Jordan Rapp, Top 15 Ironman World Championship Finisher, on Fitness Tech, Lance and Training
Jordan Rapp – Pro Triathlete, Slowtwitch Chief Technology Officer
Sponsers: Specialized, Zoot, Target Training, Spider Tech, 1st Endurance, Zipp, Quarq, Nomatec Map, Cobb Cycling, The Mauna Lani Bay Resort, Tequila Patron, Zico, Speedplay
Charity: World bike Relief
Jordan Rapp, or Rappstar, is a Top Pro US Triathlete, having accomplished 1st place in multiple Ironman Championships, including two US National Ironman Championships, Ironman Canada, Ironman Texas, Ironman Arizona, Leadman Bend Epic 250, Leadman Las Vegas Epic 250 and the ITU Long Distance World Championships. Thanks Jordan!
Q. Top 15 this year at Ironman Worlds is quite the accomplishment, ready to make a go at top 10 next year?
A. I made it up to 10th at 23mi, but then faltered in the closing stretch to finish 13th. The first goal of the year is to win in Melbourne. Melbourne is clearly a championship race, and it’s the home soil of the country that has dominated Ironman for the past six years. It’s like showing up to Germany and winning. You have to be ready to RACE an Ironman. So that’s my number one goal for this season. My second goal is to have a race in Kona that I am happy with. That means, firstly, executing in all three sports, especially the swim. If I can swim well in Kona, I think the rest of the pieces will fall into place. In terms of where that means I finish? That’s harder to say. I think a good race in Kona will put me in the top-5. My best race? I think top-3, but where in the top three I think depends a lot on the conditions on the day. I think I still have work to do to win Kona. That’s a race where very few people go in and say, “if I have my best race, I will win this race.” I am not there yet. Can I win? I think so, but for 2013, that would mean both some good luck for me and some bad luck for some others.
Q. Any entertaining stories come to mind from the field, racing or training?
A. I suppose that depends on who is being entertained. Generally speaking, I wish I had a better memory of races. I remember very, very little about my races. I thnk that my brain sort of shuts them out, because a lot of racing is also really painful. But I do remember in Ironman US Champs in 2012, coming back towards transition on the final 30km of the bike and singing songs from Sesame Street that I had been watching with Quentin. That was entertaining for me, even if not for anyone else.
Q. What type of diet does an elite triathlete follow, or would you consider yourself a eat what I want because I’ll burn it off type of guy? I would imagine you require extensive amounts of fuel (calories), do you track calorie intake and burn?
A. I don’t count calories. I just try to make sure I eat “enough.” If I’m hungry, I eat. And, of course, I’ve been doing this long enough that I have a pretty good idea of what “enough” is. On days where I train more, I eat more (though usually in smaller meals). And on easy days, I eat less – though probably bigger main meals and fewer snacks. As far as breakdown, I would guess I probably do 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40% carbohydrates, but again, that’s really just estimation, not precise. In terms of WHAT I eat, I’m very particular. I make most of my food myself. I try to buy quality, organic food. I try not to buy food with too many ingredients. Mostly, I would say I try to eat “real” food.
Q. Besides Running, Biking and Swimming, how else do you mentally and physically prepare for the demand a triathlon puts on the body and mind? Yoga? Massage? Strength Training? Etc.?
A. Eat well. Get enough sleep. Those are the two absolutely most important things. I work with Blair Ferguson of Ventura Training & Athletics, a trainer who specializes in MAT (Muscle Activation Techniques) and RTS (Resistance Training Specialists) techniques, but what specifically will do is hard to give a short answer to. I guess I would say that we try to identify and address specific weaknesses and imbalances. How exactly we do that depends on what the specific weakness or imbalance is.
Q. Being an avid Mountain Biker, are you considering any mountain bike ultra races this upcoming year, like Leadville 100?
A. Leadville on the bucket list, just not the 2013 bucket list. It’s too hard to prepare well for something as demanding as an Ironman in addition to preparing for Ironman. And it’s not worth doing something like Leadville underprepared.
Q. Is there a specific discipline you have been concentrating on as of late, it appears the swimming portion (including unfavorable conditions) is what may have set you back last year at the Worlds?
A. Since I’m getting ready for Melbourne, I’m concentrating on Ironman-specific preparation. One big mistake I think people make is to say, “I’m bad at X, I need to focus entirely on that.” It’s important to train your strengths, so they continue to be strengths, as well as your weaknesses. I have changed some things about how I train for swimming, but I haven’t changed how I balance my training for an Ironman.
Q. What fitness technologies or gadgets do you train and/or race with?
A. I use a Quarq powermeter on the bike and a GPS watch on the run.
Q. Any fitness gadget that you would say is a must have for an aspiring triathlete or endurance athlete in general?
A. Stopwatch. A powermeter for biking is the best investment you can make as a cyclist, both for training and for racing, but it’s not necessary. A GPS watch is the best tool you can buy for running, but it’s also not necessary. The only thing that’s really, really necessary in my opinion is a stopwatch.
Q. Any thoughts on Lance Armstrong Triathlete?
A. I wrote a long post about him on my blog here that I think says it all: http://blog.rappstar.com/2013/01/hows-water.html
Q. When you feel like bonking… ?
A. Chocolate chips.
Q. Couple songs (if you listen to music while performing) that get you over the hump in training or racing?
A. I generally don’t listen to music when training.
Q. Any basic tips for those (the general public) who are looking to compete in an Xterra triathlon or triathlon in general?
A. It’s closer than you think. Some people think that triathlon means Ironman, which it doesn’t. But even people who know that there are sprint races often feel like they are out of reach. “I could NEVER do that!” is something that you hear a lot when you describe triathlon to people. But it really is much more doable than you think. The Ironman slogan is, “Anything Is Possible,” but I think that applies to triathlon in general. If you want to do a triathlon, you can do a triathlon. You can walk on the “run.” You can swim breaststroke or backstroke for a bit to take a break. You can stop and rest. Triathlon can look intimidating from the outside, but it’s really incredibly inviting and welcoming.
Q. Gear Closet? Any athletic gear or equipment that you swear by while racing?
A. I think my powermeter is the most valuable tool that I have for racing, especially Ironman, but I like to think that I could race without anything other than the basic.
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