That Triathlon Life Podcast

That Triathlon Life
  • 4.9 (566)
  • Fitness
  • Updated Weekly

Pro Triathletes Eric Lagerstrom, and Paula Findlay, team up with their friend and amateur triathlete Nick Goldston to hang out and answer questions about triathlon. https://www.thattriathlonlife.com

  1. 5d ago

    What actually happened at Kona: Paula Findlay's full race debrief from swim to finish line.

    Paula raced the Ironman World Championship in Kona, and this is the full, unfiltered debrief. No questions this week. Just Paula, Eric, and Nick working through the whole day: the rough, choppy swim, the windy bike leg, and a marathon that became something else entirely. This episode is the whole story: The days leading into Kona: the commitments, the exhaustion, the headaches, and whether the race week experience matched four years of FOMOThe TTL Kona Donut Run recap, Malasadas, two kilometers in the heat, and a star-studded crowdThe swim: rough conditions, a swollen lip, disorientation near the far buoy, and finishing in good position despite it allThe bike: treating the first half like a 70.3, riding above watts to chase people, Race Ranger dynamics, and what Paula would do differentlyNavigating the aid stations in 28mph crosswinds on a day when the fastest male pro bike split was 4:11The run: from the first steps on Ali'i Drive to the Energy Lab turnaround and back, what it actually felt like, minute by minuteRachel Zelenkas, Kat Matthews, and the camaraderie that got Paula to the finish lineLucy Charles, Solveig Løvseth, and a day that humbled the entire pro fieldWhether finishing without a medical reason to stop is something to be proud ofWhat Paula thinks about doing it againKona TTL gear still available, Energy Lab hats, Castelli technical apparel, socks, and swim capsA big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To help support the podcast, and if you have a question for next week, head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

  2. Oct 8

    Kona race week, Paula is calm and the boys are not, washboard gravel roads, backing out on a race with a friend, and more!

    Just the boys this week. We're recording live from Kona, a couple of days before Paula toes the line at the Ironman World Championship. Eric and Nick recap the week so far, including the TTL Donut Run, which brought out some familiar faces including Flora Duffy, Heather Jackson, and Jodie Stimpson. Then listener submitted questions. This week we discussed: Kona race week: what it's actually like to be here, the energy, the chaos, and the pro athlete sightingsThe TTL Kona Donut Run recap, malasadas, a big turnout, and some A-list companyBest apps for finding triathlon training routes, gravel rides, and camping spotsHip mobility stretches that actually workWould Nick take over from Bob Babbitt someday, and what would he call the series?Miscounting laps in the pool: do you shorten the next interval or just carry on?Advice to your past selves at the inception of TTL, and what it means for anyone building something big from scratchSurviving washboard gravel roads: positioning, speed, and whether anything actually helpsHydration on long trail and gravel rides with no gas stations in sightBacking out of a race you signed up for with a friend, how to feel about itWhy marathon swimmers hold 1:10 per 100m for 10K but pro triathletes swim 1:20 for 3.8KA 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

  3. Oct 1

    FTP tests, do pros actually do them? Paula's brutal Ironman swim set, rest days vs. active recovery, and more!

    One week out from leaving for Kona, Paula is in the background sketching the donut run poster while we record. We open with a busy weekend of racing, Augusta 70.3, the World Triathlon Grand Final sprint in Pontevedra, and UCI Road Racing Worlds, then get into Team TTL applications opening today, the Kona donut run details, and your questions. This week we discussed: Augusta 70.3 results: Lydia Russell wins, Samantha Skold third, Adele Likin's wrong turn with two miles to go, and what it highlights about race coverageThe Grand Final sprint finish: Matt Hauser wins the race, Vasco Vilaça wins the world title, and whether Matt held his lineAerodynamic gravel bikes: what pro racing demands of equipment and what it means for the regular consumerTeam TTL and TTL Racing Division applications are open now through October 19th, what the Racing Division is, who it's for, and how it's different from the main teamKona TTL Donut Run: Wednesday October 7th, 2pm, featuring malasadasTeam Canada Kona shakeout run: Monday October 5th, 8am, hosted by Lisa Bentley at Big Island Running Co.FTP tests for seasoned athletes: how often pros actually do them, what Paulo Sousa uses instead, and why the scariest version might actually be a QOM climb you care aboutNick's volume experiment: six minutes off a 27-minute climb after a month of Z2 onlyPaula's Ironman swim set: 10x400 on 15 seconds rest, no toys, no alternatives (well, maybe five 800s)Rest days vs. active recovery: how often Paula and Eric actually take full days off Backyard ultras: how long could each of them last, and why laps are their own special kind of sufferingStrength training in a triathlon program: how to stay consistent without it wrecking your other sessionsLooking up race results and imagining where you would have finished First 70.3 Worlds advice: why going three weeks early might be the wrong move, and what Paula's Kona build has taught her about not putting races on a pedestalThe creative process in music and video: prosody, co-creation, and why you can't make art formulaic even when you really want toA 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

  4. Sep 24

    TTL Mad Libs, alcohol before Kona, cooling tips for extreme heat, and more!

    We're recording at 7:15pm and going to bed at 7:30, which means we are bending time and space to record this. First up: TTL Mad Libs, a new segment submitted by Mike the Botox guy, in which we fill in a Kona race guide and somehow end up with Pierce Brosnan at the finish line. Then we get through a full question bag before someone's bedtime. This week we discussed: Kona apparel update: almost everything sold out; what's still available at the Castelli booth on race day and why you can't say "Kona" inside the expoYour proudest Strava CR or QOM — Eric's COVID-era Portland climb rampage, Paula's Bend segments, and Nick's Santa Monica Pier sprint UpLosing 30-45 seconds per mile in the second half of a 70.3 run: fitness limiter, pacing problem, or both?How pro personal needs bottles work at 70.3 Worlds — the sticker system, race number order, and why Paula's never actually used oneThe best triathlon commentatorsShould athlete vitals be shown on the broadcast? Alcohol before a key race — how Paula and Eric have approached it differently this year, and the NA whiskey price problemWaterproof shoes for a 240-mile trail race: Gore-Tex uppers, the bathtub water retention test, and the dry pair rotation strategyCooling techniques for extreme heat: ice bandanas, hands, neck, and where not to put ice cubesAero helmets, bucket hats, and the Omius — where the line is between functional and ridiculousTorn wetsuit: repair it, cut the sleeves off, or buy new? A big thank you to our podcast supporters who keep the podcast alive. To submit a question — or a Mad Libs — head over to ThatTriathlonLife.com/podcast

  5. Sep 17

    Paula Findlay's Ironman 70.3 Worlds Nice debrief, Race Ranger chaos on the Col de Vance, and more!

    Paula and Eric are home from Nice, jet lagged, and ready to talk about it. Paula raced 70.3 World Championships on a course that demands technical descending skills built over years on European roads, and still finished top ten. The swim packs that split apart, arriving at the Col de Vance already fatigued, the Race Ranger rules that disrupted everyone's rhythm on the climb, a drafting incident that was caught live on the broadcast, fueling on a demanding course, and then on to questions. This week we discussed: Paula's 70.3 Worlds Nice full debrief: swim tactics, the Col de Vance, descending faster than 2019, and what the run actually felt likeThe on-camera drafting incident explained, what Race Ranger rules require, what happened on the climb, and the personal apology that followed the next dayWhy Kristian Blummenfelt's 1:05:12 half marathon off the bike might make more sense on this specific course than it looksKatie Schide showing up at the turnaround on the run course, and what it meant to Paula to see her thereThe Nice croissant run: hundreds of people, one visit from the French policeTTL Kona edition apparel launches Thursday, limited numbers, no pre-order, Foreign Rider collabDoes cadence actually matter for cyclists, or is it just a distraction from the real problem?Wheel-on vs. direct drive trainers for a new TT bike: what actually mattersBucket hats in triathlon: sun protection or aesthetic surrender?Where to position your support crew on a 70.3 run course for maximum impactRunning downhills without destroying your knees: shoe fit, grip, and why sizing up a full size might be the culpritMaking mountainous training roads translate to triathlon-specific fitnessTaper week from two pro perspectives: structure, what feeling bad on Tuesday actually means, and why consistency beats reinvention every timeA 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

  6. Sep 10

    Reporting live from Nice, France at Ironman 70.3 World Championships: should full Ironmans have qualification requirements, how to deal with aggressive drivers, and more!

    Nick and Eric are recording live from Nice, France ahead of 70.3 World Championships. Fresh off an open water swim in the Med, about to head out for a ride, the boys talk triathlon while Paula is in race week mode and sitting this one out. This week we discussed: Live from Nice: what it's been like being here for 70.3 Worlds, and how the experience compares to KonaIronman events selling out in under twelve minutes, should there be a qualification requirement before signing up for a full or half distance race?A triathlete was bitten by an alligator training on the Augusta 70.3 swim course, how much does wildlife factor into race choices, and where's the line between rational and irrational fear?Brody's stats are in, if you had 40+ hours a week to train him, could you make him go pro by 35 with four kids? Be brutal.Power meters for a TT bike on a budget: single vs. dual sided, left vs. right, and whether pedal-based makes more senseRoad cycling etiquette and how to deal with aggressive drivers without letting it derail a hard sessionWatch recommendations for someone who splits time equally between road speed work and long trail daysDealing with race morning appetite issues when nothing you try in training translates to the start lineCold water adaptation for a no-wetsuit open water race in Lake Tahoe when you live somewhere hot, cold plunge, AC, or just suffer?The most meaningful lesson each has learned from the otherA 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

  7. Sep 3

    Should there be an age group finish tape at pro races, triathlon training euphoria, and more!

    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 counterShould 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 chainAirline luggage horror stories — Eric's €550 Lufthansa bill and why United loyalty is a financial decisionTurning pro: do you actually need a lawyer, contract clauses worth paying attention to, and where to train when you make the jumpOpen 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 itChattanooga 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 cityA 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 ———————— Wahoo Kickr (link)

  8. Aug 27

    Eric and Paula's Kona recon trip, turning down UCI Worlds for Kona, is Nice scarier than Marbella, and more!

    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 mattersThe Kona heat: over rated?Eric cracks a rim on hurricane debris in the shoulder, and a local cyclist pulls over before Paula even noticesPaula makes the Canadian national team for UCI TT Worlds in MontrealWhy sleeveless suits dominate short course and sleeved suits dominate long courseDo 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 structureNice 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 weekGetting the most out of a gravel bike for a 70.3, tires, aerobars, and what's actually worth spending money onCycling and running cadence: training vs. racing, and high-cadence drills that actually workShould triathletes plan an off-year every few seasons to reset cumulative fatigue, and what COVID accidentally proved about thisA 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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Hosts & Guests

4.9
out of 5
566 Ratings

About

Pro Triathletes Eric Lagerstrom, and Paula Findlay, team up with their friend and amateur triathlete Nick Goldston to hang out and answer questions about triathlon. https://www.thattriathlonlife.com

Information

  • Creator
    That Triathlon Life
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    239
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 That Triathlon Life Podcast
  • Show Website
    That Triathlon Life Podcast

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