I just sent him a text about this. He's definitely had a breakout year, and I think he'll get even better as he is learning about how his body responds to training, racing, rest, etc.

---

-------------
Ed O'Malley
www.VeloVetta.com
Founder of VeloVetta Cycling Shoes
Instagram • Facebook

 Curious to hear more of his training/prep. He’s an interesting young pro with a lot of potential. Great performance yesterday on a brutal day.

Hey Dan! Sam Long here. I've always just been a lurker on ST but I guess when you win an IM you have to have a ST account. I'm game, let's do it. We can start it here if you would like.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

Sam,

Congrats on the win! How many Little Debbie's snacks did you consume pre, during, and post race?

I follow you on insta, but i don't usually listen to your stories, but i got the feeling you thought maybe you were overdoing training, or tapering? also how easy did you take the run? or was that survival mode?

As another Big Unit...but not nearly as fast. What's your strength program like?

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Ditto on your thoughts during the run and walking through the last aid stations. Was it a calculated move or a necessity in the heat?

Congratulations on an awesome win!

How intimidated were you when I passed you on the bike? (Probably pink)

---

Adam Feigh
Pianko Law, Speed Hound, Castelli, Sailfish, Base
Feighathlon.com

first, you shredded. second, you threw down. third, you sent a message. now, fourth. i can't say for sure and i'm pretty bad at this kind of identification, but that looks on your IG feed that you're aboard a cervelo P5, that is, a new one. with the new P5 front end (aerobars). am i wrong about that? and sorry in advance if i am.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

The big unit, does that relate to your heart, lungs, general physique or all 3?

Congrats, Sam! Raced Chatt last year when it was not nearly as hot. Saw your IG on the run kit. Did you utilize ice and if so were you happy without the tri kit as a place for the ice? Will the T2 change be your plan on hot races in the future? Thanks.

Yo Yo Yo!

Below I’ll detail some of the information that I can imagine people are curious about judging off the questions.
First off, for this race I did things very differently than what is often done. They are listed below:

1. No bike computer on the bike. That’s correct, no timer, no watts, no anything. Just perceived exertion. I focused solely on riding smooth and staying within a very comfortable zone on the bike.

2. My front gear rings were a 53--39, and rear cassette a 11-25. Unlike virtually every other pro who runs a 55—42. I did this because I didn’t want to be shifting between the big ring and little ring on the rollers, which are abundant in Chattanooga. I also wanted to be able to keep the cadence high and save my legs for the run. Ironically, I dropped the group on the downhill even though I had far less gears than everyone.
3.
I fit my bike myself. I was on a new Cervelo P5 disc which I received in August. I rode about 500 miles on it and then sent it with Tri Bike Transport to Nice and then straight to Chattanooga. Before the IM I had ridden about 500 miles on the bike and only about 150 on the bike in the six weeks leading up to it. I changed a few things from old Trek Speed concept fit (Which was fitted professionally by Ivan O’Gorman). The saddle was a little farther forward. The cockpit is also very different. I didn’t have the tilt kit, so the bars have no tilt, are lower down than my Trek, and the Arm pads are farther away from the saddle (More reach). I had to fit my bike myself as I received the bike only 10 days before I had to have it shipped to Nice and IOG was out of town until the day before I flew out. Do I get it fitted now/
4.
I changed into run clothes in transition knowing I would be more comfortable. I think I was also cooler as it allows for more breathability. My plan is to do this in all future IM’s.
As to how the race unfolded:
I had a good swim for me. In the lead up to this I focused on the swim but went after it in a very different angle than usual. I decreased my total yardage per week but focused on making every single stroke count. I hit lots of upper end aerobic swims and enough fast sprinting to work on my takeout speed. The swim on an RPE scale for me would be a 4-5. Once, I settled into a group it felt very relaxed, but I went with it as I could see I was with the major players. Frankly, pulling ahead would have done me no good in my plan for the race.

I passed several people in T1 and came out in T2 right behind Andrew Talansky. My plan for the race was to bike very conservatively. I was planning on letting the other players decide the pace and then make my move(s) on the run. After a little while we formed a large group most notably with Talansky, Feigh, and Russell. We then caught the second chase group including Nick Chase. At this point there were 7-8 of us. The pace was feeling very easy to me, but I was OK with that. When we came to a part of the course that I knew has some downhill turns and rollers that tends to separate people my intention was to put in a small surge to separate the weaker and stronger riders. However, I ended up pulling ahead of everyone and gained easily a half km on everyone within 5 miles.

I opted to roll with it. I still felt I was riding very within my limits and focused on staying smooth and aerodynamic. I took opportunities whenever I could to stretch my back at the top of rollers as a proactive measure to avoid any back tightness. The bike went by relatively quick. It only felt difficult from miles 105-112. I estimate that I drank 13x20 oz bottles on the bike giving me 260 oz or roughly 2 gallons. I also had 2250 kcals. I had no idea what my bike time was or that I had broken the course record.

The run was where this race would be lost or won. I had thought I would only have about two minutes on everyone (again as I thought I was riding pretty mellow). My original intention was to try and have an evenly paced run which would mean starting slow As I ran out, I learned my lead was at least eight minutes. I quickly opted for a different strategy deciding for a positive split run. An IM is equally about winning the mental side as about winning the physical. I knew if I got a big enough lead at 13 miles that my competitors would lose their winning spirit. I set a goal to have a 13-minute lead at the halfway point. I came through 13.4 miles in 1:28:01 putting another 4:16 into Russell. At this point I knew he would have to run over a minute a mile faster to beat me (Faster for the other athletes).

From here my focus shifted to winning the race as the only goal. My strategy was to run as fast I could with 0% risk of having a blow up or anything that could cost me the lead. Therefore, you saw me walking up hills, and playing things conservatively. I believe I could have run faster had I decided to pace it in a more even manner. However, that may have given the other athletes a will to push deeper. As to if I could have gone faster with my strategy I employed. We won’t know until someone pushes me at the end. I don’t believe in saying I had more or less at the end. I went as fast as I did and saying it was easy would be a big lie. However, the potential to kill yourself to win an IM is huge that the answer can only be found by testing it.

My training leading into this:
My training into this was a different approach than my usual. I far over-trained for IM LP which resulted in a DNF. My energy levels were simply not the same so I couldn’t go with my usual do everything long and hard. I really had to listen to my body and give it what it wanted.

Full disclosure: I had to leave my coach into the build-up. We simply had very different thoughts on how to reach a peak performance at this race. I owe him a tremendous amount as he developed me massively as an athlete. I give a lot of the credit of this win to him. Thanks Ryan.

Of course, I raced 70.3 Worlds which was a mediocre performance and was 3 weeks out. When I flew back, I was sick for 4 days doing nothing. I nearly decided not to race. I did one big test workout 12 days out (Tuesday) to determine if I was ready.

The session was
4k morning hard swim right into a
15.3-mile build run done in 1:43:41
Rest for a few hours
2-hour ride with 20x2’ at 400-425 watts big gear into
8 mile run with 8x800 in 2:40-45 with 100-meter jog between.
Ended with a sauna session

Based on how I executed this session I decided I was fit enough. The time after this saw me doing little high intensity work. I mostly did 4-hour rides at a moderate pace ending with some stuff at IM Effort. I did a big carb up and was ready.

Strength training:
I always do a lot of strength training. I include mobility into this. Two sessions a week of proper lifting and 3-4 days that include some core and mobility.

Sauna: As soon as I got back from Nice I hit the sauna. Hard. If 100% would be on the verge of fainting, I would go about 90%. I did this virtually every day. My longest session was 43 minutes in the sauna.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

apparently you're new around here. we don't care about the swim, the run, the nutrition, the training or any of that. we only care about your bike equipment. and your watts. and your politics when you're in the lavender room (the other forum). and since you don't know your watts, that leaves your bike equipment. (most of that is pink.) so...

thank you about the gearing explanation. of course you're right. you're right about the gear changes, esp if you're in synchro/sequential, where a high frequency of FD changes is a real pain. if you're on a rolling course then that's when you would hypothetically need a big masher gear (coming down from hawi), but you didn't have a masher gear and you still outrode folks on the descents. it would be nice if more of your compadres understood that. well, for you, probably best if they don't understand that.

speed concept = great bike. P5 disc = great bike. why did you switch? and how do you compare the two?

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

For more perspective on Sam getting his break:

Sam made the pass just after the turn around point where the slight downhill started. (Shortly after the camera moto nearly made me wipe out by basically stopping in the turn as I came through). I had already spent a bit more energy earlier in the ride than preferred and didn’t think it smart to chase Sam, and am not a huge fan of tailing super close for any legal benefits. Nobody seemed to come around me either so we all just sort of watched Sam drift up the road!

For more reference, I was running a 54/11 max and Matt with a 50/9 max, so fairly similar set ups on the top end. That specific section after the pass I still maintained my average cadence of 82 with power staying around 270ish.

---

Adam Feigh
Pianko Law, Speed Hound, Castelli, Sailfish, Base
Feighathlon.com

Great write up! I'm an unofficial representative of the non-60-year-olds on Slowtwitch. The four of us totally dig ALL your details.

It seems like you drank a TON on the bike. Where did you get 13 bottles? Did all your calories come from liquid?

Great race and report!

ok that was funny..
note I'm 59, soon there will only be 3 of you..


this struck me too, 2 gallons seems an extraordinary amount.. ironGut..

thank you for the added color. it's always nice to get the blow by blow from the insider's point of view. (and you had a pretty nice race yourself, btw.) the point that i'm trying to make, artfully or no, is that he's riding 127" gear inches in a 53x11, plus or minus depending on tire size. that's 33mph at 87rpm. are there pedaling descents that exceed that speed? maybe. depending on weight, cda, apparent wind, at a certain point you're coasting. tucking. whatever you do. probably, if anything, you're alternating coasting and pedaling at a higher cadence, and at, say, 97rpm you're at 37mph. it's pretty rare that you need a big meaty gear.

conversely, if you have more than 13 teeth difference between big and small ring you're shifting the FD a lot on a rolling course, and if your big ring is 55t you're also shifting the FD a lot on a course like that. i just think a lot of hard riders seduce themselves into bigger gears than they need and they don't realize what that can cost them in the course of the ride.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Definitely agree. I did Chatty last year with a 55/42-11/28 combo and shifted the front derailleur precisely 8 times. Switching to 54 1x and 11/32 worked even better. I doubt I’ll be switching back to the 55 anytime soon as it’s so rarely necessary in racing. Though occasionally convenient in training on descents or high wind days to stay steadier.

---

Adam Feigh
Pianko Law, Speed Hound, Castelli, Sailfish, Base
Feighathlon.com

Surely that's less of an issue though when the set up is a 1x? Adam rode 1x (for the first time in a race I believe) and sounds like Matt Russell was on a 1x AXS group (though it could be 2x). That's going to be no more shifting than a 2x setup and especially cutting out the FD shifts it seems like the safer option. Maybe not more efficient chain-line wise when a rolling course means spending more time at the extremes but from purely a shifting perspective...

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

i think i stand in pretty solid ground when i claim that you won't be shifting the FD very often if you're riding a 1x. no argument from me on that one!

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Haha okay. I deserved that one.
I guess my unasked question there, which I'll direct towards Sam if he reads this, is why not just go 1x for a course like this one? If you're worried about having to shift too much you could pretty easily swap out chainrings and take off the FD and solve a lot of your potential problems all at once. Unless you are sensitive to cadence (which I'm guessing you're not considering you rode without a computer) it seems sacrificing an upper gear could have been avoided by just going 1x to begin with. Clearly didn't affect your performance and I'm admittedly pretty biased towards 1x but I'd be curious to hear if you've considered it.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

i don't know what sam will say, but i'm quite happy riding SRAM electronic 1x if i have enough gear for the course; and i'm quite happy riding shimano 2x electronic, tho not in synchro if i have a lot of FD shifting to do. in both cases it's near impossible to derail the chain.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Adam, thanks for the insight on to the "pass". That makes a lot more sense, as I didnt feel I was dropping big big power so was surprised to see.

I totally agree as well to the fact that its relatively rare that you need a big meaty gear-although it seems like most triathletes seem to think we do. In the past, I have thought this as well. I have raced every race except for this one on on a 55 big ring. I think it may allow me ti bike slightly faster but at a large cost of smashing too big of a gear and not being able to run off.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

Great point. I have never ridden a 1x on a TT or road bike. However I love it on my MTB. The main reason is my bike component sponsor is Shimano so went with what they add. Personally I think both would be fine, although a 1x on this course in particular would be pretty ideal.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

I'm not anywhere close to the cyclist you are at the moment but I run a 56t in the front and a 11-28 or 11-32 in the back on 1x11. I ran the 11-32 for Boulder 70.3 where you raced as well and the gearing was solid for that. Only that one puncher mid way through that had me feeling like I needed something bigger. Just a reminder that running a big ring isn't always just about feeling manly but it almost makes chainlines perfect cruising speeds. Might be worth exploring if you ever head to a dead flat course!

Are you willing to share you power from your Boulder 70.3 bike split? I had what felt like an awful ride that day and I'd love some more data points on whether or not something was more wrong than just my legs.

---

Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

Hopefully my competitors want to keep smashing a big gear!

The real truth comes in comparing the P5 Disc to the Speed Concept. I switched because of a sponsor change. I was not and am not sponsored directly by either of them (Which is why I am not able to get a tilt kit). The companies have been partner brands for Team Suunto and Team Timex respectively.

Overall I have to say the Cervelo gets the award for the better bike because its stiffer, I believe the frame is a touch more aerodynamic, the disc brakes are a nice (Although usually unnecessary) upgrade, and adjusting the cockpit is far easier.
However where the Trek is better is in long haul training rides. More capacity to store stuff such as multiple tubes, more bottle cages, etc. However, in racing this isn't much of a concern.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

yes, I agree. Chattanooga has 4800 feet of climbing which impacted my decision for the 53. At the full IM and 70.3 in Boulder I used a 55 and would for sure use again.

Note that my power for 70.3 Boulder was on the low side. Boulder was a NP of 307 AP of 297 and TSS of 132. In the 70.3's I won my normalized power was in the 330-335 watt range. (trying to upload the power profile but don't know how to add an image!)

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

Sam from one big unit to another (by triathlon standards, hilarious that 6’4” 170ish is considered a “big unit”!), really appreciate your candor here and insights. Two questions from me:

1. The bike is clearly your A weapon at this point. Are you changing your training ratios accordingly or do you still maintain a more traditional split?

2. This isn’t intended as a buzzkill question but it’s always fun to celebrate wins but more instructive to contemplate more disappointing finishes ('disappointing' being used here as a HIGHLY relative term). So any updated thoughts on Nice especially after such a successful race in Chatt? Clearly w/kg was at more of a premium in Nice, but I think you also alluded to potentially overcooking the bike based on the power numbers you posted, and then paying for it on the run. Would you race it any different strategically after reflecting on it? Also, have you thought about any changes in training approach based on any Nice lessons learned?

Thanks again for taking the time to drop in here - awesome thread so far

Massive congrats Sam and awesome race report! Following the split with Ryan as your coach what are your plans moving forward on this front?

Thoroughly enjoyed your write up! Thanks.
Especially the part about deciding to "bury the competition" the first half of the run.
Congrats on a great race and best wishes on future races!

Hey Sam,

Your interview at the end of the race was impressive. Nice work on a tough day!

Awesome job, Sam. I was wondering about what happened at IMLP, and after listening to you on a Podcast talking about training 30+ hours a week, wondered if it had been a bit too much.

I'm doing sauna prep for Kona and actually did pass out in the shower after being in the sauna this past week - guess I went past 90%. Was getting very light headed, and about to sit down, then next thing I know I wake up with the shower right in my face and on the floor. Guess I'll have to tone it back a bit - was 165 degrees in the Sauna, which was pretty high.

---

Blog: http://262toboylstonstreet.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NateThomasTri
Coaching: https://bybtricoaching.com/ - accepting athletes for 2023

huge congratulations on your win!

what sunscreen do you use in your long training and races. Do you reapply during training or does it last the whole session. Thanks in advance
Barry

---

Great things never come from comfort zones.

Which podcast was that? Thanks.

Great questions!

Below I'll answer a number of the questions that I see in the feed I haven't answered yet (In no particular order).

1) Fluid intake on bike: Uh OHH. I may have given a overestimate yesterday. I better be prepared to be eaten alive on here...After further thought my estimate is as follows.
I started with 1 24 oz bottle and 2 20 oz bottles. (68 oz)
At special needs I picked up 2 24 oz bottles (48)
I picked up one Gatorade Endurance and drank most of it (16 oz)
At 7 other aid stations I grabbed a bottle and chugged as much as I could and then got rid of it. Estimating 10 oz at each= 70 oz
Drank one full 20 oz bottle at the last aid station
=68+48+16+70+20=222 oz of fluid


The calories were mostly liquid. 1400 calories of First Endurance EFS in my bottles. Then I had 800 kcals of Cliff Shot blocks in my bento box. Finally 200 calories roughly in the Gatorade Endurance.


Big Unit Debate:
I suppose the secret fun is that I'm called the Big Unit for lots of reasons.Big Physique (Although as you pointed out 6'4" and 175 is hardly massive (I know you'll ask I weighed 173 for this race but am normally closer to 180)) Big Power, Big Appetite, Big Feet...You get the rest.

Sunscreen:
Zealios Sunscreen is the best stuff I have ever used. It is pretty expensive but when I have used it I have never once been burnt. For this race I applied once the morning of the race and no sunburn. In training most days I apply once. I actually wake up and put it on first thing most training days. If I swim first I may put on twice. No joke.

Nice Thoughts and Lessons:
Very thoughtful questions here.

1) Yes my bike is my A weapon and I have absolutely thought about how to modify my training with this. In between Nice and Chatty I even modified my training.
What I have discovered on the bike is that I don't really have to do that much hard structured interval work--especially for IM. Going into Chatty I was actually the least confident about my bike as I have been as I did one interval session in the three weeks between. My bike training seems to be best by riding a few days a week from 4-6 hours at a fairly comfortable pace and then ending with some type of higher intensity work. This kind of training has a small toll on me and allows me to put the intensity and real effort into the pool and on the run. It sounds almost too simple but the longer aerobic work builds my engine for the all three sports, keeps my strength, and then allows for the real specificity to be applied in the other two disciplines.

This off season/winter the plan is to do a lot of high quality swimming. My newish thing however is to not swim one length of the pool with bad form. If I am not focused and swimming poorly, I get out. It's worth less than zero to swim poorly to me. So I will swim as much as I can with high focus, discipline, and making it count.

2) The races where you suck are just as or more important than the races you crush. I'll cover both Nice and IM LP here.
Nice a few things happened.
I simply was still recovering from my overtraining. Digging yourself a hole takes a while to get out of. I lost a lot of my confidence in August as an athlete and this affected me mentally. Yes, I overbiked. This was a result of a terrible swim at Nice. I was so far back I figured why not just push it very hard and try and get in the race.
Unfortunately, when I got to Chatty I discovered that my front brake was rubbing. I know I lost some time because of this. I am honestly surprised I was able to run at all in Nice as the power I pushed was higher than anything I have ever done--peak 10, 20, 60, and 90 minute of all time! Even if the brakes hadn't been rubbing I still would have gotten my booty kicked. It was not a big man's course and watts per kilo was too important (look at how Starky rode--as compared to his usual Fastest Bike Split). I also didn't know the descent well enough. A great lesson learned that you have to race courses that suit your ability.

Lake Placid. What I did in the build up to that race was absolutely mental! You can look at my IG for July and see some of the updates I was giving. For a 4 week period my average running pace was 6:18 per mile (for 100k's a week). Another example is I was doing two rides a week that were over 300 TSS on the bike alone (with a run and swim in addition). Nearly an IM two days a week--then a 20 plus mile long run every week. I simply was going to hard, too long, and at too high of a frequency! I bought into the mentality that more is always better and left everything I had in training. When I got to my taper (Which was still hardly a taper) my body totally shut down. I nearly put myself in a situation that could have ruined my career. I got lucky! Thankfully I pulled out of LP. Then three days later I got in a bike crash that forced me to lie in bed for four days. At the time it sucked. I look back and thank the heavens. If that hadn't happened I would have kept pushing!
As many people have said. What you do in training doesn't matter. All that counts is what you do on race day. I learned in Chattanooga that winning an IM on the day is far harder than I thought but that training for an IM is far easier than I thought. Yes, I still train hard. I still trained about 30 hours a week for Chatty but not 35-40 with well over 25% of that being Z3 or above.

Thanks for all the questions. I'm enjoying this. I will do my best to get answers out at least once a day.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

Sam - Great race and even better answers!

Prior to Ryan you were self coached. Do you plan on going back to being self coached or are you going on a search?

Was your decision to forego electronics something you embarked upon some time ago, and if so how did you manage it? What’s your advice for building into this level of awareness? And do you train differently now as a result?

Thanks Dr. Seuss.

I think I will coach myself at least for awhile. I enjoy writing my own plans and like that it keeps me 100% accountable for myself and any successes or failures that I have. With this being said, I have lots of people I am able to get help and advice from. I have a excellent strength coach (Kevin Purvis), multiple swim coaches (Austin Vinton, Eney Jones), among others. Eventually, I see myself having an advisor I can discuss things with and who can help analyze my data for me, as well as call me out when I'm wrong.

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

I train with electronics almost all the time. I think the data is very informative and helpful in making future decisions. I even wish I had a power profile from Chatty but having it would have affected how I rode. What I did and will continue to do to get the data but teach myself to ride, without having to have it, is putting the computer in the back pocket. In the build, up on all my long rides I put the computer in my jersey and would look at it maybe once an hour. In structured training I would press the lap button, put it in my back pocket, ride the interval, and then at the end check out how I did. I thought this was very effective as it forced me to ride on feel for the intervals and taught me both how to measure time without a watch and how Z1-Z5 feel. Doing this allowed for what I call a bottom up approach--finishing your prescribed interval and then checking the power. Based on how you felt, you then know if you are riding well or poorly that day. As opposed to a top down approach where you say I need to hit this power number on this interval and you do it irregardless of how you feel.

I will likely race without a computer in my future IM's and will for sure be doing most of my training with it in my jersey (so that I can get the power data to make coaching decisions, track improvement, and most importantly teach myself what certain wattage zones feel like).

---

Sam Long
AKA The BigUnit
IG: @samgolong

You could also just throw some electrical tape over your bike computer screen and leave it mounted.

Eney as swim coach. Wise move.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman