much farther I have to go. In Kona, I am usually swimming in a large group AND this group is pretty accomplished as far as swimming straight or they would not be in Kona.....so, I let them sight & just swim with them. Kona also has the advantage where one can see the bottom for 1/4 to 1/3 of the race (similar to pool swimming)....so one can see they are swimming straight (especially in the early portion of the race when can adjust their technique to swim straight) by watching the bottom. Just what I do.

SIGHTING---My Idea: sighting should be practiced in the 3-4 weeks before a race. FOR EXAMPLE: If one is doing a set of 200's one should sight 1-2 times on the last length of each 200 OR on every other 200 AND keep track of times with the goal being the 200 times and energy expended with and without sighting be the same.

BUOYS----I would like to see twice as many buoys on the race courses as there are. These buoy's are, IMO, pretty far apart especially for an inexperienced swimmer. Just a thought.

SWIM START POSITION----Good Advice.....if the day is going to be hot one wants to be biking in the cooler temperatures for as long as possible before having to begin dealing with the heat......wind also picks up as the day goes on so one wants to bike longer with LESS wind. These scenarios played out in IRONMAN Texas in 2024 AND in IRONMAN Coeur d'Alene in 2021.

WETSUIT RACES---MOST races in the USA are wetsuit races. One should probably train in their wetsuit 1x per week for the last 3-4 weeks before a race BECAUSE the add'l wetsuit buoyancy causes one to swim slightly different and one needs to be used to this small difference in order to be immediately adjusted to wetsuit swimming. This is especially helpful if a race might go wetsuit or non-wetsuit and a decision is made race morning (for example: IRONMAN Texas).

OCEAN RACES--remember there is add'l buoyancy in the salt water.....maybe not quite as much as with a wetsuit but definitely MORE than fresh water non-wetsuit swimming.

TEDD GIROUARD and JOHN MERCER--Analysis indicates for many triathletes the best way to improve your swim time is to swim straight.....for many this is MORE effective than drafting

TEDD GIROUARD---POOL CHILLER--direct a pool water spray over the pool.....this is the way pools in Florida have kept the water cool for decades.

Supported running is NOT an 'all the time' thing UNLESS one is injured....one needs to let their body adjust to the pounding of running, BUT supported running allows/helps one to recover from the pounding of NON-supported running & thereby allows adaption & prevents injury

15:16 That’s the main reason I use the Lever; I can’t run slow enough to stay in zone 2. I use the Lever to take off enough bodyweight so that I can run at a good pace and with good form and still keep my heart rate down in zone 2.

22:48 Improved gait: absolutely - when I take off 10 - 15% body weight, I have much better rotation, less vertical oscillation, and I’m able to keep a higher cadence.

It would be awesome to get Nicole's perspective on vegan athletes and maybe some of the differences they have in meeting their nutrition goals.

I doubt that you were talking directly to me, but you certainly could have been! The art of recovery is my biggest weakness, and you addressed many incredibly important points. I'll do my best to get it to "sink in." Thank you both immensely.

Love this stuff, Mercer is a national treasure.

Talk to your guest first before digressing, it’s very unprofessional and disrespectful to the guests

Please feature Christian Wians again.

Any chance We'll get Christian Wians back on this show? He's my fav Triathlete you've featured thus far.

37:07 Remember to wear a helmet lol

Great physics intro. I've always loved applying physics to the body. (Kinesiology) I went into the wrong field... :-) I do a similar exercise using the three fundamental units (mass, length, time) to go through displacement, velocity, acceleration, then on to force, work, energy and power, ultimately ending in the mass/energy relationship. Cool to see this applied to the body.

Also, XTerra routinely puts their goggles on sale for $9.99. I buy three pairs at a time when I get a sale notification email.

Yes -- new goggles on race day. HOWEVER... wear them at least once before the race to make sure they don't leak. I had a brand new, never worn pair of goggles leak badly at St. George and it really messed up my swim. Thanks for the video!

Wow!!!!❤❤❤❤❤ Such a terrific miracle!!!!!

38:20 The term you're looking for is derailleur. Cassette, derailleur, chain, derailleur hanger, wheel, spokes, etc.

Thanks for having me!

*Promo sm*

Cool chat as always! Thanks :)

Hi I appreciate the Comments about running in the fancy shoes but going Barefoot the rest of the time to keep the strength in your feet. I would really like to hear your ideas, opinions, research or comments on running and biomechanics of the body with minimalist shoes (low stack height and maybe also zero drop)? Thanks so much!!

Thank you, just two guys talking triathlon

John I have a question about putting a dollar machine on a table. Do you have an email?

Wow thanks so much! Really informative

Nice show

Thanks I learned so much!

Thanks, this is an entertaining interview 😊

Brian Wagner seems like a great guy!!

Thank you for great AP force explanation. I have several questions concerning exact places where the specific points from the graph are placed. Especially: 1) Where approximately is midstance located? 2) What specific point during gait cycle in the middle of the graph is it where the force is 0? is it midstance? 3) Is propulsion peak really located exactly in the middle of the last "hill" (ie at the same distance from the points where force is 0?) 4) What specific point during gait cycle is the propulsion peak? (If it doesnt have any name in gait cycle, never mind, maybe some photo that shows it will be ok.) Thank you very much

I use the advice on mini meals at bedtime! Great show thank you.

Thanks for covering this topic.

Personally I've found that as a vegan, the task to find and eat enough protein is a constant effort

Really helpful! I didn't know about the 10 o'clock 2 o'clock hand entry! Tried that and now my balance in the water is much better!

Could you please link the article?

So yes to Betty Crocker frosting Sachets ? Lol just kidding 33:40

Great explanation. Many people aren’t talking about the importance of horizontal GRF when running. Good stuff 👍

This is great!! Thank you John and Tedd. Oceanside will be my 2023 season opening race for me. 😂

I recently found your podcast and have been listening obsessively through the backlog. Great stuff! So far my favorite episodes have been Putting Nutrition in Motion - I got some great food ideas here (strawberry powder is now and forever will be in my diet), and the Training Peaks ep, which really helped me to understand my TP data. I didn't realize there were videos available until I started googling to see if you had a group/forum/etc. online. Keep up the great work, Tedd and John! (Would love another food ep with any new foods you've found? I'm always open to new ideas, esp for snacks.)

ma6

That was great, very cool

Great interview, loved that

Hi!, keep up the work. You might enjoy this channel 👉 #drjohnaking. I find him instructional and practical.

awesome stuff

Great episode! Packed with great information and great stories from Mark. Lots of great tips for training, triathlons and life! I remember watching Mark Allen dominate in Kona for so long, and to hear his stories from then is so cool. Thanks!