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BILLY EDWARDS
Triathlete
What does your standard training week involve?
I have never had a standard training week. Each week is a different mix of sport.
Where is your favorite place to train?
From my house, in northeast Boulder, I can ride without hitting a stoplight and be in the mountains in 30 minutes. I can run out onto hilly and flat trails, many of which have views of the amazing Colorado mountains.
What is your favorite race?
Ironman Wisconsin, primarily because it is a legitimately tough Ironman course. Madison has amazing supportive crowds and a fantastically fun ever changing course.
What is your favorite 2XU garment? When do you use it and why?
My 2XU Compression Tights are perfect for cold runs here in Boulder. My legs are warm, not hot, and the compression comes in handy on a long run or a run with hard efforts. They are even perfect for snowshoe racing.
What is your favorite training accessory?
I can't do a ride without my power meter. The little yellow CPU has to be on the bike and calibrated before I am comfortably into my ride.
What has been the toughest experience in your career and what did you learn from it?
In Kona 2009, I raced sick. I was a little sick all week, but hoped I could get through the race on Saturday. At 2.5k into the swim, I knew it would be a long day. I got slower and more miserable through the bike and nearly pulled out at T2. I had never DNFed and decided to plug away to go the entire distance. In the last mile, I even sprinted in to finish just under 10 hours. I learned that any day you can get to the finish-line is a good day.
What is the most common training mistake you see? Any suggestions on how to avoid it?
Athletes doing workouts without a purpose. If you are going to train hard, you need to know why and what you are building towards.
What motivates you to train and race harder?
I train hard because it just surrounds me, even my lawyer wife is always getting it done. I race hard because that is just a part of me and what I have always done, internally motivated.
Describe your diet/meal plan leading up to a big race:
After all the pre-race tuning is done the day before a race, I gotta have a tall stack of pancakes. You can find me at the nearest breakfast dive to the race site about mid-day. There is generally some pasta and bagels involved as well.
How do you balance your training and racing life with life outside the sport?
Lara, my wife, even as a solid athlete herself, keeps me pretty balanced and now we have a little girl to come home to after tough workouts. Paige,our daughter, can make me smile and reminds me there is life outside of sport. I think my mindset towards keeping it fun in sport also keeps me balanced.
What type of nutritional supplement do you find most helpful?
I take some food based vitamins and a Marine buddy of mine developed a good vitamin shot, Ruckpack, that is great for on-the-go when traveling and meals are shoddy.
What is the best thing about being a professional athlete?
I get to travel to some amazing and unique places and compete against the best in the world.
What is the worst thing about being a professional athlete?
It sucks when you have a bad day. As a Pro, you are out in front and it would be easy to drop out on a bad day, but I prefer to just get it done anyways. It sucks, but I get to do this full-time, so no big complaints.
In five years time, I will be:
...still in sport, not likely competing as a Pro-Triathlete, but still testing my limits and racing. I would like to get into more ultra-cycling events. I will hopefully still be working with the kind of elite athletes I currently work with as the Naval Academy Triathlon Coach. I wish that would become a full-time job!
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Ironman: 9:02:38, Full Rev3, Cedar Point, OH 2010
- Half Ironman: 4:02:35, Lonestar Half 2009
- Marathon: 2:35:16, Marine Corps Marathon, 2004
- Halfmarathon: 1:10:08, Shamrock Half Marathon, 2007
- Beer mile: 7:39