Breaking Misconceptions About Endurance Sports with Athletica User Ben Lin

What would you say is a misconception about being an everyday athlete?

this is a good question. think it's like, you have cush jobs

that it takes up a lot of time, right? And it does. It does.

people say, why are you doing this? Why are you wasting so much time doing

secretly maybe inside what they're saying to themselves

I don't have the time to do that or

But

being an everyday athlete

being good with your time.

and figuring out how much time you have and,

prioritizing it.

Hello and welcome to the Athletes Compass podcast where we navigate training, fitness and health for everyday athletes. Today we have a special guest, Ben Lin. Ben, welcome to the podcast. Hey, can you tell us about your athletic background? What initially got you into endurance sports?

Thank you.

Thank you.

really interesting story. I just wanted to quit smoking. And I saw my friend, I saw my friend,

really, the story is just why the clip is smoking. And I my friend, I saw my friend.

That's so interesting

I was in graduate school and he said he was trained for the Chicago marathon and he was still smoking a half pack a day. And I'm like, how are you going to do that? And he's like, I just ran 10 miles a day. And so fast forward into a couple of months, I watched him at,

and he said he was trained for the Chicago Marathon and he was still smoking a half pack a day and I'm like, are you gonna do that? And he's like, I'm just doing 10 miles a day. And so fast forward into a couple months, I watched him at

mile 13, it was very inspiring for me. And I had some background playing golf, you know, in high school. I was a really good downhill

mile 13 area. It was very inspiring for me. And I had some background playing golf in high school. I was a really good downhill

It's just so interesting. I can sort of interrupt, but like, that isn't a story of my dad. My dad is a firefighter, heavy smoker. Us as kids growing up hated that he smoked.

It's just so interesting. I started to interrupt, but like that is the story of my dad. My dad was a firefighter, heavy smoker and us as kids growing up hated that he smoked and he

It's okay.

and he said okay, I'm going to try and quit and he took up marathon running just like the event to try to quit. So whenever he had the craving for a cigarette, he'd get out the door and go for a run. And that could be like two in the

said, okay, well, I'm going to try and quit. And he took up marathon running just like he had been to try to quit. And so whenever he had the craving for a cigarette, he'd get out the door and go for a run. And that could be like two in the morning.

yeah, that was his whole story. And then, yeah, that was really my influence for what I do now today. that's really, really cool that

Yeah, that was his whole story. then that was really my influence for what I do now today. So that's a really, really cool thing.

that was also a big part of your background.

That was also a big part of your background.

and I just wanted to feel free. I had just ended my master's degree in engineering and it was pretty stressful. I just wanted time to myself a little bit. I just started jogging, just to be you know, quarter mile or whatever, you run down to the street, you get longer.

Yeah, and I just wanted to like feel free. Like I had just ended my master's degree in engineering and it was pretty stressful. And I just wanted time to myself a little bit. And so it's just started jogging basically. you know, quarter mile or whatever, you run down to the street, you get longer, you get confidence.

You get

But yeah, and just fitness builds and confidence builds. And I started I moved back to Chicago because

yeah, fitness builds and confidence builds. And I moved back to Chicago.

I accepted a job with Motorola at the time.

like something to jam with Motorola.

as a mechanical engineer. And I didn't really know too many people here. My brother was here, but friends leave. So all I did was run on the weekends. I'd run in the morning and I'd run on the weekends. It was my

I

it.

you know,

I, I'm just, can't believe this, this podcast is just keeps capturing this, but it's just like how it's we're capturing all of these everyday athletes who have come from these backgrounds where they're smokers like yourself, Ben, or they've just been on, the couch all their life. And then they're kind of coming out of their shell and they're discovering that they can do incredibly hard things.

going to go to the where there's smokers who've on the couch all their life. They're coming out of their shells and they're discovering that you can do incredibly hard things.

It's just so rewarding, so sorry to interrupt guys. It's just amazing.

It's so rewarding.

No, no, that's okay. And yeah, the story, you know, leads like you run a 5k.

You run another 5k maybe, you maybe run a 10k, the end of that year, and you start building a distance and the confidence builds. And then it's like, for me, I have like kind of an addictive personality. When I really enjoy something and I start to get, you know, somewhat skilled at it, you just shoot for the moon or whatever.

And like I was, you know, within the first year I was signing up for the Chicago Marathon and I didn't know what I was doing at all in terms of training. mean, I had a heart rate monitor, I barely wore it. I'd go out and basically try to run the longest distance I could on a long run and didn't know anything about nutrition or hydration. I had some, you know, semblance of what I needed to eat, you know, like you need to eat. You need to, you know, you need to sleep and

whatever, but like I made a lot of mistakes and you know, you get niggles and pain, aches and pains and it's like, what'd I do wrong? And then you start to meet people and they give you, you know, advice. but that first year of basically run training, I, I ran the Chicago marathon. it was great. my mom and dad were there and I was very, just in a state of like runners high at the finish line.

And I was hooked. I was hooked so much that it ran two weeks later and I sprained my ankle because of an overuse injury. It was just like classic runner mistakes, right? Like, I have a little bit of pain, but I'm to go out and run anyways, right? I'm going to run through this pain and, you know, get injured. But I think in that way, like you kind of learn about yourself, like what you can handle.

Yeah, started off running.

So when was this first marathon of yours?

2005. And then I immediately signed up for two marathons the next year. In 06, I did the Chicago Marathon and then I actually did Vancouver. I flew out to Vancouver and I'm like, I want to go to the Pacific Northwest and it rained and I was overtrained for the race. I didn't know it, right? Didn't know it. I was overtrained because I did way too much mileage.

that I could handle and you don't know it until race day or whatever. You start walking and it's like, whoa, I did something wrong.

Mm-hmm.

I've done that marathon

a few times, Ben. It's cold and wet, around...

Yeah, it's calling me later, right? Yeah.

You know, I think it was probably my slowest one. And I was like pounding candy at mile 20. My god, I got gumdrops here ago. I'm like, just, you know, talking to the people at the end, it's like, yeah, that was hard. It was hard. But I love it. I love, I love the pain.

I love like out of all three sports, I'm a horrible swimmer. I'm not that great.

I'm a decent biker over the years and like running, I just, it's still easy and free. Like it's just a pair of shoes and like you get out and it's always hard when you start, but then when you finish it's like, yeah, you never get back. It's like, they're just saying what there's no such thing as a bad day skiing, right? it's, or, or there's no such thing really as a bad run. Like you always feel better, you know,

you

than when you first started.

You said something there that really piqued my interest and that was overtraining and you don't kind of know that you're overtrained before the race day. How did you feel on that race during the race? Like why did you figure out that you were overtrained?

I mean, like Paul said, it's cold and wet, right? And if you haven't trained in those conditions,

you know, that can affect your race. And then once you start walking before you expect it, you know, something that's like either you buggered your nutrition or your pacing, or you just couldn't handle the stress that built up and you don't know it. But then, you know, after these learning experiences, I was like,

Mm-hmm.

I met somebody on a run, on a holiday run. This is my good friend Dean Houston. Actually, he knows who you are, Dr. Paul. Yeah, he, yeah. And he's a, he's from Toronto too. He's from Toronto and we were on a holiday run like the day after, like a 10 mile holiday run, like groups of runners get together and we're running. And he's like, you know, we're running. didn't really, I didn't know who he was.

yeah?

And but I liked running with them because we were able to talk to each other. And you know, know, that's the right pace. Right. And you can learn a lot about somebody when you're when you're just running with somebody and he goes, Yeah, done nine marathons, but I haven't run an open one. I'm like, what? What is this? What is this? What is this business? And you know, he's like, yeah, how are those mutants in this in the slick snow? And I'm like, I'm all over the place, And it was funny.

So he goes, yeah, he's like, yeah, I'm a triathlete. I'm like, cool. You know, that sounds pretty interesting. And sure enough, that year I did a couple of sprints in an Olympic. just, you know, head first diving right into it. You know, I didn't, was single at the time and didn't have, I was just exploring. And so I did, I did a couple of sprints in an Olympic and then the following year I was like, okay, I'm going to sign up for an Ironman. I'm going sign up for Ironman Wisconsin because it's close. And,

I got wise and I hired a personal coach. It was the best thing that I could have done for myself at that point.

because I'd never swum in open water and I was like, I didn't know anything. But I knew I liked to run, but yeah, it was a really interesting season.

I I've never swum

What?

Tell us

where your coach started with you at that point, Ben.

so she's an amazing person. she's a really good friend. and she's a good coach because she can talk to somebody in a couple of minutes and instantly understand what makes them tick. And I think from, I think from a coaching aspect, you can have all of these great workouts and cool stuff and, know, the fanciest stuff, you know,

you

fanciest gear and the latest techniques and up on the list research. But if you really don't understand your athlete and what makes them tech mentally and what gets them out of bed, then it's just a program that you can find on the internet. So it's really just understanding that person. So she just kind of interviewed me at first and we had hot chocolate or coffee or whatever. And I said, I want to do

I want to hire you for this race and I've got this marathon that I want to do in January. So the A race was, Ina Maylis-Gonson and, she's like, okay, I'm in. She said she was in and then, she immediately started with just giving me structured run workouts that were more effective. shortening up the intensity per se, like I was doing probably too much tempo work.

I want to hire you for this race. I got this marathon that I wanted to be in. So the A race was Ironman and Snaps. And she was like, OK, I'm in. She said she was in. then she immediately started with just giving me structured run workouts that wouldn't work after.

shortening up the intensity of this area, I was doing probably too much temple work.

all runners, they

just run in zone three all the time. They never really get better. Or they just kind of plateau at their speed. So they don't really learn how to run like a 400 really hard and then do it again and again and again or whatever. So she shortened me up that way. then lots of run technique drills. That was something that I had done before. she did like after once a week, we would do run drills.

So we really learned how to run like a 400 for the part and then do it again and again and again. So she showed me up that way and lots of run technique drills. That was something that I had done before. did like after once a week we would do run drills.

And she told me to cut out the track workouts with the group, because it was too much,

And she told me to cut out the track workouts with the group because it too much.

you know, at that time of year. But just building the confidence, you just build the confidence in the, like, you know, and so the marathon came up and she's like, okay, Ben, this is what I want you to do. I want you to hold this pace within 10 seconds. And if you feel yourself getting off that pace, you get right back on it. So she could have said, yeah.

you know, at that time of year. But just building the confidence, you just build the confidence and like, you know.

So the marathon came up and she's like, okay, Ben, this is what I want you to do. I want you to hold this pace within 10 seconds. And if you feel yourself getting off that pace, get right back on it. So she could have said,

yeah, you can start to feel sorry for yourself once you feel that pace slip. what she was really telling me was the mental side of it is being engaged. Get right back on it, you know, and you can.

You could start to feel sorry for yourself once you feel that pace slip. But what she was really telling me was the mental side of it is be engaged. Get right back on it, and you can. And

Thank

and it was like a 20 minute PR or something. Wow. Yeah.

it was like a 20-minute PR or something. It was amazing. But I've got some crazy stories about what I did as an athlete. She could have fired me at so many points in the year.

Wow.

She could have fired me at so many points in

a year. my god.

my gosh, this is so like,

I was, I was a pretty decent athlete. I was one of her better athletes where I was like following the plan, right? Like I was following what she was giving me. I was executing the workouts and we were incrementing the load and we were getting, we were getting, I was getting better probably because I was new at the sport. So like the progression was, was, was pretty fast, you know, for the stimulus. So

the workouts.

I was getting better, probably because I was new at the sport. like, the progression was...

He invited me to a training camp in Tucson. first one, I didn't know what I was doing. Climb Mount Lemmon at like zone three, zone four in the first 90 minutes. it's a hard climb. survived that training camp. and then like in August, like a month before the race, she had me do an Ironman simulation ride. so.

I didn't know what I was doing. Climb Mount Lemmon at zone 3, zone 4 in the first 90 minutes. It's a hard climb. Survived that training camp.

Ha ha.

She had me do an advanced simulation ride.

So it was basically like a 112 mile ride and then you get off and you're like six to ten miles or whatever. So I was like a little bit of a friend. But I that idea on the bike ride because it was sort of in a solo effort. And we get to mile like in night, like 80 and I'm like bonking hard. So on the return trip we like.

It was basically like a 112 mile ride and then get off and run like six to 10 miles or whatever. So I was like, I'll recruit a friend. It's probably a bad idea on the bike ride because it should have been a solo effort. we got to mile like night, like 80 and I'm like bonking hard. So on the return trip, we like, I

.

stopped at a subway. I had a subway sandwich and.

stopped at a subway. I had a subway in there. And she

You know, she looked at the ride file because she could see it and she could see this huge lull in the period. It was like a half hour where I was just like bonking and eating. I was supposed to be practicing my race nutrition. And yeah,

looked at the ride file, if you could see it, and she could see this huge wall in the period. It was like a half hour of talking and people. I wasn't practicing my race games right now.

you

Good

she found out about it. And she checked her job very seriously.

Monday morning at master's swim, she, know, the truth comes out and she was like, what are you doing? You don't get a second chance to do this. So, but it was fine. I did the race. had a great time. Yeah. I was hooked at long course try.

What are some of the biggest challenges that you faced in your training journey and what did you do to overcome them?

Well, I think I got straight when I started using Athletica. I mean, for me now, I think it's just time. And the amount of time I think I need in order to get really fit and really ready is probably, like, I don't know. Like, I think I need like two hours a day of training. Okay.

but that might not be what I can handle at any given point of time in the year. I think sometimes I need three hours a day, like I can't, I have so much, so many people depending on me. Like we have three small kids. I don't know if I can absorb that. So I don't know. So I try to make these, I go through the struggle of like, how much should I train? How much should I dedicate to this? And what should I give up? And how is,

Mm-hmm.

If I give up time with the kids or mental support for my wife, where am I going to pay for that in the end? Where does that come back?

you

Yeah, I can totally relate to the mental struggles of wanting to put more hours in that is available and balancing it with family and how much time

I take away from family thinking like, you know, kids grow up so quickly on a blink of an eye when they hit like teenage years. It seems like my boy, or eldest has gone from a little kind boy to this monster teenage, know, raging hormones. And it happens so quickly. So like it, there's always, you have to weigh in like how much time do I want to miss?

Yeah.

out on riding my bike for six hours with them. But for you, you've had like 20 years experience of endurance sports. Do you find that getting to a peak form or like big good form requires less time? Like I'm thinking months, like a build.

great question. Yeah, I feel like when I say, okay, here's an A raise and it's a big raise, and I really want to do well, I feel like the first thing I see is like, I need all this time to train, I need this amount of time. But in reality, I don't think that's true. think it's, you know, based on like what you said, after you've done a couple events where, you know, you've gone into the well, and you recover, and it doesn't really take that long.

to get back to that level. Like super fast people, don't think like, I think they can recover from the race and then it doesn't take them long to get back. You they don't need the, cause they have all that, they have all that background, all that muscle memory and their aerobic systems are amazing. So they can just, you know, a little bit of intensity and a little bit of like work will get them.

Mm-hmm.

they're quicker. I feel like, know, me, yeah, that's probably true. It's probably more for the mental side of me. Like, I just feel like I need to train. And maybe that's not true. Like, maybe I can just spend like five, six weeks. And what I'm learning now with the Athletica, like, you know, if you follow the plan, the work part is pretty hard. It's, it's, you know, it'll give you some stuff that'll challenge you.

Thank

Mm-hmm.

you know, if you follow the plan, the work part is pretty hard. It'll give you some stuff that'll help you.

And it'll keep challenging week over week over week. And I'm like, sometimes I look, I'm like, whoa, that's a lot of underovers. That one was hard. I don't know if I can do it. But then if you do it, it increments correctly.

And it'll keep challenging you week over week over week. I'm like, sometimes I look, I'm like, whoa, that's a lot of under oaths. That one was hard. I don't know if I can do it. But then if you do it, it'll increment.

Yes.

so with that said, don't think using this platform, I need as long to see some gains.

And so with that said, I don't think using this platform, I need as long to see some things.

it's really beneficial that way.

It's really beneficial

Yeah. was just going to say Ben, that we kind of take a bit of a page out of Chris Carmichael, the cycling coach's book, The Time-Crenched Athlete. Sure, you can get great results by just going out there and smashing long and hard for 30 hours in a week. But it's like, who's got time for that? Only the pros, right? And we kind of, it's like, okay.

I'm just going to say again, we kind of take a bit of a page out of Chris Carmichael's book, Talk to the Time-Trenched Athlete. You can be sure you can get great results by just going up there and smashing long and hard for 30 hours in a week. But it's like, who's got time for that? Only the pros, right?

Yeah.

And we kind of, it's like,

okay, we've got limited time, so how can we get the most out of our time, right? And just kind of to your point, it crunches down so that you've got more time to spend with your kids and your family and your work and all those sorts of things. But when you're training, it's a very efficient piece of that race and working on the physiology that you're going to need to develop that resilience to perform in your event.

We've got limited time. So how can we get the most out of our time? Right. And just kind of to your point, it crunches down so that, you know, you've got more time to spend with your kids and your, and your family and your work and all those sorts of things. But when you're, you know, when you're training, it's a very efficient, you know, piece of that race and working on the physiology that you're going to need to develop that resilience to, to perform in your event. Right.

So, and, and it sounds like you've, you've got some decent results from that as well.

And it like you've got some decent results from that

Yes, so can.

I really wasn't racing that much. I was just basically training.

I really wasn't racing that much. I was just basically training

personal coach. I'm just gonna you know, self coach with this with this tool

and coach and instead of being a self-coach with this

tool. was my coach. And yeah, I did pretty good this year. The races were hard, but I think the fitness was definitely there. And it was a surprise at how well I it. A couple races I went on that hard, I'm like, boy, this is going to be hard.

with smart coach and yeah, I did pretty good this year. Like yeah, the races were hard, but I think the fitness was definitely there and it was a surprise at like how well I thought, know, would like I went a couple races I went out a little too hard. I'm like, boy, this is gonna be hard. This

Bye.

is that was that was bad. And then like I just, you know, I think

This is that was that and then like I just you know, I

think The crop was there and I was able to just like suffer through the end But I kind of had a little mishap and that was on me I actually

The prep was there and I was able to just suffer through the end. But I kind of had a little mishap and that was on me this past September. I was going to do this big gravel triathlon and I actually had to pull out of it for some reason. I was

a little sick in the beginning of the race.

I was a little sick in the beginning of the race.

And like before the race started, I was getting sick and I was like, something's weird. I had a lot of nerves and I think, I think my body just said, it's not ready for the amount of stress that you're about to put on yourself. but that, that was probably user error more than anything. I just didn't, you know, probably didn't have the right mindset. But yeah, it's fine.

And like before the race started, I was getting sick and I was like something weird. I had a lot of nerves and I think my body just said it's not ready for But that was probably user error more than anything. I just didn't, you know, probably didn't have a written line to start. But yeah.

.

you

It's live and learn, right? The more you race, you're not always going to have a good race.

You live and learn, right? The more you race, you're not always going have

You're not always going to finish a race sometimes, the more you race. It's going to happen to the best of

a good race. You're not always going to finish a race sometimes, the more you race.

us.

I can attest to Ben's results this summer. did a gravel race that I was in and it was like, he was out with the leaders for the majority of the race and was like, wow, where did this guy come from? He's a triathlete and he was flying.

test to Ben's results in the summer. He did a gravel race that I was in and it was like he was all the leaders for the majority of the race. Like wow, where did this guy come from? He's a triathlete. That was

Yeah.

Wow.

Nice.

That was fun.

What drives you to keep training, especially when you're

Ben, what drives you to keep training, especially when you're

balancing other life commitments like your busy work and your three kids and wife? What is your why?

just, know, after a while, you just can't envision yourself not doing something, right? It just becomes a part of your life. Like not just racing and training, you know, at this, whatever level you want to call it. But like exercise, you know,

I just, you know, after a while you just can't envision yourself not doing something. Right? It just becomes a part of your life. not just racing, training, you know, at just whatever level you want to call it. But like exercise, you know.

like certain people are like, I don't like the exercise. There's probably some people that don't like the sweat at all, but like,

Certain people are like, I don't like to exercise. There's probably certain people that don't like to sweat at all.

You know, just building a program for yourself or a routine and you get into a rhythm for years. And then it just becomes a part of

Just building a rhythm for yourself, you need to get into a rhythm for years. And then it just becomes a part

I think we can all attest to that.

Hmm.

Yeah,

100%.

What would you say is a misconception about being an everyday athlete?

this is a good question. think it's like, you have cush jobs and you can have all you can afford all the time in the world. You must be laying on the couch and just waiting around to go for your run or your ride or whatever. I think that's misconception. Back to your point about like Paul, about like, people think that it takes up a lot of time, right? And it does. It does.

But people say, why are you doing this? Why are you wasting so much time doing this? can't, secretly maybe inside what they're saying to themselves is maybe they can't fit that into their lives. I don't have the time to do that or whatever. But I think being an everyday athlete is being good with your time.

Mm-hmm.

and figuring out how much time you have and, you know, prioritizing it. Like it's hard to get up in the morning and work out. It really is, you know. But I do a lot of stuff in the morning. I wait until, you know, lunchtime. I work from home, so that's easy. you know, when kids come home, I'm not training. And that, you know, when they come home, that not putting on run shoes and seeing you.

Ben, how has being an athlete changed you mentally or physically over time?

is very important, right? Like being able to turn it off and on, like change different modes going from, you know, just finished my workout, hit those intervals, now I gotta towel off and get ready for this meeting or whatever. And I might prepare for this meeting, I don't know. So being able to switch really quickly. It's hard, right? You gotta wear lot of different hats. I don't do the best job at it often.

Like finish a run, go upstairs, everybody's getting up and everybody's getting ready. Probably should eat something, but kind of put that

just like I said, being able to compartmentalize and being able to switch off that mode, that mindset of like, okay, now I need to be doing this. Being an everyday

What about after a big race? Do you line up your races so that you have something after the big A race?

Yeah. Yeah. That's a big one. Yeah. I think you and I talked about that, right?

talked about that little come down, like the little after the race. it's real. It's real that two weeks after a big event is like, wow, what just happened? It was one day and it's gone.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

especially like your first one. Like we all remember our first Ironman or big event. And then, you know, you kind of missed that day because it was so special.

Yeah.

even, even after having done several big events, it always hits. So I was wondering like, if you have any, any advice, like how to prepare yourself for after the big event.

all right.

Well, if the weather's nice, always like getting out on a trail or whatever, going for an easy ride or whatever. Walking is good. That helps. Movement is good. What I found is not doing anything is probably the worst thing for myself. It's just like everything is, the recovery process is slower. But I feel like moving definitely helps.

Mmm.

Yeah. Yeah.

just blood flow and everything and just like not going out and doing a group ride or whatever, like a Zwift race, you know, that would probably be a really bad idea. But just like being able to move, you know, that and just like eating what you want to eat, right? Like just try to like indulge yourself a little bit, you know, for a couple of days at least.

Yeah.

So Ben, what questions do you have for us? I mean, as three coaches, you're using Athletica right now. How can we help you?

well, I think you guys made a lot of changes recently that are really good. haven't actually really been able to keep up with them. what I found is like, for me, the most important thing is, you know, having the correct zones to train in and knowing what intensity level I should be doing them in and like, there's a range, right? but like, feel like, tell me if this is true or not.

once you've been using the platform for a while, it kind of knows where your historical bests are, per se. And even though I've tried to change those settings, it kind of always goes back to where they should be. And I think that that is the correct answer. I tried changing my critical power a little bit, and it kind of moved the zone ranges back to where I I should be. Is that right?

Well, yeah, it should be doing that for sure. that being said, you should also be able to override it. So a little bit of both. Yeah, if you have your settings set up right where you have it that ask if you make a, ask to prompt me as a user to change those zones, you should be able to kind of accept or reject those changes.

Okay. Cool.

Yeah.

And remember if there's some data error that you haven't noticed

in some of your data files, then it might be trying to change your critical power to reflect that data, right, Paul?

Absolutely. So yeah, the old adage, gigo is garbage in equals garbage out. if the data that's kind of coming in there is in error, then unfortunately, there's nothing really too much that Athletica can do. You will get garbage out.

That's awesome. So what's next on the agenda for you? What's the next big goal that's kind of up ahead for

it's December, December, right? So it's time to race plan, right? Like last year I was thinking, you I really enjoy riding my bike. Maybe I can do a long course again, long course triathlon, you know, another Ironman race. I'm like, I don't know, it's a lot of time. But I'm going to do this event in Ohio called American Triple T.

Yeah.

in Ohio called American People.

it's basically four triathlons in three days. yeah. Yeah.

if they sleep four times in three days... Whoa!

Whoa, seriously.

But you get there Friday night, you do a super sprint. And then Saturday morning you do an Olympic distance race at 8 AM. And then you do another Olympic distance race at like three. And then Sunday you do a half iron man. So it equates to like 5,000 years of swimming, 100.

But you get there Friday night, you do a circuit sprint. And then Saturday morning you do an Olympic distance race at 8 a.m. And then you do another Olympic distance race at three. And then Sunday you do a half hour.

That's awesome.

So it equates to a 5-mile, you know, just running a 100,

know, like a 100, 110-mile ride, a 100-mile riding, and then, you know, over the course of the weekend, you run, you run 42 kilometers. It was a lot, it's a lot. But when you're that, and I'm above, you know, a race pace where you should be doing that distance, you're not making it for few bucks.

you know, like 110 miles, 112 miles riding and then, you know, over the course of the weekend, you run 42 kilometers, right? So it's a lot. And you're doing that kind of above and, you know, a race pace where you should be doing that distance. And there's major blowups. my gosh.

Yeah.

Totally.

that.

But yeah, it's just kind of that's kind of like the first the first half of the season is kind of planned. But I don't know what I want to do in the later half. And just, you know, kind of leave it at that and.

But yeah, that's kind of, the first step was to see those kind of plans, but I don't know what I want to do in the later half. I'm gonna leave it at that

and it'll change probably and I have Athletic Road that kind of helped me and now using it I'm just like I'm confident that I can put that in there later and say okay, well yeah, you can do this if you want,

It'll change probably and I have Athletica to kind of help me and now using it, I'm just like, I'm confident that I can put that in there later and say, okay, well, yeah, you can do this if you want, right?

And I, you know, you were saying something before there about how the fact that, you know, you can, you can actually get quite, now that you've got this background of endurance training, you can actually get prepared for an event quite quickly. And I reflect on, you know, so in my master's studies at UBC, I did this, you know, I was actually investigating this, you know, the effects of,

I preparing for an event quite quickly, and I reflected on, you know, so in my master's studies at UBC, I did this, you I was actually investigating this, you know, the effects of

the various aspects of the trathwan on physiology ultimately. I had 10 guys that were in there doing Ironman and we were gonna monitor

the various aspects of the trathlons on physiology. And had 10 guys that were in there doing Ironman, and we were gonna...

them in the lab and we're gonna monitor them in the race itself and got through to the end and Ironman Canada was like the final, in Pen Tichtin was like the final thing that everyone was gonna do. So they're all off there doing that. Of course I've been...

And

a sloth because I've basically been living in the laboratory the whole time and sacrificing my life for, to study all these athletes. And then lo and behold, there's this opportunity 10 days out to do the race. And someone's like, do you want to, do you want to sub in for me? Cause the athlete couldn't do it. I'm like,

like sure so had 10 days to prepare for the race right with hardly any training but you know I think I still was able to do that I did a run walk marathon

sure. So I had 10 days to prepare for the race, right? With hardly any training, but you know, I think I still was able to do that. I did a run, walk marathon.

and I was able to do 10-30 so it was was quite amazing that it was still within

amazing.

Obviously I'd done a few before that and stuff, but it was like pretty much 10, 10 days of,

Yeah. Wow.

10

That's

amazing. I think you're at another level compared to where the rest of us are. That's amazing.

tables taper

Yeah

world.

Yeah.

All right, Paul, what do you got?

My key take home is when I'm kind of reflecting on Ben's journey. So I guess three key ones for me, and like we've had with others, just this within every single one of us, no matter what state just about that you're in, if you're a human being, you have potential to do amazing things, to do hard things. Whether you're sedentary sitting on a couch or smoking.

you know, a heavy smoker like, like Ben was, you know, a little bit of a change in mindset and you can get out and, and do like Ben's proven what, you know, he's right at the top of the, the pointy end of these races now. number two, in terms of a good place to start, you know, find a coach that really, you know, you know, knows what makes you tick. And that was really instrumental in Ben's.

good place to start.

really instrumental in

getting us starting out process. It really does go a long way. Just keep in mind that we are well and truly aware and supportive of the role that coaches play in the program of an athlete. That's why we want to create, that's why have a coaching version of athleticism.

starting out sort of process, right? And it really does go a long way. And just keep in mind with that we are well and truly aware and supportive of the role that coaches play in the program of an athlete's journey. That's why we want to create, that's why we have a version of Athletica

and that's why we support coaches.

and that's why we support coaches.

We think that there's certain things that we can do well at athletic events, but there's things that we know we can't do very well. We need coaches that know how to take. And last but not least, there's another really important point that Dan brought up was you don't have to do 30 hour killer training weeks and smashing yourself. You can draw some of that.

We think that there's certain things that we can do well at Athletica, but there's things that we know we can't do very well. And then we need coaches that know how you tick. And last but not least, were the other really important point that Ben brought up was, you don't have to do 30 hour killer training weeks and smashing yourself. You can draw some of

that time back and...

and you know,

because there is a different way to sort of go at that for the time-crunched athlete. And Athletica really offers you a roadmap to be able to still be incredibly effective with your training and your time and to deliver results. And Ben, you are proof of that as well. So Ben, thank you so much for coming

because there is a different way to sort of go at that for the time-crenched athlete. Athletica really offers you a roadmap to be able to still be incredibly effective with your training and your time and to deliver results and can improve on that as well. So Ben, thank you so much for...

Thank you.

on here today.

yeah, thank you for having me.

I'm humbled, I'm humbled that you'd have me on here. It's been a great journey. COVID hit, but Athletica definitely brought back the ability to enjoy training again. It really did for me.

Alright, thanks Ben. That is all for this week. Join us next week on the Athletes Compass podcast. Ask your training questions in the comments or on our social media. If you enjoyed this episode, we'd appreciate it if you could take a moment to give us a five-star review. Yeah, all of us are the five stars. For more information or to schedule a consultation with Paul, Marjaana, or myself, check the links in the show notes.

Alright.

Hahaha.

For Marjaana Rakai, Ben Lin and Dr. Paul Laursen I am Paul Warloski and this has been the Athletes Compass Podcast. Thank you so much for listening.