Words by Marcus Cook, Images by Issac Cook When I look back at my journey I didn’t start thinking that I could be an Ironman. I was 489 pounds when a very close friend was diagnosed with cancer. He came to me and said, “I am dying from an incurable disease and you are dying because of your choices.”...
Words by Heather Jackson I don’t know why I count this workout among my “favorites.” It’s possible my head is still foggy from lactic acid buildup, oxygen deprivation, and delayed onset muscle soreness. This session is HARD, but it will leave you satisfied, knowing you’ve pushed your physical and mental fitness to new heights....
Words by: Joe Gambles Joe Gambles, professional triathlete, is also Heather Jackson’s coach, guiding her to numerous Ironman and 70.3 victories and Kona podiums. He lifts the curtain, below, on a workout, he prescribes Heather a few times a year to put the finishing touches on her specific race preparations. Firstly, I have to...
It is known that logging fall and winter miles can help build an athlete’s foundation come spring and summertime racing. The ability to string together consistent weeks of training can help to not only increase endurance, strength, and stamina but also aid in injury prevention. While spring and summer season sessions will focus on...
The “race season” hits at different times for many athletes, but regardless of the time of year, this is the time when training, racing, and fitness are at their peak. Typically during this time athletes are highly motivated and excited to tackle upcoming racing. However, as is the case with most things in life,...
Many of us have experienced the all too common cramp that causes us to cease exercise immediately and try to walk it off. If you have not experienced it for yourself, you can probably view this occurrence around mile 20 of any marathon. Athletes moving along fine and then all of the sudden being...
Extreme heat can be an athlete’s worst enemy when it comes to maintaining optimized performance. No matter your discipline or focus, heat makes both exertion and recovery more challenging. Understanding why the body struggles more in the heat can be a valuable tool for helping to cope with higher temperatures. Knowing how to properly...
No matter your focus as a cyclist, odds are you’ll inevitably encounter some big climbing days in the saddle. Whether it’s a self-inflicted Sufferfest in the mountains or an event that touts massive amounts of elevation gain, you’re bound to have to go uphill. Since there’s no escaping it, what can you do to...
Training with power on the bike is a surefire way to get the most out of your training time and effort. While many still use heart rate-based training methods (which have been tried and true) heart rate is affected by many factors outside of effort alone. When using a power meter like the Wahoo...
Indoor turbo sessions over the course of the last few years have had a complete makeover. At one time it was standard procedure to wear out bike tires and withstand hours in a fixed position. With the addition of smart trainers to the market, cyclists and triathletes alike are moving many of their outdoor...
Winter training can elicit varying levels of motivation for athletes. Some may eagerly view it as a time to log a solid foundation for the racing season to come. Others may view it more as a bandaid they must rip off in order to get to the racing season. However you view winter training,...
It’s an common adage: practice makes perfect. But it’s difficult to prepare for races when the actual route takes place halfway across the world. Or if your schedule doesn’t give you appropriate time to hit the course. Whatever the reason, indoor smart trainers (like the KICKR) have helped riders access unique training plans that can dynamically recreate courses and conditions in high...