Congratulations to U25 athlete Izzy on a 2nd-place AG finish and 70.3 World Champs qualification at IM 70.3 Florida! We’re so proud of you, Izzy!! I think the biggest lesson from this race was how to navigate the uncontrollables. I consider myself a bit of a control freak and it makes me really anxious when things don't go as planned. The night before every race I often ruminate over everything that could go wrong that's completely outside of my control. Until this race, I was lucky enough to avoid those circumstances but the Florida 70.3 was a new challenge. Going into the race, I had been fe ..read more

Race report by athlete Liselle Pires — congrats on an amazing race Liselle!!! TLDR; The race went really well! I had a comfortable swim of 56 min (woo, current!), and had to push past people casually walking around. I felt great, though, and excited knowing I would see Carl, my partner, soon. I fumbled through transition, dealing with a toe issue, but once I was on the bike I was happy. I had a great first 56 miles, with mild winds and lots of energy. My fueling plan went perfectly on the bike. Unfortunately, it poured about 65% in for me, which did affect my mental and physical state a lot. I ..read more

Woohoo!! Happy to report that I crossed that magic finish line on Ali’i Drive once again! After a very long Ironman season and a “train a bit but mostly have fun” approach to the twelve weeks between Ironman Lake Placid and the world championships in Kona, I wasn’t sure what to expect from my body and mind on race day. Coming off an amazing day at Placid (which you can read about here), I was as low-stress as I have ever been going into an Ironman, and I think that the relaxed energy and have-fun mentality set me up well for a great race. Here’s the recap! Pre-race: Travel to Kona was overall ..read more

Friday, July 21st. In 48 hours, Ironman Lake Placid 2023—my fourth Ironman and second time at Lake Placid—should be just about wrapped up. This year, I decided to write the first part of my race report before the race. I’ve been thinking a lot about process goals rather than outcome goals and big takeaways from this Ironman build. In that reflection process, I realized that no matter what happens on Sunday, I’m proud of everything that went into getting me to the starting line, and I want to reflect on that before all of the post-race feels (good, bad, or a mix of both) take over.  Traini ..read more

IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside: Race Report & Reflection - Audrey Herrald My thoughts about this race span two timelines. First, more broadly, is the extended (and ongoing) process of building fitness. Second is the relatively short, yet remarkably full, six hours and 17 minutes of racing. As for the former: I realized while training for this race that I want to view triathlon as a perpetual element of my life. It brings too much joy for this race to have been a one-time thing. And far from just Ironman brand races, or exclusively long-course events, I can’t wait to get more familiar with the spor ..read more

For anyone, choosing the right method of birth control presents a challenge. This challenge becomes even greater for female endurance athletes, as different methods have different pros and cons related to health and athletic performance. I’ve spent the last couple of months learning about the pros and cons of various contraceptive methods as I’ve debated whether to switch up my routine, and this post summarizes what I’ve learned about contraception and its effects on athletic performance. I should caveat this post with the disclaimers that (1) I’m not a doctor, (2) I have received no formal me ..read more

From Swimmer to Triathlete By: Chris Klein aka Mr. Klein I was a competitive swimmer for a decade before I started racing triathlons. Earlier in my triathlon career, the swim was my time to perform and the bike and runs legs were a relentless (and sometimes unsuccessful) battle to hold on to the lead. Since working with Jim and joining the Endurance Drive, I’ve learned how to better utilize my strength as a swimmer to give me a competitive advantage in triathlon.  Time-wise, the swim in a triathlon is the least important leg. The difference between a good swim and a bad swim in an IRONMAN ..read more

In the second installment of our three-part series on female endurance athletes, I’d like to talk about something that all athletes like to pretend doesn’t exist until it stops them in their tracks: injury. While sports injuries are absolutely not a women-only problem, there are certain aspects of female physiology that make us more prone to imbalances that, when ignored, can lead to ACL tears, IT band syndrome, patellofemoral syndrome, and more. How do women differ from men in our propensity to certain sports injuries? For starters, women’s muscle stretch reflex changes over the course of the ..read more

When women compete and train at a high level in sports that prize a low body weight and a high lean body mass, it’s not uncommon for them to stop getting their periods. Experts estimate that this condition -- known as functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) -- may affect over 65% of female endurance runners. It’s also pervasive among triathletes, competitive swimmers, competitive cyclists, dancers, and gymnasts. But it’s not talked about. In fact, periods have been a taboo topic in women’s endurance sports for years. That’s a big problem. Missing periods are a sign that hormone levels are off ..read more

Following a long but successful block of Ironman specific training I decided to finish my season with the Indian Wells/La Quinta 70.3 and therefore two months of higher intensity training. While I do prefer full distance training, this was a welcomed change of pace and overall I feel like it was a very productive training block. I made encouraging progress in the top end of all three disciplines throughout the seven weeks since Ironman Chattanooga and was eager to test myself against a strong professional field. Another nice thing about this race was the ability to drive as well as stay with ..read more