Balancing Life, Work, and Endurance: Cindy Maloney’s Ironman Journey

and welcome to the Athletes Compass podcast where we navigate training, fitness and health for everyday athletes. Today as part of our focus on everyday athletes, we get to interview, interview Cindy Maloney, an endurance athletes who recently completed a pretty perfectly paced marathon and has done a ton of endurance events. Thank you for joining us, Cindy.

Can you tell us about your athletic background and what initially got you into endurance sports?

that I kind of got into endurance sports a little bit later in life, probably more in my 20s. I started running a little bit when I was in university. And then when I graduated, I moved out west to the Canadian Rockies where I lived in Jasper, Alberta. And I started

lots of running there and I bought a mountain bike and

really got into mountain

that I wanted to run a marathon. So in my kind of mid twenties, I ran my first marathon with a friend and kind of did that for six years in a row, one marathon a year, along with doing lots of mountain biking. And then moved to Calgary, bought a road bike and decided, hey, I, you know, I can run, I can...

bike, I miss swim a little bit and decided to sign up for a half iron distance race.

was Yeah. And yes.

was your first triathlon, Cindy?

Yes.

daughter was had just been born and at the tail end of my maternity leave is when I did that.

triathlon. So I didn't do a lot of training, but I really enjoyed it. And I thought like, I'd like to one day do a full Ironman. So I think that's kind of when I got the bug. But having a small baby and toddler, I realized I couldn't train. So kind of took a break from that for seven years and then kind of got back into it, did a couple

then fast forward

started with Athletica and then really got into doing the Ironman.

Cindy was literally one of the first people ever on the platform.

haha

So Cindy, on behalf of the whole team at Athletica, we're just incredibly grateful for your contributions for all these many years, your patience with us.

Yeah.

So, if you have a problem brain, you a

And hopefully we've got a win -win relationship going on.

yeah, that's, that's great.

think

impressive that your first triathlon effort was a half Ironman. I mean, most people start with the sprint, but you just went right for the, for the fun stuff. what are some of the endurance accomplishments that you're most proud

Thank

Yeah.

that you've done?

Well, I would definitely have to say,

you know, everything just fell in place. I think, you know, with every race I've done, you know, there's always a few things that, you know, you wish would have gone better or you, you feel like, maybe if I'm in my training, I should have done this or that. But definitely with the Kona race, everything fell into place perfectly with my training, following the athletic plan with my like nutrition during the race, all the heat prep leading up to

going to Kona, my time in Kona, everything was amazing, training on the island. And then I just felt like everything played out as I thought it could be based on all the training I'd done and all the work I'd put towards it. So it was something I'm really proud of. It was like a really great accomplishment for me, I felt. And then more recently, I did a marathon.

earlier this year and I was, yeah, I guess proud of that because I had done six marathons before but I knew that I could do, that I was more fit than I was back in my 20s when I was training for those. And so to be able to kind of show that through being able to train properly and just follow all the steps and follow athletica and then to see it play out how I was hoping it would was amazing.

Thank you.

Cindy, congratulations for all those amazing accomplishments. And I've truly enjoyed watching you and tracking you on trackers and checking your amazing marathon in Calgary, which is like perfectly paced. And I also enjoy you joining our

workouts.

No.

Ha ha.

It was a lot of

But I want to go back to how you make all these crazy things happen. Like you have full -time work and two

us how you make that, you know, everyday life happen with Ironman training.

No.

you know, having a consistent schedule really

You know, with all the half Ironman or like full Ironman training,

the schedules always seems to be about the

so having knowing each day what it's going to be like, then it's easier to plan.

think I'm pretty efficient with fitting in lots of different things

prepping my meals because I do a lot of my workouts at my lunch hour during work. So I have to have lunch prepped to bring to work and breakfast as well. It's really just like being organized, I would say, getting up early in the morning to fit in the workout before work. Everything just kind of goes like clockwork. I mean, sometimes it's challenging. Like with my kids being older, so they're both teenagers and so they're very independent.

It doesn't impact too much the family dynamics with the training So it works out. Yeah, I mean, if it was 10 years ago, it would have been more challenging, which I think is why I've been able to dedicate more time into doing the Ironman build.

Definitely with younger kids, it would have been way more challenging.

kids, when you did those six marathons in six years, and then the first half Ironman at the end of your maternity leave, what was the thought process of taking a break? Was it difficult to say, hey, I'm going to take a break? Or how did you keep fit? Because obviously,

You didn't just let everything go. I know you must have done something to be able to perform so well

Heh.

I think, yeah, I mean, I've always tried to maintain fitness. I mean, I know when I was training for that half iron man, a lot of my runs were like pushing a store

know, I didn't do a lot of riding. Yeah, I remember feeling it on the bike. It was like, I definitely haven't done anything over 70 K type thing. So, but I mean, I've always loved mountain biking as well. And

think I've just

fit it in here and there, not to the level that I do now, but I guess I've always maintained fitness. And I think it just as a family,

so we bike together when we can.

just kind of always kept it going, but not specifically training for

date nights.

what I see in Cindy's training, she just strikes a really good balance. She does,

meld her training with her social life and these sorts of things, right? Like, cause you know, I'm reading her comments and stuff on Athletica and you can see like she's, yeah, she's a road with Paul, her husband, right? And,

and then caught up with another friend for a run and these sorts of things. So, from what I see from Cindy, she really strikes a really nice balance between the social elements and getting her done and killing it on the world

Now you're, you're raising 50

age group, 50 plus.

I am!

have you noticed any differences since you started training like with Athletica the last four years, like

I mean, I'm kind of surprised that

able to put in the volume that I've been able to do for all the training. Like, I remember talking to a friend who lives in Revelstoke who was doing Iron Man training and asking him, you know, how many hours he trainings. And he told me 18 hours. And I thought, my gosh, like, I can't even imagine.

But, you know,

I definitely got up there, you know, for many weeks and I think I just, my fitness got to a level where I could just kind of day in, day out for like chunks of

do notice that, you know, there's always a body part of me that's sore. My joints are sore in the morning. You know, sometimes I feel like a really old person getting out of bed, but once I move around, I'm fine.

But I think I've just been able to maintain being healthy using Athletica Like I generally, like I just do not get sick.

a healthy person, which has really helped be consistent with my training. Like there's nothing really that's taken me out for a long period of time. So I

of that is, yeah, just following Athletica and not really over training me and listening to my body as well, because definitely there are some sorts like,

I'm really tired and I don't think I can do this next workout. So just leave

Cindy, you, we have three coaches here, you know, between the three of

your next goal and what questions would you have or do you have for the, for us as coaches about your training or about anything that you're doing with your endurance work?

Well, I'm going to be signed up for a mountain bike race in September and it's a local race. It's called the Revvy 50 and that's kind of my next race on the docket.

the format of the race is a lead out on a road, I think behind like a police car. And then once you kind of get through town and onto kind of the other road that leads you to the mountain bike trails, then it's kind of go time.

from previous experience, when I did a six day stage race, that kind of always had that format, a bit of a lead out and a bit of a road section to break people up before you got into the single track. That was the section where I always felt that was my weakest.

you know, is it better to do kind of an all out effort on that road section to try and get in the front before you get into the single truck where then it can get a little bit congested and how best to kind of train for that because in all of my other kind of Ironman and, you know, half Ironman races, it's always just a

kind of a steady endurance effort and never like a big surge like

Yeah, I know that you're doing 30 30s and 40 20s as part of your training. It kind of depends on what your goals are for the race. I mean, are you looking to win age groups or do well in your age group?

Well, of course, it's my goal to win, but... No.

Hahaha!

Yeah. Okay. Then, then, then I would definitely say that with those kinds of lead outs, then burning a match to be upfront is important. And then having the fueling to stay with it, you know, keep the carbohydrates on, on board, because that's a pretty big effort to stay on board.

She's in it to win it!

Mm -hmm.

then once you get into the single track, then you can recover. So it's a chance, you know,

Right.

So I would say that the doing the 30 30s and the 40 20s will prepare you for that kind of effort. and then, putting in the time, you know, on the mountain bike trails, you know, you've got a bit of an advantage that you've, those are your home trails. So know the course and know all the places where there are going to be pinch points and where people will get stacked up and where you can pass.

Hmm.

try to do that even on your road bike, just to give you an idea of like, well, what's it, what is it probably going to take? you know, in terms of the, the all out duration of this and, so that you're there right there and, and yeah, and, and, and I would, I would maybe even do a couple of preps as well, just to kind of like, even, you know, if you can all out it and then, and then see what it feels like to do single track thereafter, right? Cause here in Revy, we have a lot of Hills.

Yeah.

Mm -hmm.

So I can imagine that that won't be a single track necessarily that is on the flats. I'm imagining that could be a single track that's going up.

It's tantrum up, which Paul knows probably that's very technical. Yeah.

No.

Tantrum is super technical. It's like root city, right? Like you've, yeah, but I think we both probably know it well. I've had a couple falls there in the rain. The roots are so slippery.

Yes. Yeah.

Yeah,

nasty.

Okay, that's great advice. Thank

And I do have another question. It's more in regards to

Yeah.

year, I was

the Boston Marathon because I did qualify.

But then also I am missing triathlon a little bit because I have not done a triathlon this year. So I actually stuck for the Coeur d 'Alene 70 .3, which is in the end of June. And so Boston's at the end of April

d 'Alene at the end of June. And so my question would be, so when I did the marathon training this year, I did a specific marathon block.

And I did, of course, add in some swim biking, but the focus was just the marathon.

Would you recommend that I do that again and then just walk over to a 70 .3 shorter bill? That would probably be like seven weeks.

Yeah, that would be just pretty much more or less what you're doing, Cindy. I keep an eye on you there. And yeah, how you're doing that. You're continuing to tick over in your swim so you won't lose that. Plus, it's great cross -training. And then at least still two to three bike sessions on top of that. But yeah, I mean, Boston's a really fun bucket list kind of race. That's pretty cool that you're

Mm -hmm. Right.

Mm -hmm.

If you've qualified for sure to Boston, you're going to go there. That's pretty awesome. And yeah, I mean, you did so well last time for your Calgary race. I wouldn't do too much different if I were you. You know the recipe. And yeah, again, I think it's you successfully, comfortably accumulated big training volume

the result was...

was awesome.

the Kona race, I think you were 26th in your age category overall in the world.

You're close.

I'm sorry.

Wow.

Wow.

Yeah.

That was so amazing. I'm so impressed by the marathon in Kona. You were ticking so evenly too. You know how to base a perfect marathon. You have it in

Thank you.

Ha ha.

knew the training for marathons. I had a lot of volume and I just had done that pace so often down airport way in Revelstoke. I was really well, I was heat acclimated so the heat did not impact me at all. So really it was just running that pace.

Yeah.

I'm actually doing a podcast on a heat with a viewer after this one in the training science podcast. And we're going to talk about this in it, but I'm really curious as to the strategies that you used as an everyday athlete

prepare yourself for Kona. Because let's be honest, a lot of people don't say that, that I prepared well for the heat and it felt good on the day. It's usually the opposite.

If you wouldn't mind, can you reveal your secrets for everyone else, if you remember them?

Well, actually, I do I remember I listened to one of your podcasts that you did with a female,

took notes on because she does she did talk specifically about women and heat acclimating and that it took longer for women to do that. So I did start I think 14 days before and did a combination of

sauna sessions and hot tub sessions, because we have a hot tub at home. So whatever kind of worked best for the day and what I was training. And so I started probably like 10, 15 minutes, like immediately after a session. So if I went for a run, then I come back hop in the hot tub. Or if I was doing my swim at lunch, do my swim and then go right into the sauna.

Thank you.

kind of over that

14 days, I think there was two days where I didn't do it because I was actually really feeling the stress of it.

I was a bit worried that I maybe overcooked, but

was just listening to my body and I needed, I needed a break from it. And also listening to that podcast, she did talk about, you know, you could do a bunch of consecutive days, maybe take a break or two and then get back to it. And it would, you still see the benefits. So.

I think by the end I was, I think I was doing 40 minutes in the sauna, which was a really long time, but it was starting to feel okay. And then some of my last rides, I was, you know, all of my rides I was doing with Sam and the weather was getting cooler. So it wasn't particularly hot, like on the trainer or anything, but I just remember by the end I was cold all the time because I was.

Perfect.

How?

you

Heat acclimated at that point and I remember doing a run off the bike and I was had a million layers on and I was just could not get warm. But once I arrived in Kona then just I felt fine like right from the bat as soon as I started just doing some of my training rides and training runs, I was like, it actually doesn't feel too bad. And I had to keep checking with people like is it do you find it hot? My roommate there she was doing some runs and she hadn't done really that type of heat prep.

And she was like, my gosh, it's so hot. I'm so dripping sweaty. And I was like, OK. In my head, I'm like, I don't feel like that at all.

sorry.

it's funny because, so Cindy, you're in Revelstoke BC, Canada, and you were saying that at the end of September, October, that the temperature was going down, it was cooling off. So you have to rely on doing passive heat adaptation sessions like sauna or hot tub right after your workout sessions. I'm here in Houston where it's like constant, I can't get away.

Hmm.

Mm -hmm.

We actually bought an ice pod so I can get a tiny little relief whenever I want to, I can go in ice tub. But I wanted to ask you how you felt the stress, like how did you feel like super thirsty or just like fatigued or did you do any modifications to your diet or anything like that?

Ha ha ha.

Well, I think when I first was, yeah, really feeling the stress, it was more when I was sleeping. I felt like I couldn't sleep

Mm.

I felt like my heart was racing a little bit as well. And so I was like, so I definitely took a break from it for a day, whether it was related to that, or if I was just kind of on the edge of my fitness and the edge of the heat training and everything else. But I guess that's how I felt. It was like, my body felt a bit stressed for sure.

Okay.

And you arrived in Kona how many days before? You were there for a while. Okay, yeah.

nine, yeah, nine days, which I thought was really beneficial just to get to lay the land and it was really, it was fun to be there as well.

Mm.

super cool.

Yeah, it was such a great outcome too, because I can even remember you kind of questioning the whole thing because, you know, it's pricey to go and, you know, your family wasn't going with you as well. And it was kind of, yeah, you know, it was kind of the Cindy project, right? And there's a lot, there's kind of a lot riding on it for you as well, I'd imagine from a personal standpoint. And, you know, like you didn't want to go there and not show up and at least, you know, give your best, right?

Yes.

want to go back to your marathon training. What was your longest runs and what was the volume going into the Calgary Marathon?

Yes, I was, you know, when I built the plan, I kind of look forward even though I know it changes. And I did see some of the weeks that were up in the hundred kilometers. And I remember thinking, how am I going to do that? But we'll just see. And I mean, in the end, like my longest run ended up being, I think, 28K. I thought I might get to 32K, but it just worked out. But I felt like I had enough volume and plus I had

done marathons recently with the Ironman, but I wasn't worried about not being able to do the distance on the day. Like that wasn't my concern. But because I knew I got quite a bit of volume and I think kind of at my peak weeks, I got up to 100K a couple of times and like weeks prior to that 95, 90. So there was definitely a progression. I did find it as hard

Mm -hmm.

or even harder than Ironman training because of the load on the body, just all that running was quite, I thought, you know, marathon will be easy. I'm only doing one sport. I mean, I wasn't just doing one sport. I was incorporating swimming and biking as well, but it was hard for

Yeah.

Thank you.

do we ever get that question a lot, right? Like people look at our plans and they say, well, you know, there's not long enough runs in here. Like there's no way I'm going to be able to do a marathon with such short runs, but.

Mm -hmm.

you outlined why that led to great success. If you just have like, if you throw a 40K effort into there, think of how much recovery that you need now between that. So you've lost training consistency, but you kept up the whole overall load with smaller bits of that, accumulating consistently 100 kilometer weeks or thereabouts in the lead up. So you think about the resilience that you've

added onto your being, it's a better formula for achieving what you want to set out to do. So yeah, thanks so much for asking it and answering it, Cindy.

.

talked about too, like the frequency of running a lot. Like I'm trying to build up my running volume because I think that's my weakness in triathlon is the run and I want to do better. But like I've struggled to get the volume in and instead of trying to do one big run, I think it's important to like go often. So that's what I'm trying to do.

Yes.

And Cindy, what were your frequency tips for achieving 100K weeks or thereabouts?

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, there had to be some multiple runs in the day. Sometimes I would tag it on to different things. So, you know, if I had a strength session, I might do like a 4K run and then do strength. And plus, maybe I'd already done 14K in the morning. So now I'm at 18K. So that was one strategy. I ended up doing kind of one.

treadmill session a week and it was about four or 5k and I did it at the gym on the treadmill because I got a little bit extra volume in. So that's kind of how I did it. I definitely broke it up to multiple runs in a

Yeah.

touch on the pacing.

Because you did it so brilliantly on Calgary Marathon. You negative split it. I can't remember exactly, but I was looking at the splits on Strava and I was like, my jaw just dropped. It was so well paced. And it was cold too. So you mentioned that you were cold,

you

Yes, I mean, that was definitely a big challenge for me was knowing what a marathon pace was. And I think I hinted at Paul a few times in my comments in Athletica, what should my pace be? And I was really hoping he would just tell me what I should do. But because I didn't have anything to go off of other than my marathon six years ago and my Ironman marathons, which you can't really compare, I knew there was a bit of a range.

you know, you have to kind of pick a goal for a marathon. So I chose 330 and I kind of had that goal right from the start of the training. And I didn't know if I would get to that or not, but I was hoping by the end of the training that I would be confident enough to know like, I think I can do it. And you know, those last couple of weeks, there was quite a bit of more tempo run. So I was starting to get a feel of what marathon pace would feel like, and it felt hard. And so I was starting to doubt my goal of 330.

So I just kind of put that off the table and just told myself, you know, you just made up this number in your head. You don't have to reach that. Like your fastest marathon time prior is 348 or 349 and I'm sure you can do that. So just try and go by feel. And that's what Paul had said. You'll know, you'll know like what the feel should be. And so once I kind of put that goal aside, when I started to run, I...

started with the 340 pacer, because I thought, you know, less pressure, start with the 340 pacer and see if I can get faster. And I pretty much sat between the 340 and the 335 pacer for the majority of the run. But then I, in the distance, I saw the 335 pacer and I was getting closer to them. So I was like, huh, okay, let's keep it going. And I was feeling good. So obviously I didn't go out too fast. And the pace that I went out at was

kind of where I should be. And once I passed that 335 pacer, I had like 10K to go. I just was like, okay, let's try and get that goal. So I ran as hard as I could those last 10K and didn't quite get to 330, but I also did run longer than the marathon distance. So my Garmin says I did the marathon in 329, but unfortunately I was weaving.

I'm sorry.

Woo!

weaving around people and so added extra distance, which is why my chip time was 3 .31. So

my head, I met my 3 .30 goal.

you.

So Cindy, one of the, you know, I've been listening to your stories and all the things that you've done and all the accomplishments you've had. What's your why? Why do you do all this?

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

Hehehe

Well, I often wonder that, especially, you know, since I turned, I turned 50 and I was like, why am I training 18 hours a week? Not that I'm doing that right now, but, but yeah, honestly, like I love being outdoors. I love, like, I love running. I get like the runner's high. I love mountain biking. I love being in the forest. Like living in Rettlestoke is amazing. We have so much kind of at our doorstep. and

you

You know, I might not always want to race. Like I am very competitive at the moment. So maybe that won't leave. But I think like kind of long term, like I want to be able to do some bike touring. My husband, you know, enjoys biking too. So that's kind of what we, when we talk about retirement, that's what we kind of think about is, you know, traveling to different places around the world with our bikes and cruising around. So I think, you know, I'm hopefully setting myself up for

But yeah, I mean, I just enjoy the competition. I like being able to push my body and see like what it can do. Like what's my highest potential. And like, it's been amazing using Athletica because I just feel like I have been able to kind of, yeah, reach my true potential.

Thanks, Cindy.

you feel that way.

role does nutrition play in your training?

I'm going to go ahead and

I would say like, I have made some changes in the last year and a half and mostly

more on eating more protein. And I really feel like it has made a

You know, you just, you do hear a lot about as you get older, you should focus on eating more protein. So that's what I've been doing. And I think, you know, it's allowed. Yeah, allowed me to stay healthy, allowed me to kind of train every day.

Consistently, I do eat carbohydrates. I don't consider myself a carbohydrate athlete, but I would say lower carbohydrate athlete. I try to eat healthy, but I too, of course, have my things that are maybe not so healthy that I do eat. But yeah, just like a general healthy diet, I would say for the most part.

Awesome. And then you also do strength training. Yeah. Yeah.

Awesome.

Yes, yes, definitely once, usually try to do twice a week for sure.

Yeah,

I think of Cindy, I think of a principle that, you know, we should all take is that there's more than we know that's within all of us. And she's exemplified that. When you listen back to her whole story. And a lot of these scientific principles of training

can help guide all of us towards getting to realizing our full potential. And some of the ones she's demonstrated include training consistency, includes the training volume and frequency. So she's managed with Athletica to gain all of those, sticking to her program. And then even the pacing as well, which is probably come from

You know, she's developed that herself from that frequent training. And the more training that you do, you know, we're going to learn this from Matt Fitzgerald, who's a partner with Athletica and in his pacing book, we're going to be speaking about this. And it's the more experienced athletes, they tend to be better pacers as well. So whether Cindy knows it or not, but when she's

out there for every single session. She's actually learning intensity control and how to pace as

yeah, for everyone, I hope you're as inspired as I am to go out and be Cindy Maloney's.

Hmm.

Why thank you.

Yeah

Yeah.

Well, that is all for this week. Thank you for listening and join us next week for the Athletes Compass podcast. You can help us by asking your training questions in the comments, liking and sharing the podcast, giving us five star reviews and engaging with us on our social media. For Cindy Maloney, Marjaana Rakai and Dr. Paul Laursen I am Paul Warloski and this has been the Athletes Compass podcast. Thank you for listening.