The GymCraic Podcast

In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Shane Drum a three-time IRONMAN finisher and three-time IRONMAN 70.3 finisher but most importantly he’s from Co. Cork. We got to explore his remarkable journey from a beginner in triathlon to conquering multiple triathlons over many distance over the last few years.Shane shares how he’s continuously improved his performance over the past three years by identifying and tackling his weaknesses, using heart rate and zone training, and finding the perfect balance between work, life, and training. We also discuss the power of community—how joining Perth triathlon club (PTC) and training with others has kept him motivated and accountable.Finally, don’t miss Shane’s top eight tips for beginners who are considering stepping into the world of IRONMAN. This episode is a must-listen to for anyone looking to reach their full potential and maybe one day consider attempting their 1st Ironman.To find out more about Shane you can find him herehttps://shanedrumm.com/15-tips-first-ironman-race/https://www.instagram.com/shane.drumm/ https://strava.app.link/ZNsSAMUZFObAdrian on Instagram       https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Adrian on Facebook     https://www.facebook.com/aidoalan1 Email me  adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Road To Ironman the Big Domino has fallen... The journey to my first-ever full-distance Ironman took a major leap forward last week when I managed to complete the 3.8km swim in 1 hour and 33 minutes. It’s been 16 months in the making since I first entered the pool in July 2023 with one long-term goal in mind: just be able to "survive" the 3.8km distance required to complete the Busselton, Western Australia, Ironman on December 1st—now only 3 weeks away! Big brick sessions are now part of my weekends, with longer runs off the bike. I’ve had a little hip flexor scare while pushing hard during a 4-hour session, but it might just be enough to scare me into being more careful. The start line is in sight, and I want to get there in one piece.

With just four weeks to go until the big race, join me on this journey through the toughest, most transformative phase of Ironman training. This week, I’ll dive into the highs and lows of my biggest training week yet, clocking in at 14 hours of swim/bike/run I’ll share how I’m balancing intense training with strategic recovery, the nutrition tweaks that keep me primed for peak performance, and the methods I'm using to acclimate to race conditions. Plus, I’ll talk candidly about the challenge of managing those inevitable niggles and injuries that pop up along the way. Tune in for tips, lessons learned, and an unfiltered look at the final push towards Ironman!" Adrian on Instagram        https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Adrian on Facebook       https://www.facebook.com/aidoalan1 Email me  adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

I Thought I Had It All Figured Out, Until Race Day Hit. The training and nutrition leading up to the event were never an issue, but I made countless mistakes on the day itself. It’s easy to come to the microphone and share the positives of my training journey, but Sunday at the Perth Marathon brought me back to earth. I want you to learn from my mistakes!" "I’m an Open Book: When Things Go Wrong, They Can Go Really Wrong." From my race nutrition to the week leading up to the event, I made some poor choices. Im glad these lessons happen now, not in 8 weeks at Busselton Ironman. But all was not lost—I gained invaluable experience. I’ve accepted that you either win or you learn, and on this day, I learned the hard way.

With the Perth Marathon just days away, I’m putting the final touches on my race-week preparation. Here's how I'm getting ready: Tappering for peak performance Reduced Mileage: I’ve cut back my running volume to allow my muscles to fully recover while keeping the intensity up with short, sharp sessions. Rest & Recovery: I’m prioritizing rest and making sure I get plenty of sleep, while avoiding any strenuous activity. Carb Loading for Optimal Energy Carb-Rich Meals: I’m fueling up with my favorite carb-heavy foods like pasta, rice, and sweet potatoes. It’s all about filling up those glycogen stores for sustained energy. Balanced Meals: I’m sticking to foods I know work well for my body, avoiding anything new or heavy that could upset my stomach on race day. Hydration and Electrolytes Strategy Early Hydration: I’ve been consistently drinking water and electrolyte-rich drinks all week to ensure I’m well-hydrated. Race-Day Hydration Plan: I’ll be checking the race-day forecast and adjusting my hydration strategy accordingly, bringing along gels or sports drinks as needed. Plan Race Day Logistics Check the Weather: Be prepared for race-day conditions. Adjust your clothing, hydration, and pacing strategy based on the weather forecast. Lay Out Gear: Organize your race-day kit (shoes, socks, bib, gels, etc.) the night before to avoid any last-minute scrambles. Pin your race bib to your shirt in advance, and double-check everything. By focusing on these key areas—tapering, carb loading, and hydration—I’m setting myself up to hit that personal best at the Perth Marathon!

Denis Mc is a health and fitness coach who has truly walked the walk when it comes to training and nutrition. As an online coach, he has built a strong reputation as the go-to person for getting clients into the best shape of their lives and helping them maintain it. In this episode, we cover a wide range of topics, including: Starting his journey with Body Pals before online coaching was made popular Building his brand through mentorships and continuous personal investment How he balances home and work life while working remotely, and the newfound sense of "coming home from work" Why the maintenance phase is an essential but often overlooked part of the fitness journey Learning to delegate and scale his business to help more people His approach to working with a diverse range of clients and the decision not to niche down How his coaching methods have successfully prepared clients for everything from photo shoots and bodybuilding competitions to weddings, triathlons, running events, Hyrox competitions, and improving long-term relationships with nutrition Thank you Denis for your time it was an absolute pleasure and a long time coming. You can find out more about this in the links below. INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coachdenismac/ WEBSITE https://www.risecoachingmethod.com/ Or hit the link in my bio to reach all the available episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcast

Week 6 Road To Ironman The intensity ramped up this week, and it hit me hard—my bike intervals nearly broke me, and I know this is just the beginning of what's to come. We also revisited the 3 Ds in Copenhagen Danny , David and Denis, discussing their performances and finishing times. I can't wait to chat with each of them soon to gain more advice and insight. The long solo cycle over the weekend was a bit demoralizing and reminded me how important it is to train with others. Moving forward, I'll jump at any chance to join group training sessions. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me through the links below: Adrian on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Adrian on Strava: ⁠https://strava.app.link/l85uCUtvTLb⁠ Adrian on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/aidoalan1⁠ Email: adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Week 6 Road To Ironman This week, I had my first experience swimming in open water in Ireland, specifically in Fenit, Co. Kerry. The thought of it alone would have been enough to convince me it's madness at the best of times, but seeing the boys clocking up kilometers on Strava week in and week out in preparation for Ironman Copenhagen— which was happening during the recording of the podcast—was beyond inspiring. I went to Fenit under the guidance of @davidfitz_tri, who would protect me and show me the way... but I didn’t get very far. It was a washing machine of fun, to say the least, but it was an experience. I remember that a year ago, if you told me I would swim 750m in a sprint triathlon, I would have been extremely satisfied. So, after I covered the distance somewhat, I called it a day. BUT I WILL BE BACK. #gymcraic #thegymcraicpodcast #mentalhealth #physicalfitness #adventure #host #irishpodcast #applepodcast #irisharoundperth #spotifypodcast #swimbikerun #triathlon #triathlontraining #garminconnect #learntoswim #perthtriclub #roadtoironman #enduranceathlete #perthtriathlon Adrian on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Adrian on Strava: ⁠https://strava.app.link/l85uCUtvTLb⁠ Adrian on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/aidoalan1⁠ Email: adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Week 4: Road to Ironman I'm really settling into training now—four weeks down, and somehow, I've managed to organise myself since returning from Perth. This week included my longest run yet: 2 hours and 15 minutes on Friday, covering 26km. It’s been a while since I had such a big session, and while it left me with a little niggle in my right ankle, I'm keeping an eye on it. I'll give it time to recover before jumping back into interval sessions next week. I also took a trip home to Kerry for the weekend and enjoyed a recovery dip at Banna Beach. With Ironman Busselton just 16 weeks away, the journey continues! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me through the links below: Adrian on Instagram:⁠https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Adrian on Strava:⁠https://strava.app.link/l85uCUtvTLb⁠ Adrian on Facebook:⁠https://www.facebook.com/aidoalan1⁠ Email:adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Road to Ironman - Training Week 3: The Journey Takes an Unexpected Turn "When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there." This week, my journey took an unexpected twist as I found myself back in Ireland. But nothing will stop me from crossing that Busselton finish line on December 1st! The training continues with even more determination and fire. Got any questions? Then hit me up! Adrian on Instagram: aidoalanAdrian on Strava: StravaAdrian on Facebook: aidoalan1Email: adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Week 2: Road to Ironman After last week’s Testing Week, we're moving into Week 2. The embarrassment of wearing a wetsuit in an outdoor pool in Perth has motivated me to swim more often! For swimming sessions, I've decided that just showing up is good enough for now—it’ll get easier and, hopefully, better with time. In this episode, I’ll talk about building volume with aerobic endurance runs and weekend biking—I’m a sucker for long sessions. I’ll also cover my mid-week speed sessions, which I particularly enjoy. These short, intense workouts (under an hour) really push my heart rate and watts to uncomfortable levels. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! Adrian on Instagram: aidoalanAdrian on Strava: StravaAdrian on Facebook: aidoalan1Email: adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Welcome to Testing Week on My Road to Ironman #RTIM With just 20 weeks until the Western Australian Ironman in Busselton, the journey has officially begun. The best advice I received was to fully commit when you start, and I AM COMMITTED. Week 1 kicked off with a testing week where I evaluated my swim, bike, and run metrics. In this episode, I'll explain what each test involves, break down the results, and outline what the next few months of training will look like. The tests included: Critical Swim Speed (CSS): 400m/200m Functional Threshold Power (FTP): 20-minute max effort watts on the bike Threshold Run Pace: Running at a sustainable pace for 30 minutes I’ll also walk you through a typical week of speed work and the long weekend structure, focusing on the aerobic work for swim bike and run that needs to be accomplished. Thank you for listening! Got any questions? Then hit me up! Adrian on Instagram: ⁠aidoalan⁠ Adrian on Strava: ⁠Strava⁠ Adrian on Facebook: ⁠aidoalan1⁠ Email: ⁠adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Could I possibly go sub 5 hours for my biggest triathlon yet?? Swim - 2km Bike - 80km Run - 18km My dream has always been to take part in events here in Busselton having come here for 3 years to watch half and full-distance Ironmans I now get a chance to taste what it will be like come December and if I'm delusional to think I could do a full ironman under 11 hours. I talk though.... The issues I had leading into the event with my bike. The logistics of preparing for a 5-hour event. Carb loading for 3 days and race nutrition. How the swim went from a weakness to my strongest leg. Controlling what you can at the moment and forget all the noise. How Ultras have helped me when the body and mind thinks it's time to stop. An incredible journey over the last 9 months and in 8 more months I'm back to challenge myself in the biggest event of them all A full-distance ironman .

This was the next step in my quest to complete a full-distance Ironman in December in under 11 hours. Last weekend I got to step it up from Sprint distance triathlons to double the distance in the Olympic category Swim - 1.5km Bike - 40km Run - 10km The journey to this stage has been very rewarding and constantly learning and thankfully progressing at a pace I find suitable. Today ill talk through How my swimming has progressed. Why I bought a new bike and the price I paid. The no-so-ideal week leading into the event. How to prepare for each leg. Mistakes I made and lessons learnt. What to do when you cramp both hamstrings 2km from finishing. My next event Busso 100 If you find this episode interesting or have found value please all I ask is to message me on Instagram or by email and let me know you are listening which will encourage me to record more episodes https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Email adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Road to ironman: Overcoming my lack of self-belief around swimming the last few months has put me into a very positive growth mindset. It was significantly holding me back from reaching a lot of goals I wished to achieve. Luckily enough I found coaches and a community of people who believed in me at Perth Tri Club. A sprint triathlon consists of 750m swim - 20km cycle - 5km run In this episode, I go through the processes that got me and will get you from the start line to the finish line. What my training looked like. Breaking down each discipline. What to expect on the day of the event. My nutrition strategy. What next for me and Triathlons? Click here to find out more about me.... Adrian on Instagram        Adrian on Facebook       Email me adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

How can you better your 5km running time? I have been training recently for a sub 20 minutes 5km and here are my top 5 tips that I have found have served me well. 1. Start Point: Do a training run at about 70-80% effort so you have a set point to start and gauge where you’re currently at….leave room so you know you will improve. And for god sake go out slow. 2. Sessions per week: Minimum 2 & Maximum 3 runs a week for 6 weeks. Keep total distance in around 5km or less than 40 minutes total (including warm up and cool down) the sessions DONT need to be any longer. It’s 5km you are training for not 10km so be specific with your training. 3. Intervals: 6-8 sprints at 30-60 seconds rest for as long as you work. If your run 60 seconds rest 60 seconds. This can be increased over time to 2-3 minutes for 4-6 sprints .Include 5-10 minutes warm up and cool down/walk either side. 4. Find a running partner or group if possible to achieve your goals with , the days you don’t want to put on the runners and you have a friend waiting for you ensures you are held accountable which in turn creates a little more discipline in your training. 5. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 & 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 . Empty the tank for the last 300m. Head up deep breaths every seconds counts. Adrian on Instagram        https://www.instagram.com/aidoalan/ Adrian on Facebook       https://www.facebook.com/aidoalan1 You can email me  adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Vision boards have been a prominent part of my life over the last 3 years and by writing down what I want for the future and how I want to better myself as a person it has become a very useful tool to keep myself accountable and what I would like to achieve. I explained the structure of my vision board for 2023 the board was written back in March and while not everything I wrote down has come to the surface yet, my goals and dreams are still on for the future.... A LOT of other areas of my life have improved by the simple fact of recognising what needs work and what I need to let go of. The 5 structures I use for my vision board are: 1. Upcoming Events ( races, holidays special events, reminders) 2. Build your base (small weekly/daily goals for a strong foundation) 3. Future Goals/Plans (what I want to achieve & where I want to go) 4. My Weekly Weaknesses (where i need to do better in life) 5. Fix it or F#$k it off (what in life is important to work on and what do I need to let go of #F&*KITOFF You can chop and change and make your own rule my structure has changed over the years but the principles remain the same. To find out more about me: ⁠Adrian on Instagram⁠ Email me adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Going back to my electrical trade after 7 years away was not an easy decision but a choice that I needed to make for myself. In the last 18 months, I have gone from PT & online coaching to becoming a truck driver for 6 months for an amazing scaffold company in Eire Total Access and then returning to Uon Power and Water an electrical company with whom I spent 4 years with in my earlier years when i first came to Perth in 2011-2015. Financial stress is not something you might hear too much of but for me its was becoming a big issue the older i got the more i looked towards the future and the uncertainty. Going back to electrical work has certainly reduced the pressures and given me back my time to focus on the aspect of life i enjoy most with the people i love the most. To find out more about me: Adrian on Instagram Email me adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Time to overcome fear get into the water learn to swim and join the world of triathlon. It has been on my radar for a few years now I am starting from the bottom with zero experience in open water and beyond struggle in the pool. I have a long-term vision to complete an Ironman within the next 12 months so if you want to follow along in the journey from starting with a sprint distance triathlon (750m Swim, 20km Bike & 5km Run) and progressing to Olympic distance then 70.3 and finally a full ironman.   To find out more about me: Adrian on Instagram Adrian on Facebook Email me adrianallencoaching@gmail.com

Solo Episode - This week I wanted to talk about nutritional basics when it comes to understanding the following Understanding Energy Balance - Why you are unable to lose or gain weight. Using my calorie calculator (click here)  as a guide to get you to the start line. Why Macros & Calories matter. How tracking your intake will educate you to achieve long term results. Why quick fixes have never worked and never will. 5-day Free challenge "5 days of Fitness" starts next week .  Join the facebook group by clicking here. 6-week group coaching starts June 6th  Find out more about myself Adrian’s Website  Adrian on Instagram  Adrian on Facebook  Email me info@adrianallencoaching.com