Cherie Gruenfeld: Grandmaster Triathlete Racing Her 20th Ironman World Championship Race This Year; Hear Her Story and Tips for Longevity in Sport

Cherie Gruenfeld, 70, legendary triathlete who will race the Ironman World Championships for the 20th time this year. She has 16 Ironman titles, and 11 of those are at Kona. She's the founder and director of Exceeding Expectations, a program that uses the sport of triathlon to positively re-direct the lives of at-risk, inner city kids; and she's also a long-time triathlon coach. It all began when Cherie and her husband, Lee, made the decision to leave their corporate jobs and pursue their passions -- for Cherie that was sport. After that decision she was made, Cherie never looked back..... On this show we discuss:The support of her husband, a non-athlete, over the years and secrets to a successful marriage with an athlete in the household.Cherie's evolving expectations of herself over the yearsSecrets and tips to success for the aging athleteKona performances, going sub 12 at Kona in 55-59 (the first woman to achieve that), etc.Cherie's training and her current format for a 'big' Ironman training week and recovery:Week 1Mon -Recovery*Tue - Hard dayWed - Recovery*Thu  - Hard dayFri - Recovery*Sat/Sun - Long/hard days*recovery days are usually swims vs. no training at all Week 2Mon - RecoveryTue - Recovery/easyWed - Moderately hard runThu - Semi-hard dayFri - RecoverySat/Sun - Moderately hard daysWeek 3...repeat!Her thoughts on taper and dedicated recovery days/recovery weeks, plus her go-to recovery protocols (ice baths + compression!), sleep, diet and moreHow her training now differs from her younger days Cross training and strength trainingExperiencing hard days, tough races, DNFs, injuries, hard seasons... Coach or self-coached, and why?Nutrition and diet: Her fuels of choice and has that changed over the yearsSupplements she takes, including MAPPost Kona...and a proper offseason... Tips on planning a race season for a master's athlete. Tips for a master's athlete looking to PR and continue to improve...and more!