Top Triathlete Prepares for Third Leg of the Year
At 6-foot 165 pounds, Timothy O’Donnell appears like any other slender man in his thirties, but when he changes into racing gear, he is one of the best triathletes in the world.
The professional triathlete is closing in on his third race of the season with the IRONMAN Brazil on May 31, 2015. This could put him close to going back to Kona for the Ironman World Championships once again.
Training for much of the year at his home in Boulder, Colorado tests O’Donnell’s ability at all elevations and lets him explore his favorite disciplines in the sport.
“I love running. I was a swimmer growing up and right now I do the minimum amount of swimming I do to stay in that front pack,” O’Donnell said. “I used to hate running when I started and I didn’t start running until college, but it’s therapeutic for me now. I just love getting out there and soaking up the mountains when I’m at home in Boulder. It’s a nice way to relax a little bit.”
Training at a high elevation gives him an advantage for the upcoming race in Brazil. The race will be around 3,000 feet in elevation so training in the mountains of Colorado provides a competitive edge.
“It’s always nice to come to a little lower elevation to race,” O’Donnell said. “It’s pretty moderate climate down there right now, there’s no need for drastic changes leading up to the race.”
Pushing him throughout his career is his wife Mirinda Carfrae, a great counterpart to have since she’s the reigning women’s Ironman World Champion.
“It’s awesome having someone to share it with you,” O’Donnell said. “It can be stressful because you both are getting ready for big races, but it’s really nice. It’s better than the alternative.”
O’Donnell already had a strong showing in Brazil in April when he took second place at the Ironman 70.3. He also won the Subaru Mooloolaba Triathlon earlier in 2015.
Since then, he’s been working on his ability to stay strong and keep the cerebral part of his triathlon approach sharp.
“The mental side of Ironman is probably the toughest of them all,” O’Donnell said. “When it comes down to it, everybody’s fit and everybody’s ready to go. I do a lot of visualization and self-meditation. It’s such a long day, with an eight or nine hours race that you have to break everything down. The biggest thing is to just stay in the moment.”
For his training, O’Donnell has been using the Forerunner 920XT since its release and really sees the benefit, whether it’s training or race day.
“I really love the features, like the Ground Contact Time, where I can get any extra data,” O’Donnell said. “It’s neat to see how the body the changes whether you’re tired or whether you are doing intervals. Having a couple more data points to focus on is always fun.”
Make sure you follow Timothy on social media to follow his progress:
The post Top Triathlete Prepares for Third Leg of the Year appeared first on Garmin Blog.
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