Strength, 70.3 and Doing What You Love with Coach Jason Ep 60

Join us on the Find Your Edge podcast as we chat with Coach Jason, whose triathlon journey began with a surprising twist—his wife getting him to run a marathon. 

Hear how Jason loves to work with athletes who have a passion for strength training or just balancing multisport with other activities. Jason sheds light on the vital role of strength training, particularly for aging athletes, and shares his own regimen for maintaining peak performance.

Get to know Jason's favorites, including his (many) bike brands (spoiler: it’s Cervelo), and why he loves the 70.3 distance for its strategic complexity and hydration and fueling needs. Hear his biggest pet peeves like competitive drafting and why you should be in aero more. Tune in for Jason’s expert advice and find out how you can train with him at theenduranceedge.com.

Experience the breakthrough when everything finally clicks! Train with expert coaches, fuel with incredible chef-prepared meals, and connect with athletes who love triathlon as much as you do. Join us April 22–26 at beautiful Lake Jocassee for four unforgettable days of swim, bike, run, learning, and community. Spots are almost full: Reserve yours here.

Transcript

Endurance Edge Coaching Philosophy

Speaker 1 1:32

All right, welcome back to the Find your Edge podcast. I am your host, coach Chris Newport, and today we are with Coach Jason. I'm so excited to have you here, welcome.

Speaker 2 1:41

Hey, chris, great to be here. I'm excited to share and learn more.

Speaker 1 1:45

Yes, so I feel like you have a really interesting story as it relates to the Endurance Edge, like having done VO2 testing in the past in your triathlon journey. So tell us a little bit about how you got into triathlon.

Speaker 2 1:59

Thanks to my wife. My wife is the one who got me into triathlon. She was running marathons when we met and I was just lifting weights and playing team sports and she, you know she said, hey, why don't you run, you know? So I ran a marathon cause she did. And then she was like you know, I'm kind of getting tired of just running, let's do. Because she did. And then she was like you know, I'm kind of getting tired of just running, let's do triathlons. So we did a couple of months at the local pool with a swim coach and then we went online and bought some bicycles. 20 years later, the rest of it's history.

Speaker 1 2:26

And you guys are still married.

Speaker 2 2:28

Yes, we are still married and I've done hundreds of endurance events.

Speaker 1 2:33

Now that is so cool, that is so cool. What a unique story. So now that you've been an athlete for so long, how did you get into coaching?

Speaker 2 2:41

I love triathlon. I love sports. I love endurance sports, the sport the community has given so much to me. I've learned so much about myself. I've met so many people. I've met so many good coaches through my travels. I wanted to give back. I've learned a lot. I continue to learn a lot. I want to share with other athletes my passion and my love for the sport and help them get to where they want to be.

Speaker 1 3:07

That's really cool. So how, in alignment with that, what do you feel like your philosophy or your sort of coaching philosophy or style of coaching is?

Speaker 2 3:19

philosophy or your sort of coaching. Philosophy or style of coaching is it is to build a program tailored to the individual. We all have different circumstances that we come from time restrictions, needs, goals, all of that. We have those kinds of different aspects and mine is to build a plan that fits that person's lifestyle and goal. A good example of that is an athlete that I'm working with now. The athlete wants to do the escape from Alcatraz and he's a passionate powerlifter, right. So he wants to lift four, to powerlift four days a week. The two of those usually don't blend together, but I sure don't want to. I want him to continue that which he loves, which is powerlifting, and then build a program around his powerlifting that can support him competing in and finishing the Alcatraz triathlon.

Speaker 1 4:06

And that is a no joke race.

Speaker 2 4:08

That's what I said. I'm like, so I said so what that means. You and I are going to become very familiar with cold water and being comfortable in cold water. So we're going to go and we're going to do some really cold water swims in October, november and even December to get used to it, ready for it.

Speaker 1 4:25

Yes, I think that's a great suggestion, because if anybody doesn't know, escape from Alcatraz, go look it up, because it is swimming. You get to jump off a boat from Alcatraz and swim to shoreline, and then that bike course is no easy course either.

Speaker 2 4:43

Super hilly bike course. Super hilly, like five climbs where you're going 250 feet of gain per mile for like a mile or two. It's a really demanding bike course to swim. You're right. You jump off a boat into water that's in the 50 degree range with currents and marine life, and you have to swim 1.2 miles. Oh man, I'm like that's biting off a big chunk right there.

Speaker 1 5:07

Yeah, I know, yeah, I know. Sometimes certain races you're like, oh yeah, how cool. I feel like that's an opportunity to keep people in the sport and interested just in endurance activities in general, if they're still able to pursue their original passion, in this case being powerlifting. But we see that quite a bit like how does lifting fit into my training plan and can it fit in? And generally the answer is yes.

Speaker 2 5:33

My philosophy, strength training is one of the things that athletes of any discipline should consistently be doing.

Speaker 1 5:40

Especially after we get over a certain age. Jason are you opposed to sharing how?

Speaker 2 5:47

young you are, I'm 54 years old, so yes, how integral.

Speaker 1 5:51

Do you feel like that strength training is in your training?

Speaker 2 5:55

I've just finished a 16 week block where I was coming back from rest and recovery and every day this may seem excessive every day I strength train one day upper body, one day lower body and I did that for 16 weeks. Now I'm moving into more of my cardio training and I'll back that down to three days a week, somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour. Three days a week of strength training and I'll back that down to three days a week, somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour. Three days a week of strength training.

Speaker 1 6:18

So it can be done.

Speaker 2 6:20

Yes, in fact, I think if you're going to be successful long-term you know by long-term I mean 50, 60, 70 year old that strength training is really important you know, if you go and look at age groups you know from 30 to 70, and you look at the discipline of swim, bike run, you'll see that the run declines quickly as you get older and that's a function of primarily a function of strength and VO2 max. So if you want to maintain your athleticism into your later years, you need to focus on strength. So lifting things heavy or lifting heavy and VO2 max.

Speaker 1 7:00

Yes, and it doesn't matter which gender you are. It's so critical, you know, especially for women in particular as they approach or surpass menopause the decrease in bone density and then all the other things that come with that insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance you should say so, yeah, strength training is so massive and as we and we do have a strength training classes as part of our program, and I'm always thinking of longevity in those classes while I'm thinking of, yes, can we squat more or can we deadlift more, but also how can we move in a way that's not only beneficial to endurance sports, but also how can we move in a way that's beneficial for me, being able to get up off the floor if I fall down. Might sound ridiculous to some people who are like maybe in their 30s or 20s, like I'm just I'm just training for triathlon why do I need to know how to get up off the floor? It's toe flexibility, grip strength, mobility in your hips, all the things it's important.

Speaker 2 8:08

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 8:09

Really cool. All right, so tell me a little bit about a perhaps a memorable success story or some sort of achievement that you've had with one of your athletes.

Speaker 2 8:19

Yeah, so something I'll uh and it was it's race related there. We all have people that we like to train with or we will train with different people from time to time, and I have a training partner that I've trained with for for six years. When he and I first started training together, I was a faster triathlete than he was, but we we would train. We would do our long runs together, our long swims, our long bikes, we would train together a lot and we both had a goal. We wanted to go under five hours at a 70.3. And two years ago we were at the North Carolina 70.3. And we felt like, okay, we were ready If the weather conditions were perfect. We felt like we could do this.

Speaker 2 8:58

We started the swim together and we saw each other on the course from time to time and in the last mile of the race he passes by me on the run. He finishes like 30 seconds to 45 seconds ahead of me. He says the PR goes under five hours. I said a PR, I go under five hours. And when we get there we just hug. I'm so happy for him that he beat me and we both PR'd. It was just a great experience, memorable, when you can share joy and accomplishment with others and with people that you spend a lot of time with. It's such a great feeling.

Speaker 1 9:35

I totally agree and I'm so glad you shared that, because I think sometimes we get in little silos, both as coaches and as athletes of you know, I'm just sort of suffering alone and nobody gets what I'm doing. And when you can find that community with which we are trying to grow, of people who are supportive of each other in this process, it just really makes all the difference. I mean, just like you illustrated there right, like just being so totally happy for each other, so cool yeah.

Speaker 2 10:08

So that's my most memorable racing event.

Triathlon Training and Racing Insights

Speaker 1 10:11

So far, I love it. I look forward to you experiencing more of those types of moments in your coaching career. So that's really cool. What do you most enjoy about coaching?

Speaker 2 10:21

I love watching our athletes improve year over year. I started as a mentor a couple of years ago and on the long bike rides for our team members and one of my responsibilities was to ride with the last rider, to shepherd them along, make sure that we don't get lost and everything goes well. To shepherd them along, make sure that we don't get lost and everything goes well. And that first year it was pretty easy for me to keep a conversation with, being there at the back. And then the second year I was there and I had to work a little bit harder to keep up but I could still have a conversation. And now with those same athletes, there's not much talking going on that I'm doing to them until we get to corners or have to wait for traffic clear because they've become better and better athletes and faster and faster that's really cool.

Speaker 1 11:08

I think that's a also sets a great point of endurance is not something that is developed, say, in 12 weeks or six months or a year.

Speaker 2 11:19

I mean, this is years but, this is really Six months or a year I mean, this is years, but this is really developed and you can get faster when you don't think most people can. So today, at age 54, I am faster than I was at age 44 in the triathlons and the races that I do. I'm faster now than I was 10 years ago and most people wouldn't think that when you're in your 50s you could be faster than when you were in your 40s and I'm noticeably faster than when I was in my 30s too.

Speaker 1 11:50

That's really cool. Love that. Okay, so now we're onto some rapid fire questions. Okay, yep, you ready? Yes, although I will say everyone hopefully has already listened to the podcast with Coach Carly. I don't really know how rapid we went, but we'll go through them anyway. Okay, bike brand or brands.

Speaker 2 12:10

Cervelo.

Speaker 1 12:11

Okay, for all of your bikes and your wheelhouse.

Speaker 2 12:13

My newest bikes are Cervelo. My tri bike is about six years old. It's a Cervelo. I just bought a new bike, a new gravel bike. It's a Cervelo. I have a road bike and a cyclocross bike which are 10 years old each. They're both Fugees. I plan on probably upgrading my road bike in the spring and it'll probably be Cervelo, because I've really enjoyed the durability and the simplicity of Cervelo.

Speaker 1 12:40

Cool. Hopefully somebody who's brand new, who's listening to this, is like, oh my gosh, he has so many bikes, but you didn't start with that many bikes.

Speaker 2 12:47

No, I started with one bike. I started with one road bike clip on aero bars, which is a great, which is an absolutely perfect way to start your triathlon kind of a multifaceted tool. And then I wanted something for riding in the winter time. I don't like to ride when it's super cold on the road, so I bought a cyclocross bike that I could route, ride on dirt roads and those kinds of places for winter training.

Speaker 1 13:11

Yes, so you're officially hooked, is what I'm hearing.

Speaker 2 13:14

Yeah, oh yeah, all in yes.

Speaker 1 13:17

Nice, okay, what's your favorite distance to race?

Speaker 2 13:21

70.3. Okay, I like the 70.3 because you have to bring in other items into a 70.3. You have to think about nutrition and hydration. That component becomes critical In an Olympic. Maybe one gel and some water and you're good. Yeah, you move to a 70.3, nutrition, hydration is important, pacing is super important and it's a long enough race. That strategy embrace the suck a little bit yeah, strategy plays into it a little bit too.

Speaker 1 13:50

Yes, definitely cool. What's your favorite distance to coach?

Speaker 2 13:54

probably 70.3. Okay, because that that's where my that's. I feel like I've I've done probably a dozen or more 70.3s. So if there's an area that I've gotten a lot of knowledge in, it's in those. So I'm comfortable sharing with the athletes. Here's what you need to do to really, if that's your goal, if your goal is to go faster, here's the way you do that. If your goal is to finish, here's the strategy you can use to finish a 70.3.

Speaker 1 14:17

Yeah, love that.

Speaker 2 14:23

Right now. What is your favorite discipline? Swim, bike, run and probably strength. Oh, okay, Okay, Okay, that's a. I'm glad you threw in strength, because that would have been if you didn't put in strength, it was going to be bike. Um, like, bike would be my favorite of the three triathlon disciplines. Why? Uh, because you get to go fast and I like to go fast. That's fun on the bike. If you do the bike well, you do what you should, not what you can. I could ride the bike a lot faster, but I shouldn't ride the bike a lot faster because I still have to run a long ways. Bike is my favorite discipline of the triathlon and if I can throw strength in there, then strength would be my favorite of the four.

Speaker 1 14:59

Dang it Um what's your favorite race.

Speaker 2 15:02

My favorite race is? I'll answer that in two ways. First, it's a race where you know a lot of the other athletes because you get to see each other beforehand and talk and say how you've been doing and during the race you get to cheer each other on and they you. That's a lot of fun. And then after the race you get to see each other and cheer each other on and talk about war stories. You know all those kind of things. I know the newest stuff. Because of that, currently my favorite race is the North Carolina 70.3. Because of that, you know it's a 70.3 that I like and there's so many people locally who go to that race.

Speaker 1 15:40

Yes, I love that race too. I will have to say it's a great one. Okay, so what's your pet peeve as an athlete, and do you?

Speaker 2 15:50

have a pet as a coach? Ooh, I do have pet peeves as a triathlete racing a course, and it is the bike. It's two things on the bike. First one is competitive drafting. Don't do it. It makes me angry when I see people drafting each other in big packs. Two things you should do. If you get surrounded by a pack, it's a great time to sit up and take some nutrition and hydration and let the pack get away from you. It's also a lot of fun. I enjoy to go to the front of the pack and just go hammer down and leave the pack, you know, just for 30 seconds or a minute, just to leave the pack behind. But I feel like it's cheating when you're drafting. It is cheating, but it's not always called.

Speaker 2 16:35

So that is a. That's a big pet peeve of mine, yeah, racing. And then if you have arrow bars on your bike, you should use them. You should always be an arrow unless you're turning, unless you're eating that you need to sit up and eat, or unless you're climbing up a hill that's steep enough that aerodynamics don't matter. Otherwise, if you got arrow bars on your bike, you should practice being an arrow so that during the race you're using it makes a huge difference.

Speaker 2 17:02

It's like one plus mile per hour just being an arrow versus not, and I and a lot of times I'll see people who aren't in arrow in times they should be an arrow.

Speaker 1 17:11

Yeah, which makes me question like does the bike fit you? There's one, or is your body prepared for it? Cause a lot of people don't necessarily train in arrow and that's a whole different body position for you to be holding your head and your arms and your torso and yeah yeah, okay that's it.

Speaker 2 17:31

So I have my uh, you know, I have a smart trainer. I have my tri bike on it and that's the way I ride. I ride on my tri bike in my aero bars and then, when I go outside and ride on the road on my tri bike in my aero bars and the only time I come out is whenever I need I'm going up a hill and there's no need, or if I'm coming to a corner and I need to sit up and wait for traffic.

Speaker 1 17:54

Yeah. Do you feel like you have to have if you're going to be doing long course or any any course? Do you feel like you should have a tri-bike?

Speaker 2 18:02

No, I don't think you have to have a tri-bike. I think if you had a road bike and aero bars, you'll get yourself 90% of the way there.

Speaker 1 18:10

Totally, yeah, cool. Okay, what is your favorite workout as an athlete?

Speaker 2 18:17

Leg day, leg day.

Speaker 1 18:19

Says no one ever Jason Wow squats.

Speaker 2 18:31

Uh, barbell back squats if you want to know what my like, because I just think it delivers so much value in your running, in your biking, in your core to be able to brace and hold it that'd be my number one. If you want to build a strong body, barbell back squat. I, I love that. And then the other one for swimming would be pull-ups.

Speaker 1 18:48

Okay cool.

Speaker 2 18:49

Like you know, those would be my two favorite exercises or training yeah.

Speaker 1 18:54

How about your least favorite?

Speaker 2 18:57

Oh, that's.

Speaker 1 18:59

No, it could be strength, or it can be endurance.

Speaker 2 19:02

Lap swimming in the pool.

Speaker 1 19:04

Yeah Is your least favorite.

Swim Challenges in Athletic Competition

Speaker 2 19:06

Okay, I do not like swimming in the pool. I don Is your least favorite. Okay, I do not. I do not like swimming in the pool. I don't like staring at that black line over and over and over. Now open water? I'm happy to go to open water and let's go swim at a falls Lake or Beaver dam or or Jordan Lake. Let's go swim. That's that to me. That's significantly more enjoyable than just staring at that line and just over and over again.

Speaker 1 19:30

Oh my gosh, that's so funny, awesome. Well, jason, thank you so much for sharing your experiences and your philosophy and your story. It's super cool that we get to have you on our team and I think it's a great balance of we just have such a great coaching staff that we can all ping different ideas off of each other, and we're grateful to have you.

Speaker 2 19:56

I look, I look forward to it. I look forward to working with all of our athletes, both present and future. I just want to give back to the sport that has given me so much.

Speaker 1 20:08

Oh, and we didn't talk about this, but Jason was our swim coordinator at Humans of Steel Triathlon. That was very different, wasn't it?

Speaker 2 20:15

Yes, at our Humans of Steel Triathlon the swim comes last. And, wow, that makes a big difference when you have to swim last.

Speaker 1 20:24

Yeah, yes.

Speaker 2 20:26

Yes.

Speaker 1 20:27

And when so many people have issues, like at the very start of most swims, it was kind of the opposite.

Speaker 2 20:34

Yes, yes, usually, usually when people do swims, it's the beginning of the swim where people get nervous and have anxiety. For us at the Humans of Steel, it was the halfway through the swim. People's their legs were cramping because they had already done the run and bike. So it was a. It was a different swim experience to try to manage all the athletes and the boats and the kayakers.

Speaker 1 20:56

Yes, yes.

Speaker 2 20:57

It was a lot of fun. It was it's a great race. I highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun.

Speaker 1 21:01

Yeah, cool. Well, if you guys are interested in working with Jason, be sure to head on over to our website, the endurance edgecom, and we will try to pair you up with Jason. So, jason, thank you again so much and we will catch everybody next time.

Speaker 2 21:15

Thanks, Chris.