Answers

Pam Leblanc informed me of a question and answer session she was doing for her fitcity blog and Gordo Byrn and Joe Friel answered my questions as well as others pertaining to triathlon here.
Q: As the biking distance rises in training I tend to get saddle sores. I’ve heard many differing theories on how to avert this: get better bike shorts, get a new seat, and/or obtain a good bike fit. What is your advice and/or experience with this pesky occurrence? — MKT

• Gordo: A couple tips that have helped me: Get out of your shorts QUICK after training. Use an antibiotic wash after training. Find a saddle that keeps your sit-bones stable. Rocking on the saddle creates friction that can irritate the skin. To clear up saddle sores, dab them with tea tree oil after washing and before bed.
• Q: How do you maintain your focus during an Ironman distance race (e.g. some athletes count to 100 repeatedly, or have certain songs going through their head)? — MKT
• Gordo: Build your capacity to focus just like your fitness. Start with shorter periods and use intervals of focus within your longer sessions. You are right, a capacity to maintain a relaxed focus is a key attribute of successful racing. It takes practise and time to build up.
• Q: Gordo - You have an impressive website and note that one of the most popular topics on your discussion board is anything linked to nutrition. Why do you think this is such a popular topic and how much do you think nutrition can affect Ironman training? — MKT
• Gordo: Nutrition is HUGE. In “Going Long,” we call it the Fourth Discipline. For long distance events, you can give yourself a material edge from fueling using the tips that are contained in the book. As an athlete, I recommend that you place the majority of your focus on the quality of what you eat when you are not training. This is the area where I find you can get the most performance boost. The mechanics of training/racing nutrition, covered in the book, are straightforward. Great to hear that you’ve been enjoying the website. I recently updated all my “greatest hits” and pulled them into my new site at www.EnduranceCorner.com. You’ll find my most popular articles there in a new library. I also pulled my blog across, which covers a range of topics.