IM New Zealand 70.3 🇳🇿 Last minute entry to qualifying for 70.3 World Championships again! 🤍🤩
10 days ago I realized I had a scheduled conflict with doing Western Sydney 70.3 in 6 weeks, I had limited choices of transferring my race. 8 days before IM70.3 NZ I texted @brock_hoel to see if I could be ready to race in 8 days.
We did a mini load going I got this race but we knew I have been training solid over the last weeks and fit enough to race!
So I booked a last minute flight to race, showed up with my road bike and just wanted to give it my all!
Race recap:
Swim: I felt great on the swim, this was always a weakness for me but held a very controlled pace and came out with a PB 35 min!
Bike: I LOVED the bike and it was rolling hills so the roadie came in great for the punchy climbs! Honestly was so worried racing without my TT bike but had so much fun!! (Shows that you don’t need a 10k bike to race fast) came off the bike 3rd in my AG!
Run: I lost it a bit here, this was the area we knew I was weakest in leading into the race. I battled but dropped from 3rd to 9th.
Overall I was so happy to race last minutes, this is the perfect case of a prep won’t always be perfect! You control what you can and enjoy the moments you get to be on the red carpet ❤️
Big thanks to
@brock_hoel getting me here, Excited for what’s next!!
@haxclub@mapleroo.au setting me up with the best nutrition keeping me fueled and feeling great on race day!
This is the exact blueprint I use to coach busy athletes for triathlon without overwhelming their schedule.
Why most busy athletes struggle with triathlon 👇
❌ Random training volume
❌ All-or-nothing weeks
❌ Too much time stuck in the moderate “grey zone”
The system we use is simple and proven:
✅ Flexible, personalized training plans
✅ 80/20 intensity structure
✅ Mindset + habit systems that build real consistency
I’ve used this framework to help 100+ athletes go from overwhelmed to confident and cross their first finish line strong.
You don’t need 15-hour training weeks.
You need the right structure and purpose behind each session.
If you are a busy athlete training for triathlons Build a plan that fits YOUR life not one that burns you out.
If you need help - DM me, I’d love to chat! ☺️
SUPER-SHOES talk! Reminder they’re not a daily trainer, they’re a race day tool! Use them for some key race pace sessions going into race, get one or two long runs in them, and save the real magic for race day.
Your legs (and your wallet) will thank you!!!
Watch rant/ chat here ⬇️
Your watch is a tool to use in the pool BUT it does not define if you had a successful swim or not.
I’m guilty of this as an athlete too. Getting caught up with watch stats in the pool and letting it take away from the quality of the session.
If your watch didn’t pick up your drill - That’s ok!
If your watch didn’t count a 25m lap- That’s ok!
If your watch says your pace was faster or slower than you assumed- That’s ok!!
It’s not ok to consistently let our watch take away from the work you are doing. Swimming is technical, I’d rather an athlete say I had a strong, smooth swim over being focused on hitting their lap button as they get to the wall.
Last week I showed up to the pool with a dead watch and realized how I was able to focus on feel and smoothness over the 100m split time!!
So I DARE you to do a swim 1x a week watch free! 🫣
Buying your first tri bike doesn’t have to be overwhelming!!Here’s are some tips and things to consider when you are starting your search!
Save this before you start shopping. 🚲
Tour de Brisbane Gran Fondo - 110 km • 1134 m/ 3700 ft of climb.
My goal time was 3:30 and see if I could put myself in a position to Qualify for UCI Gran Fondo World Championships.
Results 3:09 and got my qualifying spot!! 🤩
This was my first ever road race. I was excited and nervous - not nervous about the distance or climbs but riding in big packs at times and learning the ways of road racing.
I was very humbled by the ladies racing, the leading pack of ladies took off so fast and strong! It was impressive and motivating for me to experience that!
I must say for a kid who grew up having a hard time focusing, bike racing can really lock you in and have you focus in ways you never knew you could.
This race makes me excited to do more cycling events in the future!!
On to the next
Chatty 70.3 - 4 weeks out 🔨
3-day carb load, final day. 600g in. ✅
My protocol for 70.3s and what I’m trying for the Gran Fondos too:
3 days out → 400g
2 days out → 500g
1 day out → 600g
On the 600g day I aim for ~200g from liquids. I have found for me it’s easier on my digestion when I’m pushing volume beyond your norm.
Find what works for your body this just happens to work for mine.
What’s your go-to carb loading meal?
Former athletes moving into endurance sport this for you!Many athletes with explosive sport backgrounds are making the move into triathlon and endurance training post-career and I love to see it.
I found so much peace in triathlon after my elite sport days, so I genuinely get why it’s appealing. But there’s a hurdle I see these athletes hit time and time again: they know they’re great athletes, so they expect to be great at endurance right away. (guilt 🙋♀️)
But If you played hockey (or an explosive, fast sport) from age 3 to 21, you spent nearly two decades training your anaerobic and ATP-PC energy systems. Explosive. Fast. High-intensity. The aerobic system? It wasn’t the priority because your sport didn’t demand it to be.
Triathlon and long-distance endurance sport runs primarily on the aerobic system. It’s a different engine. And developing it takes time, no matter how fit you are.
You’re not starting from zero. You’re still an elite athlete. But your body needs time to adapt to a completely new set of demands.
Be patient with the process. 🙌
If this resonates or you know someone making the jump from an explosive sport into endurance, share this with them or feel free to DM me anytime. 💬
Katie Griffiths didn’t start in triathlon.
She started by running through new cities while traveling for work—just trying to see the world a little differently.
From riding bikes with her dad… to learning how to swim as an adult… to chasing something that once felt out of reach.
And then came the moment.
She was supposed to race in Australia. Plans changed. Suddenly she had a decision—
Don’t race… or get on a plane and show up in New Zealand with 8 days’ notice.
She went.
No perfect prep. No expectations. Just trust in the work she had already put in.
And something shifted.
She swam faster than ever.
Put herself near the front on the bike.
And when the run got hard… she stayed in it.
Top 10.
World Championship qualifier.
But that’s not the whole story.
Because not long before, at Worlds… she wanted to quit.
Head pounding. Legs not ready. Surrounded by doubt.
“What am I doing here?”
“Do I even belong?”
And in that moment, she made a decision that changed everything—
“I don’t quit.”
Because quitting doesn’t just end a race… it closes the door on who you could become next.
Katie’s story isn’t about a perfect race.
It’s about showing up anyway.
Training through chaos.
Learning to give yourself grace when life isn’t ideal.
It’s about perseverance.
The kind that carries you through the highs and the lows… and brings you back stronger every time.
Because every race doesn’t just test you—
It reveals you.
#trigoodnews #choosegoodnews #ironman703 #perseverance #endurancestory
