IRACELIKEAGIRL

It's open water season- our favorite! This podcast covers open water swimming and how to make your summer of swimming and racing successful. List of topics:

• Water temp
• Wetsuits
• How do workouts change in open water?
• How do you make it more interesting in open water?
• Dolphin diving 
• Sighting
• Watches and GPS
• Get rid of pace  
• Amy's summer goal
• Tools to feel comfortable in open water - in racing and training
• Avoiding panic in open water 
• Swimskin
• Choppy water stroke change 
• Kicking

This episode focuses on training fatigue- the good, the bad, and the ugly...or zombie fatigue as Angela likes to call it.   Fatigue does build fitness, but how do you know when it’s too much and what can you do about it? Topics covered:

• Sleep 
• Fueling
• Good vs bad overload 
• Knowing when to say when
• Looking at the big picture 
• Signs of overtraining 
• When the load you can normally handle shifts 
• Be honest with yourself 
• How to change a workout when fatigued
• The good parts of training with fatigue
• Stress is stress
• Hormonal cycle

250 Mile Challenge: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Brewster/250miles

In this episode, we recap our Xterra New Jersey race! An Xterra is a swim, a mountain bike, and a trail run.  Angela did the Olympic distance and Amy did the sprint. And, in the spirit of clebrating accomplishements, they both won first female in their races! This race was deifnitely outside of our comfort zones, but that's where growth happens. Plus, it's fun to mix it up from regular tri training every once in a while. If you are thinking of doing an Xterra, this is a must listen!

250 Miles in May Challenge: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Brewster/250miles

We are back with part 3 of our "back to basics" series and we are talking about the run! We talk about how to build up run miles safely, how to get faster on the run, all about run cadence, nutrition tips and more.  Also, we are now one week into our 250 Miles in May bike challenge to support this podcast, and yes, you can still join and just enter all the miles you have ridden so far.  You get stickers and a custom water bottle and a chance to show some love to this podcast!  We don’t run ads, we don’t have a donate button, so this fundraiser is a great way to keep the episodes coming, from guest interviews, race recaps, training tips, and general thoughts on life and sport.  Check the show notes for the link or our instagram bios- @amywoodsfitness and @angelanaeth.  

250 Mile challenge: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Brewster/250miles

It's time for part 2 of Boston Marathon, where we talk about Amy's experience at Boston and her unconventional build (a bit of an understatement there). We talk all things training and tapering, cross training, the mental aspect of racing, and the mystery of the stolen race belt!  As the title of this podcast implies, sometimes you just have to show up and see what the day brings, knowing it might not be the day you dreamt about, but any day you can get to a start line is a good day.  Don't forget to sign up for our 250 Mile Challenge to help support this podcast!  Ride 250 miles in the month of May, record your miles, get swag, and help us keep the podcast going strong for many more episodes. Sign up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Brewster/250miles 

250 mile Challenge: https://runsignup.com/Race/MA/Brewster/250miles

The Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest marathon. Created in 1897, inspired by the success of the first marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, it has become a bucket list race for runners across the world. Today’s podcast features two our of athletes, Jen Segerson and Patti Shea, who both ran their first Bostons and both BQ’ed, meaning they ran a time that is under the qualifying time for next year. We talk about how they got into Boston, how their training went, and then we go through race day.  Next week, we dive into Amy's experience at Boston this year, as she went in coming off an injury with not many run miles under her belt, but ending up having a pretty awesome day. Part 2 will talk about mental toughness, cross training, and how to conquer Heartbreak Hill. Part 2 will also focus on setting your own goals to run Boston- and if you want to attempt to BQ or if you should run for a charity- or both!  We know you will enjoy this recap with Patti and Jen, who had amazing days on the course! 

Today is Part 2 of our "Back to Basics"Q and A series for the bike. We all want to be stronger and faster on the bike, and we dive a bit into how you can make that happen. Some topics covered:

• Components of the bike and what Angela uses on her bike and why it’s set up that way  
• All about tires, wheels, aerobars, seats, chainrings, and cranks 
• Cadence and pedal stroke 
• Is the bike intimidating?
• How to get more comfortable with biking
• Motivation and dopamine
• Get rid of all the external stuff
• Top three places to ride 

We are getting back to basics for this podcast and we have a great swim Q and A! Topics covered:

• Is it really possible to get faster if you only started swimming as an adult?
• How do you you pick the right drills for you? 
• The body position drill that worked for Amy
• How Angela is working on her rotation
• It's all about balance
• Head position
• Catch, pull, and  finsh drills
• Are you braking yourself with your hand?
• Angela asks Amy about flip turns 
• Pool pace vs. open water pace 
• Pool etiquette 

Today’s guest is Australian Pro Triathlete Renee Kiley. Up until 10 years ago, Renee was living a completely different life.  In January 2014, Renee was 230lbs, smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, and the owner of multiple successful small businesses. But she was not happy, and definitely not healthy. After watching a triathlon, she decided to give it a go.  In March 2014, she competed in her first triathlon, walking the whole 5k and basically coming in last in her age group. She did another tri in April 2014 and was able to run the whole 5k. She raced a few more that year and started to see progress.  One year later, she placed 8th in her age group in 70.3 Geelong and then 18 months after she started the sport, she won her age group at Ironman Japan. Since turning pro in June 2017, she has had many strong races, including racing in both Ironman world championships at St George and Kona in 2022. Renee’s motto is “Be Better than Ordinary”, the title of this podcast. We were truly inspired talking to her and we hope you will feel the same. Have a listen!

This podcast features Jodie Swallow, a now retired pro triathlete, coach, and mom of three young kids. Jodie has had an amazing career. She is an Ironman 70.3 World Champion, twice ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion, a three-time Ironman Champion, A 15-times Ironman 70.3 Champion and a British Olympian in Athens 2004. She then retired in 2017, had her first child with her pro triathlete husband James Cunnama, and began a career in coaching.  In this episode, we talk about Jodie’s rise in the sport, her struggle with an eating disorder when she was younger, and what made her decide to retire.  Then we move into her coaching career and her coaching philosophies, as well as her struggle to balance her career with being a mom. Follow her @swallowtriathlon and at https://www.cunnamacoaching.co.uk/

This episode features I Race Like A Girl teammate and triathlete Jensine Fraser. One of the questions we hear a lot is: how do I get faster? Over the past two seasons, Jensine has had some pretty big breakthroughs in her performances, culminating in her first Ironman last fall. Angela has been coaching Jensine for about five years, so we wanted to dive into Jensine's training and racing from both the coach and the athlete perspective, and also hear what helped Jensine go from a 6:30 finish time in her first 70.3 to a Personal Best of 5:20 last year.  We talk about how Jensine gets it all done, training tips, embracing a day off, the post-Ironman blues and the unicorn B*&$# slap that shifted her perspective on racing.

We are back with marriage counselor John Weiman, where we continue our conversation on what makes a successful marriage or relationship and how athletes in particular can navigate their relationships while also prusring their dreams of training and racing. If you have not listened to part 1, go back about 3 episodes and listen to that and then come back to this one.  In this episode ,we start by talking about love maps, because we didn’t get to that in the first episode. John also talks about the Four Horseman- criticism, defensiveness, contempt, and stonewalling. One of the more interesting discussions we get into is at the end of the podcast where we pose the question to John: Are all marriages hard work?  Have a listen and reach out to us at iracelikeagirl@gmail.com with your thoughts!

John's website: https://lifebridgecoaching.com/

Today we are talking about ambition, more specifically, relentless ambition- the need to do more, train more, race more, buy more…to BE more.  Now, let’s be clear- ambition is fantastic. Ambition turns your dreams into realities and gives you purpose and a drive to do big things. We wouldn’t be able to train or complete our races without ambition.  But what happens when you lose sight of what’s right in front of you, and instead are always thinking about the next step, the next mountain to climb. How much is too much and how big is too big? We delve into these questions in sport and in life in this episode. As usual, please feel free to leave a review in your favorite podcast app because it helps us bring this podcast to more people. Have a listen!

This episode was recorded in Girona, Spain, edited over the Atlantic Ocean, and shared with you from Cape Cod, MA. It's a very well-traveled episode!  This one is dedicated to myth busting. We are going to attempt to set the record straight on these statements, given to us by our teammates on I Race Like a Girl and Girls Get Gritty.

• Only water is needed for a workout under 90 minutes
• No music on training runs because you can’t use it in a race 
• You should not show up on TT bike to a local bike shop ride 
• Train your weakness more than your strength
• Put your base layer under your sports bra 
• You should take caffeine in a race
• You ghouls breather to only one side in a race 
• The highest average power (w/kg) wins the bike or gravel race
• Drafting tactics in the swim 
• You should wear a tri kit during a triathlon 

Today we are talking about motherhood, more specifically, how to balance training, racing, and being moms to our amazing children.  We do recognize that each phase of parenthood: newborn, toddler, grade school, teenage years, college, and beyond all have different challenges  We actually recorded this episode waaaay back in October after Chelsea Sodaro won Kona, only 18 months after having her first child.  And moms everywhere gave her an imaginary fist bump, because we knew how hard it was for her to balance training and momming.  But the reason this episode took so long to put together is because we wanted to hear from moms on our team and how they manage to sneak in workouts and make time for work and family.  So mixed in you will hear different voices of our teammates giving their perspective on what it means to be a parent and an athlete. This episode is dedicated to all of the parents out there who are trying to give 100 percent to family, work, training, and life in general, knowing you can’t be 100% in all areas, but darn it, we are going to try. Have a listen!  

Today we are going back to basics and we are talking about heart rate zones- what they are, how to your find your zones, why each zone matters, and what training looks like and feels like in each zone.  Whether you are a seasoned athlete, or just coming into structured training, this podcast will help you learn, or re-learn, about heart rate training.  

Heart rate zones let you know how hard your heart is working and what energy source you’re using — carbohydrates or fat. And if you have a working chest strap monitor and a watch to display that data, heart rate doesn’t lie. It does and should fluctuate, which is why we train a lot by heart rate. Your body is different every day and by training where you are at, and not where you think you should be, you will make the most fitness gains and increase performance. Also, listen closely for Angela’s interesting way to describe the RPE scale for a zero and a ten.  She might be on to something.  Have a listen! 

We all use race mantras, or mottos, to help us out when we need extra motivation or when dealing with something challenging, like "be strong," or "control the controllables," or "attitude of graditude."

But we often forget that it’s the language we use every day that shapes how we see our present selves and what we expect and hope out of our future selves.  In this episode, we talk about the power of one word, or in this case 6 short words that we use all the time.  Try; No; Yes; But; Yet; and Later.  We dive into the way we use these words in our daily lives, and how they can move us forward... or hold us back.  Have a listen!

 Email us at iracelikagirl@gmail.com !

In this episode, we bring marriage counselor John Wieman on the podcast to talk about what makes a successful partnership. As you know, we believe that in order to find success in your sport and in life, it helps to have supportive people in your corner, and for many of us, that is a partner. John and Angela have worked together in the past and he is highly regarded in his field. We talk about the “sound relationship house” which has 7 pillars- creating shared meaning, making life dreams come true, managing conflict, the positive perspective, turning towards instead of away, sharing fondness and admiration, and building love maps.  Other highlights are John's belief in "yogurt time" and why he doesn't like the word "compromise." We also ask John, “How do you know if it’s time to walk away?” Whether you are in the early stages of a relationship or have been together for over twenty years, we think you will get a lot out of this conversation.  Have a listen! 

John's website: https://lifebridgecoaching.com/

One of our biggest limiters in sport and life is the fear of what others think of us. We skip out on races, events, or group rides, runs, or swims, because we worry that we will be slow, or we won't fit in. We often let other people's perceptions of us get in the way of our own goals and what WE want to do.  Yet, once we DO take the leap and move out of our comfort zone OR once we decide to NOT worry about what others think (because really, that is all in our head anyway), we end up in the place where we wanted to be all along.  Which leads us to our podcast today, we are talking about the "F*#% It" attitude.  What it is, how to find it, and why we should all strive to go through this year worrying less about what other people think of us and just being our authentic selves and not letting fear hold us back.  This is the year of "F IT." Also, Angela shares her favorite hype song, and honestly, we did NOT expect it to be this one.  This podcast episode is definitely explicit, but we were fired up!  Have a listen! 

We sit down with our teammates at our training camp in Clermont, Florida for a live Ask the Coach Q and A.  We talk about whether you should set time goals, fueling, hydration, peeing on the bike (!!), race anxiety, and then Angela answers a couple of questions about being pro.  Have a listen!