Matt Hanson and Tim O'Donnell on Recovery, Life Balance, and Nutrition

Highlights

1:25 – Sleep is the number one thing to help your recovery after a race, O’Donnell says.

4:15 – Insights into saving your legs for the run.

6:05 – Nothing magic happens on race day – you get what you’ve trained for, Hanson says.

6:22 – The guys talk about super swimmer Lauren Brandon and how she caught the chase pack of male pros on the swim at Ironman Boulder, despite starting five minutes behind them.

8:05 – You only have $50 to spend on post-race recovery, what would you buy and why?

8:45 – Rice cookers, almond butter, frozen loaves of bread – O’Donnell’s top tips for staying on track with your nutrition when traveling to a race abroad.

10:30 – How do you stay mentally present during the marathon in an Ironman?

12:34 – O’Donnell talks about recovering from a bike crash earlier this year that left him with broken ribs.

14:07 – The guys discuss their preferred recovery methods.

16:50 – What’s your favorite part of an Ironman race?

17:27 – Sam Long and Rudy von Berg – the athletes talk about the biggest surprise performances of the year so far.

23:04 – How can we do more to get kids into triathlon? O’Donnell jokes that his daughter Izzy has raced more than he has this year!

26:30 – The art of tapering and how both athletes approach Ironman tapering.

27:12 – Tips for getting into triathlon without breaking your budget.

29:45 – If you skip a session do you move on or try and play catch-up later?

31:19 – The guys discuss their Kona podium picks, as well as Alistair Brownlee’s upcoming Ironman debut.

37:00 – Returning to training after injury – “Give yourself time to heal properly,” O’Donnell says.

38:54 – The importance of strength training and O’Donnell’s strength training app with strength coach Erin Carson.

42:20 – How the run unfolded at Ironman Boulder and their respective strategies and focus.

45:06 – Hot yoga, saunas, steam rooms – the guys discuss training for racing in the heat.

47:09 – How training has changed for O’Donnell and wife Mirinda Carfrae since having daughter Izzy.

50:25 – “You can’t fake fitness,” Hanson says, when asked if bikes and wheels make a difference.

50:57 – The best rivalries in the sport.

51:38 – Challenge Roth is on their bucket lists, but what are their favorite races so far?

54:20 – Skiing and off-season fun.