Hi, Runners –

I watched the ZWIFT Ironman Tri Battle Royale this past weekend between 3X world champion Jan Frodeno and the accomplished, future great Lionel Sanders. The head-to-head Ironman race took place in the foothills of the German Alps with a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run. I'm a Lionel fan. I follow his social media and relate to his Zwift treadmill training. Jan won the race and set a new world record of 7 hours and 23 minutes, shattering his previous world record by over 10 minutes despite less-than-ideal race conditions. Jan closed the race with a blistering 2:44 marathon, which is crazy given how far he had already swum and biked.

My guy Lionel set a personal best after a string of poor Ironman performances where he declined late in the race from dehydration and calorie deficiency. In a race that lasts 8 hours, your body needs near perfect hydration and calorie intake. Nutrition is the fourth discipline of Ironman after swimming, biking, and running. Lionel has been laser focused on nutrition lately, which bore fruit on Sunday.

Nutrition is also an essential discipline for runners. In-race nutrition is critical for long-distance ultras and marathons. But nutrition is also crucial throughout an 8–12-week training block. You need to eat the proper foods and supplement with vitamins and minerals to recover after workouts to maximize training gains. Your goal is to arrive at the Starting Line of your next race in better shape than when you started the training block. To do this, you have to run workouts, fuel your body with proper food, and supplement with the necessary vitamins and minerals.

Bests wishes chasing your running goals!

-George

Book Recommendation: IRON WAR

IRON WAR is an excellent book about the Ironman triathlon that I have read. It follows Dave Scott and Mark Allen, two titans of the sport in the 80's. It's an intense rivalry much different from Lionel and Jan. I can't help seeing similarities between the 1989 battle and this past weekend's head-to-head duel. From the author,

The 1989 Ironman World Championship was the greatest race ever in endurance sports. In a spectacular duel that became known as the Iron War, the world's two strongest athletes raced side by side at world-record pace for a grueling 139 miles.

Driven by one of the fiercest rivalries in triathlon, Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced shoulder to shoulder through Ironman's 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race, and 26.2-mile marathon. After 8 punishing hours, both men would demolish the previous record - and cross the finish line a mere 58 seconds apart.

In his new book, Iron War, sports journalist Matt Fitzgerald writes a riveting epic about how Allen and Scott drove themselves and each other through the most awe-inspiring race in sports history. Iron War goes beyond the pulse-pounding race story to offer a fascinating exploration of the lives of the world's two toughest men and their unquenchable desire to succeed.

Weaving an examination of mental resolve into a gripping tale of athletic adventure, Iron War is a soaring narrative of two champions and the paths that led to their stunning final showdown.