Planning and Preparation | The Blog of David Glover

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Feedback on an Athlete’s Ironman 70.3 Nutrition Plan

Feedback on an Athlete’s Ironman 70.3 Nutrit...

With triathlon season in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to review a sample triathlon nutrition plan. Race day nutrition becomes increasingly more and more important as race distance increases since the body has only a limited supply of carbohydrate stores. Plus, with hot and humid race temperatures, hydration is also critical. One of my clients, Bill Beyer of Beyer Project fame, shared...

Focus – Nothing Else Matters

Focus – Nothing Else Matters...

"Nothing else matters." - Metallica This quote is written across the bottom of my triathlon "Vision Sheet" – my written statement of what I want to accomplish this year in the sport of triathlon and that I have pasted to my bathroom mirror so that I see it every single day. My written statement is my dream I will realize if my hundreds of hours of training and single-minded focus converge...

Winning the Balancing Act with a Weekly Plan

Winning the Balancing Act with a Weekly Plan...

A huge challenge that many triathletes – and truthfully many people for that matter – have is managing time. There are just too many things to do, too many things to think about and too many commitments to meet in order to do everything: spouse/partner, family, job, friends, hobbies, workouts, school, social activities, etc. When I sit down and think about all the roles I play in...

The Commitment Continuum: Where Do You Fall?

The Commitment Continuum: Where Do You Fall?...

“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.” — Paul William “Bear” Bryant (1913-1983), former Univ. of Alabama football coach with 6 national & 13 conference championships As an athlete, I ask myself directly, and as a coach, I ask my athletes indirectly: “What is your level of commitment?” It’s easy to say, “I’d like to try an...

Triathlon Training Camp in the Canary Islands

Triathlon Training Camp in the Canary Islands...

Today is day 11 of my trip to Fuerteventura, an island in the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa, to help at German pro triathlete Olaf Sabatschus' triathlon training camp. As you can see from the picture, it's quite nice here and the cool ocean feels wonderful after a long ride and run. I came to Olaf's triathlon training camp for two weeks in March for two reasons: First, I wanted...

Have a Coach. Be a Coach.

Have a Coach. Be a Coach....

My client and friend, Peter O'Dunne (picture at right from Ironman Lake Placid), wants to qualify for Hawaii and, as his triathlon coach, I'm going to help him get there. Like Peter, I also have a coach - pro German triathlete Olaf Sabatschus who coaches me for triathlon. From Olaf's guidance and 20+ years of experience including Ironman wins at Brazil and China, I've learned a tremendous...

Setting Marathon Goals: Client Perspective

Setting Marathon Goals: Client Perspective...

This winter in the Baltimore and Washington DC area – as well as much of the U.S. – has been especially tough for training for longer events like marathons and Ironman triathlons, as we’ve had three snow storms since December and temperatures that have stayed around the freezing mark, making riding and running outdoors difficult and sometimes impossible. Throw in a demanding job (think “constant...

Example Analysis of an Ironman Athlete’s Training Schedule

Example Analysis of an Ironman Athlete’s Tra...

One value that a coach provide even an experienced athlete is objective feedback via a consultation. A friend of a friend of mine (let's call him Jim) is training for Ironman Utah (St. George) on May 1st. Jim's concern is that because of the recent weather we've been having in Maryland that he has not had the opportunity to do enough riding outside. He recalled that when he was training for a previous...

Your Best 2010!

Your Best 2010!...

The best way to begin the New Year is with this little ritual. This is the second part of the New Year Ritual from my friend and executive coach Margarita Rozenfeld, founder of YES!Circle and Incite International. This ritual is a fun and powerful exercise that can be applied to any and all aspects of your life. I covered the first part of the exercise, Reflecting Back on 2009, in an earlier blog post. ...

My Road Back to Kona: On Deck for 2010

My Road Back to Kona: On Deck for 2010...

When I raced at the Ironman World Championship in Kona in 2002, I suffered like a dog. I left with no immediate desire to come back. Just a few weeks prior to the race, I had broken the 9-hour mark in an Ironman for the first time at the inaugural Blue Devil Triathlon in Durham, NC. I put everything I had into that race and it left my physically, mentally and emotionally drained. At the time, Kona...

Client Success at Beach2Battleship Ironman

Client Success at Beach2Battleship Ironman...

As a triathlon coach, it's always rewarding to see my clients succeed in their goals. When I sit down and think about what my client Dan Head accomplished at Beach2Battleship on November 7th, I am truly amazed. Beach2Battleship in Wilmington, NC was Dan's first Ironman triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run), and he finished in an amazing time of 10:59. What makes Dan's finish...

A Navy SEAL and the Ironman Triathlon

A Navy SEAL and the Ironman Triathlon...

As a Naval Academy Graduate (Class of '93) and former Navy submarine officer, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for the Navy SEALs. In my mind, they represent the ultimate in endurance fitness as they train for their missions on the SEa, Air and Land (SEAL). On the navyathletes.com website, which promotes the Navy and especially the Navy's Special Warfare/Operations communities,...

Transitioning Between Triathlon Seasons: Three Purposes

Transitioning Between Triathlon Seasons: Three Pur...

With the triathlon season winding down for most of us in North America with the exception of a few late season races like Ironman Florida, Beach to Battleship and Ironman Arizona, it's a good time to think about what to do next. Bears hibernate in winter so why shouldn't we? Nature sets a great example of what to do during the colder winter months (i.e. slow down activity) but hibernation is a little too...

My race prediction for Vineman: Indeterminate

My race prediction for Vineman: Indeterminate...

My race prediction for myself at Vineman on August 1st can be summed up as: Indeterminate. This year's race is the 20th Anniversary of the event – the longest running Ironman distance triathlon in the continental U.S. This year will be my 6th time racing the full Ironman distance event (2.4-mile swim / 112-mile bike / 26.2-mile run). In my five prior races, I have 2 x 1st places finishes (2001, 2007), 2 x 2nd...

Crafting a pre-race plan: Make your pre-race goals your race day reality

Crafting a pre-race plan: Make your pre-race goals...

“In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower, American President and General My client, LtCol Tom Impellitteri, USMC, is competing in his first Ironman (Ironman USA in Lake Placid, NY) this weekend. I’ve been working with Tom since January this year in his quest to hear the magic words from Mike Reilly, “You are an...

My client Fabrice finishes Ironman France in 11:29!

My client Fabrice finishes Ironman France in 11:29...

My client Fabrice Guillaume completed his first Iroman last weekend – Ironman France in Nice, France, finishing in a time of 11:29:51 on arguably one of the hilliest Ironman courses in the Ironman series. As his triathlon coach, I consulted with Fabrice approximately once a month since late last year as he first created a high level triathlon training plan with distinct training periods (e.g. off season, base building,...

Choosing an Ironman race – which one?

Choosing an Ironman race – which one?...

A client asked me recently about choosing which Ironman distance race (2.4-mile swim / 112-mile bike / 26.2-mile run) to compete in: Just thought I'd reach out and get your input for choosing your first Ironman and how to go about registering. I've decided I'm going to do a Half Ironman this summer/fall, complete a marathon in late fall, and then try to tackle an Ironman next year. I've heard of the...

Create Your Reality Through Visualization

Create Your Reality Through Visualization...

I’ve heard it said that racing an Ironman is 50% physical and 50% mental. I don’t agree with that ratio for everyone but I do believe mental preparation and the right mental attitude on race day can mean the difference between a poor race and a great race for anyone. I wrote the following article about how to create a “great race” through visualization. The article appeared on the USA Triathlon...

Running through Lists: Being Speedy

Running through Lists: Being Speedy...

David being speedy at the Quelle Challenge in 2007Vickie Elmer from the Washington Post interviewed me recently about being a “speedy” entrepreneur – how do I find time to be an athlete, coach, race director, author, boyfriend, dog owner, etc? How do I be speedy? I create the big picture first - I literally like to draw a picture on a piece of paper – a vision of where I want to be and what I...

Planning Your Triathlon Season: Goal Setting

Planning Your Triathlon Season: Goal Setting...

Revolution3 TriathlonBelow is part 1 of a series of articles that I recently wrote for the Revolution3 Triathlon blog about Planning a Triathlon Season. The Revolution3 Triathlon is a brand new half iron distance triathlon (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) in Middlebury, CT on June 7, 2009 that Krista and I both plan to race in this year. Be sure to check out the race website for more information about the...

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