Post-Ironman Cozumel Athlete Feature

Charlotte Farrant out of Lac La Biche has graciously accepted to do a Post-Cozumel ironman interview via email with Triathlon Alberta. Scroll down for details!

Club Affiliation: LAVA Performance Coaching  

Triathlon Alberta: How did you get into triathlons?  
Charlotte: I started taking spin classes after a few years of marathons and a recent 50k trail race left me with an injured knee. My spin teacher, Lazelle De Ridder, had done many Ironmans and encouraged me to take up triathlon as a way to cut down my run mileage. I took her advice and signed up for the Olympic distance race at Great White North.  
I hated every minute of that first race until the last 200m! I went out and bought a “road” bike a  couple of months before and got in a handful of rides. I didn’t know anything about the tightness of a wetsuit or how to sight, so I thought I was having a heart attack about 100m into the swim that day and ended up near the weeds several times. Then I spent 50km being passed on the bike as I road along on treaded tires inflated to 75 PSI. I had a lot to learn.  
The entire race I thought to myself, “When is this going to end?” until the last 200m of the run, when I suddenly perked up and finished thinking “That was awesome!” So, like any good Type A  person, I kept signing up for more. The surprise outcome was that through triathlon training my knee became much more resilient and I was able to return to the sport of long distance running. 

Triathlon Alberta: What compelled you to race at the Ironman distance?  
Charlotte: Curiosity. Most of what I do in life is driven by curiosity. I love to learn and discover. My goal in life is to experience as many amazing, horrible, exhilarating, terrifying and unpredictable adventures that I am physically and mentally capable of! My motto is, “Do all the things!”  
I knew I was capable of finishing an Ironman, so I felt like it would be a horrible waste not to do  it. I think you must honour all that life has to offer by doing all the wonderful things you are fortunate enough to be able to do.  
From a coaching perspective, I feel my own experience at the distance is a valuable source of training and performance knowledge. The physiological aspect of coaching an athlete to the Ironman distance is relatively straight forward, but the mental and emotional piece is complex, and arguably the most critical components to success at that distance. I like to really get to know an athlete, and understand how their individual personality influences their training and performance. Having personally experienced an Ironman, I can connect the mental and emotional pieces of the event in a way that is specific to the personalities of each individual athlete.  
On a performance level, I’m drawn to the Ironman because it gives me a legitimate excuse to train more, and I love training. I think I am very fortunate in this way. I truly love the process and the work. I don’t need outside motivators. I like showing up every day.  
There are not a lot of fireworks during an Ironman - it’s a long day. But in this way, it is very  similar to the demands of everyday training – show up, do the work, be consistent, repeat. I  believe anyone who wants to do an Ironman can. There is no secret sauce or talent involved in completing an Ironman. It’s a mindset to commit to completing the work, then doing it. If you can follow through on that you will cross the finish line.  

Triathlon Alberta: How did Ironman Cozumel go?  
Charlotte: My day was filled with challenges from heavy rain, thunderstorms, bike mechanical issues, heat, humidity and GI issues. The weather can be a bit crazy in the Caribbean, and the Ironman is a difficult distance at which to have a perfect race, so I was expecting to overcome obstacles.  
The series of misadventures throughout the day was a true comedy of errors – from biking through multiple puddles so deep my entire chain and gears were submerged (one racer  claimed to have seen a fish on the bike course), to evading lighting strikes (several racers witnessed a strike right in front of them and watched as a blue line went up a power pole), and riding through rain so heavy it was hard to see in front of you at times.  
I also had problems with my nutrition – I couldn’t keep any of it down, so instead I ended up wearing most of it. The flooding caused the sewage system to back up, which was problematic on the run course. Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up. It was one hilarious tragedy after another, but I was just so grateful that I got my bike going again after multiple flats and was able to finish what I started. Sometimes the original goal goes out the window and then it’s just  about ‘getting it done’.  

Triathlon Alberta: What were some of the challenges in preparing for this particular event? 
Charlotte: I didn’t experience many challenges in preparing for the event. The only disadvantage was timing. I had done a lot of training in the heat during the summer months, but the race being in late November meant the final build was in cold weather. I stayed healthy and uninjured throughout training so never suffered any time off or setbacks. I had done the Chicago Marathon about a month before the Ironman so I had a marathon in my legs. I feel I was well  prepared. In practice, my nutrition plan worked for me, but for unknown reasons it didn’t go down well on race day. The challenges I faced on course were largely out of my control and not a result of my training program. There is a complete race report on my personal Facebook page if anyone wants to read more about my misadventures that day!  

Triathlon Alberta: What are your future goals for the sport?  
Charlotte: I have a marathon of marathons next year and two Ironmans. I will be mixing up my marathon  builds with triathlon training to race the Miami Marathon in February, Boston Marathon in April,  Ironman Nice in June, Ironman Canada in August, Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October and possibly the New York Marathon in November. I am approaching my next Ironman, in Nice, as a  “fun thing to do” before backpacking for a few weeks around Europe with my teenage daughter (not sure what is more daunting, those 26 hairpin turns on a rented bike or travelling with a  teenager girl).  
On a coaching level, I’ll be heading to the Canada Summer Games next year as part of the  coaching team with Head Coach Lisa Mensink and Team Manager Kyle Jensen, who lead the  Kronos Triathlon Club in Calgary. I’ve had the privilege of working with Lisa this past year as she mentored me through the process of completing my NCCP Triathlon Canada Competion Coach certification process, as part of the Canada Summer Games Women In Coaching Apprenticeship Program.  
I have athletes with big goals next year - from Ironmans to World Major Marathons and Ultrarunning, so I am laser focused on their upcoming training season. I’m choosing to take a more relaxed approach to my own training and racing this year so I can put my energy into coaching first. This part of the sport is even more important to me than my personal training  and racing goals. Collaborating with other coaches and working with athletes is an aspect of the  sport that I will do long after I have hung up my goggles, helmet and shoes!  

Triathlon Alberta: What are some fun facts about you?
Charlotte: I’m originally from the East Coast.  
I have also lived in Ontario, BC, Nunavut, and in France, Hong Kong and China  I have completed 11 marathons and lost count of how many half marathons. I have raced all the triathlon distances and the 70.3 distance is my favourite. I am proof age doesn’t slow you done - I’m days shy of 49 and getting faster!  Fingers crossed I finally get to run the Boston Marathon and NYC Marathon next year after qualifying several times but having Covid interfere.  
I have three Boston Terriers and they are certified crazy. 

Triathlon Alberta: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us and good luck in the upcoming year with racing and coaching!