{"id":10871,"date":"2015-10-13T04:00:23","date_gmt":"2015-10-13T11:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.trainerroad.com\/?p=10871"},"modified":"2020-03-04T08:27:07","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T16:27:07","slug":"how-a-trainerroad-athlete-became-a-0945-ag-im-canada-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/how-a-trainerroad-athlete-became-a-0945-ag-im-canada-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"9:45:12 Ironman Canada Age Group Win With TrainerRoad"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SKLETsT0eKU\" width=\"100%\" height=\"415\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Once a novice to endurance sports, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SKLETsT0eKU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daniel Clarke<\/a> worked hard and trained smart. The culmination of all his efforts paid off this past July when he won his age group at Ironman Canada.<\/p>\n<p>For a guy who had a humble start to his triathlon career \u2014 he finished second to last overall in his first triathlon in 2012 \u2014 we knew we had to learn his story leading up to the winner\u2019s podium.<\/p>\n<h2>How Daniel Clarke Won His Age Group at Ironman Canada<\/h2>\n<p>Making the transition from below-average triathlete to highly competitive amateur athlete isn\u2019t easy \u2014 a tactical training approach is key. This is one glaring lesson you\u2019ll learn as you read Daniel\u2019s story.<\/p>\n<p>For many athletes, it takes years of trial and error to find a solid training formula. For Daniel, it was no different. To get insight into what he\u2019s learned over three years of triathlon training, we interviewed him in Canada. This is what he told us.<\/p>\n<h2>Preparation<\/h2>\n<p>There are a lot of athletes who hire a coach to help them prepare for their triathlon event. Daniel\u2019s isn\u2019t one of them; he\u2019s always been self-coached. At the beginning of his training career, this put him at a disadvantage.<\/p>\n<p>Self-coaching alone does not put an athlete at a disadvantage. But, self-coaching without proper training knowledge and a structured training plan does.<\/p>\n<p>To prepare for his first triathlon in 2012, Daniel\u2019s training was minimal and scattered. He\u2019d lift weights at the gym, run a few times a week and do a 20-kilometer bike ride around his neighborhood when he could fit it in. And for swimming, well, he\u2019d be lucky if he got into the pool once a month.<\/p>\n<p>This type of unstructured training is common \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t make it effective.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel ended up placing second to last overall in his triathlon race. He later learned there were ten people in his age group who had faster overall times than his bike split. After that, he knew he wanted to get faster. He just didn\u2019t know how.\u00a0Two years later, in January of 2014, Daniel turned to the the Slowtwitch forum for training advice. This is where he discovered <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/?utm_source=Blog%20Post&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_content=Daniel's%20Winner%20Story&amp;utm_campaign=Blog\">TrainerRoad<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Training<\/h2>\n<p>Before Daniel became an Ironman Canada age-group champion, he prepared for another triathlon: Ironman 70.3 Syracuse. The event was at the end of June. From the time he discovered TrainerRoad, he had six months to train for it.<\/p>\n<p>TrainerRoad introduced Daniel to training with power. He didn\u2019t have a power meter at the time, so he used <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/virtual-power?utm_source=Blog%20Post&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_content=Daniel's%20Winner%20Story%20-%20Virtual%20Power%20&amp;utm_campaign=Blog\">VirtualPower<\/a><\/strong>. Before long, he was hooked.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of just going off of perceived effort, he used VirtualPower to know when he was working and when he wasn\u2019t. This prevented him from being able to cheat his workouts.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel\u2019s half Ironman performance was decent at 4:45:25, but he went home without a medal. For Ironman Canada in July of 2015, he wanted to change that. At that point, he\u2019d already made the switch to training primarily indoors. All he needed now was more structure.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-11081 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Daniel-Clark-Feature-v1.0.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel-Clark-Feature-v1.0\" width=\"825\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 825px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 825\/400;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To win his age group at Ironman Canada, Daniel used TrainerRoad\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/plans\/base?utm_source=Blog%20Post&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_content=Daniel's%20Winner%20Story%20-%20Sweet%20Spot%20Base&amp;utm_campaign=Blog\">Sweet Spot Base<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/plans\/build?utm_source=Blog%20Post&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_content=Daniel's%20Winner%20Story%20-%20Sustained%20Power%20Build&amp;utm_campaign=Blog\">Sustained Power Build<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/plans\/category\/44-triathlon?utm_source=Blog%20Post&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_content=Daniel's%20Winner%20Story%20-%20Full%20Distance%20Triathlon&amp;utm_campaign=Blog\">Full Distance Triathlon<\/a><\/strong> training plans.<\/p>\n<p>In the beginning, he had some doubt whether these plans would work. Here\u2019s what he told us:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cEarly on, I was a little bit skeptical. I seemed to be spending a lot of time doing lower power. I knew I really needed to get my FTP up to be able to ride like I wanted to ride, then be able to run after that ride. But I trusted the plans and they did work out for me.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/landing\/train-smart?utm_source=Author%20Byline&amp;utm_medium=Drip%20Campaign&amp;utm_content=Chad%20Byline-%20%20Train%20Smart%2C%20Get%20Fast%20link&amp;utm_campaign=Bylines\">Chad Timmerman<\/a>, the Level I USA Cycling coach who designs all of TrainerRoad\u2019s training plans would say, \u201cYou can skip the Base Phase \u2014 but only at your own expense.\u201d If you bypass establishing a foundation of fitness, you can\u2019t expect to gain much from your training.<\/p>\n<p>Going through the full evolution of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling-training-plans?utm_source=Blog%20&amp;utm_medium=Blog%20post%20&amp;utm_content=Plans%20related%20copy%20in%20blog%20post&amp;utm_campaign=Training%20Plans%20\">structured training plan<\/a>, including the Base, Build and Speciality Phases, prepared more than Daniel\u2019s body for race day. It helped prepare his mind, too.<\/p>\n<h2>Discipline<\/h2>\n<p>Everyone has the potential to run really well off the bike. But a lot of people, whether it\u2019s because of excitement or the crowds, end up pushing beyond themselves and overdoing it on the bike.\u00a0Daniel doesn&#8217;t have this issue. It&#8217;s one of the major reasons he\u2019s had success.<\/p>\n<p>Understanding his limits on the bike not only improved his bike splits, but his run too. After improving his cycling training, during Ironman Canada Daniel was able to get off the bike near the front. And because his legs weren\u2019t gassed, he could run his way through the field. This is where he dropped much of his competition.<\/p>\n<p>So, how did he teach his body what it feels like to perform at specific outputs? By watching a little dot and line.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-11111 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Daniel-Clark-Feature-v1.1.jpg\" alt=\"Daniel-Clark-Feature-v1.1\" width=\"825\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 825px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 825\/400;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>During his workouts with TrainerRoad, Daniel told us he was used to trying to keep average power above his goal power. This practice translated to riding outside and taught him to sustain high amounts of power with great consistency.<\/p>\n<p>While on his bike, Daniel spends a lot of time thinking about how he\u2019s feeling. Beyond gaging his body for power, he does constant system checks in the moments he\u2019s not looking up the road or watching his bike computer.<\/p>\n<p>Am I in a good, relaxed position? How are my legs feeling? Is my body holding any sort of tension? Am I\u2019m taking in all the calories and fluid I need?<\/p>\n<p>These questions are all part of his mental system check on the bike. This routine is what kept Daniel in check during Ironman Canada. It\u2019s also what allowed him to outperform his competition.<\/p>\n<h2>Nutrition<\/h2>\n<p>When Daniel first started riding on the trainer, he\u2019d usually have some kind of snack to keep fueling himself. At the time, he wasn\u2019t eating at specific intervals. Just whenever he felt like eating. This changed when he started training for Ironman Canada and took a more calculated approach to his caloric intake.<\/p>\n<p>While it can\u2019t be credited for his Ironman Canada victory, Daniel\u2019s quirky JuJubes intake strategy illustrates a deep understanding of his body. Something all winners need to have.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what he does:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>\u201cWhen I trained for Ironman Canada, I was spending a lot of time on the trainer. I found that when I\u2019m doing a really hard workout, I\u2019ll eat a JubJub every four minutes. If it\u2019s an easier workout, I\u2019ll eat one every five minutes. It really helps break up the workout. Also, for longer workouts, having a steady stream of fueling instead of just having a handful of JubJubs after doing a hard interval, I feel works best for me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/daniel-clark-training-setup.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-11201 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/daniel-clark-training-setup.jpg\" alt=\"daniel-clark-training-setup\" width=\"825\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 825px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 825\/400;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Daniel used the controlled environment and consistency of his trainer workouts to test how his body would react to different nutritional approaches. After each JubJub, he\u2019d check his power, if he was pedaling efficiently and how is body felt. By the time he would get through his systems check, that rest interval would almost up and it\u2019d be time for him to cycle through it all again.<\/p>\n<p>Consuming JubJubes during a training session may seem unorthodox, but it\u2019s what works for Daniel. Whether it\u2019s eating candy or something else, most winners have their own special tricks to help get them through their rides.<\/p>\n<h2>Race Day<\/h2>\n<p>The weather the day of Ironman Canada was rough. It rained and was colder than\u00a0anticipated. But that didn\u2019t stop Daniel from having his best performance yet. Take a look at Daniel&#8217;s Ironman Canada stats:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Swim<\/strong>: 01:02:53<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bike<\/strong>: 05:23:05<\/li>\n<li><strong>Run<\/strong>: 03:12:02<\/li>\n<li><strong>Overall Time<\/strong>: 09:45:12<\/li>\n<li><strong>Placing<\/strong>: 1st AG, 11th OA<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-11191 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/daniel-clark-podium.jpg\" alt=\"daniel-clark-podium\" width=\"825\" height=\"400\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 825px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 825\/400;\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Share Your Triathlon Stories and Training Questions<\/h2>\n<p>Refined, strategic and disciplined. That\u2019s how Daniel\u2019s training for Ironman Canada can be described.<\/p>\n<p>How do you plan on getting to the winner\u2019s podium? Leave your comments, and if you have them, triathlon training questions below.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Get on the training plan that\u2019s right for you. <\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/?utm_source=Blog%20Post&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_content=Daniel's%20Winner%20Story&amp;utm_campaign=Blog\">Try TrainerRoad for one month risk free<\/a><\/em><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once a novice to endurance sports, Daniel Clarke worked hard and trained smart. The culmination of all his efforts paid off this past July when he won his age group at Ironman Canada. For a guy who had a humble start to his triathlon career \u2014 he finished second to last overall in his first&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":10881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[56,84,98,180,187,252,355,446,523,641,642,649,651,720,736,757,776],"class_list":["post-10871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-base","tag-build","tag-canada","tag-daniel-clarke","tag-discipline","tag-full-distance","tag-ironman","tag-nutrition","tag-race-day","tag-sustained","tag-sweet-spot","tag-syracuse","tag-tactics","tag-training-plan","tag-triathlon","tag-virtualpower","tag-whistler"],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}