Ha, my wife is still pretty much in shock as well. We are both pretty simple. This pay day was incredible, but I don't think it will change us too much. I'll save that for the next big pay day, HA!

Yes, I usually wake up, drink my breakfast, then go back to sleep for an hour or so before getting up again and doing my morning mobility routine, then heading out to the race site.

I meant more the lack of puking on her, but the payday is nice as well!

I do the same thing but I've used Ensure Plus (I think Crowie used to use this) with success but Ultragen is probably an even better solution...

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DFRU - Detta Family Racing Unit...the kids like it and we all get out and after it...gotta keep the fam involved!

so you essentially run a half mary 6 days a week. holy crap.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Matt, like everyone else has said congrats! What an amazing performance. My wife and I watched the race and you are her new favorite runner. "He looks like he is having so much fun running!!!" I am sure there was nothing fun about that last 5k until you recovered from it.

I have a couple of questions or insights I am hoping you can share.

I did the Bear Lake race this year. I really thought, based on your previous runs, you could throw down a 1:11ish run on that flat course. Obviously, the weather didn't allow for an optimal day. Could you give some insight on what your expectations were going into that race what you thought you were capable of and what you learned from that race.

I chatted with you at the end of the race, I was all bundled up from the Oly distance in my muck boots, puffy, and warm pants(ya, Montana kid never leaves home without those even for a race). You stated that you just couldn't eat/fuel on the bike when we chatted. Chris and you both shared that it was just cold.

Watching the Daytona race it was an "A" day for sure. What lessons did you apply to that race that you learned from previous races. Do you think that the bigger stage/audience gave you more motivation than the locals Bear Lake Race. I know you commit 100% to the task on hand but I am curious as to your thoughts on that. Was the Bear Lake Race a rust buster knowing the the PTO race was coming up(racing into race shape)?

Last question. Probably the most important. If you and Chris were to have a thumb wrestling war who would win and why? lol

Do you mean to say you the slowest you ever run (typically) is 6:15 pace? Do you train by heart rate and if so does that correlate to an easy heart rate? Or is that another way your running doesn't conform the standard schools of thought? As far as I'm aware, even the pro runners running 70-100 mile weeks are still doing easy runs around 7 min at least. Not doubting that it isn't right! Just surprised.

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

I had zero expectations going into Bear Lake but going and getting back to doing what I love. I was in nowhere near ideal "race" fitness, having found out about the race just 3 weeks before it happened. I was early in the build for IMAZ (which then turned to IMFL). So just showed up last minute at altitude to go and have some fun playing triathlon! That 4 week series of races I did (Bear Lake, Cozumel 70.3, Huntington, and the Msquared) were all part of the training build up for IMAZ/Daytona. Yeah, I wanted to do well, I always do. But I wasn't building specifically for that block. As I mentioned, I wanted to get back to doing what I loved. It was also to show the MHRacing athletes that racing will return and hopefully give a few of them a little motivation boost to stay in a good training routine.

Most people don't know that Chris is a trained electrician. I'm sure that gives him a thumb up in a thumb-wrestling contest. If I was ever foolish enough to put on the shoes/singlet/headgear and meet him on the mat for an actual match...I like my chances.

Yup rarely run 6:20 or slower. A couple times since I moved to CO I've had some runs in that range since it's hillier and at altitude. To be honest, 6:15 is a compromise between coach Julie and I. In my younger days, I'd rarely do much work over 6:00. I feel that I have to alter my stride running 6:30-7:00 too much (on the flats at least). I'm never trying to hit a specific pace on easy runs, I just let it happen. I've tried to do numerous training blocks, especially early season, at slower paces and always end up getting hurt. I'm getting plenty of aerobic work on the bike. So I'd rather just be lower mileage running in the early season and run with a comfortable stride that keeps me healthy and then increase mileage as we build into race form than keep a high mileage running log year round. This approach definitely isn't for everyone and doesn't conform to "standard schools of thought." But I've never been one to follow tradition for training since that is what other people do. Everyone is different mentally and physically. A coach's job is to figure out what is best for their athletes, not try to make the athlete conform to a traditional school of 'wisdom.' Coach Julie and Coach Matt have done a great job of that. If you look at my training compared to TO or Justin Metzler, you wouldn't likely be able to tell we have the same coaches. While we definitely do many of the same workouts, the build and structures are all very different.

In regards to HR, usually Julie gives me a HR cap, so as long as my HR stays under that for the aerobic run I know I won't get yelled at it :). When I'm doing an easy run, I want to enjoy it. I don't want it to take mental energy. I don't want to be staring at my watch worrying about pace. I just want to let my body do what it wants to do. My HR is pretty sensitive to temperature for some reason. When it is cold, I might be 125-130bpm at 6:15. When it is hot, I might be north of 150 at the same pace. So we set a firm cap. I set my watch to beep if I ever get above that. Otherwise, I try not to look at anything other than the timer on the long runs so I know when to turn around.

HAHA, Gotcha. That was the last time she volunteered as a wetsuit stripper, that's for sure!

ok which model of ON? I dont think their carbon plate version helps much since they dont use the same foam tech as the other companies do with that bubble design, or does it?

The On CloudBoom is a great shoe. On is doing a lot of great things in their designs. I can't really comment on a comparison to Nike, I'm just simply not willing to wear them at this point. I've never tried them on.

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What treadmill do you own? And honestly, have you killed it? You're running sub 6:15/mi regularly for an AEROBIC pace (dear god!), so that TM must be hitting low 5s for you on intervals!

Ha, I actually just partnered TechnoGym. I got the SkillRun 7 when I moved to Colorado. It is by far the best treadmill I've ever been on.

What made you make the decision to move to Colorado?

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My wife got a job opportunity out here.

Hey Matt, inspirational stuff seeing you pull through the field!

What does your ideal realistic day in Kona look like? I assume you’d like to swim with the “main” (not front) pack and build into a low 2:4x run. What about the bike? What kind of ride is both realistic and sets you up to run fast?

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team

Unless they change the draft zone to 20m in Kona, you pretty much have to stay in contact with the main bike group as well.

Kona seems like such a tightrope act! Every year guys seem to overbike, but you also have guys moving up a ton of places on the run. Do you decide before the race “if I can come off the bike near this guy I’m probably in good position”?

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Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team