Quantifying & Managing Stress and Looking Back at 70.3 Texas

John Mayfield: Hey guys, I just got back from my third trip to Texas in four weeks and I have one more coming up for Ironman Texas here in just a couple weeks. So I'm going to give you a bit of a rundown of the 2026 Ironman 70.3 Texas. I'm even wearing my Ironman Texas shirt Galveston from April 2011. That was my first time to race an Ironman 70.3 event. So I thought it was only fitting. that I wear the shirt today. I'm kind of proud that it still fits. I actually remember buying this on clearance. was on the website after the race some months after I saw it and I think I paid like 10 bucks for it ⁓ that was 15 years ago. So still wearing it and still looking good in it hopefully. ⁓ So before get on to the race today, we're going to be talking about stress, how we it, how we quantify it and how do we manage it. So ⁓ let's get So first off, we're going to talk about what is stress. So stress is the result of stressors, whether they are good or bad, and they all take a toll on the body. The body has a finite capacity for stress, regardless of the source. So whether it is your training, whether it is a hard day at work, a hard day with the kids, the spouse, finances, whatever it is that is stressing you, that is going to cut into your capacity for additional stress. So all that plays into our readiness, our availability to take on additional training stress, our ability to make adaptations from those. So training stress will have physical and non-physical consequences. So this is going to be things like soreness, tiredness, you're going to have hormonal changes, physiological changes as well. So both the physical and non-physical are going to be going into this. So first thing we're going do is talk about training stress. So in order to achieve specific adaptations, we apply specific stresses to our body. So for example, this may be a desire to increase our endurance, our stamina. So we do long bike sessions, long run sessions. We may want to focus on increasing our threshold. So we do higher intensity sets, increase our VO2 max. So we do really high. short efforts ⁓ increase our VO2 max. It may be increasing the strength and power of our muscles. So we go to the gym ⁓ and weights or we may be doing body weight ⁓ exercises in to increase the strength of our ⁓ our tendons, ligaments, all those stability muscles and that sort of thing. But basically what we're doing ⁓ is applying stress to the body ⁓ in order achieve a specific adaptation, a specific result. We kind of define all of these as gains in strength and gains in fitness. So that training stress has to be balanced with all of those other stressors that we mentioned. So whether it's again, the busy day at the office, an illness, a bad night of sleep, maybe what you had for lunch isn't sitting quite right, all of that is going to stress the body and reduce your capacity for additional training stress. And the body treats all training stress the same, regardless of where it came from. So whether it is training stress from a training session or that hard day at the office, the hard day around the house, whatever it is, your body perceives and treats that stress the same. So this is why it all gets clumped into the same basket and has to all be managed as a whole issue. If the body's capacity for stress is exceeded, this is where bad things begin to happen. So this is where we have a much higher risk of injury. This is where we run into burnout, illness, adrenal fatigue, and then even things like depression that are not actually physical, but more of a non-physical implication of exceeding that training stress capacity. So now to the other side of the coin, is recovery. So we must offset that training stress with recovery in order for us to realize the desired adaptation. So we're doing the work, we're creating the stress, then we have to provide for and allow for recovery so that our body can realize those adaptations, gain our strength, gain endurance. Again, whatever it is that we were stressing the body for, we have to allow it to recover from that before we reap the benefits of it. So training adaptations typically take somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 14 days to be realized. So basically what that means is the training that we do today is not going to benefit us until the next 10 to 14 days. So actually we are going to be a little bit less fit, less strong because of those training stretches that we're doing today. It's not until our body has fully recovered from those, made those adaptations that now we will realize the benefit of those sessions. So this is one reason we begin to taper about 10 to 14 days out from big races is because the training that we do in those last 10 to 14 days won't fully be realized until after the race. So we're better off switching over to reducing our volume and really focusing on recovery so that we can maximize our performance on race day. This is kind of like fueling. So it takes some time for our body to Digest and absorb the carbohydrates the hydration all those things that we're consuming. So Maybe it's not worth taking some nutrition from there your last Aid station when you're one mile up from the finish line because your body doesn't have time to absorb all that nutrition Until after you're done with the race. So kind of like that. ⁓ is not realized until further out So we're working with a balance here on those types of things Recovery maximized when we sleep. So this is why sleep ⁓ emphasized. It is really important, especially for ⁓ athletes we are ⁓ putting bodies under additional stress. ⁓ especially our modern world, everyone ⁓ largely stressors going on, ⁓ whether it's work, ⁓ family, it is, ⁓ we have those things that ⁓ increase stress level. It may not be bad, ⁓ they be good, but it's still going to ⁓ reduce capacity for stress. So we as endurance athletes are going then and adding additional training and additional stress to that. especially for long course athletes, we're looking somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 to 20 hours a week of additional stress. So sleep is absolutely critical for everyone. That is something in the last few years have really been emphasized with both medicine and wellness, all those kinds of things. We're really hearing how important sleep is. for us, but it's all the more important for us as athletes that are inducing stress to our bodies for those specific adaptations. our time of sleep is when our body maximizes that recovery. So we want to make sure that we are getting adequate amounts of sleep. That's going to be a little bit different for everyone. ⁓ Not everyone is going to benefit from eight hours of sleep. of us can get away with fewer hours. Some of us are going to need more. ⁓ And that is something that is really kind of dialed in on an individual basis. But especially in these times of high stress and especially in times as we're preparing for a race through that taper phase, adequate sleep ⁓ absolutely critical in order to maximize our recovery, to speed up our recovery and get the most out of those training sessions that we're doing. And from there, ⁓ your recovery sessions, your easy sessions. Recovery tools like ⁓ foam rollers, massage, anything that you're using to help flush out or help induce recovery, ⁓ induce healing to the muscles. Nutrition is key. Your body needs those nutrients ⁓ in to recover. Your body needs protein to rebuild the muscle. ⁓ So good clean diet ⁓ and your body with those things that it needs ⁓ to ⁓ is important as well. ⁓ So of those things can aid in quickened recovery. and reduce that amount of time from stress to adaptation. So now we're going to discuss the stress recovery balance. So again, it's kind of a balancing act here. So there is no true objective measurement of stress to the body or recovery. So there are a lot of things out in the space, a lot of metrics that we use, a lot of metrics that we talk about that are estimates of what amount of training stress is going to be realized, is going to be induced. And then when we look at it on a more collective basis, we can then estimate fitness and estimate recovery, those kinds of things. But those aren't true measurements of what our body is doing, how our body is responding, how our body is being stressed and how our body is making adaptations. Those are representations of what is intended from the training plan. So as a session is prescribed, it is intended to induce a certain amount of training stress indicated by a number and there's multiple ways of measuring that estimating that. And then again, when those are fleshed out over a training plan, over a series of days, weeks, ⁓ can then estimate how much fitness is to be gained ⁓ how much recovery is needed and how much, how ready we are to then go into race. So these are things like TSS, NTS, ⁓ ATL, TSB, all those acronyms out there. These are all estimates. These are not actual measurements ⁓ of our and our recovery. So. Even though we can't measure the stress, we can observe and to a certain extent measure the impact of that stress on our body. So we can see in what state and to what degree our body is either in a state of stress or in a state of recovery. And this is going to include both subjective and objective. So some subjective metrics that we can look at are things like soreness. How do you feel the day after? How are the muscles feeling? Are they tight? Does it hurt? Those kinds of things are subjective feedback to tell us that our body is under stress. Also things like fatigue. How tired are you? Are you more tired than normal? Do you have a lack of drive? Do you not want to go out and do those training sessions that usually you're excited for? All those kinds of things can be indicative that our body is stressed and not ready for additional stress from those training sessions. Then we can also look to some objective metrics. And these are primarily our resting heart rate and heart rate variability. So these are actual things that we can measure within the body. We can compare them from day to day and week to week to see whether our body is in that state of stress or in a state of recovery. So we've been using resting heart rate for a long time as a measurement to see how well our body is recovered or is our body still in a state of stress and has reduced capacity for additional stress. So our resting heart rate is largely genetically determined. So that's going to come from your parents. That number can vary. And the actual number itself doesn't really have a whole lot do with your fitness or anything like that. It's largely Again, just determined by your DNA, your parents have given you this number, and that's going to be your baseline. Now, you can quote unquote improve ⁓ resting heart rate or reduce your resting heart rate ⁓ things like exercise. ⁓ we get more fit, ⁓ we become more ⁓ with our cardiovascular system, as we do ⁓ ⁓ one, zone two training and increase our cardiac efficiency, ⁓ we're going to see there, not only is that we have a reduced heart rate in our training sessions, we are also going to have a reduced heart rate while at rest. So basically what this is telling us our body is able to maintain that homeostasis. ⁓ is able to make recovery from the training stress that we apply without having to work as hard. So that is a good thing. We also increase our resting heart rate through things like cardiovascular disease. So as your heart becomes less efficient, going to have a higher resting heart rate because it's having to work harder to meet the needs of the body even at rest. So we're going to to measure our resting heart rate overnight. ⁓ So when we look it an overnight basis, this is going to be free from any external stresses. whether it be you're looking at your phone, ⁓ something on the TV, something you're eating. ⁓ things like drinking caffeine can actually influence resting heart rate. ⁓ When we look at it on an basis and then we develop trends night from night, week to week, month to month. that is how we're best able to compare our resting heart rate. Now, got a lot of really cool gadgets and wearables now ⁓ are able to determine our resting heart rate. ⁓ back in the day, ⁓ I actually wear my heart rate strap to bed, which my wife absolutely loved, not at all, just kidding there. And that's really the only way we had to measure our heart rate overnight, actually would. set my massive laptop size Garmin watch there on my nightstand, wear that heart rate strap and wake up in the morning and see what my average was overnight. yeah, fortunately now smartwatches, rings, ⁓ sorts of wearables ⁓ it much, much easier for us to accurately track our resting heart rate over time. It can even provide analysis and provide feedback ⁓ as what that resting heart rate data is telling us. But basically under stress, the central nervous system is going to prompt the cardiovascular system to increase the rate of So under stress, the nervous system is going to prop. So under stress, the cardiovascular system is going to prompt... So under stress, car system. So stress, the nervous system is going to prompt the cardiovascular system ⁓ to the amount of blood flow in order to deliver more oxygen ⁓ to working muscles that is going to provide the healing, the restoration ⁓ and remove things like metabolic waste. So ⁓ the. So the more blood that is delivered to an area that needs to be healed, the quicker that healing is going to happen. This is why we do things like heat and cold contrast. That is going to further induce more blood flow to a specific area. ⁓ Compression is going to increase ⁓ blood flow ⁓ and All sorts of different things are ⁓ used that same way ⁓ to more blood to a specific area in order to ⁓ induce speed up. So the body is automatically doing this ⁓ an increased heart rate. Now to an extent it can target those specific areas, but really it is increasing the amount of blood flow of the entire body. So when we do some of those things like massage, hot-cold contrast, that's really helping to ⁓ provide those specific areas where that blood needs to be allocated to ⁓ in order heal that specific area. Now, something that has really come into vogue over the last, I would say, 10, 15 years is heart rate variability. So it is really taking that resting heart rate metric to the next level. And it is a more in-depth, more accurate piece of information that is really indicative of whether our body is at rest or under stress. So instead of looking at just an average heart rate, heart rate variability actually looks at the milliseconds between heartbeats. So we tend to think ⁓ our heart rate as a steady metronome, but in reality, there are fine, very short, very small differences from one heartbeat to the next. So the difference in one heartbeat to another and the variability between those is really a good indication, again, of whether our body is recovered or at stress. And looking at this information reflects that sooner than a resting heart rate. So this is a much more immediate indication of the status of the body, the status of the... nervous system, again telling us whether we have capacity to take on additional training. So basically, low heart rate variability speaks to a steady heart rate. That speaks to a body that is well recovered and at rest. So low heart rate variability or steady heart rate variability is a sign of rest, of recovery, and low stress. So basically what we have here is it is a lower heart rate, a lower amount of variability. This is more of a steady, consistent amount of time between each individual heartbeat. ⁓ In opposition to that is high heart rate variability or large amounts of fluctuation in the amount of time between those heartbeats. it's not steady. It's not that metronome that is ticking in a constant time between heartbeat. There's actually differences between each heartbeat. Now again, keep in mind these are milliseconds. So it really does take a ⁓ ⁓ to ⁓ accurately measure these. ⁓ this is not just like putting your fingers on your neck and taking your pulse. ⁓ is actually requiring the technology that we have now again in those wearables to more accurately measure this heart rate variability. So ⁓ higher amount of heart rate variability is a sign of stress. ⁓ is a sign of illness. ⁓ is a sign that your body is under stress and has a reduced capacity for additional stress. So what do do with all of this information, all of this objective feedback, all of this subjective feedback, when it comes time to plan and execute our training? So what we have to do here is consider all of these different sources of stress and consider how they are impacting our body. Basically, do we have money in the bank to spend? Does our body have that additional capacity for training stress or? Are we at a really low balance and can't afford to go out and do any shopping right now and we need to wait until payday? That's kind how we work with the stress and recovery. our body has reached its finite capacity for stress, whether again, regardless of whether that ⁓ is coming from ⁓ capacity for additional stress is very limited in that case and we don't want to overdraw it ⁓ send it into a state of excess ⁓ and under recovery over training. So we need to consider all of those other stressors when looking and planning our actual daily training. So your training plan is a guide. I've often used the reference of a speed limit sign. So a speed limit sign assumes perfect conditions. a light amount of traffic, a nice sunny day with plenty of visibility. But if the traffic increases, it starts to pour down rain, it gets real foggy where you have limited visibility, you're not going to want to do that same speed limit as if you were on that road in clear conditions. So just because it says speed limit 55, that doesn't mean it's safe or smart to still drive 55 miles an hour in that scenario. Our training plan is the same way. So if it says to do a particular session today, however you know your body is not ready for that or doesn't have capacity for that training stress, you need to make modifications to that. And remember, we are not slaves, we are not subject to that training plan. It is simply a ⁓ very good suggestion for the day, but subject to however our body is responding. So poor sleep, that work and family stress, illness or recovering from illnesses, these are all common reasons why we may need to make modifications ⁓ our prescribed training plan. So if you find yourself in scenario where your capacity for additional training stress is reduced beyond what your training plan is calling for on that day, ⁓ always suggest this sequence of modifications. So ⁓ thing to do is reduce the amount of intensity ⁓ that session or ⁓ the intensity in that session. So if it's got a certain amount of higher intensity, ⁓ Can you dial back the amount? Maybe cut it in half, two thirds, whatever it is that is appropriate or reduce the actual intensity. So if you've got zone four, zone five work prescribed in that session, maybe you dial it back to zone three, zone two, get in whatever you can. From there, reduce the duration. So if you've got a long session, maybe it's a four hour bike ride because you've got a big event coming up. instead of getting in the four hours, you get in three or two or one, ⁓ you get in. needs to be appropriate, it's oftentimes better than nothing, assuming you have capacity for whatever it is that you are doing. you can modify the session. So instead of a run, ⁓ it's just getting on the bike and doing an easy ride or something ⁓ a swim or yoga or Pilates or something that is going to be less stressful, that is going to fit within your budget of what you have, fit the budget of how much is left in the bank. ⁓ then if all else fails, take the day off and prioritize recovery. this may be getting in a nap, going to get a massage, reading a book, spending time with family, spending time with friends, all those things that make us feel better and reduce our overall stress. So some key takeaways from this is we have a finite capacity for stress, whether it be from the training that we do, our lifestyle, our illnesses, anything like that is going to reduce the amount of capacity we have for additional training stress. So these are the things we need to take into consideration when planning and executing our sessions from day to day. What we want to ensure is whatever it is that is on that training plan, you have capacity for that. That session is going to help you produce that adaptation that you're going for and not going to have you overtrained and increase your risk of injury, burnout, all those kinds of things. So we're going to rely on things like resting heart rate and heart rate variability ⁓ addition to those subjective things like our soreness, fatigue, all kinds of things to tell us how well we are recovering and what is that capacity for additional training ⁓ so we can train consistently and maximize our gains for race day. All right, so on to Ironman 70.3 Texas. This is the second 70.3 in Texas in three weeks. a lot going on here. There are a lot of folks that were taking on both events ⁓ we still have Ironman Texas in just three weeks coming up. ⁓ there's of opportunities to achieve that Texas two-step ⁓ of two races within the same year ⁓ and of opportunities to ⁓ test and refine racing before Ironman Texas for those ⁓ that doing that. So as I mentioned, I have been attending and racing this event since 2011. So the past 15 years, think I've only missed maybe one or two ⁓ the events in those years, ⁓ ⁓ think I've only done the race four times. So I've actually been site and attended the race far more than I've participated in This race was in my backyard. So as I mentioned, ⁓ I moved late last summer. So I'm no longer ⁓ in this area, but I largely spent my entire life just down the road ⁓ from I lived in Galveston County for the majority of my life, not actually on Galveston Island, but Galveston County, ⁓ which includes island and the area just north of it. So ⁓ very familiar this area, grew up going to Galveston. ⁓ I love to to Galveston for seafood, the history, the architecture, ⁓ so much the beach, but it's a great place. And I will say, this is probably one of the coolest venues on the Ironman circuit. In fact, offhand, I can't think of a place that is better for families and that sort of thing for a race to take place. So ⁓ the race centers around a, I guess I'll it theme park called Moody Gardens. ⁓ Moody is a family that has been in Galveston well over hundred years. ⁓ is a very historic wealthy family Actually, one of my my first jobs in banking was working for Moody Bank that was headquartered ⁓ kind just down the road So same Moody family Moody family actually donated Moody Gardens to the city several years ago. they are quite philanthropic ⁓ and We all the benefit of having this as public so Moody Gardens was opened in ⁓ the early 90s. So was in junior high at the time we went a whole lot. was right around the time that Jurassic Park came out ⁓ it definitely had kind of that Jurassic Park vibe. there an aquarium there. ⁓ There a rainforest with all sorts of plants and animals that you would see ⁓ in rainforest. Even a ⁓ pond of piranhas. ⁓ There's IMAX theater ⁓ and water park, ⁓ all of different things there. So ⁓ it's really cool venue ⁓ to out at. It's great for families. There is a really nice hotel that is right there. So a lot of the athletes that are participating in this event are able to stay right there, walk out there at the front door of the hotel and basically be in transition on race morning. The families can go back to the hotel while athlete is out on the bike. ⁓ it's just really convenient, really nice. Hobby Airport is about 30 minutes up the road. ⁓ That is very easy in and out airport. ⁓ Bush is on the other side of Houston. Not as close, not as easy. That one's better for Ironman, Texas, but it is super accessible with lots of stuff to do ⁓ the days leading into the race. Great for families that are attending and it's a great spectator venue as well. the swim is located in a body of water called Ofats Bayou. ⁓ basically, Gawason is a sandbar there in the Gulf of Mexico ⁓ and is relatively close to the mainland and this Ofats Bayou ⁓ is ⁓ a that ⁓ sits the island and the mainland. So ⁓ it largely protected. ⁓ We don't see the waves like we do on the other side of the island that is actually facing the Gulf much more protected. ⁓ It is quite salty because it is the same water that is in the Gulf. Again, Galveston Island is just a little barrier reef there in the Gulf. So water very salty. A lot of times that is a bit of a surprise ⁓ to But that salt water is going to be more buoyant. ⁓ Historically, this ⁓ is ⁓ legal, not super cold. I believe the official temperature ⁓ for this past weekend was like 72 degrees. I actually went out and swam the day before the race and I didn't wear a wetsuit and I was totally comfortable. ⁓ you combine the benefits of that wetsuit with the extra buoyancy of that saltwater ⁓ generally this is going to be a pretty fast swim. this race day was unique. So ⁓ as as it was a couple weeks ago at Little Elm, ⁓ it freakishly calm. on Galveston Island on race day. keep in mind, an island out there in the Gulf. ⁓ is always windy. So I would say like the baseline minimum ⁓ something like 10 miles an hour. Like you would consider 10 mile an hour wind a calm day ⁓ not be surprised if it was 20 miles an hour sustained with gusts from there. Cause again, you're out there in the middle of the Gulf. ⁓ ⁓ morning was eerily calm. ⁓ It was, ⁓ was ⁓ a breath of air out there. ⁓ the swim was like glass. ⁓ So it was a great opportunity to have a fast swim, not have to run into those issues with breathing and siding that sometimes ⁓ when wind kicks up and produces chop on the water that can complicate ⁓ these water swims. ⁓ No there. So this should have been a record setting swim out there this race. And a cool little fun fact is the swim exit is right by a paddleboat known as the kernel. Unfortunately, this race is no longer around, but there used to be an event that was an Alcatraz qualifier just north of Galveston Island up in Galveston Bay that the boat would take everyone a mile offshore, have everybody jump off, swim in, and that was an Olympic distance race. So it was that 1500 meter swim. so we're still incorporating. kernel paddle boat just a little bit into the swim but unfortunately that race is longer around. Transition is in a huge parking lot. Again, this is a very large kind of theme park. and lots of parking. They host huge events all the time. So Ironman takes over an entire large parking lot ⁓ and where Transition is. So it's right there, very convenient to the swim exit ⁓ as well all the other ins and outs that ⁓ are needed. For better or for worse, the bike is about as plain and simple as it comes. Basically, you head out of the Moody Gardens complex. At that point, you're ⁓ a half mile from the seawall, which is the other side of the island. That is the gulf side, the gulf-facing side. Basically, you meander a little bit, maybe over the first three miles or so, out to the road ⁓ that ⁓ extends entire length of the island. and then you don't turn again until you're at the U-turn point. So this is effectively a 28 mile point to point with a U-turn in between. once you hit that main street that you're on, you're going to have probably about 25 miles of just straight for better or for worse. So in these conditions we had over the past weekend, it kind of not an issue. ⁓ But what we have ⁓ are pretty strong winds. Most times what we can expect is a tailwind out and then a pretty hard headwind back in. It is not uncommon, not impossible to actually reach ⁓ 28 mile turnaround point in a little bit over an hour. So miles an hour plus, ⁓ and can spend most of the time just sitting up, not even necessarily in the aero position because that wind is pushing you. ⁓ Another thing mention is they have really good roads. They take good care of them. They've repaved them several times. for the vast majority of this course, you've got a really nice low friction road. So it's very comfortable and going to be fast. it is that you go out is going to be reciprocated on the back. So there's that law of reciprocation. Headwinds become tailwinds, tailwinds become headwinds, uphills downhills, vice versa. So ⁓ it wasn't so much the case ⁓ in past week's race because the wind was again so freakishly low. But generally, you're going to have a heck of a headwind coming back in. what feels like a very short 28 miles out becomes a very long 28 miles back into transition. But there are some neat things along the way. It starts in a relatively densely populated touristy area, lots of hotels, condos, those kinds of things. And the further you get out, ⁓ the ⁓ kind rural it gets. You got into some cattle land, that sort of thing. and then eventually you reach the western edge of the island. So this used to be a toll bridge. So kind of the running joke was that you needed to bring some quarters with you to throw in and pay your toll to get over the bridge. actually, like in the last year, did away ⁓ the tolls. So now it's free. So you don't need your quarters anymore. You cross over this bridge known as the San Luis Pass ⁓ and bridge is about a mile long. And this your only elevation on the entire course. This course is literally pancake flat. It doesn't get any flatter than this except for one little section of this bridge where there is an arch effectively to allow taller boats to fit underneath it. I'll say it is kind of steep, but it's pretty short. So you're going to get literally 90 % of your elevation gain within this very short span of going over that bridge. But you go over it twice, so you're going to get double the elevation there. Once you're back onto the mainland, there's nothing out there. So this is very remote. It is actually some really pretty Texas coastal environment. There's ⁓ whole bunch of sand. There's some sand dunes, that sort of thing. ⁓ a whole lot else out there. So for better or for worse, you're of out there on your own. ⁓ And you a couple miles ⁓ through whole bunch of nothing and you make the U-turn and head back, cross back over the sand. Let me pass over the elevation gain, double your elevation gain coming back. and then head on back straight to transition. Now personally, I really like this run. Some folks don't and I know why. So this is a three loop run, which I like loop runs, but this run hardly leaves the ⁓ campus of this ⁓ park. There's only one little stretch that kind of goes out onto the main road. It's an out and back and it probably totals less than ⁓ a mile or so. So the vast majority of this run course is effectively running kind of around parking lots, running around some buildings. So that makes this a very spectator friendly. There's hardly any section of this course that isn't packed with people. So there's always a lot of engagement going on. there are a whole lot of twists and turns. So if you don't like turns, you're not going to like this course because there are a whole lot of turns out there. ⁓ a whole lot of different areas. So as I mentioned, you kind of start in a parking lot, you run around some of those pyramids, then run around the backside where the water park is, where the swim is, then you run over here to the paddle boat ⁓ was the swim exit. ⁓ there's a lot to see, a lot to keep you engaged. ⁓ something I really like about these three loop courses is it provides some great ⁓ feedback. So what I advise my athletes on these three loop courses, whether it's a 70.3 or a full ⁓ distance event, ⁓ that first loop is a forced holding back. we want to go really easy on that first loop. So it's a forced effort that you feel like you should be running faster, ⁓ we're going to intentionally be smart and hold back. Now, second loop, we're of just going to go. We're not going to hold back, but we're not going to push either. So what I say is this is kind of your, your natural pace. If you weren't wearing a watch and you just were going for a run, ⁓ this what that should feel like. So after taking that first loop easy, This should also feel easy. It should just be fun, natural, feel good. And then if we've done everything right, nailed our pacing, nutrition, hydration, all those kinds of things, now it's time to empty the tank. So on that third loop, if you've done everything right, now you can actually hit your fastest paces at negative split the run, and you've only got a couple miles left. So it's time to empty the tank and pass all those people that ⁓ have been out there. Now that doesn't necessarily mean you have to start emptying the tank right at the beginning of the third loop. may need to wait a mile in or halfway through that loop, but effectively what we want to do ⁓ ⁓ some energy, save our strength ⁓ a strong finish, which great finish line here at this race is right there out front ⁓ of building. ⁓ Again, support out there. ⁓ So a great conclusion to a great race. So this is absolutely one I recommend for kicking off your season. Now, I will say they got some extremely good conditions ⁓ year. This race is known for some pretty crazy conditions, ⁓ high ⁓ Last the swim was canceled because it was beautiful the day before, almost like this year's. But then overnight a storm came in, the temperatures dropped, ⁓ it was it was cold, it was nasty. Lots of people just decided not even to race, but for those that did ⁓ endure ⁓ a nasty bike, They actually had a really nice run. The weather kind of cleared up. So it's like they say, if you don't like the weather in Texas, wait a few minutes, it'll change. All the more down here on Galveston Island, but it's a great place to visit and a great place to race. So in addition to 70.3 Texas, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that 70.3 Oceanside was also this weekend, big pro race, well attended race out there in Southern California. So look forward to next week. We're going to get some recon from the race there along with some other good information. We'll see you then.