Hey Slowtwitch! Paula here, first time posting, hope you won’t be too hard on me (or my aero position
It’s been a whirlwind since one of the biggest wins of my life but I wanted to see if anyone has any burning questions they’d like to ask. I’ll drop back in throughout the day tomorrow so fire away and I’ll do my best to answer! Thanks!
Did you swim on a team growing up??? If so, what events??? What are your swim workouts like now, e.g., how many swims per week, meters per workout, do you do any kick sets or mostly pull and swim full stroke, do you swim all 4 strokes or mostly freestyle???
Yes, I swam competitively (~8x/week) until my 2nd year of University. 400 IM and 800 FR were my best events.
This year was different due to closed pools, but normally we’ll swim 5k (yards) or 4k (meters), 5 times per week. We’re coached by Paulo Sousa and he basically gives us the same swim program as his ITU athletes. Sometimes I feel like it’s too much swimming for 70.3 athletes but we do it anyway. Lots of boring, long, monotonous sets. No kick sets, full swim or pull+paddles. Only freestyle, haven’t tried breaststroke for about 10 years
We were told the cones were 20 meters apart but I honestly think they were more like 10. I stayed 2-3 cones apart from Lisa at all times to be on the safe side. Wasn’t difficult to judge, even at 40+ km/hr.
Congrats on a killer race. You and Eric make the sport much more personable and it is appreciated. I think there are a lot of fans of you both out here.
My question is how safe you felt travelling to the Covid shit show that is the USA? Wonderful country, wonderful people, but that situation seems awful from what I can glean from the media. Do you have to quarantine upon return in Canada?
Thank you!
Good question, we were very nervous about traveling (Eric more than me). Cases were getting worse in Canada and it seemed crazy to be traveling to Florida. I was determined to go no matter what, Eric was more on the fence. However, the PTO did a VERY good job of making it safe and low risk as best as they could. We were all tested immediately on arrival, temp & health checks each time we entered the track, everyone wearing masks, and everyone kept to themselves.
Yes, we have to quarantine going back to Canada, but since we’re flying into the Calgary airport we can do a 2 day quarantine if airport COVID test comes back negative.
Congrats on the race. Your effort looked completely under control, unlike the men’s race that had multiple lead changes and blowups. You looked very at peace with everything. I heard a rumor you were thinking of retiring last year before winning Challenge Daytona. Any thoughts about racing Kona? You look like you could give the top women a strong challenge. Would be nice to see a Canadian back on top on The Big Island. I hope we continue to see you racing at this level. Thanks for coming on Slowtwitch, and bringing the sport to a wider audience on Youtube.
Hey Slowtwitch! Paula here, first time posting, hope you won’t be too hard on me (or my aero position
It’s been a whirlwind since one of the biggest wins of my life but I wanted to see if anyone has any burning questions they’d like to ask. I’ll drop back in throughout the day tomorrow so fire away and I’ll do my best to answer! Thanks!
Did you swim on a team growing up??? If so, what events??? What are your swim workouts like now, e.g., how many swims per week, meters per workout, do you do any kick sets or mostly pull and swim full stroke, do you swim all 4 strokes or mostly freestyle???
Yes, I swam competitively (~8x/week) until my 2nd year of University. 400 IM and 800 FR were my best events.
This year was different due to closed pools, but normally we’ll swim 5k (yards) or 4k (meters), 5 times per week. We’re coached by Paulo Sousa and he basically gives us the same swim program as his ITU athletes. Sometimes I feel like it’s too much swimming for 70.3 athletes but we do it anyway. Lots of boring, long, monotonous sets. No kick sets, full swim or pull+paddles. Only freestyle, haven’t tried breaststroke for about 10 years
Ah yes, the Paulo approach, I’ve read about that here on ST. Kind of a shame though for a former 400 IM-er not to be allowed swim the other strokes. Personally, I would find it entirely too boring to just swim free, but sounds like you do too. You should sneak a 100 IM or 2 into your warm-ups and cooldowns.
In any event, it’s great to see you come back from injury and do so well!!! I suspect this last win meant more to you than the ones in your youth, simply b/c you had to work so long and hard for it, vs the relatively quick success you had from 2007-11.
Hi Mrs. Findlay … congrats to your amazing speeds and thank you for the fun to ask you !! The old source for racing is hunting for some thing … so what is your most favorite bite after a race you won ?? Good and healthy seasons for you !!
Congratulations on your amazing win! I’m a big fan (especially since I live in PDX and even biked past you in the Springwater once!).
I was wondering if and how you work on mental toughness. Do you use positive self talk, mindfulness, or other strategies in training or racing? Also, along the same lines, how do you feel about music/entertainment during workouts?
Since I picked you for the win, I just sat back with a smile and said, “See, I told you she is bad ass!”, Ha.
Did you have a go-to bike workout leading up to the race? Did it get boring going around the track in Daytona or were you just happy to be off the trainer?
Watched it live in Daytona. The replay on NBCSN last night was too short. That race was too epic to condense to 30 minutes. Great job!
Hey y’all TTL and newer fan here, just wanted to say congrats this weekend, what an epic feeling it must have been!!!
With this year being different what did y’all do differently than previous seasons? Was volume just kept high and intensity low for the bulk of your training this time around?
Also HR, where do y’all shoot for during a higher intensity workout vs lower intensity?
Love the YouTube channel, keep the great vids coming!!!
Congratulations on the win, it was very exciting to watch!
You’ve talked about how consistent your training has been resulting in being in excellent shape. How would you compare your fitness now to the 70.3 Championship in Nice last year? Assuming it is better now, how do you think you would have done in Nice if you were at the same level as you are now?
Since I picked you for the win, I just sat back with a smile and said, “See, I told you she is bad ass!”, Ha.
Did you have a go-to bike workout leading up to the race? Did it get boring going around the track in Daytona or were you just happy to be off the trainer?
Watched it live in Daytona. The replay on NBCSN last night was too short. That race was too epic to condense to 30 minutes. Great job!
Thank you! I was actually not bored going around the track, there was a lot going on (especially when we started lapping other athletes), and it took total engagement not to ride into draft zones and surge while passing, etc. I broke it into 4 x 5 laps in my mind, which mentally helped it go by quicker for me. The last 5 my back and neck were sore so I was ready to get off.
A key session we didn’t on the trainer every Sunday in some variation was 4 x (20 min at 70.3 pace, 5 min cruise) + 30 min run off the bike on the treadmill. So about 1h20 at hard race watts, on the trainer, at altitude. When I dropped down to sea level doing the same watts outside, it felt almost easy.
Did Eric shot your Unbreakable spot for the PTO? It was very good and great product placement. I have a hat and shirt from your clothing line and love them! What can we expect next? How about a Flynn inspired dog leash?
Congratulations on the win, it was very exciting to watch!
You’ve talked about how consistent your training has been resulting in being in excellent shape. How would you compare your fitness now to the 70.3 Championship in Nice last year? Assuming it is better now, how do you think you would have done in Nice if you were at the same level as you are now?
Can’t wait to see how your races go next year!
My run fitness it currently way better than it was in Nice last year, and my swim/bike fitness is about the same. Technical riding is not my forte, so the huge descent in Nice made it not a great course for me. If I had my current run form with all else being the same, I think I might have finished in the 5th-6th range. But who knows
Did Eric shot your Unbreakable spot for the PTO? It was very good and great product placement. I have a hat and shirt from your clothing line and love them! What can we expect next? How about a Flynn inspired dog leash?
Yes Eric filmed it! Along with our friend Jordan Bryden, it was a team effort. They sent the files over to the PTO and their team edited it. We’ve had lots of people asking for TTL dog products (haha), currently we’re working on some more cool casual gear and some travel mugs.
Zealios! Not sponsored, but they do give us product and it is 100% the best stuff out there. As a red head training all day in the sun, this is very important to me.
Amazing race, Paula. It was on site and cheered for you as you came through T1. I wanted to know how - if at all - you think your summer in the van with its sometimes less conventional training (in cold lakes, etc.) played into the shape you were in.
