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Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne
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Salmon Steve mentioned in a previous thread that it would be great if I set up an Ask Me Anything Thread after pulling out a big race this past weekend. I have learned a ton from Slowtwitch over the years, so if I can give a little then back that is awesome!

I have a 31 hour travel day tomorrow, whuch includes an 8 hour lay over in Guangzhou. I'll have plenty of time to grab an Avril Lavigne Ice Tea and type up lengthy response to any and all questions. Fire away anything you like, doesn't even have to be triathlon related!





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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Racing Penticton again or saving your chips for Kona?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Nice win out there. I think you are racing in Hyperspeed 6s, right? What shoes do you train in? Thanks.
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Just want to say congrats on the huge win!

How did you like the bike course? it looks interesting if not very flat (like IMFL)

I would love to race IMM but don't think I can handle the 6 hour trainer rides in January and February
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats.
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Did you monitor power and/or HR during the race? If so, what did it look like as far as stability and/or what you were shooting for?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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best and worst part about Australia in general....careful...im one of them :D
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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What's the one workout you like to nail a few weeks out of a big race as a judge for your current fitness?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats on a stellar race and getting ugly out there, it is great seeing you achieve success.

How did your power output on the bike in Melbourne compare to Penticton and Whistler, as your bike time was a fair bit quicker, but granted, they are all very different courses.

Do you typically have a target power output that you try to hold throughout the race, or do you adjust it based on what is happening within the race and where you are positioned?

Finally, I imagine you did a fair amount of riding on the trainer while in Canada before heading to Australia (I think you said you also taught spin), and in this regard, did you focus a lot on quality, or did you do some decent volume and long rides too (what did your longest weekly trainer ride look like)?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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First off - congratulations and WOW!

About the E-118 Next, how did it feel over 112 miles? Did you ever feel like you were "giving" time away to the Speed concept's, P5's, Plasma 5's and other superbikes?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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I made it sticky. :-)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Huge congrats... What a race, and what a finish!

What exactly does Avril lavinge iced tea taste like?

Planning any races in BC this summer?

Long Chile was a silly place.
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Can you share your nutrition plan vs how you executed on it with us?
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Awesome awesome awesome race! Go Canada Go!

Can you let us know how you handle nutrition and hydration on the bike/run?

Thanks!
Jason
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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First of all huge congrats on the win. I can't even imagine how awesome that must feel.

Second of all, I have a question: I think many of us can relate to the feeling of being late in a race and nearly spent. We feel as though every step is misery and yet we somehow force ourselves on to get through. As I have improved over the years to become a top ten age grouper, I realize that the gulf between me and the podium is partly related to my ability and partly due to my inability. Specifically, I refer to my inability to push myself into a place that I am fearful to go. A place where I feel as though I might be risking injury or worse. That fear may be reality or it might just be...fear. You clearly did that in this race, you went there and you overcame. How do you go there? How do you tell yourself that it is ok to push past the boundary of what feels safe and into an area where you risk more than maybe you have before because the reward is so high?

That is my question. I am unsure if you will have an answer.

Jeffrey Sankoff, MD
TriDoc Coaching/TriDoc Podcast
Train hard, train healthy
http://www.tridocpodcast.com
http://www.tridoccoaching.com
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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You're awesome mate! So cool that you take the time to allow others to pick your brain and ask about the correct form when "getting UGLY"! ;-) Way to go Jeffy!

_____________________________________________
"It's a line you have to cross to understand."
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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How aware are you of your running form? And that head bobbing you got goin on? What's up with that? :)

Also, when / why did you convert from steeplechaser to triathlete?

Advocating for research & treatment for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
http://www.meaction.net/about/what-is-me/

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
(me, to myself, every day)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Do you view the January 2009 training camp in Maui, in which you stayed in a homeless shelter (aka surfer's hostel) with Andrew McCartney and trained in cotton t-shirts under the supervision of Joel Filliol with myself, Kyle Jones, and Simon Whitfield as the defining moment in your career?

"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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How relieved were you after the race to find that none of the race officials noticed the hidden ear bud in your right ear? I assume being able to rock out to Metallica for the last 15K had a substantial positive impact on your performance!!

Congrats on a great race!! You inspired a lot of people over the weekend with your display of pure guts!!!
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
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Rappstar wrote:
Do you view the January 2009 training camp in Maui, in which you stayed in a homeless shelter (aka surfer's hostel) with Andrew McCartney and trained in cotton t-shirts under the supervision of Joel Filliol with myself, Kyle Jones, and Simon Whitfield as the defining moment in your career?

Well that would be character building, I was going ask if the crash he had @ the 2013 Challenge Penticton and going on to win was a defining moment but there's things that I can not know :)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Rappstar] [ In reply to ]
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sharing the bed together probably was.. ;)
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [Symonds] [ In reply to ]
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Was that leather cowboy hat at the awards ceremony really an Australian hat, or is that some Canadian rodeo thing you already own ... it seemed to suit you.

Re: Training in Canada ... I see some posts alluding to spin class and indoor. Is this where you have developed your strength, or do you actually go out and ride long in sub-zero temperatures, or a mix of both?

Do you use a power meter? What sort of power and intensity were you boys holding on that bike leg?

Amazing run and congratulations on the win. Running away from Tim Berkel is no easy feat
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [coates_hbk] [ In reply to ]
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coates_hbk wrote:
best and worst part about Australia in general....careful...im one of them :D

not that there's anything wrong with that -- oh, get a grip. I'm OZ too !

.

RayGovett
Hughson CA
Be Prepared-- Strike Swiftly -- Who Dares Wins- Without warning-"it will be hard. I can do it"
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [raygovett] [ In reply to ]
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Jeff I saw you race one time in the western subaru series and you came out of the water and struggled to get your cycling shirt on over your wet skin. I thought to myself "what kind of fool is this, he's a pro?"

I'm glad I'm the one who looks foolish now. Big congrats on the win!
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Re: Ask Me Anything About Getting Ugly and Winning IM Melbourne [NordicSkier] [ In reply to ]
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We'll see! I will definitely be racing something in Penticton but not sure if it will be the Full half or a relay. I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is to race in my hometown. My racing plans for the year were to 1.) Qualify for Hawaii and 2.) win an Ironman. Now that those are done the world is open! I could even take up crossfit! (not going to happen)

Kona is the ultimate goal for me, but I don't think 2015 is THE year. At 29 I want to set myself up for quiet a few good cracks at it! When I get back to Canada I am going to sit down with my coach Kevin Cutjar and see what he think makes the most sense long term. Our original plan for the season was not to have Kona be the focus, but rather have it as a bonus. Go in there with no expectation, just race it hard and see what happens. A similar to how I did my first Ironman in Los Cabos. We trained indoors during the winter and didn't really tell people I was doing it. We wanted just to have a solid expierence for my first one. It was great to have this under my belt when the pressure of being the local favorite really picked up for Challenge Penticton 2013.

"I think there is a lot to be said for continuing on the path and plan you set out. Look at the steady progress of your training and racing and not do crazy things if you an outlier race, good or bad." - That is a paraprhased quote from Jesse Thomas from his 2013 Wildflower tips audio clip.

I think there is so much mentally that goes into racing well at Championship races. How do you deal with pressure on both race day and more importantly in the weeks and months leading up! That's what makes sport so awesome! I also think that plays a huge part in guys having rough races at Kona. The pressure of Kona and having to come top 10 to get a paycheck is probaby massive! That why I get a little ticked off when I hear people say "look at results, the some pro should be there" Seriously? All of those guys are damn good! When on form they can do really well. Perfect example my friend and fellow Vancouverite Elliot Holtham. Crushed it to win Ironman Australia in 2014 and had a solid 3rd at Wisconsin. But he struggled with the resulting pressure from his IM Aus win and the fact that he still had to get points right up until August! He was the second to last pro finisher at Kona, but the dude can rip. He's going to have learned from that expierence and prove that this year.

I also see a pattern of guys ripping an upexpectedly awesome race in Kona one year. Not racing much (even jogging a ironman) and having an awful race the following year when they "save their chips". That's why I gain so much respect for Tim Berkel on Sunday. He had a TON of pressure on him. He was all over the magazines here! For him to keep his poise after a couple of rough lead up races and as he said a S(*$ race day, is awesome. Dude is legit!

That was long winded but I have had that asked a lot so I thought I would clarify well. My focus isn't won't be on saving chips it will be working hard each day to earn as many chips as I can!

Also, as you well know, we are all looking for any and every reason to spend quality time training in the Okanagan!!

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