Name: Susan Hunger
Age: 53
Occupation: Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Years doing triathlon? I’ve been doing triathlons for about 4 years now. I competed in my first 2 sprints in 2014 and I’ve done three 70.3s: IM70.3Chatt (2016 & 2017). Unfortunately, I had to take this past year off from racing due to ACL surgery in March (skiing accident). But, I recently completed my first half-marathon post-surgery in early December, so I feel I’m slowly making a comeback in my training.
First Triathlon? Belews Lake Sprint (September 2014) and North Carolina State Triathlon Championship at Lake Townsend (October 2014). Those two events were a great first experience and I have been hooked on the sport ever since.
Your favorite triathlon? For the half-IM distance, I like the Chattanooga course best with its challenging hills on both the bike and run courses and it’s a great city to explore as well. As for local races, my favorite is Trivium’s Nat Greene’s Revenge Sprint Triathlon at Lake Brandt… tons of fun and just 5 minutes from my house!
Meal the night before race? I usually eat some chicken with veggies over pasta, although I start increasing my carbs approximately 2 days before a 70.3.
Pre-Race Meal? About 2 to 3 hours before the start of a half-IM: 2 cups potent coffee, sweet potato pancakes, coconut water, and maybe a little oatmeal. I sip on water leading up to the race start.
Race Nutrition? I am still trying to dial in my race nutrition for the 70.3 distance and fine-tune the correct amount of carbohydrates without going over/under. During the bike, I drink coconut water with potato starch and take Glukos Energy gels and/or tablets, as well (they provide immediate absorption for muscle use). For the run, all I can really stomach are the Glukos Energy gels/tabs with water at the aid stations.
Favorite motivational training song? Anything dub/reggae due to the perfect cadence for bike trainer workouts and runs.
Favorite mantra? YOU. ARE. READY.
Key Workout? I try to stick to the workouts that my coach, Karen Buxton, posts for me online in Training Peaks. I’ve learned that every workout is key for good performance on race day, whether it’s drills, speed, hills, intervals, long-distance, etc. for the swim, bike or run. In addition, the rest and recovery days are important and I also weight train or practice yoga 2 to 3 times/week. I recently got hooked on BoxingYoga, which is yoga based training for athletes. It is the perfect combination of strength/core, balance, flexibility, and focus. (LMK if you’re interested in trying it out. I’ll take you).
Best Triathlon training or racing tip? Stick to your nutrition plan! Unfortunately, I learned the hard way, where I didn’t listen to my coach and veered off what I was practicing on my longer bike rides and bricks. During my first 70.3, I took in too many carbs on the bike which resulted in GI distress on the run. Nutrition can totally make or break your race for sure.
Triathlon literature or other sources of information? Most everything I learned about the sport of triathlon comes from Coach Karen Buxton, with her 25+ years of experience in racing and coaching endurance athletes. I also value the advice of those experienced athletes I ride with and the many TTT members who have been participating in the sport for years. I find that the online articles from Wahoo Fitness and Training Peaks are also extremely useful.
Who inspires you? My biggest inspiration as a triathlete is Karen Buxton, who besides being an exceptional athlete herself, has consistently modeled a positive approach and mindset with overcoming obstacles s/a injury or surgery sometime during her triathlon career. Her motivational coaching, friendship, and camaraderie, especially during the last two years (that have been the most challenging for me both personally and physically), have helped me immensely to refocus on the positive and gain the self-confidence I need to get back into training coming off surgery earlier in the year. Karen’s dedication to raining awareness and funds for Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro with her race events she organizes each year (Tri for Hospice and Ride for Hospice) has been very inspiring to me as well.
Future goal? Eventually I’d like to try a full Ironman… maybe 2020/2021, we’ll see. I am also interested in the SwimRun adventures or trying out Cyclocross.