PK Performance Coaching

You crossed the finish line (yay!) You celebrated (hopefully wearing your medal) You probably took a few days to soak in what you just accomplished (and if you’re one of my athletes, you’ve written a race report 👀) And then comes the question almost every triathlete asks… “Okay…when can I start training again?”

The tricky part is that your Ironman doesn’t stop being a training stimulus the moment you get your medal. That race was one of the biggest stressors you’ve ever placed on your body. The work you did in training and on race day still needs time to be absorbed.

Your body is rebuilding. Your muscles are repairing. Your aerobic system is adapting. Your fitness from the race is still being developed (yes, you gained fitness from the race).

That’s why rushing back too quickly can actually hold you back. Recovery isn’t time away from training. Recovery is PART of the training, especially after a race.

The athletes who come back strongest aren’t the ones who jump back in the fastest. They’re the ones who trust the process and give their bodies the time they need to absorb the work they’ve already done.

If you just finished an Ironman (or have one coming up), save this for when you’re staring at your training calendar wondering, “Am I ready yet?”

If you just raced, what was the hardest part of your post-Ironman recovery: the physical recovery…or being patient enough to actually rest?

You just finished an Ironman. Now what?
This is one of the questions I get most often from my athletes. Some are mentally ready for a break. Others are itching to get back to training and want to know what to expect when it comes to time off and returning to workouts.

The reality is that there’s a lot happening “under the hood” before you’re truly recovered, and recovery looks a little different for everyone. If you’ve been training and racing consistently for years, you’ll generally recover faster than someone who’s newer to endurance sports. Age plays a role too. As we get older, these recovery processes tend to take a little longer.

The timelines in this carousel are general guidelines, not hard rules. Your recovery will depend on factors like your training history, race ex*****on, sleep, nutrition, stress, and overall health.

Swipe through to see what’s actually happening in your body, week by week.

And stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll show you what that first month back to training actually looks like.

I don’t know anyone that looks forward to racing in the rain. In fact it can be incredibly anxiety inducing, especially when you’re racing your first Ironman.

But that’s exactly what Stephanie Steph Dunbar Cassese and Leah Leah McCann had to deal with on Sunday at Ironman Ottawa. There was a bit of stress because it meant one more thing they had to prepare for. Nothing they could do to change it, all they could do was be as prepared as possible. That meant extra socks, blister guards, Vaseline, you name it, the ladies had it.
The rain came down in buckets at some points but it did nothing to dampen the spirits of either of these ladies.

To quote Stephanie “Holy f**k that was the best day ever. So many thoughts. I smiled the full day.“ Every pic she sent me shows that smile!

To quote Leah: The whole race was memorable! I can’t believe 16+ hours went by so quickly.
My favourite moment was I running through the “tunnel” near the start, about 2km. It was pouring rain, the crowd was huge and the energy was incredible. Finishers were coming in but they were cheering for me just as much as the finishers. I felt like a rockstar and it gave me a huge boost to start the run. At this moment I was knew in my heart I was already an Ironman I just had the small task of completing the marathon. I believed I was an Ironman so the finish line was inevitable. ❤️❤️❤️

THIS IS WHY I LOVE MY JOB!

Congratulations Leah + Stephanie!

July, you were most excellent.

Coaching. Cheer Squad. Back on the bike. Country road running. Good Coffee. Top notch treats. Sunset. Vacation. Bucket list birds.

10/10 recommend.

Hadley Hadley West and I have been working together for almost a year now, and she’s been such a wonderful addition to the crew. I just wish she didn’t live all the way in Minnesota! She’s an absolute gem. Her laugh is contagious, she brings such positive energy to our calls, and she has an incredible ability to reflect on her training and understand what her body is telling her.

📆How long have you been working with Coach PK? 

I’ve been working with Coach PK for almost a year now—our one-year anniversary is in August! Honestly, it feels like it’s been much longer ONLY because I’ve learned SO much in this time. One of the biggest lessons has been understanding how different my body responds to training in my 50s compared to my younger self. PK has taught me to trust the process rather than getting attached to outcomes. The stay with today perspective has shifted my focus from “outcome anxiety” to “process confidence.” 

🧠What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned from working with PK?
Be the Willow: “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.”    ~Robert Jordan
* When your body says “not today” and modifications are needed; it’s ok. Before working with PK, I insisted on finishing the workout EXACTLY as written and paid the price  (injuries, illness, overtired).
* When races go sideways. I’m more accepting now of new conditions and racing the day that’s in front of me.
* When training isn’t linear. I now anticipate detours and adjust accordingly without losing sight of the goal.
* When comparison creeps in. Instead of feeling the need to prove something, I remind myself to stay rooted in my own purpose. (Running because I love the challenge, the growth, and the meaning behind the miles.)

🏁How did you first get started in endurance sports? 
My love for endurance sports all started with rowing back in high school. Much, much later, when I moved to SE Minnesota (where there are no lakes!?), I was introduced to X-country mountain bike and gravel racing through my now husband (Ed). Then, watching Ed train and finish his first IM, I thought, “I want to do that!”

🥇What’s been your proudest racing achievement to date?

This weekend two of the PKPC Ladies, Leah Leah McCann and Stephanie Steph Dunbar Cassese will be toeing the line at their FIRST Ironman in Ottawa.

They’ve put in the work and now it’s time for the celebration - because that’s what race day is: a celebration of all the hard work you’ve done.

GO GET IT LADIES!!!

SHE RIDES AGAIN!!!!!

I’ve officially done four rides over 60 minutes since we’ve been up in Muskoka and….MY SHOULDER HAS BEEN FINE 💃🏻. No pain post ride and no upper back or neck issues. You have no idea how happy that makes me. Even after today’s climb filled 60 km, I figured I’d have some tension through my neck and upper back but I don’t. Woot woot!

I had the hydrodilation procedure done 5 days before we went on holidays. I had hoped it would fully restore my range of motion but it hasn’t. It has decreased the pain I was experiencing substantially and given me slightly more range of motion than what I had so I’m taking those wins.

I’m working on trying to improve my ROM with a lot of stretching, mobility and activation work. I’m back in the gym but I have to be mindful with upper body work. If I do anything too heavy, my tricep + bicep tendons get pissy. So it may take a while to turn my pipe cleaners back into pipes 😂.

I am hopeful that I’ve turned the corner and am making a slow march back to normal 🤞🏻🤞🏻.

Just another Medal Monday, oh, oh, 🎶
Such a fun Sunday, oh oh 🎶

Yesterday was THE BIG triathlon event in the city of Toronto. It was Supertri Toronto weekend. This was also the first year in 9 years that I wasn’t there to spectate 😕.

Three of the crew toed the line yesterday. Two did the Olympic distance and one did the sprint. And they all had to deal with VERY cold water to kick off their races. Lake Ontario can be fickle and when it turns, it is COLD. Temps were 15 degrees Celsius so it was wetsuit mandatory. Nothing like an ice cream headache to start the day!

Sue L Sue Lynskey did the sprint “to do something different” and ended up taking 3rd place in her AG.

Alex S Alex Santos did the Olympic distance and my instructions to her were: SEND IT. No power targets, no pace targets, just race on feel and see how the day goes. New threshold power set on the bike and a 3rd place in her AG. (You can just see her in the PKPC pink in the back row 😄)

Dan B Dan Barclay also raced the Olympic as a stepping stone to Barrleman in September. He kept his effort conservative in the swim and on the bike and still came away 10 minutes faster than he was last year!

Well done Crew!!!

“Some days, it all adds up
And what you got is isn’t enough
Some days are better than others”

Thank you Bono for accurately describing today’s long run 😅

Not the best day on two feet - I felt tired and sluggish from the start and I couldn’t keep my heart rate down. Long story short I went into this run dehydrated thanks to some GI issues yesterday 😅. I thought I drank enough but as soon as I started running I knew this was going to be a slog. About 30 minutes in I thought about turning around and calling it quits. But I didn’t. I kept putting one foot in front of the other. Walking when I needed to keep my heart rate in check.

“Bad” runs like this used to really get to me but now, I know that they are a part of training. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that not every workout is going to feel awesome. Some days you just get through it. Some days it all adds up and what you’ve got is not enough 🤷🏻‍♀️.

But as Shannon Cherryholme-Ruisendaal reminded me, any time you GET to run is 💯 better than not being able to run, even if it is a steaming pile of 💩

In other news, HOW ABOUT THAT FINISH at Le Tour??? That just about made up for the 10 boring stages before it 😄