Winter Triathlon Tips

#479 Breckebeiner USAT Winter Nats

Welcome

Welcome to Episode #479 of the 303 Endurance Podcast. We're your hosts Coaches Rich Soares and April Spilde. Thanks for joining us for another week of endurance news, coaching tips and discussion. 

The Breckebeiner USAT Winter National Championship was last weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado and turned out to be the most fun you can have with all your clothes on. 

I tell you what, Rich! I was nervous I wasn’t going to be dressed warm enough. Man, was I wrong! When all was said and done, I was completely drenched and I’m glad I brought an extra change of clothes. Looking forward to our discussion later and sharing what we learned about this experience!

 

Show Sponsor: UCAN

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In Today's Show

• Announcements and News

• Ask a Coach: Winter Triathlon Training Tips 

• Get Gritty Tip: Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!

• TriDot Workout of the Week - Rich

• Fun Segment: Quick Q&A 

 

Announcements and News:

 

Champions Crowned at the 2025 USA Triathlon Winter National Championships in Colorado BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - USA Triathlon kicked off the 2025 National Championships season on Feb. 15-16 at the USA Triathlon Winter National Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado, at The Breckebeiner. Athletes from across the U.S. raced the unique winter multisport format that combines running, biking and cross-country skiing, competing for national titles in the Winter Triathlon and Winter Duathlon National Championships. Athletes also raced to qualify for the 2026 World Triathlon Winter Championships. 

 

Group Ride Schedule - March 1st pivot from Garden of the Gods Group Ride to Manitou Incline Group Hike.

 

Announcing Coaches Corner (aka Office Hours) with Coaches April Spilde and Rich Soares. Every 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Link to March 18 Coaches Corner - https://www.facebook.com/share/15reK1J3m5/

 

Upcoming Programming - Our February focus will be on swimming.

Mar. 1 - Run Intensity as HR, Pace, GAP and Power

Mar. 3 6pm - Webinar with author and coach Matt Fitzgerald on his new book Chasing Mastery

https://www.facebook.com/share/166xUjYuYp/

Mar. 15 - Run Drills to Become More Efficient and Powerful

Mar. 22 - Trail and Snow Running Tips

 

Grit2Greatness Endurance Website and Social Media - Come check out our new coaching 

Website - Grit2Greatness Endurance Coaching

Facebook page @grit2greatnessendurance

Ask A Coach Sponsor: G2G Endurance

Hey triathletes, what if you could train smarter, not just harder? At Grit2Greatness Endurance Coaching, we’ve partnered with TriDot to give you the data-driven edge. No more guesswork—just custom workouts designed around YOU. Sign up through Coach April’s or Coach Rich’s TriDot links and start a 2-week free trial. Plans begin at $14.99/month and trust us—you’ll feel the difference. Ready to step up your game? Click the sign-up link in our show notes and let’s go!

Ask A Coach: What did you learn at USAT Winter Nats?

Even before last weekend’s race, several of my friends and athletes that I coach knew I was going to participate in my first winter triathlon. There was a lot of curiosity before and since the post I’ve received a lot of continued curiosity and questions about what this event was all about and how to train for one.

When I first proposed the idea for doing the Breckebeiner USAT National Championship for Winter Triathlon, I really didn’t know what to expect. I know I had my own reasons for being on the fence initially, but I got swept up in the excitement and fun from the interview we did with Vic Brumfield and Liz Kollar from USAT. 

Just as I was on the fence, I know this was not a “no brainer” “all in” decision for you initially and for the purpose of this discussion, you and I can unpack what our reservations may have been and contrast it with how we actually experienced this winter triathlon and share some recommendations for others, so they can experience it for themselves.

Get Gritty Tip:

Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

Fear isn’t a stop sign—it’s a signal that you’re stepping into something meaningful. The fear of failure, judgment, or the unknown is what keeps most people stuck in the comfort zone. But here’s the truth: waiting to feel "ready" is the fastest way to stay exactly where you are. 

Courage isn’t about eliminating fear. It’s about moving forward despite it. That first open-water swim? That first race? That business move you’ve been avoiding? The fear won’t disappear before you start—you must start *with it*. And once you do, fear loses its grip.  

Challenge: Identify one thing you’ve been avoiding because of fear. Commit to taking one action toward it today. Don’t wait for the fear to subside—prove to yourself that you can move through it.  

Grit isn’t about never feeling afraid. It’s about showing up anyway.

TriDot Workout of the Week: 

“Big Gear Work”

Session Note

Perform this session on an indoor trainer. Perform all efforts in race position unless directed otherwise.

Planned time in Z6 reflects squats. Time spent in Z5 on the bike automatically earns you equal time spent in Z6, as proxy for your squats since they cannot be tracked on your device.

 

Warmup

10 min @ Z2 with 2 x 30 sec (30 sec) Spinups and 3 x 1 min (1 min) @ Z4

 

Main Set

Dismount

30 sec Squats (shoot for 1/second)

30 sec Isometric squat

 

Mount quickly w/o recovery

1 x 3 min @ Z5 in biggest gearing at 55-65 cadence

1 min @ Z2 before dismount

 

Dismount

45 sec Squats (shoot for 1/second)

60 sec Isometric squat

 

Mount quickly w/o recovery

2 x 1 min @ Z5 (60 sec) in biggest gearing at 55-65 cadence

1 min @ Z2 before dismount

 

Dismount

60 sec Squats

30 sec Isometric squat

 

Mount

5 min @ Z2

Balance of time @ Z2

 

Today’s Fun Segment: Quick Q&A

Sometimes I think we take for granted that our audience already knows who we are and what makes us tick, so this week I thought I’d throw in a fun “get-to-know-you” segment with a quick Q&A. So I’m going to ask you a couple of general and then a few personal questions! Don’t worry, I’ll share too 😉

• What are you listening to or reading at the moment? 

• What was your favorite song from 2024?

• What’s your go-to restaurant? 

• What does your morning routine look like?

• What do people misunderstand about you most?

• What’s an insult you’ve received and been proud of?

• What’s a funny story your family tells about you that you’d like to share?

• If you could give your 18-year-old self some advice, what would you say?

 

Closing:

Thanks again for listening this week. Please be sure to follow us @303Triathlon and @grit2greatnessendurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We'd really appreciate it!

Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!

Train With Coach Rich:

Coach Rich Soares

[email protected]

Rich Soares Coaching

TriDot Signup - https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/richsoares

RunDot Signup - https://app.rundot.com/onboard/sign-up/richsoares

 

Train with Coach April:

Coach April Spilde

[email protected]

Grit2Greatness Endurance Podcast Podcast Series - Apple Podcasts

TriDot Signup - https://app.tridot.com/onboard/sign-up/aprilspilde