If you don’t know Thomas Gerlach you should! If you have raced a triathlon this year he was probably there racing in the pro field. He is one of the most prolific professional triathletes on the circuit and in his own words “I know my trump card in life is my ability to work harder”. He has used that card to move up from the age grouper ranks to elite amateur and now professional. Although 2013 isn’t over, this year may be the best yet for TG as last week saw his professional debut on the Big Island at the Ironman World Championships. If you know how the KPR works for pro’s you know what an accomplishment that is!
Parvilla Cycle & Multisport touched base with TG as he traveled back from Kona and
started preparation for Ironman Florida in just two weeks time. IMFL will be the 6th ironman of
the season and the 7th will be Ironman Arizona at the end of
November.
PARVILLA: Congrats
on the finish in Kona. You cracked the top 40 in the pro field (beating the
trirating.com predictor). With the KPR system it’s tough for new pro’s to get to
the “Show”. Was it a season goal to get there?
Thomas Gerlach: Actually
no it wasn’t really a goal to get there. Of course sponsors love to have
athletes at the big dance, but it was my first full season on the Ironman
circuit. For those unaware the season starts on September 1st and goes thru the
end of August. I had the race on the schedule but that was just more because
that was what was expected of me, but I was just expecting my first full season
to be about gaining more experience. I never expected to get the points to get
there but it happened and I made it.
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| TG in Kona 2013 |
PARVILLA: How did
Kona differ this year as a Professional compared to your first trip as an
age-grouper in 2010?
Thomas Gerlach: To
tell you the truth it is completely different. The pro ranks are much more
strategic than it was as an age-grouper. I think a lot of this is because pro's
compete for place while I think most age-groupers compete for time. For me the
swim is really difficult out of the pro field being my weakness at the pointy-end.
As an age grouper it was ok and if a pace was too great I could always drop off
and grab some other feet. The same principal rained true for the bike and the
run. On the bike I actually biked 35 watts higher than 2010 but it wasn’t much
faster at all. The ride was also much more variable. On the run I cramped
pretty bad at the half-way point and the body just shut down. Tough to pinpoint
exactly what the cause was but I definitely overperformed as an age-grouper and
underperformed as a pro.
PARVILLA: You are
known for being a hard worker and anyone that reads you website
(www.thomasgerlach.com) can see how hard you work every week. You spend much of your time in Tuscon, is
that with a group or primarily solo training? And is that ideal?
Thomas Gerlach: I
split my time between Madison, WI and Tucson, AZ and most of my training is
solo. I do some group training but I find that most people like to get their
workouts in early. I know people are busy but they sacrifice sleep to make it
to those early morning workouts and sleep is really my number one priority.
In addition, Tucson is pretty cold in the morning, especially
in the winter, I don’t believe constant training in the cold is good for the
body. I think it leads to injury and I prefer to let it warm up a bit before
heading out. If groups are active later than I’m more likely to train as a
group but much of my training is solo.
I think a primary weakness of people is they spend too much
time group training. They use the motivation that is naturally provided as a
crutch, but then don’t learn to suffer by themselves. This feature may not be
as important in the age groups, and becomes less and less important in the pro
ranks every year, but things can still spread out and you need to learn to push
on your own because you may find yourself alone on race day. Lastly, I refuse
to go anywhere by car so all group workouts start with me biking to the start
of the group. This tends to be more of a problem in the morning as well as it
tends to be dark and I prefer to do as much biking in daylight for safety
reasons.
PARVILLA: Since your first triathlon in 2006 you have
been a prolific racer, even now as a pro.
There are very few weekends during the summer that you don’t race, you
must love racing or is that a specific part of your training plan?
Thomas Gerlach: I
do love racing, but I rarely ever go to the well. Just like TeamTBB coach,
Brett Sutton, I am a firm believer that you do what it takes to win a race or
solidify a position and then back off. Stressing yourself to the max is too
hard and you can only dig into that well so many times.
Often times in smaller races I will swim hard, bike hard, and
cruise the run. This way I can get swim race experience, build race specific
fitness from the bike, and not suffer the prolonged recovery from a damaging
run. It really helps me build and I look at everything as a building process.
My entire career is building for that moment when I lay it out on the line and
achieve my full maximum potential as an athlete.
PARVILLA: Age
groupers are always looking at how they can get faster. You went from a high
10hr ironman in 2009 to 9:30 in Hawaii in 2010 and then sub 9hr at Arizona in
2011 as a pro. That’s a great
progression, just hard sensible work or a dramatic change in approach?
Thomas Gerlach: Slow
and steady, just focusing on improving all the elements of the sport. I don’t
come from a swim, bike, or run background so there was room for improvement but
I was happy with the progress. I think trying to achieve too much too soon
results in a high rate of injury and burnout and that is no good for the
individual or sport.
PARVILLA: We saw
you in Louisville this year (literally as you ran by me on your way to 3rd
place on the podium) and let’s just say you have a distinctive running style.
It must work?
Thomas Gerlach: Yes
that is a true story. We in the pro ranks have a word for it, and that is
“janky”. There are probably some
environmental factors that have lead to it. Mostly specifically being run over
by a biker in Chicago. He was going down hill and either had a seizure or lost
control and ran directly into my right knee from behind. My running form has
never been the same since. But I see so many distinctive runs, it is almost
like a fingerprint. I am working on improving it everyday and hopefully one of
these day I will look like Rinny.
 |
| Ironman Louisville Podium 2013 |
PARVILLA: We know
that you still have IMFL and IMAZ on the schedule for 2013 but how does 2014
look for you? Still a heavy race schedule and focus on the KPR? Or gunning for
that first Ironman victory? What have you learned this year as you get closer
to the first pro win?
Thomas Gerlach: IMFL
is most likely off the schedule. IMFL was something I was going to do if I
didn’t do Kona. My bike is still on Tribiketransport and I’m not sure when I
get it back and I want to put together a good race at IMAZ. As of right now I
am thinking about putting in a good 3-week block for that race and giving it my
all. 2014 is unplanned but I plan to do even less travel than in 2013.
PARVILLA: Everyone
looks at the pro triathletes and assumes that it must be a good life, just a
little bit of swimming, biking and running every day. You get to travel to some great locations
around the world. It can’t be all on fun
and games….can it?
Thomas Gerlach: It
is so much hard work. Don’t get me wrong it is incredibly rewarding but the pay
isn’t great and the low hanging fruit is gone. The gains come small and it
takes hundred and hundreds of hours to make the smallest gains. As Macca says,
you really have to “Embrace the suck” to keep growing as an athlete. For me, I wouldn’t trade it for the world and
love every minute of the journey, but I am always hesitant to recommend it as a
viable career choice.
 |
| TG at Ironman Louisville 2013 |
PARVILLA: We know
that you rely heavily on your sponsors and supporters, any shout outs to those
that make it all happen behind the scenes?
Thomas Gerlach: I
always have a lot of people to thank. 2XU has been with me since I was an
age-grouper and I can’t thank them enough for my wetsuits, race kits, and compression
wear. Powerbar for great nutrition products that fuel my body in training and
racing. Trisports for carrying all the gear I need. Atomic for helping me to go
as fast as possible by reducing drivetrain resistance. Cobb Cycles for allowing
me to sit on a saddle for hour after hour. And Rudy Project for keeping me aero
on the bike while keeping my eyes protected.
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