10 Most Popular Triathlon/Mindset Stories in 2024
Discover our most popular topics this year!
Triple Threat Life is an email newsletter with practical triathlon tips and mindset techniques to help everyday athletes succeed. Some installments are free. Some are for paid subscribers only. Sign up here.
Happy New Year!
Now that 2024 has officially come to a close, I thought it would be fun to look back on Triple Threat Life’s most popular posts of the year.
Since we focus on practical triathlon tips and mindset techniques for athletes, I’ve divided them into the Top 10 for each category.
We have quite a few new subscribers this month! This is a great opportunity for you to check out some of the topics we’ve already covered this year.
But first, you’re probably wondering who I am…
I’m Brittany Vermeer, a triathlete, journalist, animal-lover, Christian, and eternal optimist.
I’m a writer with 17 years of experience in sport media. I work with outlets like Triathlete Magazine, Outside, IRONMAN, and XTERRA.
7 X 70.3 finisher, 2 X Ironman finisher, 2 X 70.3 WC qualifier
My favorite sport is a toss up between swimming and cycling... I don’t hate running.
I have an incredible husband named Matt (also a triathlete) and a dog named Ellie Mae.
As a journalist, I get to connect with professional athletes, coaches, and experts on a daily basis, and I want to share that knowledge with you. That’s what Triple Threat Life is all about! It’s a trusted resource and supportive community to fuel your passion for the sport and help you achieve your goals.
There are two versions of this newsletter: one is free, one is paid.
Free subscribers get:
2 X weekly posts with training tips and mindset skills to help you become a smarter, stronger, more successful athlete.
$80 in annual nutrition credit from The Feed
Free downloads (our Triathlon Packing List and Gear Guide)
Paid subscribers get:
2 X weekly posts with training tips and mindset skills to help you become a smarter, stronger, more successful athlete.
$80 in annual nutrition credit from The Feed.
Free downloads (our Triathlon Packing List and Gear Guide)
Exclusive product discounts on your favorite brands like ROKA, Rudy Project, Runner’s Warehouse, and more
Bonus, in-depth content with worksheets, templates, ect.
Access to monthly video calls with expert guest speakers (professional triathletes, triathlon coaches, nutritionists, and more.)
Upgrade to the Triple Threat Life Club for just $5 a month here.
Also, here are some helpful links:
Free downloads- Triathlon packing list and Gear recommendation guide
First IRONMAN blog series- First-timer resources
Top 10 Triathlon Topics of 2024
How to Fit Triathlon Training into Your Busy Life- When you decide to do a triathlon, the first obstacle you will encounter is how to fit swim, bike, and run training into your life… So, I took a week in my own schedule and compared it to a week in my friend, Ciara’s schedule. We’re both competitive age group triathletes, and we were both training for a 70.3, but we had different schedules. Also included are 4 tips to maximize your training with the time you have available.
How to Adjust Run Pace in the Heat- I live in Florida where it’s HOT. This post explains weather terminology like humidity and dew point and provides a few formulas for how to adjust run pace in the heat.
Lessons Learned from My First Ironman Triathlon- This was a 7-part blog series for IRONMAN.com. Within the series, I covered all the training and preparation in the lead up to my first full distance triathlon at IRONMAN Florida. There’s insights from pro triathletes, coaches, nutritionists, and fellow age-groupers.
You’ve Trained so Hard. Don’t Screw it up Now! Avoid These Common Taper Mistakes- In this post, we talk about what taper is, factors that influence taper, and what NOT to do before your big race.
How Men and Women Fuel for Ironman- For this post, I teamed up with the sport scientists at Precision Fuel & Hydration to examine their database of case studies. We looked the differences between how men and women fuel for an Ironman.
So You Want to Do an Ironman? Apparently, Ironman-themed posts are very popular… In this post, we talk about the importance of finding your why, good and bad reasons to do an Ironman, and the incredible power of the mind to help you persevere when the body may fail.
The Ironman and 70.3 Playbook: How to Navigate Race Week, Transitions, and More- This is a step-by-step guide that outlines what to expect during race week at an Ironman triathlon. It includes information about athlete check-in, bike check-in, gear bags, setting up transition, common penalties, and more. It was so popular this will be the topic of an e-book coming in early 2025!
Triathlete Gift Guide: 2024 Edition- This gift guide was meant for Christmas, but it can be used for any time of the year. It’s divided into sections based on price and includes some of our favorite triathlon gear. Feel free to forward to family and friends.
North Carolina 70.3: Honest Reflections and Takeaways to Help You Nail Your Next Triathlon! I do race reports a bit differently. Yes, I include a first-person account of the race, but I also talk about our race preparation and strategy and provide course tips for athletes looking to do the race in the future. By reading about preparation, strategy, and execution, you can learn from someone’s else’s experience and apply those lesson to your own racing.
Ironman Arizona Race Report- Surprise, surprise! The top post for 2024 was another race report, this one from Matt’s first Ironman. Since we both did this race, you get to read an account from two different perspectives. There’s also information about our pre race prep and key lessons we learned. We include what worked, and what didn’t, so hopefully these insights can help you at your next race.
Top 10 Mindset Topics of 2024
How to Rebound After a Sh!tty Race- I could just gloss over the bad things that sometimes happen in this sport, but it seems disingenuous. And that doesn’t help anyone. So this is an account of the worst triathlon experience I’ve ever had and tips for how you can rebound after your own sh!tty race (because it will happen at some point.)
Gold Medal Mindset with Kristian Blummenfelt- My friends at the Red Bull Mind Set Win podcast interview elite athletes to discover their winning mental tactics. Kristian Blummenfelt appeared on the podcast with his coach, Olav Aleksander Bu, to talk about their unique approach to triathlon. I break down the interview into 4 key mindset techniques you can apply to your own life.
The 5 Love Languages For Athletes- This is a fresh take on Gary Chapman’s New York Times bestselling book- The 5 Love Languages- which transformed the way we think about relationships by identifying 5 primary ways people express and receive love. What if we applied this idea to athletes?
Why Motivation May Let You Down, but Consistency Never Will- We use the beloved fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, to explain the difference between motivation and consistency. Learn about the 9 motivation sub-types and how to decide which motivation style suits you best. Also, we talk about 5 proven strategies to develop better consistency.
Are You an Athlete or an Addict? How to Plan Off-Season the Right Way- This is super timely right now since it’s off-season! We talk about why many athletes struggle taking time off and explain the dreaded result… overtraining syndrome. It can be hard to figure out exactly what to do, or how much to do, during off-season, especially if you don’t have a coach. We explain our approach to off-season and provide tips for how to structure your own so you start 2025 feeling more rested and stronger than you were this year.
A Lesson I Taught My Mom: How to Stop Saying “I Can’t”- There are many reasons why we say “I can’t.” Sometimes, it’s a lack of confidence, the fear of failure, or because we don’t want to venture outside our comfort zone. It can be a result of past experiences, perceived difficulty, or a lack of knowledge and resources. In this post, I use an interaction with my mom as an object lesson and explain the 5-step process for turning “I can’t” into “I can.”
Breaking Mental Barriers: 8 Bad Habits Holding You Back in Triathlon- This post is from earlier this month, so I’m excited it made it into the Top 10! I’ve learned over the years that triathlon will test your mind as much as it does your body. Even the fittest athletes can be derailed by bad mental habits. We uncover the 8 most common mental barriers among athletes, and more importantly, how to break free from them.
Coping With Injury: 5 Stages of the Injured Athlete- Matt is going to be so excited his first guest post made the Top 10! If you’ve suffered an injury, you know how deeply athletic identity is tied in with sense of self. When you can’t do the things you love, it’s easy to lose sight of your purpose. Matt experienced this firsthand after he was involved in a cycling accident that took almost 8 months to recover from. Listen to his story and gain insights from a doctor-triathlete. Then, learn 5 tips for how to better cope with injury and attack recovery like you do your training.
13 Things Mentally Strong Athletes Don’t Do- This is another one of my favorites! I took inspiration from the popular book by psychotherapist, Amy Morin, and gave it an athlete twist. We talk about perfectionist personalities, taking calculated risks, and learning from mistakes.
The Patience Playbook: 5 Proven Strategies For Long-Term Success- Because there’s no such thing as an overnight success, we must accept the reality that it’s going to take time to achieve a worthy goal. Let’s be honest, if something was easy to accomplish, would it mean as much to you as something that took years of sweat and hard work? In this post, I uncover the truths about long-term success and show 5 proven strategies for how to achieve it.
Honorable Mention: “Best in Resources”
Although these were narrowly squeezed out of the Top 10, they deserve an honorable mention in the “Best in Resources” category.
Understand the Triathlon Training Triad- Learn about RPE, heart rate, and power.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this annual recap as much as I have! It’s fun looking back, but there’s a practical purpose too. It helps me craft these newsletters around topics you’re interested in learning more about.
Drop a comment below if there’s a topic you would like to learn more about in the new year, and I will add it to the list!