Blog
Writing about endurance sports, coaching, and what it takes to find out what you're capable of.
Framework
Heat x Altitude Descent: Why Kona 2015 Broke Me
I lived at altitude. I raced at sea level in Hawaiian heat. The compound failure mode I didn't plan for produced my worst Kona.
Origin Story
Three Ironmans in Nine Weeks: The Formative Season
My first Ironman was 11:02. Twenty days later I PR'd by 44 minutes. The 2011 trifecta taught me that lessons travel between races over years, not weeks.
Race Execution
Compound-Conservative Targets: How IMAZ 2014 Produced Four Simultaneous PRs
I PR'd my swim, bike, run, and overall time on the same day. The plan called for it. Here's the structure that makes that possible.
Framework
The Expression Deficit: Why Sub-9 Existed for Years Before I Ran It
In 2013 I had sub-9 Ironman fitness. I didn't run sub-9 until 2018. The gap between fitness and expression is where most athletes lose their best races.
Season Planning
The Build-Test Race: A Half Ironman You Don't Taper For
Five weeks before Kona 2013, I raced a half Ironman with no taper. It told me everything I needed to know about my fitness.
Race Planning
Why Your Ironman PR Is Course-Conditioned, Not Absolute
I raced three Ironmans in 2014 and finished 32 minutes apart on the same body. The difference wasn't fitness. It was course.
Race Execution
The 13.5/1.5 Was a Cooling Protocol Disguised as a Pacing Protocol
I won an ultra without ever crossing the hyperthermia threshold. The pacing protocol that made it possible was doing two jobs at once.
Mental Tools
How a 400m Athlete Won Third Place in an Ironman
With 2km to go at Ironman South Africa, a guy ran up behind me and looked at my number. I looked at his wristbands. Then I became someone else.
Lessons Learned
When Peak Fitness Produces a DNF
I was in the best shape of my life. A stomach virus hit 36 hours before the start. The DNF that followed taught me more about race planning than any win.
Origin Story
A Whitish Lie
How a Black Friday impulse buy, a hidden bike, and a suspicious wife accidentally launched an ultra-endurance career.