Congrats again, Paula. Fantastic race. I think I asked you all my questions at the post race celebration :)

Paula,

Outstanding race. It was so fun to watch you execute that race. I have two shoe questions:

1. You chose the Vapor Fly Next % - Have you run in the Alpha Fly Next % and passed on it or is it a case that you simply feel most comfortable and fast in the Next %?

2. Eric posted a photo of him running in the Hoka One One Carbon X - What that shoe when most of his running or at least in your videos is done in the adios boost? Seems like if he were going to run in Hoka One One it would have been the Rocket X.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

call Barrie Shepley. He always has condos and with camps probably not a big sell in 2021 spring he should have lines of many in his complex. They are a 5 minute drive from that beautiful pool in the mountains!

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@rhyspencer

Hi Paula I have 2 questions:

The first is for you: with the men's race being later in the day and yours at 10, did it make the pre-race routine more stressful since both you and Eric were racing but at completely different times this not allowing you to prep together or did this help?

Second is for Flynn: Who's a good boy?!

Ps last Friday I was coming out of the Elevator and you almost ran me over with your bike - I wanted to wish you luck but you had such fire in your eyes and I was star struck to see you and Eric.

I saw your TTL live on YouTube. Thank you for doing that and CONGRATULATIONS!! That was so awesome to watch and inspiring (especially as a woman).

You talked a little bit about lapping other athletes during the bike and the requirements -- that you had to maintain the 45" pass for those overtaken athletes. Is the PTO or Challenge open to creating rules about those lapped athletes in future races so it's not such a crapshoot about passing and potentially getting a penalty.

Have you talked to any others (or maybe for Eric) about the whole passing on the bike thing with the long string of cyclists? I've been hearing feedback from the men that some athletes were slotting in because they were having to pass something like 8 guys at once. (That happened at Kona too one year with the women's race and slotting in when there's no space.) What are the rules on that for this and other races (the slotting in, I mean, and having to pass 8 people at once)?

Thanks for being on here!

I haven't tried the Alpha Fly, and I really like the Next % so didn't feel any huge need to try the new shoe. I don't have a sponsorship with Nike, just a good relationship with the company from back in the day so they send me product.

Eric was having the new Adidas shoe shipped from Europe but they didn't arrive before the race. He forgot his backup shoes, so we basically scrambled to get whatever shoes we could in Daytona 2 days before the race. The Carbon X was all we could find, he seemed to like them. Definitely not an optimal situation haha.

Haha, sorry for running into you. Definitely say hi next time, we're friendly :)

I think the start time differences made it difficult for Eric... racing first is always easier. I just did my thing on race morning, but he had to sit in the hotel room solo for an extra 3 hours waiting for his race, and watching my race online.

Flynn is a moderately good boy, sometimes.

haha it sounds like you might need to hire an assistant for Eric with the prize money. Expired passport and forgetting his running shoes someone needs to get him some help :)

I did try to ask this on the youtube Q and A, which was awesome - most of your run training seems to be time based intervals and hill reps - with zero track? Are most outdoor reps effort based and seeing times come down with fitness (thinking more the outdoor reps 30s - 3min etc) v treadmill where you are obviously able to set reps, or is everything trying to hit paces.

Also, do you feel that you did less run intensity this year than previous years where you were fighting more injuries? I remember watching a few videos with Heather in the spring and thinking - this long distance training seems to be agreeing with Paula. I think a lot of ITU people come to long course and the decrease in intensity in the run actually helps them with injury.

Congrats - it was an amazing performance to watch - one of complete control and being a TTL watcher every Sunday morning - kind of felt like we were part of the journey so thanks to you and Eric for including us!

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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!

a few questions based on observations from daytona

what were those white watches everyone seemed to be fiddling around with running out of t2...were they required/provide by race or PTO?

race kits on the women's side look to be a mixed bag between swimsuits, one-piece and a few two-piece kits. what's your preference and how do you decide?

your kit design is really slick. did you have any say in the design of it? will you create a new race suit design next year? can these be purchased anywhere?

Thanks for the reply.

I worked at Zoot for 5 years. Shawn and Jake are good friends of mine and I’m glad you are with them.

I also worked at adidas in Germany so I was just interested.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

Do you think this race is unique and aligned with your skillset, which enabled you to get back to back wins? Almost similar to Jesse Thomas and his Wildflower streak?

I just had my run Garmin in T2 so I was putting that on while running out... since I don't wear the watch for the swim or bike. I assume anyone else fiddling with a watch was doing the same thing!

Yes race suits are definitely personal preference... I think the sleeve/leg suits are much more comfortable for long course racing, and a little warmer. I used to wear a swimsuit for ITU racing but can't imagine wearing one for 90k on the bike!

I did have some say in my kit design with help from Zoot, and you can actually buy the exact kit on Zoot's website (Paula Findlay Northwest Collection). Yes, new design for 2021 for sure!

I would have said my skillset was more suited to hilly courses, but I think the way I trained for this race specifically (100% on the trainer) aligned well with this course. I'll definitely go back every year as long as they have it. Haha

What's your race day breakfast? Did you modify things with a later than usual start? And did Eric have a race day lunch, like a turkey sandwich or something? :)

Alberta with pools closed means you'll just have to head up to the CNC to do some skiing! Hopefully Canmore gets some snow though, I've heard it's lousy right now.
Or I guess if you are in Edmonton area there are some good spots there, but the snow forecast is grim too.

I'm wearing my comfy TTL crewneck right now. Nice stuff.

My race day b-fast was a bagel with PB & honey, and coffee. I had been waking up at 8am because of the east coast time change, so I didn't need to modify much with the start time. Ate breakfast at 7:30am, raced at 10am.
Eric had cereal for breakfast and then oatmeal again before he left for the race around 12pm.

Great race Paula! Love watching y’all every Sunday morning. Did y’all do any heat acclimation training leading up to the race? I know it wasn’t that hot in Daytona but was a good bit warmer than Canada.

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Let food be thy medicine...

Congratulations.

I was curious how biking without a change in speed, position, power, cadence etc with no chance to, corner, coast or soft pedal, affected your run.
Assuming that in any normal course a substantial percentage is spent at different cadence or coasting, out of the saddle etc.
It seems to me that some paid dearly for that unchanging power requirement.

Hey! No, we did not, it was pretty much freezing in our garage for every trainer ride and run. It ended up being pretty chilly in Daytona (by Florida standards) so we got lucky! In a normal season heading to a guaranteed hot race, we'd definitely do some heat acclimation or train somewhere warm.

There were a surprising number of surges, speed changes and cadence changes throughout the race, due to passing other athletes. It would often take a 350w+ surge to get around someone from 20m back within the 40second time frame. This actually helped keep me mentally engaged since I was constantly was paying attention to what was in front of me.
I guess the most difficult part was spending 100% of time time in aero with no cornering or coasting. My aero position isn't too aggressive so I still feel good running off the bike, even after 2hrs in the bars.

At least you didn't have to deal with the guys who don't like being "chicked"...................:0)

Paula, will Flynn become a regular running companion? I have a Brittany, similar breed to yours, and do ~30mi/week with him. As the saying goes, a tired dog is a good dog. Just bought some beanies off TTL. Sounds like that adventure is off to a good start. Congrats of the BIG win.

Congratulations! Everyone I’ve talked to from MHAC/Reign says the same.
How did you think about swim training when only open water was available?
I know there might be things you don’t want to say about your coaching, but what else can you share about core sets or benchmarks for the swim?

Congrats on an awesome race Paula -- you looked so comfy immediately on the bike, I picked you for the win --- 2 questions:

When Lisa came around you on lap 10 of the bike, how much trepidation did you have about having to increase your effort to stay with her?

And what are the odds you'll try to get on the Canadian Olympic individual and relay team for 2021? What would you have to do in ITU to make that happen?

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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)