Episode 58: A Day in the Life of a Race Director With Tim Richmond

In this week's episode, we are joined by Tim Richmond, the Head Race Director of Max Performance, to learn a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes at a triathlon race. Tim shares how he became a race director and grew his successful family-run triathlon business, how he handles gear and equipment, how he manages and organizes volunteers, how he responds to unforeseen circumstances on race day, and how you as a triathlete can have the best race experience. Jim and Katie also reflect on some of our most fun experiences on the Max Performance race circuit in our last decade of training and coaching. Finally, we cover some fun insights and listener questions related to injury recovery, grounding in the intention of the workout, threshold testing, and more. Check it out!

Max Performance - Races:

Coaching and Training Insights

Katie: 

Ankle on the mend (and hopefully fully better by the time this airs)! Some important lessons I picked up:

  • Once again, a few days off can prevent a few months off. Hitting recovery HARD allows you to hit healing HARD. The opposite approach (half-assing recovery) usually means half-assed healing and the potential for injuries to become chronic.

  • Positive reframing – one way to handle unexpected things / disappointment: 

    • This was a great opportunity for me to step outside my comfort zone (i.e. training a lot!) into something that felt scary (lots of rest) and realize it was OK! Next time I need to take a lot of rest, I will be OK and more resilient. Jim, wondering if you have felt this way as a result of your injury?

    • Also: great opportunity to (1) take a proper mini off season and (2) lean into some good bike and (begrudgingly) swim prep.

  • Get a good PT! I was very lucky to be able to see my PT the day after this happened and get immediate care and an action plan. It was also helpful to outsource some of the decision making around what I shouldn’t do. When in doubt, call in the experts and establish that local network NOW! 

Especially in this part of the season, recalling the “intention of the workout” and selective use of data.

  • This time of year, we are in pre-season and early base. It can be tempting to recall the power/pace that we could hit at our peak fitness in the summer and want to smash that right now. (I felt this way on a ride recently where I was trying to hold the normalized power that I could do right around Sea to Summit, but the reality is that this was keeping my HR in upper zone 2 when it really should have been in lower zone 2.)

  • Consider grounding in the intention of the workout and only using the data that is helpful to you. For example, if your goal is a 90’ Z1/2 ride, do you need to have the power on the screen? Consider just average and max HR and total duration. 

  • Related to this, for athletes who are struggling to stay in Zone 2 for running, I often will give them time targets rather than mileage targets (e.g. 45’ run, HR under 150, walk breaks as needed) so they aren’t chasing pace/distance and instead are focused on just HR and the goal at hand. 

  • There will be a time when we want to use pace/power etc., but that time doesn’t have to be right now. If it’s making you feel worse about yourself to see those numbers, drop it!

Jim: 

Share some of Mick’s training advice from his fast CA IM training/race: 

  1. I've been focusing a lot more on strength training. Nov 2023 I started lifting 3-4x a week and backing off from long endurance. It is so good for the athlete(or anyone) in their 40s and beyond. It made a difference yesterday. I noted my strength in the big gears felt great. I ran out of gears and was rolling along(with a tailwind) at 26mph and cadence of 65. It felt great and kept the HR low. 

  2. Having Jack (Mick’s young son) limits my ability to be all consumed by the training. The training schedule just isn't a priority. But I've been able to structure the day to get 1.5-2hrs of exercise in without taking away from time with him. Obviously early morning workouts. But a lot more late at night, weighted vest walks when he is bed. I think it is making a difference with "durability" and strength of the legs. 

  3. Standing desk. I think this is huge. I listened to an interview from Dede Griesbauer and her build for Ultraman. She mentioned how a standing desk made a difference and I agree. I set a PR at the Alyeska Climbathon this year as well and feel this only helps. Standing for 4-6 hrs a day at work is a great hack for the time crunched. 

  4. This isn't news to you, but I'm an Alan Couzens disciple. 90% of workouts at super low intensity. So many trainer rides at 120-140watts when IM effort was 220-230. Granted my sprint/Olympic speed is not great, but I can go all day and it again the next day feeling good. 

  5. IM CA was great for me in regards to limited swim workouts. The river swim at IMCA made it short so I didn't feel the pressure to get a huge swim block in and having a decent swim background I could get 1-2  swims a week and be good. I ramped that up to 4x a week the last 3 weeks, but I knew my focus needed to be bike/run workouts. Swimming just takes so much time. 

What would I do differently:

  • More long runs.

  • Bike more. I think 10hrs a week for 10 weeks prior to race day sets you up well.

  • Better sleep

  • Try to get a training camp in about 6 weeks out.

Listener Questions

When and how often should I do swim/bike/run threshold/FTP tests?

  • General advice: Start your Base season with some level of testing for each sport. This doesn't necessarily need to be a test but rather thinking through where you are at with fitness / motivation / goals and then set your thresholds based on those factors. Most athletes have a good sense where they are at.  For example, if your FTP was 200 outside during the peak of summer training but you are moving inside to Zwift in November after a couple months off the bike, I would take say 20% off your FTP number to account for current fitness and that inside FTP is usually lower than outside FTP.  As always you can reach out to us, we will be happy to help you gauge where you are at. 

  • Swim: I tend to adjust swim threshold times in TrainingPeaks as the athlete progresses. I can see the times getting faster and use 20 TSS per 1000 as a metric to gauge progress.  I’m yet to meet a triathlete who wants to do the 400/200 swim test!  If you wanted to do a CSS swim test, I would do this every few months as most triathletes don’t have enough time in the pool to move their threshold fundamentally every 6 - 8 weeks. 

  • Bike: This one is nuanced as FTP changes from inside, outside, bike type, etc. FTP is like playing centerfield; you know which ballpark and which position you are playing but depending on the batter you may shade left or right a little or a lot. My primary indicator of an improving FTP are comments from athletes about the ease or discomfort of workouts.  Bottom line: FTP is a moving target sometimes daily and you should have a FTP RANGE not a FTP number.   If you want to take a FTP test, I would do this every 8 weeks or so using the same bike and bike setup so you have an apples to apples comparison.  During race season, it’s important to do a FTP test on the exact same bike setup as you will race. For example, you should take a FTP test on your TT bike in aero if that is the tool you are using for the race.  Then we set race pace percentages based on that specific bike setup / gear / position.

  • Run: My favorite organic run test is the local 5K race. This will tell you a lot about where you are at.  You could do a local 5K every 10 - 12 weeks and you should see progress. 

Challenge of the Week

Katie: No screens 30’ before bed to improve sleep quality.

Jim: Start setting the expectation that the holidays are coming and the focus should not be on fitness but family and community.  We have plenty of time to get in shape for 2025.

Gear Pick of the Week

Katie: JOLYN swimsuits - specifically Brandon 2

Jim: Light and radar mounts from Neat Components