Preparing for the Ironman 2022 With Passionfit

Late in October, in St George, Utah, eleven accomplished Passion Fit athletes, from novices to world class professionals will be competing in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. Passion Fit is a unique & tight knit community & these eleven athletes represent a third of the athletes that race in the famous Passion Fit rainbow colours. This incredible accomplishment becomes even more admirable when you consider that six of the eleven athletes, from a diverse community, racing in Utah will be ladies.  The leader of these remarkable athletes is also a lady, that lady is me, head coach, Loren.

I am going to tell you a little bit about how we prepare for an event as special as this and answer some questions that are commonly asked.

How Do We Train?

At Passion Fit we do not train, we develop.  All Passion Fit athlete’s journeys are measured ipsatively. Ipsative assessment is assessment relative to an individual’s start point & potential, not relative to others or arbitrary objectives. Our coaching ideology is centred around developing our athletes focus on their own progression in balance with all aspects of their lives, not just their athletic progression. Athletes are taught that progression is never linear and that we all progress in different ways at different rates. We never train to deadlines, and we never set limited measures of success. What matters at Passion Fit is not your rate of progression but the attitude and mindset you choose and the resulting behaviours this creates.

A key part of the development process is developing the competence of our athletes to a level that gives them the confidence to assume autonomy over their own training schedule. They set their own individualised goals across their athletic, professional, and personal lives and work with the coaches to find a balanced process that allows them to feel fulfilled in every aspect of their daily lives.  They support this process by learning how to prioritise effectively and ensuring they control & influence what they can when they can, and not to be distracted by things outside of their circle of influence.  This helps them sustain a consistent level of sufficient commitment and never feel demotivated or distracted.

How do we balance with downtime?

We don’t. Passion Fit athletes don’t need to. Because we encourage our athletes to measure accomplishment based on their mindset, attitude, behaviours, and the overall sense of sustained fulfilment this approach brings to their lives, they rarely find themselves experiencing a sense of imbalance.

Passion Fit athletes are never obsessive, they are never demotivated, they are rarely injured or sick, they always feel accomplished in every race they start.  Passion Fit athletes see downtime as a natural part of an accomplished journey that they seamlessly integrate into their weekly, monthly, and annual schedule. 

How do we fuel?

We keep it simple. There is a saying, the C-factors of coaching, “life is cocked up by complicated coaches and confused coaches”.  Appropriate nutrition and fuelling for endurance athletes are an essential part of any accomplished journey. Again, at Passion Fit we focus on the athlete’s attitude and mindset towards fuelling. We teach them to be non-emotive and avoid obsessive, impulsive and trend linked choices.  Body composition is relevant in endurance sports but no one formula fits all. Athletes must find what works for them and not be distracted by external influences, especially those that focus on aesthetics and body image. Sometimes they will get it right, sometimes they will not. We encourage them to plan ahead and be proactive about their nutrition strategy. Most of all, aligned with our passion for simplicity, we promote an approach of balanced eating, pre fuelling of sessions (no fasted training takes place at Pasion Fit), Making sufficient calorie intake a priority and if necessary, engaging the support of an appropriately experienced dietitian if an individual has specific and unique needs.

Hill Top Honey gels have helped us support our fuelling philosophy before and during training. One of the challenges endurance athletes sometimes face is a convenient way of fuelling without turning to processed sports nutrition products.  Hill Top Honey gels have given athletes an option pre and during training that means they have a convenient and natural option to choose, plus, honey always tastes great!

How do we stay focused / motivated?

With ease. We have already alluded to our ideology and philosophy above. I am sure you can already see how easy it is for Passion Fit athletes to stay motivated.  By developing competence, encouraging autonomy, ensuring athletes goals are individualised to their life journey and creating a community that leads to individuals feeling a sense of belonging & relatedness, Passion Fit athletes are able to consistently sustain high levels of focus and motivation without ever feeling like they are facing a daily grind to keep moving forward.  Our coaches are diverse in style and personality.  We are a community of, not just equality, but equity.  To be part of Passion Fit you do not have to be fast, experienced, or competitive. Passion Fit is about self-betterment, leading by example, but most of all it is about what you give back to others in the community and, greater still, every part of the world around you.