Strength, 70.3 and Doing What You Love with Coach Jason Ep 60

Every endurance athlete remembers the moment when things finally click. Your swim feels smoother, your pacing makes sense, your fueling works, and suddenly the sport feels not only easier, but more fun. And for many athletes, that moment happens at training camp. That's exactly why we created the Endurance Edge Triathlon Training Camp happening April 22nd through 26th at Lake Jocassee in South Carolina. For 4 incredible days, you'll train in a small group with expert coaches, sports nutrition support, and sports psychology guidance, all designed to help you train smarter, race stronger, and finally connect the dots in your performance. We swim in crystal clear mountain water, ride beautiful and challenging roads, run scenic trails, and spend the rest of the time recovering, learning, laughing, and eating some seriously amazing chef-prepared food. Mm-hmm. Camp is intentionally small, just 20 athletes, so you get real coaching, true connection, and amazing breakthroughs. So if you want an experience that can transform your entire season, we invite you to join us. Head to theenduranceedge.com and click training camp and reserve your spot with just a $100 deposit. Come train hard, learn a ton, and leave stronger than you ever imagined. I'll see you there. All right, welcome back to the Find Your Edge podcast. I am your host, Coach Chris Newport, and today we are with Coach Jason. I'm so excited to have you here. Welcome.

Hi, Chris, great to be here. I'm excited to, uh, share and learn more and share.

So I feel like you have a really interesting story as it relates to the endurance edge, like having done VO2 testing in the past in your triathlon journey. So tell us a little bit about how you got into triathlon.

Thanks to my wife. My wife is the one who got me into triathlon. She was running, uh, marathons when we met, and I was just lifting weights and playing team sports. And she, you know, she said, hey, won't you run? You know, so I ran a marathon because she did. And then she was like, you know, I'm kind of getting tired of just running. Let's do— let's do triathlon. So We, uh, did a couple months at the local pool with a swim coach, and then we went online and bought some bicycles. 20 years later, the rest of it's history.

And you guys are still married?

Yes, we are still married, and I've done hundreds of endurance events now. Thanks.

That is so cool. That is so cool. What a unique story. Um, so now that you've been an athlete for so long, how did you get into coaching?

I love triathlon. I love sports. I love endurance sports. The, the sport, the community has given so much to me. I've learned so much about myself. I've met so many people. I've met so many good coaches through my travels. I wanted to give back. I've learned a lot. I continue to learn a lot. I want to share with other athletes my passion and my love for this sport and, and help them get to where they want to be.

That's really cool. So how, in alignment with that, what do you feel like your philosophy or your sort of coaching philosophy or style of coaching coaching is.

It is to build a, a program tailored to the individual. We all have different circumstances that we come from, time restrictions, needs, goals, all of that. We have those kind of different aspects, and mine is to build, um, a plan that fits that person's lifestyle and goal. A good example of that is an athlete that I'm, um, I'm working with now The athlete wants to do the Escape from Alcatraz, and he's a passionate powerlifter, right? So he wants to lift for the powerlift 4 days a week. The 2 of those usually don't blend together, but I sure don't want to— I want him to continue that which he loves, which is powerlifting, and then build a program around his powerlifting that can support him competing in and finishing the Alcatraz Triathlon.

And that is a no-joke race.

That's what I said. I'm like, so I said, I said, so what that means, you and I are going to become very familiar with cold water and being comfortable in cold water. So we're going to go and we're going to do some really cold water swims in October, November, and even December to get used to it, ready for it.

Yes, I think that's a great suggestion because if anybody doesn't know Escape from Alcatraz, go look it up because it is swimming. You get to jump off a boat. From Alcatraz and swim to Shoreline and then bike. It's— that bike course is no easy course either.

Super, super hilly bike course. Super hilly, like 5 climbs where you're going 250 feet of gain per mile on, on for like a mile or two. It's a really demanding bike course. The swim, you're right, you jump off a boat into water that's in the 50-degree range with currents and marine life, and you have to swim 1.2 miles Oh man, I'm like, that's biting off a big chunk right there.

Yeah, I know. Yeah, I know. Sometimes certain races you're like, oh yeah, how cool. I feel like that's an opportunity to keep people in the sport and, um, interested just in endurance activities in general if they're still able to pursue their original passion, in this case being powerlifting. But we see that quite a bit, like how does lifting fit into my training plan and can it fit in and. Generally, the answer is yes.

My philosophy, strength training is one of the things that athletes of any discipline should consistently be doing, especially after we get over a certain age.

Jason, are you, are you opposed to sharing your, how young you are?

I am, I'm 54 years old. So yes, I—

How integral do you feel like that strength training is in your training?

I've just finished a 16-week block. Where I was coming back from rest and recovery. And every day— this may seem excessive— every day I strength trained. One day upper body, one day lower body. And I did that for 16 weeks. Now I'm moving into more of my cardio training, and I'll back that down to 3 days a week. Somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour, 3 days a week of strength training.

So it can be done.

Yes. In fact, I think if you're going to be successful long term, You know, by long-term, I mean 50, 60, 70-year-old, that strength training is really important. You know, if we look at, if we, if you go and look at age groups, you know, from, from 30 to 70, and you look at the discipline of swim, bike, run, you'll see that the run declines quickly as you get older. And that's a function of primarily a function of strength. And VO2 max. So if you want to maintain your athleticism into your later years, you need to focus on strength. So lifting things heavy or lifting and, and, and VO2 max.

Yes. And doesn't matter which gender you are. It's so critical, you know, especially for women in particular as they approach or surpass menopause, the decrease in bone density and then all the other things that come with that insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance, I should say. So yeah, strength training is so massive and as we, and we do have strength training classes as part of our program and I'm always thinking of longevity in those classes while I'm thinking of, yes, can we squat more or can we deadlift more, but also how can we move in a way that's not only beneficial to endurance Sports, but also how can we move in a way that's beneficial for me being able to get up off the floor if I fall down. Might sound ridiculous to some people who are like maybe in their 30s or 20s, like I'm just, I'm just training for triathlon. Why do I need to know how to get up off the floor? It's toe flexibility, grip strength, mobility in your hips, all the things. Some, glad you mentioned that.

It's important. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. Really cool. All right. So tell me a little bit about a, perhaps a memorable success story or some sort of achievement that you've had with one of your athletes.

Yeah. So something I'll, uh, and it was race-related there. We all have people that we like to train with, or we train with different, uh, people from time to time. And I have a training partner that I've trained with for 6 years. When he and I first started training together, I was a faster triathlete than he was. But we, we would train, we would do our long runs together, our long swims, our long bikes. We would train together a lot. And we both had a goal. We wanted to go under 5 hours at a 70.3. And 2 years ago we were at the North Carolina 70.3 and we felt like, okay, we were ready. If the weather conditions were perfect, we felt like we could do this. We started the swim together and we saw each other on the course from time to time. And in the last mile of the race, he passes by me on the run. He finishes like 30 seconds to 45 seconds ahead of me. He sets a PR, goes under 5 hours. I set a PR, I go under 5 hours. And when we get there, we just hug. I'm so happy for him that he beat me and we both PR'd. It was just a great experience, memorable. You know, when you can share joy accomplishment with others and with people that you spend a, a lot of time with, it's such a great feeling.

I totally agree. And I'm so glad you shared that because I think sometimes we get in little silos, both as coaches and as athletes of, you know, I'm just sort of suffering alone and nobody gets what I'm doing. And, um, when you can find that community with which we are trying to grow of people who are supportive of each other in this process. It just really makes all the difference. I mean, just like you illustrated there, right? Like just being so totally happy for each other. So cool. Yeah.

Yeah. So that was my most memorable racing event so far.

I love it. I, I look forward to you experiencing more of those types of moments in your coaching career. So that's really cool. What do you most enjoy about coaching?

I love watching our athletes improve year over year. I started as a mentor a couple years ago and on the, on the long bike rides for our team members. And one of my, one of my responsibilities was to ride with the last rider to shepherd them along, make sure that we don't get lost and everything goes well. And, you know, that, that first year it was pretty easy for me to keep a conversation, you know, with the being, being there at the back. And then the second year, you know, I was there and I had to work a little bit harder to keep up, but I could still have a conversation. And now with those same athletes, there's not much talking going on that I'm doing to them until we get to corners or have to wait for traffic to clear because they've become better and better athletes and faster and faster.

That's really cool. I think that also sets a great point of endurance is not something that is developed, say, in 12 weeks or 6 months or a year. I mean, this is— years that this has really developed.

And you can get faster when you don't think most people can. Like, so today at age 54, I am faster than I was at age 44, you know, in the triathlons and the races that I do. I'm faster now than I was 10 years ago. And, and most people wouldn't think that, you know, when you're in your 50s, you could be faster than when you were in your 40s. And I'm I'm noticeably faster than when I was in my 30s too.

That's really cool. Love that. Okay, so now we're on to some rapid fire questions. Okay.

Yep.

You ready?

Yes.

Although I will say everyone hopefully has already listened to the podcast with Coach Carly. I don't really know how rapid we went, but we'll go through them anyway. Okay. Bike brand or brands?

Cervélo.

Okay. For all of your bikes in your wheelhouse?

My newest bikes are Cervélo. My tri bike is about 6 years old. It's a Cervélo. I just bought a new bike, a new gravel bike. It's a Cervélo. My two— I have a road bike and a cyclocross bike, which are 10 years old each. They're both Fujis. I plan on probably upgrading my road bike in the spring, and it'll probably be Cervélo because I've really, I've really enjoyed the durability and the simplicity of Cervélo. Cool.

And I, I hopefully somebody who's brand new who's listening to this, like, oh my gosh, he has so many bikes, but you didn't start with that many bikes.

No, I started with one bike. Yeah. I started with one road bike, clip-on aero bars, which is a great, which is an absolutely perfect way to start your triathlon, kind of a multifaceted tool.

Mm-hmm.

And then I wanted something for riding in the wintertime because I don't like to ride when it's super cold on the road. So I bought a, a cyclocross bike. That I could route ride on dirt roads and those kind of places where, cool, cool for winter training.

Yes. So you're officially hooked is what I'm hearing.

Yeah. Oh yeah. Absolutely. All in. Yes.

Nice. Okay. What's your favorite distance to race?

70.3.

Okay.

Uh, like I like the 70.3 because you have to bring in other items into a 70.3. You have to think about nutrition and hydration. That component becomes critical in a, in a, in an Olympic maybe one gel and some water and you're good. Yeah, you move to a 70.3, nutrition, hydration is important, pacing is super important, and, um, you know, it's a long enough race that strategy—

embrace the suck a little bit.

Yeah, strategy plays into it a little bit too.

Yes, definitely. Cool. What's your favorite distance to coach?

Probably 70.3.

Okay.

Because that, that's where my— that's what I feel like I've, I've done probably a dozen or more 70.3s. So if there's an area that I've gotten a lot of knowledge in, it's in those. So I'm comfortable sharing with the athletes. Here's what you need to do to really— if that's your goal, if your goal is to go faster, here's the way you do that. If your goal is to finish, here's the strategy you can use to finish a 70.3.

Yeah, love that. Right now, what is your favorite discipline? Swim, bike, run, and probably strength.

Oh, okay, okay, okay. That's, uh, I'm glad you threw in strength because that would have been— if you didn't put in strength, it was going to be bike.

Okay.

Like, bike would be my favorite. Of the 3 triathlon disciplines. Why? Uh, because you get to go fast and I like to go fast. That's fun. On the bike, if you do the bike well, you do what you should, not what you can. I could ride the bike a lot faster, but I shouldn't ride the bike a lot faster because I still have to run a long ways. Bike is my favorite discipline of the triathlon, and if I can throw strength in there, then strength would be my favorite of the 4.

Dig it. Um, what's your favorite race?

My favorite race is— I'll answer that in two ways. First, it's a race where you know a lot of the other athletes because you get to see each other beforehand and talk and say, how you been doing? And during the race, you get to cheer each other on and they you. That's a lot of fun. And then after the race, you get to, you know, you get to see each other and cheer each other on and talk about war stories, you know, all those kind of things. All I know, the newest stuff. Because of that, currently my favorite race is the North Carolina 70.3. Because of that, you know, it's the 70.3 that I like, and there's so many people locally who go to that race.

Yes, I love that race too. I will have to say it's a great one. Okay, so what's your pet peeve as an athlete, and do you have a pet peeve as a coach?

Ooh, I do have pet peeves as a triathlete racing a course.

Uh-huh.

I do share, and it is the bike. It's two things on the bike. First one is competitive drafting. Don't do it. It makes me angry when, when I see people drafting each other in big packs. Two things you should do if you get surrounded by a pack. It's a great time to sit up and take some nutrition and hydration and let the pack get away from you. It's also a lot of fun. I enjoy it. Go to the front of the pack and just go hammer down and leave the pack. you know, just for 30 seconds or a minute just to leave the pack behind. But I feel like it's cheating when you're drafting. It is cheating, but it's not always called. So that is a, that's a big pet peeve of mine.

Yep.

Uh, racing. And then if you have aero bars on your bike, you should use them. You should always be in aero unless you're turning, unless you're eating, that you need to sit up and eat, or unless you're climbing up a hill that's steep enough that aerodynamics don't matter. Otherwise, if you got aero bars on your bike, you should practice being in aero so that during the race you're using it. It makes a huge difference. It's like 1+ mile per hour just being in aero versus not. And I, and a lot of times I'll see people who aren't in aero in times they should be in aero.

Yeah. Which makes me question, like, does the bike fit you? There's one. Or is your body prepared for it? Because a lot of people don't necessarily train in aero. And that's a whole different body position for you to be holding your head and your arms and your torso and.

Yeah, yeah. Okay. So I have my, uh, you know, I have a smart trainer. I have my tri bike on it, and that's the way I ride. I ride on my tri bike in my aero bars, and then when I go outside and ride on the road, I'm on my tri bike in my aero bars. And the only time I come out is whenever I need— I'm going up a hill and there's no need. Yep. Or if I'm coming to a corner and I need to sit up and wait for traffic.

Yeah. Do you feel like you have to have If you're gonna be doing long course or any, any course, do you feel like you should have a tri bike?

No, I don't think you have to have a tri bike. I think if you had a, if you had a, a road bike and aero bars, you'll get yourself 90% of the way there.

Totally. Yeah. Cool. Okay. What is your favorite workout as an athlete?

Leg day at the gym.

Leg day says no one ever, Jason.

Wow. Squats. Uh, barbell back squats. If you want to know what my— like, because I just think it delivers so much value in your running, in your biking, in your core, to be able to brace and hold it. That'd be my number one. If you want to build a strong body, barbell back squat. I love that. And then the other one for swimming would be pull-ups.

Okay, cool.

Like, you know, those would be my two. Favorite exercises or training. Yeah.

How about your least favorite?

Oh, that's—

now it could be strength or it could be endurance.

Lap swimming in the pool.

Yeah, is your least favorite? Okay.

I do not— I do not like swimming in the pool. I don't like staring at that black line over and over and over. Now, open water, I'm happy to go to open water and let's go swim at Falls Lake or Beaver Dam or, or Jordan Lake. Let's go swim. That's, that to me, that's significantly more enjoyable than just staring at that line and just over and over again.

Oh my gosh. That's so funny. Awesome. Well, Jason, thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your philosophy and your story. It's super cool that we get to have you on our team and I think it's a great balance. Of, we just have such a great coaching staff that we can all ping different ideas off of each other and we're, we're grateful to have you.

Nice. I, I look, I look forward to it. I look forward to working with, uh, all of our athletes, both present and, and future. And I just wanna give back to the sport that has given me so much.

Awesome. Oh, and we didn't talk about this, but Jason was our swim coordinator at Humans of Steel Triathlon. That was very different, wasn't it?

Yes. At, at our Humans of Steel Triathlon, the swim comes last. And wow, that makes a big difference when you have to swim last.

Yep. Yes.

Yes.

And when so many people have issues like at the very start of most swims, it was kind of the opposite.

Yes. Yes. Usually, usually when people do swims, it's the beginning of the swim where people get nervous and have anxiety. For us at the Humans of Steel, it was the halfway through the swim, people's, their legs were cramping because they had already done the run and bike. So it was, uh, it was a different swim experience to try to manage all the athletes and the boats and the kayakers.

Yes. Yes.

It was a lot of fun. It was, it's a great race. I highly recommend it. It's, it's a lot of fun.

Yeah. Cool. Well, if you guys are interested in working with Jason, be sure to head on over to our website, theenduranceedge.com, and we will try to pair you up with Jason. So Jason, thank you again so much, and we will catch everybody next time.

Thanks, Chris.

Thanks for listening to the Find Your Edge podcast. If you like what you heard, don't forget to subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you're interested in learning more about our endurance coaching, sports and wellness nutrition, metabolic and sweat testing, triathlon training team, or our triathlon training library, be sure to check us out at theenduranceedge.com. And don't forget to follow us on social media at the Endurance Edge. Thanks again, and we'll catch you next time.