Brian Fleischmann: TT Interview

Following on from our interview with the winner of last week’s Calgary 70.3, Kieran Doe, we caught up with the man nipping at Kieran’s heals, another Colorado Springs based athlete, American Brian fleischmann.

Profile 

DOB:   8/8/1978

Career highlight to date:   2006 ITU Triathlon Team World Championships   1st place   Cancun, Mexico

Favourite race:   Escape To Bermuda Triathlon

Best leg:   swim

Ultimate goal:  Win major US Olympic distance and 70.3 races on a consistent basis

Sponsors:   Trakkers, Saucony, First Endurance, Rudy Project, Kestrel, Profile Design

Favourite movie:    Best In Show directed by Christopher Guest

TT: Brian, thanks for your time. Congrats on your second place at the Calgary 70.3. Talk us through the race?

BF:    It was my first trip to Calgary and I thoroughly the city as well as the race.  It was raining for most of the race which made it quite wet and cold but I managed to make the best of it.  The race was run well and very organized as most races that I have done in Canada seem to be based on past race experiences in Edmonton and Cornerbrook. 

As far as breaking the race down goes I would say that I had a decent race although there were a few minor mistakes but all in all my pacing nutrition was on throughout the entire four hours.  After leading the swim out comfortably I was able to have a fairly quick and blunder free transition one and get out onto the bike with a slight lead over Doe and crew.  Doe had a great ride and came by me early in the ride.  I have been working on my cycling but still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be by the end of the year.   I lost about 4 minutes to Doe throughout the cold and rainy 58 mile bike leg.  Feeling good out of transition two I managed to claw back about two minutes of that lead by half-way but as I was approaching the turnaround I had a slip in the mud around a blind right hand bend that cost me a little time and a lot of energy.  I believe I matched Kieran Doe's pace for the last 10 K which granted me second on the day.  All in all it was a tough day on a challenging course which will enable me to direct my effort in training to specific areas and progress through the season accordingly. 

TT: Calgary was the first race back since your calf injury, how did it hold up?

BF:   Good, I heal quickly.  This injury had me out of running for three weeks for the most part.  I was able to have a solid steady run on minimal running training so I see this result as a gauge to where I am at physically and as a mental starting point to the second half of the season post calf injury.  I was able to get back into training shortly after Calgary so to put a tough 13 miles up and not have my calf regress back to being injured is quite a relief. 

TT: What is on the agenda for the rest of the year?

BF:   I am going to do a few more 70.3 races in the US from August to September and race 70.3 World Champs in November as well.  I also intend to focus on having a great result at US Pro Nationals at the end of September.  Racing both distances is very challenging and I have made some mistakes in the past with my race choices and training but I believe I have a sound plan in place to get the most out of each race that I compete in for the remainder of the season.  

TT: Are you back in Colorado Springs now training?  

BF:  Yes

TT: How perfect is Colorado Spring as a training base?

BF:   It is great.  I have lived in Colorado Springs for 8 years now and still really enjoy training here.  Colorado Springs is not where I will live forever but it is a great location to train for triathlon. 

TT: How vital do you think the altitude component of Colorado Springs is?

 BF:  Altitude is a very delicate topic and 6000 feet of elevation is not to be treated lightly.  I have learned a lot about my body and the effects that training at 6,000 feet has had on me over the years.  I am still learning and trying to maximize the training and performance gains that altitude training has to offer.  Dialling in the right training strategies for altitude training takes some experimentation and over the years I have learned a lot.  In general my approach to training, compared to that of other athletes of the same calibre, is along the lines of "less is more" so to speak. 

TT: Have you, or do you currently sleep in an altitude tent? 

BF:   No, I have never had the desire to sleep in an altitude tent. 

TT: How much do you taper for your races? For example, what sort of training did you do during the 10 days leading intoCalgary 70.3?

 

BF:   I did rest for Calgary.  I started to cut down the volume the Tuesday prior to the race.  5 days of legitimate tapering with a taxing travel day thrown in the mix works for the half ironmans for me I believe.  I would rest the same for an important Olympic distance race as well.  You can not rest for every race if you race a lot but I did rest for Calgary. 

TT: Do you find you find it harder to sleep during the tapers? 

BF:   What I will do is cut my nap short or cut it out entirely to enable my body and mind to be as tired as they are when I am training hard and taking naps, which is something that I do almost on a daily basis and believe in. 

TT: Who do you consider your fiercest rival within the U.S? And why?

BF:   Andy Potts....  He has it all....talent, work ethic, ability to suffer in training and racing, and the willingness to do what it takes to be the best.  His ability ranges from sprint distance to Ironman.  I wish to raise my game this season to honesty compete at the level that he is competing at currently. 

TT:  Brian thanks again for you time and all the best for the rest of 2010.

BF: Thank you,  -Brian