This week we kicked things off with Eric's experience crewing for Heather Jackson at Unbound XL, 350 miles of gravel, mud, and racing through the night. Josh Amberger also made a stunning gravel debut with a fourth-place finish, and we had some thoughts on that. Then we went through listener questions. We also talked the Escape from Alcatraz donut run, compression shorts, and the best perks of being a pro athlete (or pro athlete adjacent). This week we discussed:

• Eric supporting Heather Jackson at Unbound XL and Josh Amberger's surprise fourth-place finish
• What it's like when podcast listeners know more about you than you know about them
• Panicking in an open water swim and how to recover your composure mid-race
• Off-road triathlon etiquette, do you have to stop and let faster riders pass?
• Racing a tri bike you've never ridden before: smart gamble or bad idea?
• Mile repeats vs. kilometer repeats, does interval length actually matter?
• Sodium and cramping: preloading, in-race electrolytes
• Wearing compression shorts under your bibs
• Will 32-inch wheels ever make it into triathlon?
• Favorite perks of being a professional (or pro-adjacent) triathlete

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive! To submit a question for the podcast and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

This week we almost didn’t manage to record a podcast between travel, family visits, birthday celebrations, and Eric leaving at 5 a.m. to film Heather Jackson at Unbound XL, but skipping wasn’t an option. So instead, we went full rapid-fire mode and packed in as many listener-submitted questions as possible. We also talked fast helmets, Escape From Alcatraz, questionable podcast comments, and the latest TTL merch drop. This week we discussed:

• Aero vs ventilation for Xterra helmets
• Balancing triathlon obsession with actually being present in life
• 32 inch wheels
• Revisiting old races vs constantly chasing new challenges
• Returning to fitness after forced time completely off training
• Which part of a full ironman scares the most
• Heat training vs convenience
• Best tires for Xterra North American Championships in Pelham
• Finishing a 70.3 swim while doggy paddling
• Cycling group ride warmup and when it's ok to attack
• Heart rate monitor locations for women
• What to do when someone tries to talk to you mid swim set

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive! To submit a question for the podcast and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

This week we hear all about Paula’s experience racing through the highs and lows of IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga, but not before hearing Nick’s trail running adventures in Maui, Hawaii, and getting an update from last week’s mysterious Mr. Smith. When we finally got to listener questions, we discussed:

• Washing your sweaty cycling helmet
• Riding with someone who’s always pushing the pace
• Making parts of training intentionally harder to build mental toughness

A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive! To submit a question for the podcast and to become a podcast supporter, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast