Anyone can now that the genetically gifted will boycott due to the swim start change

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808 > NYC > PDX > YVR
2024 Races: Taupo

Maybe you have to be patient enough to listen for an hour if you want to KQ.

Anyone got a transcript? :)

I listened. IMO, the whole thing is just a somewhat subtle pitch for the dude's coaching service. Lots of anecdata presented.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Anything actually useful in there? I'll skip it if not.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

How much do we owe you for that hour? :)

A lot of my experience (in the lab and coaching) parallels AC's, not a lot of bull or anything out of the ordinary in there. The differences between most people at their max performance, in the right training environment, quite often isn't much less than the best of the best (genetically "gifted").

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Matt Leu, M.S. Kinesiology
San Pedro Fit Works, Los Angeles, CA
Endurance Athlete and Coach
Consistency/time=results

He presented some evidence that VO2 max is more trainable than traditionally advocated, a n=1 case study in which a trainee improved by 40% over 3 years, and said the overall average VO2 max improvement of his trainees is 24%. (No number or data given on number of trainees, length of time of the training, age, etc.) That about 800 or more hours per year are required to KQ and the bulk of training should be endurance.

But I heard no evidence to support the leap from saying that VO2 max is very trainable (which I have no problem believing) to saying that pretty much anyone can KQ (which to me falls in the realm of clickbait hyperbole).

Who's coaching service, Alan's or Mikael's? because Alan does not need any self promotion to get clients, he is one of the best and highest regarded coaches in the tri world. I don't know Mikael as a coach, but his podcast is fantastic with tons of relevant information.

I like https://www.alancouzens.com/ blog - very informative, and with a ton of details - like this post http://alancouzens.blogspot.com/...at-all-athletes.html
The podcast somehow fell short in terms of representing his vast knowledge. He might be a better writer than a public speaker.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Anyone can qualify for Kona, that's what the Legacy program is for.

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2x Deca-Ironman World Cup (10 Ironmans in 10 days), 2x Quintuple Ironman World Cup (5 Ironmans in 5 days), Ultraman, Ultra Marathoner, and I once did an Ironman.

Alan does read the forum so he might show up here to explain..


When he was part of Endurance Corner there was a similar article which I saved, had a more realistic estimate. "Anyone" is pretty bold.

For people who like to read, video is way too slow (Brent Simmons). Podcasts have the same problem.
So here's some plain text.


Although the date in the URL shows 2016 I believe the article is from 2011 or so.


https://alancouzens.com/...lan-for-the-realist/


"The vast majority of folks respond to training load quite similarly and most of us have the potential to reach a very high level of fitness. As I suggested in the previous article on athletic types, for 70% of folks, if they do the work, Kona is within reach but setting up your life to do the work is another matter and for many it is far easier to attribute the limiter to genetics than to make the required change.


Merely setting up your life to have the space to fit in five months’ worth of 18-20 hour weeks of training in your Kona build isn’t enough. The realist knows that even with the life space to fit the training and sufficient attention given to recovery, you can’t just get up off the couch and throw down one 18-20 hour training week after another. You also need a fitness “base” to pull this off. So you’ll want to factor in a period of preparatory “training to train” weeks, progressively building up the fitness to tolerate the back to back big weeks that will comprise your Kona build.

Based on my experience, most folks coming in from normal active fitness levels are going to need to both be generally fresh and healthy (that is, come into the hard training unloaded), and have a base fitness of five to six months of preparatory training in the 12-15 hour range to tolerate those 18-20 hour weeks of your “get to Kona” push. If you’re coming from below normal fitness (less than 45 VO2) you’ll probably need another five to six months of preparatory “get in shape” work before even beginning the “train to train” period.

Additionally, we both know that your chances of putting together 20 or more back to back weeks in the 18-20 hour range without recovery isn’t good. You’re going to get tired and need some recovery weeks sprinkled in to your Kona build. In fact, if you manage a ratio of 3:1 loading to recovery weeks in the context of a 9-5 job and family life without getting sick or injured you’ll be doing very well! So that five months of specific training, more realistically becomes six or seven months.

Adding it all up, the realist should be planning for:
Six to 12 months of uninterrupted, consistent “basic training” to get ready to train for the event.
Six to seven months of focused “specific training” directed specifically towards your Kona push.

You need both the fitness and a good day on an appropriate course to pull it off. In other words, you may need to put together more than one of these builds before high fitness and a good day coincide! "


All of this made it clear to me I'd never have time to qualify for Kona ;-)

The general point is the same though - commit to the training and you can do more than you'd think..

I have never heard that phrase before - I love it! Going to have to get it into my next report at work somehow. Thanks!

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He who understands the WHY, will understand the HOW.

Sorry, may be I've misread. This coach is talking about <2 year plan from a non-athlete to KQ?

His plan is based on nearly 20 hour weeks on average. Also “anyone can get KQ fitness, but genetics are needed for pro level fitness”? In the competitive AG’s at least, most KQer’s could qualify for their elite license as well. It’s a warm and fuzzy theory but sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you bust your butt, you just don’t make it (myself so far)

That was my first thought as well :)

I do, being one of his coached athletes and can recommend him 100% - loads of super individual and helpful feedback. Very data-based approach of course although he is really chasing individual subjective feedback too. In addition he currently hast to turn away clients so probably no need to pitch coaching services. It is a pretty provocative subject for the show, though but we are living in the age of click-bait...

Agreed- in all my dealings with AC I have been super impressed -he is one of (too few) coaches I think who would genuinely add value to you

And he certainly does not need the publicity - I have been trying to be coached him him for 3-4 years now but he has no slots
And he’s that good (IMO) that I would rather be self coached in the meantime....
Maybe next year is my year!

Haven't listened to the podcast; but I plan to. Parsing an hour out of my day though its going to be awhile.

I'll say this in his defense; out of the hundreds of people I train with, stalk on strava, etc. I can count on one hand the people that actually train optimally. Most of us have some big flaws mentally, be it diet, sleep, burnout, rest weeks, training plans, etc. So if you take an average athlete and he goes all in, they'll probably get close at least.

The above though is a tall ask; if you're a masters athlete that probably also means gym work, some form of stretching, extra sleep, and a lot of other time occupied outside of training specifically for training.

Sorry, should've been a bit more specific: I was talking about Mikael Eriksson, not Alan Cozens.

Yes, anyone can qualify...IF many conditions are met.

Think it's more the case that most people don't get anywhere near their genetic limiters in terms of fitness. Life and personality get in the way. Before you get somewhere close to your optimal fitness you need :
1) The commitment/selfishness to want to do it in the first place. Not many people are prepared to commit to being as good as they can be at something, or to make all the sacrifices necessary to achieve that goal.
2) The resources (time and money) to make it happen. 15+ hours/week to train, plus the time needed to recover properly. Then the money for decent equipment, pool membership, race and travel costs, maybe coaching. And of course for many of us there is a direct or opportunity cost associated with the career decisions involved in freeing up the time needed to train and recover properly
3) Smart decision making - choosing the right coach, equipment, training plan. Knowing when to change the plan.
4) The discipline needed to eat right, execute the training plan, do your stretching, go to bed early, etc day in, day out for months or years.

People under estimate these because theoretically they're all life choices not physical limitations. But changing who you are and how you live isn't that much easier than changing the genes you were born with. If it was there would be a lot less obesity, credit card debt, alcoholism, etc. A coach can help with 3 and 4, but even then you need the money and self-awareness to hire a coach in the first place, you need the smarts or luck to get the right coach, and you need the discipline to actually listen to what they're telling you and do it.

Heck, I've been training and racing in various sports for 25+ years and I don't think I've ever even met the first criteria! Have never gone all in on being the best I can at sport, it's always been balanced along other priorities, whether that's family, career or just enjoying life and going on holiday, staying up late and having a few too many drinks with friends, etc. I'm pretty sure I have the physical potential to KQ if I really wanted to, but I'm 100% sure that I'm not prepared to do all the things required to find out.

Excellent points. Spot on.

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Inside The Big Ring: Podcast & Coaching

Agree with all of those. I think for many, include myself, there’s only so much I will do to disrupt my life for a hobby. I’m aware of how much work it would be to improve enough to KQ and it’s just not something I’m willing to do.

Well said. I'm an outsider/beginner to the sport, but that much is clear.

Have y'all watched those "Quest for Kona" videos? I've watched a few and so far no one has KQed. And these are people who are profiled because they pretty much do the above.

Very few of us get close to our potential, but even if we did, we'd need very few others to get close to their potential (we're competing against others after all).

And I still think you need natural talent. I've been around track and field and endurance sports for 40+ years and have observed that talent is kinda a big deal. Less so in endurance sports and less so as you get older and fewer of the talented folks are competing, but it's still a big factor.

I've been around top level D1 T&F - I was a D1 conference champ and my son was a D1 All-American - and have been around D3 - my son is a coach at the D3 school I work at - and the differences in talent are visually obvious.

One of my students was on the track team and loves running more than anyone has loved running. He worked so hard. He came closer to his potential than just about anyone. He just had no talent. He never did qualify for the conference meet (again, it's D3). Now I see him at local ultra races and he places fairly high up in the field. A below average D3 runner is a very good recreational runner. But he's never going to qualify for top level races. And if he did triathlon, I doubt he could ever KQ. Or maybe his short muscular legs would be good for cycling.

I was over 200 lbs as a scrawny six-packed college high jumper. I have many years of hard training in front of me if I want to reach my potential in triathlon, but do I ever have the potential to KQ? Maybe Marcel Kittel could KQ, but I kinda doubt that my big body could be transformed into a top-level triathlete, even in the over 60 division.

I'm trying to get better, but "anyone can KQ" seems like "you can achieve anything". Nice thought, but not really true.