How do Quintana Roo professional triathletes Matt Hanson and Jodie Robertson prep for race season? And what advice do they give other athletes who will be toeing the line this season? See what they've been up to during their off seasons and what their plans are going into 2019.

MATT HANSON

IRONMAN WORLD RECORD HOLDER

Race season is quickly approaching!

I will be knocking off the cobwebs at Campeche 70.3 and Galveston 70.3 as a lead in to IRONMAN Texas. I have had a great off season which included a bit of down time after IRONMAN Argentina, then a three week training block in Clermont, Florida where I enjoyed a long course pool and a lot of aerobic miles on the bike and run.

I was also able to squeeze in a weekend at the Boardman High Performance center where I went through a number of physiological tests on the bike in different positions before heading into the wind tunnel. The goal was to find the position with the optimal balance of aerodynamics and power. I’m thrilled with the results I received in the lab and am chomping at the bit to test these out in the races!

I’m heading off to a 2 week training camp in Las Cruces, NM with Coach Julie and her crew. With my first race of the year being just a few weeks away, it is time to get very specific with the pacing and dial into race pace. I find it is better for me to do this while training with a group, especially in the swim. I definitely feed off the energy and the completion that the squad environment provides in the pool!

The camp is a time for me to limit many of the outside day-to-day distractions and focus on what is necessary to build the body to compete at the level I am hoping to attain. I’ve worked hard in the off season to build strength and a solid aerobic base. Now it is time to shift gears to race specific training.

My biggest tip/piece of advice for athletes for this time of year is to aim for consistency. While I will do 1-2 race specific “massive” training days per build, that is not what is going to dictate my success during the season. Showing up day in and day out and executing each workout to the best of your ability is the key to creating the environment for the most successful season. Make sure you trust the plan that you are following and focus on executing the plan. If you execute, you can take a great deal of confidence while on the start line in knowing you did everything possible to set the table for success!

Best of luck and safe training.

JODIE ROBERTSON

WINNER OF 2017 IRONMAN TEXAS

As not only a professional triathlete but also a full-time teacher, my race season preparation is probably very similar to most athletes out there who are working and training. Family and teaching are always my top priority.

My biggest tip for the triathlete with a full-time job is to plan ahead, don't hit snooze, and get it done no questions asked. Don't overthink your training sessions, just sit yourself on that bike and ride. Some days it will be great, some days it will be awful, but all you have to do is just put in the work consistently.

I won't be traveling to a training camp for 2+ weeks, but rather spending my time with some hard focused training on the trainer and treadmill. Race season preparations have started with a pretty intense focus on swimming where there is a solid amount of work on short, hard intervals in the water of 25, 50 and 100 meters. My favorite training session on the bike is low cadence intervals on the trainer. I love the strength building component that these provide for the entire season.

Enjoy your race season preparations and I look forward to seeing everyone on the start line where we Dream Big and Make it Happen.