Welcome to the Friends of the Devil triathlon blog. We’re Nate and Elliott, best friends and extremely amateur triathletes. We set out in 2015 to finish an Ironman distance race and quickly found ourselves totally addicted to the sport of triathlon. These are some of our stories.
Check out our posts for training updates, race announcements, special features and all manner of Grateful Dead puns. And in that spirit, we’re already gearing up for race season…only 85 days left until our first race in Bear, DE. After an rather uneventful 2020 (in triathlons that is), FotD is getting excited to get back to the thrill of racing this year. Be sure to subscribe to hear more about Bear Triathlon and how Nate and Elliott do.
Also be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@FotD_TriClub). We’ll have plenty of news and fun tidbits there that may not make it into the blog.
This year started a little weird. My gym had closed permanently and I’d lost access to a pool. Then, the week after New Year’s I was diagnosed with Covid which kept me stationary for a few weeks and unable to train as I’d planned. I didn’t want to overstress my lungs until I was sure I was fully over it. In retrospect, I got a pretty mild case and made out much better than a lot of people.
I had just come off a 10 week off-season training plan and was planning to do a couple unstructured training weeks and then start a new 14 week Olympic training program timed to end with the Bear Triathlon this May. I ended up taking a couple extra rest weeks but was able to start my new program on time. I love this program because it’s flexible, challenging and the workouts are always different. So I started training for the season on February 8th. It’s amazing what those few weeks of no activity can do to your performance, especially on the runs. But I’m back in it now and looking forward to a season of PRs!
| Last 2 Weeks | Year to Date | |
| Swim | 4400 yds | 6100 yds |
| Bike | 32.7 mi | 73.25 mi |
| Run | 10.33 mi | 24.53 mi |
| Strength | 5h 40m 53s | 9h 27m 53s |
Nate’s Training Update
After last year, 2021 is feeling almost like normal. I start each training season by creating my master calendar. I plug in all race dates that I’m already signed up for and work backwards from there, building in rest days, mock races, and tapers leading into race day. January and February are always light as far as miles and intensity. I like to build in two off days every week, and I don’t beat myself up if I miss or skip a workout here and there.
My pool also closed last March, but I’m hearing whispers that it will reopen soon. (Fingers crossed!) I haven’t been in the water since October. I did take the leap into the Zwift world at the end of last year. So far I like my setup a lot. I leave my race bike on the trainer in the basement and my road bike in the garage ready for any outdoor riding days.
| Last 2 Weeks | Year to Date | |
| Swim | 0 yds | 0 yds |
| Bike | 70.1 mi | 241.2 mi |
| Run | 20.6 mi | 64.9 mi |
Friends of the Devil 