Dave Scott and Craig Alexander on Bricks, Carbs, and What Makes a World Champ

Dave Scott and Craig “Crowie” Alexander – two of the most decorated athletes in triathlon history – joined Triathlete.com for a Facebook Live chat this week. Between them, Scott and Alexander have nine Ironman World Championship titles and almost 70 years of triathlon training and racing experience. They fielded live questions from viewers on topics as diverse as motivation, doping in triathlon, what makes a world champion, brick sessions, the benefits of altitude training and the low carb, high-fat diet. You can watch the interview in full above, and below you’ll see a quick rundown of what they talked about and when.

Highlights

3:00 – Why Crowie is still motivated to train hard – and how he’s still smashing it at 70.3.

9:00 – Mental fortitude, consistency, and what makes a world champion.

10:20 – The difference for Crowie between racing now and racing when he was working to win a major championship. Also, why balancing family is important and how Crowie’s eldest daughter is one of the reasons he’s still racing.

11:39 – How and why Crowie has changed his training load and recovery as he’s aged.

14:39 – Crowie: “Now it’s about intensity, not mileage. More is not better.”

15:41 – Details on the longest brick Crowie ever undertook – 7.5 hours!

24:00 – Will Crowie race the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France?

27:05 – Dave and Crowie’s top travel tips, including their advice on jetlag, training before/after flying, sleep, what to eat and what to wear.

29:45 – The benefits of training at altitude.

32:00 – Dave’s take on how best to incorporate riding hills into your training.

33:16 – How much does Crowie eat when training for Ironman?

36:20 – Dave talks LCHF (low carb high fat) diet and why he thinks it’s good for athletes.

37:18 – What does Dave miss most about racing?

39:00 – The effect of going long on your heart.

40:49 – Dave and Crowie’s top tips for beginners.

42:00 – Never wear cheat shorts (neoprene shorts) to a Dave Scott swim workout; he’ll cut them off you!

43:05 – Dave and Crowie talk about doping in tri. “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is,” says Crowie.

47:45 – The guys discuss their favorite races (Kona not included).

49:12 – Crowie’s advice for Ironman Cairns.

50:05 – The best way to prevent hamstring cramps.

51:39 – How to prevent bloating while running.

53:44 – Dave and Crowie chat about their online training programs and their coaching communities.

55:07 – Dave talks about the Kona training camps he’s holding this year.

57:23 – If you could go back and change one thing about your respective careers, what would it be?