Tri Hive recently caught up with Heath Thurston. Many of you may have read Heath’s Kona report. Heath had a challenging day. He has since made changes to his training regimen and is focused on his professional debut this April at Ironman Arizona.

Tri Hive (TH): How was your post Kona recovery?

Heath Thurston (HT): My post Kona was mentally challenging. I had to come home and figure out what went wrong. It was hard at first to analyze everything about the past year; my diet, my workout routine, the length of my workouts. Did I do to much? To little? There was a lot to think about. I took a couple of weeks off, which seemed like an eternity to figure things out and to give my wife a break from my training. She really puts up with a lot from me. She is amazing!

TH: What was your biggest lesson learned from your first Ironman experience?

HT: That’s a toughie. I think I put a lot of pressure on myself to have a breakout first ever Ironman performance. It’s hard for me to be patient just like it is for all of us out there wanting to do well, and improve and have a PR. I just had to remember that everything takes time and experience, especially triathlons. As much as I told myself I just wanted to go through the motions at Kona, I’m very much a competitor and I just pushed a little to hard.

TH: Will your training change going into your next Ironman (Ironman Arizona)?

HT: My training has already changed. My new coach has me working a lot more on my run, which is my weakness…and everyone knows that you need to work your weakness in the winter or off season. There’s a lot of tweaking going on right now with my run and diet and my training in general but I am already feeling a very big difference in my running.

TH: Tell us how you were approved to enter Ironman Arizona as a professional.

HT: There are different qualifications to race as a pro with USAT (USA Triathlon). I was approved to race as a pro through the WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) through the GTG (Global Triathlon Group) rules. But needless to say I am very, very excited to be racing as a pro next season and I feel like I am moving up in my racing and my improving as a triathlete.

TH: Any sponsor happenings for you? What companies support Heath?

HT: I am so lucky to have the sponsors I do. Trigenix is my main sponsor; they are a nutritional supplement company that has the best nutritional supplements on the market. Career Step is another. They are a medical transcription company in Springville that help me with traveling expenses and other miscellaneous things for my training. My other sponsor is Aqua Genus, which is a purified water company that has been supplying me with the water I need to train and compete and it enables me to stay hydrated and recover quickly from my racing and training. I have also picked up a bike sponsor for the next two years. Roark Cycles. They are a very high quality titanium bike manufacturer and I am so excited to be racing on their bike next year.

I want to say a special thanks to all of my sponsors. If it wasn’t for them I wouldnt be where I am today and be able to do the things I am doing in triathlons. If you would like to check out my sponsors here are their websites:

www.trigenix.biz, www.careerstep.com, www.aquagenus.com, www.roarkcycles.com, www.httraining.com.

Like I said, I have a new coach. His approach is totally different. It is a lot more personalized for me and I receive a lot more feedback so I know what I need to work on for my next workout. We are really trying to fine-tune my running, diet and nutrition for the Ironman distance. I am building up my running miles this winter so that when Ironman Arizona comes around my running will be up to par with the other elite athletes.

Thanks for you time, Heath.

We will keep tabs on Heath throughout the winter and spring.

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