Time to Make Friends With Speedwork

Good morning everyone,

I had a nice long run yesterday (I know not on Sunday 😱) and ended up doing 14 miles/23 kilometers, which is a lot! Runs like this used to scare me, and over time I’ve been able to build up to this distance and now they’re definitely less intimidating. I hope you’re finding breakthroughs of your own as we head toward a new season.

In today’s edition:

• PTO drops incredible European Open start lists 😲

• Why you need a little speedwork in your (training) life, 🏎️

• And, when should you be eating for training? 🍌

Thank you for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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QUICK NEWS

🎤 The voice(s) of Ironman: After last year’s retirement of iconic Ironman announcer Mike Reilly, Ironman has announced their slate of race announcers for 2023. But who will be at the World Championship finish lines? [Endurance Sportswire]

🤔 “Russia” returns: World Triathlon’s Executive Board has approved its support for the return of Russian and Belorussian athletes to competition. The returning athletes would be competing as neutrals. [World Triathlon]

😐 Treadmillgate: Chase McQueen and Zsanett Bragmayer uncharacteristically struggled during their Arena Games final. Was the treadmill not working? Super League says no. But, the coincidence seems very hard to deny. [Tri247]

🧀 Green Bay hooray: USA Today readers recently named the Door County Triathlon the best in the country. It beat out top contenders like Escape from Alcatraz and The St. Anthony’s Triathlon. [Door County Pulse]

✌️ Norfolk non-draft: Norfolk will see a new triathlon this summer as the Victory super-sprint triathlon will be held June 25th at North Walsham’s Victory Centre. [EDP 24]

TOGETHER WITH FUELIN

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Best of all, it’s affordable for everyone. See why so many amateur and pro athletes trust Fuelin. Try it for less than a $1 a day.

Would you like to partner with The Tempo and reach our incredible audience? Reach out to us today.

ONE BIG THING

PTO Drops Incredible Start Lists For European Open

What is it: The first major of the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) season, the European Open, will be held on May 6th.

• The PTO just released the start lists for the Men’s and Women’s pro races, and they certainly deserve the hype!

Why it matters: With the PTO trying to create a professional-focused race series, in the same vein as the PGA and the ATP, the European Open is an opportunity to showcase the best triathletes in the world competing head to head for massive paydays and big-time titles.

The women’s start list is the most impressive, highlighted by the undefeated and #1 ranked PTO athlete Ashleigh Gentle (AUS). But she will have insane competition:

• Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), PTO #2, 2nd in last year’s Ironman World Championship;

• Paula Findlay (CAN), PTO #3, 2nd in last year’s PTO Canadian Open;

• Chelsea Sodaro (USA) PTO #6, winner of last year’s Ironman World Championship;

• And many more superstars listed below.

The men’s race is also a star-studded affair but missing a few notable athletes such as Gustav Iden (NOR) and Lionel Sanders (CAN). Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), the PTO #1 ranked athlete will be there, as will:

• Magnus Elbæk Ditlev (DEN), PTO #3, 2nd place at the PTO US Open ;

• Sam Laidlaw (FRA), PTO #4, 2nd at the Ironman World Championships;

• Max Neumann (AUS), PTO #7, 4th at the Ironman World Championships;

• And Jan Frodeno also makes his return to the highest level of racing after injury.

Tempo’s take: If the goal of the PTO is to get the best athletes and the biggest stars in one place, these start lists show that this is (mostly) happening. In the men’s race, there are a few notable absences:

• Gustav Iden needs to chase Olympic qualifying points.

• Lionel Sanders just doesn’t feel ready 🤷‍♂️

Both races will be incredible. But you only have time for one race? Then definitely tune into what will be a 🔥 women’s race.

• Will Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) stay undefeated?

• Will the stronger swim/bikers like Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), Paula Findlay (CAN), and Holly Lawrence (GBR) work together to hold off the uber-runners?

• Or will athletes like Anne Haug (GER) and Tamara Jewitt (CAN) run away with the dough?

So many great athletes, so many possible scenarios, one hell of a race!

RACE WEEKEND

Missouri Madness at St. Peter’s Continental Cup

Although it is the lowest tier of World Triathlon racing, this weekend’s Continental Cup in St. Peter’s, Missouri will feature an exciting head-to-head between Rio Olympic gold-medalist Gwen Jorgensen (USA) and Tokyo Olympic silver-medalist Katie Zaferes.

Both athletes are in the thick of respective elite triathlon comebacks.

• Zaferes took a break after Tokyo and became a mother 👶

• Jorgensen became a mother herself (twice) and ran professionally 🏃‍♀️

This weekend is an opportunity for both athletes to gain valuable ranking points as they build towards the first U.S. Olympic team qualifying event this summer in Paris.

If you’re in the St. Louis area, definitely take the chance to see these two Olympic medalists in action. It sadly doesn’t happen enough on U.S. soil!

Full start list.

The weekend also features a Paratriathlon Cup event, and a competitive men’s race.

TRAINING THOUGHT

Go Fast to go…Fast!

Triathlon is very much an endurance sport. Even the fastest triathletes still do a sprint-distance race in around 50 minutes! But could incorporating faster-paced speedwork into your training make your Olympic distance quicker? Even your Ironman?

Absolutely.

Incorporating speedwork into your running will help improve the following:

• Your run economy (efficiency) 🚂

• Build and refine important fast twitch muscles ⚡

• And train you to push through mentally challenging moments 😤

But don’t worry, you won’t tear a hammy trying to rip 100s like Usain Bolt. Speedwork for triathlon is simply running at a pace that is faster than your goal race pace.

Here are a few ways to get your crucial Speedwork done:

Strides

Strides are short bursts of fast running meant to run at speed but not tax yourself too much. Check out this video for more on strides.

Speed Intervals

These are high-intensity intervals, usually around 200m-400m in length. The recovery between intervals can vary, but typically it is a 3:1 or more rest-to-work ratio. Below is an excellent example of a speed interval session for triathletes.

Tell the Temp community — what’s your running training routine?

We want to hear from you. Tell us your training routine, and we’ll feature it in the newsletter so our Tempo community can learn from each other. Share your routine.

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FAVOURITES

🍜 Big data, big appetites: How much data do over 45,000 Supersapiens glucose monitor users give? Too much for us to handle! But Triathlete looked at it and wrote a great article on when you should be fueling for your workouts. Plus, there are some great examples of what to eat. [Triathlete]

👏 Varlo’s valour: Soj Jibowu is changing the game when it comes to bringing underrepresented demographics into triathlon. His company, Varlo, aims to innovate and inspire more athletes to take on triathlon and endurance sports. Read about Sol’s incredible journey from immigrant to CEO. [Cycling Weekly]

🎧 Journeys in sport: In this podcast from Feisty media, Tamara Jewitt (recent Ironman 70.3 Oceanside winner) and her teammate Nicole Falcaro discuss their races in Oceanside, the impact of their results and their unique journeys in triathlon. [Feisty Media]

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• Expert analysis: How do smartphones affect performance? A breakdown with Nate Wilson.

• That Triathlon Life gives back to future pros.

• How Kaylee Slade manages pro triathlon training and vet school.

• Expert analysis: Are you making the four most common nutrition mistakes.

• Expert analysis: How to nail your Ironman training nutrition.

LATEST EDITIONS

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• Triathlon on the cheap? And conquer cold water with these tips!

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