Here is Part 3 of our interview with Kona Ironman, Randy Steuve. You can read Parts 1 and 2, here and here.
AYLI: What would you say is the non-fitness attribute of yourself that is most different now than it was before you started competing in triathlons?
A la Dan, a few random thoughts:
-how to pick a great coach: go with the one who EXPLAINS things to you (even if you don’t really want to know). It’s not mysticism - there should be a reason for every workout you are assigned. The greatest coaches coach you so that you COULD coach yourself one day (even though you probably won’t want to because having a coach provides a lot of intrisic benefits). If they can explain it, then they understand it well enough to prescribe it…Janda was always expounding on the science of his choices and giving me links to resources because he valued an INFORMED athlete. That told me he wasn’t afraid to be challenged or questioned, and security is a sign of competence.
ok…I admit, I’ve been away awhile. Things have been busy in a good but hectic kind of way, so blogging fell along the wayside. I’m sure you managed to carry on without me.
But I’m back. And the things that have been tumbling around in my head during workouts (i.e. the thoughts that form the foundations for all my entries) need somewhere to go!
This is Part 2 of our interview with Kona Ironman Randy Steuve. See Part 1 here.
AYLI: Describe for us the emotions you were feeling in the last few miles of the race?
Randy Steuve is a compelling guy whose pursuit of excellence in Ironman distance triathlons has inspired us over this past year. We’re often moved by his eloquence in putting the mental journey of an elite athlete into writing, so we wanted to sit down and ask him some in-depth questions about his experience at Kona last month, which represented the culmination of an arduous and committed path towards this goal. This interview is in three parts… here’s the first installment. Enjoy the insight and get inspired:
The process of training for and competing in an IronMan needs to be experienced to truly appreciate it. We spend months (and years) building up our training volumes and intensities in an effort to hit the starting line at peak condition. The physical training is long and hard, but I believe it’s the mental focus that sets athletes apart.
(see the video below… and listen carefully for the guy at the end yelling, “Go Pooh-bear!!”)
Live Your Passion was one of the sponsors for the Tri, Girl, Tri all-womens sprint triathlon this past Saturday in Napa county, CA. I would share some pictures of our booth, but it was so cold and windy that Joe and I couldn’t set it up (it would’ve lifted off and landed in the lake). We couldn’t display the shirts either because they kept blowing away. In fact, we couldn’t even take our coats off for fear of hypothermia… so we ended up just looking like a couple of creepy guys wearing black jackets and handing out stickers (”hey kid, want some candy?”).
Hmmmmm…where to start.
I feel like I got through the summer’s 20+ hours of training per week, associated fatigue, doctor’s visits, PT sessions, massages (not the comfy kind - the really painful sports medicine kind), chiropractor appointments, equipment maintenance, icebaths, stretching, and monetary expenditures by basically putting my hands over my ears and going, “la, la,la,la,la…” so I couldn’t hear the squealing of the rest of my life’s responsibilities being neglected. I just kept saying, “I’ll get to that…as soon as Ironman’s over.”
David Faustina spent some time with us after he finished his Olympic Distance Triathlon at Pacific Grove (while wearing his Live Your Passion visor… yeah!!). He told us how the race went and talked about his efforts with Team in Training. Check it out. Way to go, David!
The Triathon at Pacific Grove, CA was a major success for all involved. Once again we had a superb time watching the competitors push themselves and ACHIEVE, and of course it was also quite gratifying to see people respond so positively to our message of LIVE YOUR PASSION. The course involves an infamous swim start called “the kelp crawl” … there wasn’t much the racers could do but dive right in and plow through it as fast as possible. Watch this short video of the men’s 25-29 start to and you can see how it earned its name:
