Brad wrote what many in his family and circle of friends consider the definitive triathlon training book in the history of mankind, Breakthrough Triathlon Training. You must read this book if you want to succeed in triathlon, period. Brad also offers a comprehensive 30-day program that will prime your body for peak performance in endurance events and in a healthy, balanced life. The program, written by former #3 world-ranked professional triathlete Brad Kearns, is called Power Month. Please visit the link for complete details and ordering information.

Performance Tips

If you are well trained and properly rested on race day, you have three major things to nail for a successful performance: Pacing, hydration and calorie consumption. You must also maintain a positive mental attitude throughout the challenging event to ensure you perform to your potential.

1. Drink plenty of fluid: A properly mixed energy drink (7% glucose solution) will empty the stomach at the same rate as water. Beware that commercial drinks like soda and juice have a higher than 7% content and thus are not optimal for hydration. It is important to understand the distinction between hydration and food. Anything over 7% solution your body will treat as food. The rate at which the fluids goes from your stomach to your muscles is slower and thus water or 7% solution is optimal for hydration.

Sophisticated energy/hydration drinks like Cytomax (available on course) offer additional benefits like performance/recovery ingredients and electrolytes. A good rule of thumb is to drink 32 ounces of fluid per hour. You might be able to make it through the event on less than optimum fluid intake, but you will suffer in recovery time. Start drinking early and mechanically. Forget about using thirst as a hydration guide. Thirst kicks in long after your hydration levels fall below optimal.

2. Consume 250-400 Calories Per Hour: This is the approximate amount you need to maintain optimal blood sugar levels throughout a long day in the saddle and on the trail. To ingest this amount of calories without digestive distress, plan to obtain a great deal of calories from liquid sources. Cytomax Pre-Formance and Perpeteum offer a complete meal replacement in a powdered formula. You can several scoops into a water bottle for a thick smoothie containing up to 800 calories. Sip the mixture gradually over a couple of hours, chasing with water or hydration fluid.

Healthy energy bars and gels can help boost your caloric intake, but beware of consuming too many calories in simple sugar (like a gel or most energy bars) over the course of a long day. Due to the stress that sustained endurance performance, places on the digestive system, I recommend that you obtain the vast majority of your calories during the event in a liquid or gel form. Clif Shot or Clif Blok (product on course at bike and run aid stations) is easy on the digestive system and compatible with other nutrition products like energy drinks and liquid meals.

Training is a different story, especially on the bicycle where there is no impact trauma to disturb digestive organs. Items that offer healthy, nutritious carbs, protein and fat are favored by many experience ultra athletes. Trail mix, healthy energy bars and snacks, avocado or peanut butter sandwiches - these are also good choices to fuel your performance.

Start eating early and mechanically. Forget about using hunger as an eating guide. Hunger kicks in long after blood sugar levels fall below optimal. Sound familiar?!!

3. Know your pace and the route: Even if you have experience at long course, you must make allowances for this very difficult course. 6,000' of climbing on the bike is different than a flat bike and a 13-mile run with ~1,000' of climbing is different that a flat run. Extensive information on the route available on this web site and in your registration bag. Become familiar with the course profile and the general route. It helps with motivation levels and maximum enjoyment to feel connected to the course and know the landmarks along the way.

4. Have Fun, Enjoy the Scenery, Stay Positive: Extreme athletic events are a physical and mental challenge. It is essential to maintain a positive attitude at all times to perform at your best. If you catch yourself harvesting negative thoughts, look around and enjoy the scenery - an instant cure. Remind yourself how lucky you are to be healthy and able to swim, pedal a bicycle or run in the canyons. Negative thoughts and verbalizations will make your tired and stressed and compromise your performance.

Take the opportunity to re-frame every negative thought or statement into a positive one. This is a great lesson for not only triathlon but all of life!