Ironman | The Blog of David Glover

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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...

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...

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...

Leadership at Mile 23 During an Ironman Run

Leadership at Mile 23 During an Ironman Run...

One of my coaching clients, Peter, shared this story with me about an athlete on the run course of Ironman Arizona last weekend. Like myself, Peter is an advocate of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I continue to be impressed by Peter's ability to notice these small examples of selfless and self-initiated leadership where ever he goes. Here's Peter's story that I'd like...

The Selfishness of Triathlon…or Not?

The Selfishness of Triathlon…or Not?...

Is triathlon a selfish sport…or not? One of my clients who is training for Ironman Arizona on November emailed me the other day regarding his struggle with the "selfishness" of the sport: I have been struggling lately when I realize that the sport we are involved in can be selfish. I train a lot and hence don't give back as often as I should. I took a group of church kids to the Comcast center yesterday...

Rainmaker Publishing Publishes "50 Great US Triathlons" Book

Rainmaker Publishing Publishes "50 Great US T...

As a contributor and author coordinator for the book, I am excited to announced that Rainmaker Publishing LLC, which published my book Full Time and Sub-Nine: Fitting Iron Distance Training into Everyday Life has just published a new book titled: From Kona to Lake Placid – 50 Great US Triathlons. Each triathlon presented in the book is written about by a unique author who participated in that particular triathlon....

The Temptation of Just One More Race…

The Temptation of Just One More Race…...

Do you ever feel the temptation towards the end of the triathlon racing season to do just one more race…? I feel the temptation every year. I want to hold on to my summer fitness. I don’t want it to end. I like being “race lean” and sleeping soundly every night after being exhausted by long, hard training days. Not doing one more race means shifting my mindset from “training” to...

How and Why We Get into the Sport of Triathlon

How and Why We Get into the Sport of Triathlon...

As a triathlon coach, I’m always asking my new clients, “So, how and why did you get into the sport of triathlon…?” Everyone has a story and everyone has different reasons for trying the sport (no pun intended). A few of the reasons I’ve heard: I lost a bet. I went out drinking with my friends and we talked each other into it. I saw the Ironman on TV. I used to be a but kept getting injured...

Vineman 4th Place: The inner game of Ironman

Vineman 4th Place: The inner game of Ironman...

Vineman Triathlon 20th Anniversary – August 1, 2009 Finish Time: 9:53:38.3 for 4th Overall Swim: 00:57:39.0 T1: 00:02:18.5 Bike: 05:13:44.4 T2: 00:01:27.8 Run: 03:38:28.6 Link to results: CLICK HERE. As I headed out of transition at the start of the 26.2-mile run, race announcer Dave Latourette yelled to me: “You’re 24 minutes back on the leader.” My heart sunk as a surge of disappointment...

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...

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...

Reflecting Back on 25 Ironmans: #3 Vineman

Reflecting Back on 25 Ironmans: #3 Vineman...

My first Ironman, Ironman Canada, was about finishing. The race was an unknown quantity. I was fairly confident that I could finish the event because I had done the proper training but I had no idea what to expect. My second Ironman, Great Floridian Triathlon, was about recapturing the ecstasy of the finish. I wanted the finish line “high” that I felt at Canada. Vineman Full in 1998 was different. I...

Reflecting Back on 25 Ironmans: #2 Great Floridian ‘97

Reflecting Back on 25 Ironmans: #2 Great Floridian...

David finishing Great Floridian Triathlon in '98This blog entry the second of a series of articles that began with my first race, Ironman Canada and will ultimately end with my 25th Ironman-distance triathlon at ChesapeakeMan this past October. After I crossed the line at Ironman Canada, I felt a sense of euphoria that lasted a week. Like an addict, I was hooked on the Ironman-distance and craved that euphoric feeling...

Reflecting Back on 25 Ironmans: #1 Ironman Canada ‘97

Reflecting Back on 25 Ironmans: #1 Ironman Canada ...

Crossing the finish line at Ironman Canada in '97 “What do I need to know to train for and finish an Ironman?” “What do I need to do to go faster in an Ironman?” As a triathlon coach and a sub-nine Ironman-distance athlete, I hear these question a lot. With the completion of my 25th Ironman-distance triathlon at ChesapeakeMan last month, I thought it might be interesting and helpful to...

ChesapeakeMan: I Can’t Fake an Ironman

ChesapeakeMan: I Can’t Fake an Ironman...

David Glover leading Kevin Kunkel out of T2ChespeakeMan was an experiment with a sample size of one – me. I learned that I can’t fake an Ironman. This is good news for all the triathlon coaches out there (including me) – following a structured, periodized, Ironman-specific training program does make a difference! For me, there was a 2 hour difference between my 8:51 at the Quelle Challenge in Germany...

Follow up to the Quelle Challenge: Crossing the Finish Line

Follow up to the Quelle Challenge: Crossing the Fi...

Yep, that’s me traipsing through the finish line at the Quelle Challenge in Roth, Germany a few days before the actual race. Note the lack of cheering fans and the obvious fact that I’m wearing jeans. As planned, I completed only the swim and bike on race day then stopped in T2. My own unofficial aqua bike race with me as the only participant. I had mixed feelings about doing an event that I knew that...

Quelle Challenge #4: Racing for Other Than a Fast Time

Quelle Challenge #4: Racing for Other Than a Fast ...

I’ll be racing at the Quelle Challenge in Roth tomorrow morning for the fourth year in a row. When I first came to Roth in 2005, I came to experience the legendary atmosphere of what is the largest Ironman-distance field in the world with more than 2,500 individuals and 500 relays competing and more than 100,000 spectators cheering. I was not disappointed in the experience. I also came to break nine hours again...

Ironman Louisville – Going to the well once more

Ironman Louisville – Going to the well once ...

My finish: 9:55:58 and 36th overall I had no real intention of racing at Ironman Louisville this year. In fact, the only reason that I even paid attention to the race date was that one of my clients (Jean) was racing in it. “Do you want to road trip with us to Louisville,” Jean casually asked one day. She was road tripping with her boyfriend, Ken, and friend / training partner, Adrianne. Ken was to be...

Race Report: V is for Vineman and for Victory!

Race Report: V is for Vineman and for Victory!...

So far, 2007 has been a great year for me in triathlon. After an 8:51 PR at the Quelle Challenge in Roth in June, I just won the Vineman Full in a time of 9:17 – a PR for me on this course. My Vineman Results: Swim 00:59:42.2 T1 00:01:33.6 Bike 04:58:29.7 T2 00:01:27.1 Run 03:16:08.0 Finish 09:17:20.6 Pre-Race I received a call from Russ Pugh, the Vineman Race Director, a few months ago. Russ asked me, “Are...

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