LESSONS FROM MEL MCQUAID’S EXCEPTIONAL SEASON
Canadian professional triathlete and regular Triathlon Magazine writer Melanie McQuaid is well-known for her feisty and competitive spirit. Her battles on the Xterra circuit have been among our sport’s fiercest. Now, over a decade later, she has a new adversary: getting older. And just like her victories over Jaime Whitmore, she is winning this battle as well. She ended 2022 placing third at Ironman Wisconsin, fourth at Ironman 70.3 Waco in Texas and sixth in a talent-rich field at Ironman Arizona. McQuaid turns 50 in May and has no intention of retiring or conceding one second to her competitors. We spoke to McQuaid about her season and what we can learn from her experience.
How has your training changed over the years?
MELANIE MCQUAID: I realized building a strong aerobic base cannot be overrated and impacts speed across all race distances. Despite racing primarily Ironman events in my 40s, I had both my fastest 3 and 5 km run races during COVID.
Getting fitter and stronger, while adding enough high intensity, will allow you to continue to go fast. Understanding how important and impactful a strong aerobic base is very powerful.
How has your swimming changed over the years? I am faster than ever. I say this because of my position out of the water relative to the group that I compete against, and because of my splits in races.
During the pandemic, I changed the way I approached my swim training. I put it more in line with how I train for running and biking.
This is counter to what most Masters swim programs do. At Ironman Arizona I had a super swim. I wrecked my wetsuit before the start and it was leaking water, but I still was up at the front with the female leaders. I eventually fell back a bit, but my speed is right up there.
To accomplish that speed, you have to put in the time. First, you have to be able to get your body straight in the water. Second, you have to swim. You have to build that fitness in your arms. Cycling and running don’t do anything for your arms. If you don’t do the hard work, you won’t be able to tolerate that first 100 m of a swim and maintain the high pace needed for a great swim time. Your arms will just die.
What sorts of other things have you been doing that contribute to your longevity in multisport? At the start of the pandemic, when not a lot was going on, I started a mobility session with my athletes. I focused on the specific types of triathlon training they were doing at the time. That has kept my athletes, as well as myself, really healthy. I also lift a lot of weights. I do it all year long, but periodize it to complement the specific types of training and racing I am doing at the time. Sessions involving major power development are very important for all athletes. If you are over 40 and you are not lifting, you are definitely leaving some performance on the table. I have also been educating myself on the mechanics of running. I did three mentorships with Altis. They are really known for their sprint coaching. They work with Andre De Grasse. What I gained from my studies was a deeper understanding of running mechanics.
Specifically, I learned more about how to create and express speed in running, how strength training ties into that, as well as mobility requirements required for the most effective training. Although I did that learning to be a better coach, it has also helped me improve.
Nutrition is also a huge factor in race-day performance. Learning just how many grams of carbohydrates per hour you can train your body to absorb is a rich opportunity for increased performance, but it’s also hard to get right.
I know it’s been one of the pieces of the puzzle that has derailed some of my performances. My quest is to learn how to get as many calories in, and what is the best way to train to accomplish that. This is especially true at longer distances.
Many people say Ironman is an eating contest, and there is no debating that. Being good at taking in those needed calories is just as important as being a good runner.
What has kept you so motivated and hungry to compete during your career? I think I have a bit of a chippy personality. I have a story that goes back 10 years. As I was approaching 40, I had coaches and even sponsors asking me, “So, when are you retiring?” This was when I was enjoying my strongest ever Xterra season, yet some of my sponsors that year made me feel really old and were hinting that I should retire. I was at the top of my game, yet I felt that I was being ushered out the door.
If that was today and an athlete was 38, there’s no question that they would just continue competing, but back then it was like, “When are you going to retire?” That attitude really annoyed me, but I just kept going.
A few years after that, I broke my ankle. I used that misfortune as a challenge to get back to where I was, and I was motivated to continue. It was a long process—three and a half years to get back to being a competitive pro again—and people were probably thinking, “Why is she so slow?” But I kept continuing because I am also stubborn as hell.
After I recovered from that injury, my motivation to race and train changed. It has become a sense of curiosity about just how fast I can become and stay fast at this point. That is very motivating.