Nick is recording from his neighbor's WiFi, Eric's in the van, Paula is doing her own audio engineering, but the gang got it together anyway! We kick things off with an airline Rapid Fire before getting into a full question bag that covers racing, going pro, travel logistics, and a Chattanooga guide for a UK family about to combine 70.3 Worlds with Disney World.

This week we discussed:

• Airline rapid fire: favorite snack, drink, seat, airline, and Paula's method for dealing with an overweight bag at the counter
• Should there be a separate finish line tape for the top age grouper at Ironman races with a pro field?
• Is there anything in triathlon that matches the euphoria of finally landing a skateboarding trick?
• Run form analysis: when to think about it, when to leave it alone, Paula's mirror trick on the Kickr Run, and why fixing one thing can break something else up the chain
• Airline luggage horror stories — Eric's €550 Lufthansa bill and why United loyalty is a financial decision
• Turning pro: do you actually need a lawyer, contract clauses worth paying attention to, and where to train when you make the jump
• Open water vs. pool for easy swims in summer, is it even a question?
• Feeling flat, disconnected, and off 17 days out from Ironman Wisconsin, what's actually happening and what to do about it
• Chattanooga as a destination for a UK family combining 70.3 Worlds with Disney World: the honest guide, how many days at Disney is too many, and what to actually expect from the city

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

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Wahoo Kickr (link)

Paula and Eric are back from five days in Kona. Riding the Queen K in both calm and full-crosswind conditions, running the Energy Lab, and getting the lay of the land before race week. Eric also cracked a rim on post-hurricane debris in the shoulder. Meanwhile, Paula made the Canadian national team for UCI Time Trial Worlds in Montreal and had to turn it down. After some Bike Tech with Eric about traveling with pedals, we get into both before moving to questions.

This week we discussed:

• Paula and Eric's Kona recon trip: Queen K conditions, the Hawi climb and descent, what the Energy Lab actually feels like, and why knowing the course before race week matters
• The Kona heat: over rated?
• Eric cracks a rim on hurricane debris in the shoulder, and a local cyclist pulls over before Paula even notices
• Paula makes the Canadian national team for UCI TT Worlds in Montreal
• Why sleeveless suits dominate short course and sleeved suits dominate long course
• Do sprint intervals have a place in triathlon training, and at what distance do they stop mattering?
• Planning bike intervals on hilly routes when the downhills don't cooperate with your workout structure
• Nice vs. Marbella: which descent is actually scarier for 70.3 Worlds age groupers?
• Trail and fire road etiquette: who has right of way, and what went wrong on Paula's run this week
• Getting the most out of a gravel bike for a 70.3, tires, aerobars, and what's actually worth spending money on
• Cycling and running cadence: training vs. racing, and high-cadence drills that actually work
• Should triathletes plan an off-year every few seasons to reset cumulative fatigue, and what COVID accidentally proved about this

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

Nobody knew Paula was racing, not her inner circle, barely even Paula herself until she was already on the plane to Vancouver. Three weeks out from Kona, she lined up at T100 Vancouver against an elite international field with zero expectations and finished fourth. We get the full race recap: the ocean current swim, the Race Ranger chaos on the bike that had Eric firing off texts from the couch, why riding to the front was the only move that made sense, and what it felt like to run a controlled 3:45/km pace and feel totally fine doing it. Then we debut a new segment, Rate It, get into your questions, and have a conversations about what it's like to be the partner on the sideline.

This week we discussed:

• Paula's surprise T100 Vancouver recap: the decision to race, the ocean current swim, Race Ranger draft zone chaos on the bike, and running to a fourth place finish on fresh-ish Ironman legs
• The T100 format from an athlete's perspective: what it does brilliantly, why the fields keep coming back, and an honest conversation about whether the series is sustainable long-term
• New segment, Rate It: having multiple bikes, open water swimming vs. pool, training and racing with a smartwatch, and local events
• The best and hardest thing about watching your partner race — Eric on the joy, the grief, and the slow process of making peace with a changing athletic identity
• How big is Paula's team, really? The case for keeping it small, why Eric doing bike mechanics at 10pm beats hiring anyone, and what Carmen Small couldn't believe when she came to 70.3 Worlds
• Swimrun gear on a budget: buoy size, paddle advice, whether you need trail shoes, and how the transition between swim and run actually works with paddles on your wrists
• Self-confidence anxiety when training and racing with others — what it actually means when someone chooses you as their swim run partner
• Paula and Eric are tentatively planning an Austin swimrun in November.
• The road to Qatar goes through Austin, Texas. Eric floats an idea. Everyone pretends it's not happening.

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