Sam Appleton: Top Long Distance Triathlete
Alright. Welcome to another episode of the Endurance Matters podcast. I've got in studio today, Sam Appleton. Sam, welcome to the show.
Sam Appleton:Thanks. It's, it's a pleasure to be here. Good we could, record in person. I guess that's the, the beauty of being in Boulder. It's like everyone's here, so you can you've got good access to a lot of guests.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. I've I had said to myself, I had to save some good guests for 2025. I couldn't knock them all out in 2024. So this is actually our first recording of 2025.
Justin Metzler:So very exciting to kick off the year interviewing Sam. The listeners will know that I start off the podcast with a hard hitting break icebreaker question. So I'm gonna go for it. If you had to choose one nickname to follow you for the rest of your career, what would you choose? The options are Sam the Apaconda, Sam apple bottom jeans, or Sam how about them apples?
Sam Appleton:I think I've had, like, some variation of those my whole life. I mean, that Apiconda one is quite interesting. It's, that a few select people call me that, especially back in Australia. It's a little bit crude, but, I don't Maybe we won't go into details on that. But, but, yeah, that's, maybe that one because it's, yeah.
Sam Appleton:The Apaconda.
Justin Metzler:Alright. If I if I ever get the chance to do the Ironman broadcast and you lead out the water, I'm gonna say, here comes Apaconda. Yeah. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:I mean, I think you can, I think I've explained the story on another podcast? So if listeners are intrigued, they can, dig into the archives of my podcast history and maybe find the story to that one. Alright. Cool. Maybe we'll put it in the show notes.
Sam Appleton:Alright.
Justin Metzler:Cool. I wanna rewind a little bit. Like, why don't you start off by telling me how you got into triathlon and sort of your your background?
Sam Appleton:Yeah. So, I grew up in Sydney, and I'm one of 4 boys. I've got 3 brothers, and we were all just kinda thrown in a swimming pool when we were young to, learn how to swim. I think it's very common in Australia, you know, a lot of, you know, living by the beach and things like that, like just learning to swim and being in the water is just a way of life, and me and all my brothers kind of gravitated towards competitive swimming. So, yeah, lots of, you know, growing up, lots of early starts, you know, knocking out 3 or 4 or 5 k before, before school, me and all my brothers.
Sam Appleton:And, Yeah. I think that just kind of led into a really active childhood for me. I played a lot of soccer, growing up. I did, little athletics through school and things like that. Always was out running, and then I just found a good little community of friends, kinda through my teenage years, and, that kinda led me to triathlon.
Sam Appleton:And, yeah, I never really was like, growing up, I wanna be a triathlete. You know? It's like, you know, it was such a young sport back then when I was growing up in the nineties, early 2000. And, yeah, I think just one door led to another led to another, and now I'm 34 living in, in the USA. And, yeah, I don't think anybody could have predicted that, but, yeah.
Sam Appleton:Here we are.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. When did you I guess, like, this is probably a bit of a fast forward, but when did you decide that, okay, you're gonna commit to triathlon and come over
Sam Appleton:to the US? So, through high school, I kind of did a lot of short course racing, some ITU staff. I was in a talent ID program, but I got really burnt out from that. It's just, you know, we didn't, you know, the coaching staff and things, I found a little bit, abrasive and, abusive almost. And, yeah, I kind of bounced off that after a couple of years, and actually took a complete break from triathlon probably when I was about 21, 22.
Sam Appleton:I just completely stopped for probably about 12 months, and, I went to university. I started studying, and then, yeah, after about a year, I was just like, god. This isn't really what I wanna do, and I kept I felt the pull back to triathlon, but never the pull back to that short stuff. So we had a pretty good triathlon group where I lived. The Panthers Tri Club was a really pretty, you know, pretty good group of guys that were all doing, Ironman and 70.3 and stuff, and I kinda fell into that crowd and started training and did, yeah, a bit of longer stuff.
Sam Appleton:And, yeah, I think I did my first 70.3 in 2,000 and 12, and I think I got 4th place. I think Pete Jacobs won, and I remember Luke McKenzie, I think, got second. And, I mean, I was kinda hooked from there. I was like, ah, you know, that was really fun, and I felt like I was racing for myself. And, and then in 2013, I think I had my first 70.3 win, and then, yeah, just kind of kept going through.
Sam Appleton:And then in 2015, I decided I wanted to come over to the US and kinda chase the international scene a little bit. You know, it's very common for Australians to do their domestic season when it's winter here, summer in Australia, and then come over and race in the US. And I did that in 2015, and then pretty quickly met Sarah, my wife, and, Yeah. That was, that was kind of it, and I've been here ever since. So, yeah, coming up on 10 years here in the US.
Sam Appleton:But, Yeah. I mean, that's the story of how I kinda came to the live in the US, but, yeah, it's just still continued racing. I love still going back home to Australia and racing as often as possible. But, yeah, Boulder's a great spot, especially for, you know, that's a reason why so many people live here and, and train out of here. It's it's so easy to do our job day in, day out, you know, trails and swimming pools and great cycling ro roots and things like that.
Sam Appleton:So, yeah, it's it's a great spot.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. I know because we you came over here kind of a similar time that I landed in Boulder, so we were kind of, like, you know, in similar circles to each other at the pool or whatever. I know, like, when you first got here, it seemed as though there were a lot of Australians here. And were you living in a house with a bunch of Australians when you first got here, like Callum and those guys?
Sam Appleton:No. I wasn't. But, yeah, we were definitely, like, every every day, we were hanging out together. I think, you know, I think me, there was Callum Millwood, Tim Burkel, and then Glenn was, like, a photographer that would come and capture content for us. And, yeah, we were, like, thick as thieves.
Sam Appleton:We'd be at Whole Foods every night for dinner and just eating from that hot bar and things like that. The old glory days. But, no, I lived actually with, a couple in the triathlon club, in Boulder Tri Club, called Pam and Warren Chuckies. They actually have hosted quite a few people. I think Jeannie was Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Knows them quite well. And, yeah, they really opened their house to me, and I lived there for probably 6 months until I was like, oh, I probably should get my own place now. And, but, yeah, they were like my adopted American mom and dad. They were great. But, yeah, I mean, as much as I loved hanging out with those other guys, from Australia, I think it was good to also not be with them 247.
Sam Appleton:Like, we'd train all day together, go out to dinner together, and then it was kinda nice to be able to, you know, have a bit of time away before we, all rekindled the next day.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. If anyone wants to go back and watch some of those, like, Cupcakes with Cal interviews and some of the content from, like now it's back in the day. It doesn't feel like that long ago.
Sam Appleton:No. It's 10 years ago. Yeah. It's 10 years ago. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Which is crazy. Yeah. It was all like, Calum was almost like the, trailblazer for the, triathlon, YouTube and things like that. You know? I think if that started now, it would probably take off a lot more than it actually did.
Sam Appleton:Like, I'm like, Calum had great success and things like that. But, yeah, he was he almost pioneered the, the old YouTube channel for triathletes, just not in the, not in the traditional way. But, yeah, you should go back and, all the listeners, go back and watch some of those cupcakes with Cal. They're great. Yep.
Justin Metzler:During that time, how much was it just messing around with those guys in training and versus how much of it was, like, super serious, okay, we're buckling down and actually getting after it?
Sam Appleton:There was you know, we like to have fun, but we also knew that we were there to train and perform and things like that, and I think there was a good, a good compromise there. Like, we were also you know, had our own separate programs and things, but we would change a little bit here and there, but, yeah, generally, you know, we'd go out. We'd do our long runs together, long rides and things like that. But if we had serious specific training, we'd probably be doing it by ourselves or, you know, try and sway the other person to do our session, and they'd be swaying me to do theirs. And if we could come to a compromise, then that's good.
Sam Appleton:But, yeah, I think, you know, I think now in, you know, 2025, it's very much like, this is my session. This is what I'm doing. I don't think there's much room for, you know, too many compromises with training anymore, unless you're going out for an easy long ride or an easy long run. But, yeah, I know for me these days, like, I'm not I'm not changing my sessions if I've got a specific something that I need to nail. So, yeah, I mean, I think it has changed a little bit in that respect, but I think that's also just the sport has evolved so much, and everyone has gotten so good.
Sam Appleton:Everyone has gotten so good at knowing what works for them and, what's gonna put them in the best position to perform. So I think, yeah, not many people is willing to compromise these days, which, you know, has its, drawbacks, of course, but, yeah. I'm a bit of a lone wolf these days with training anyway. I'm, you know, I've got a I've got a toddler and things, so I'm just kinda training, fitting it in when I can. So I don't mind too much doing the, the solo stuff.
Justin Metzler:Sure. I wanna definitely circle back on some of the specific training of what you've done in the past and what you feel like you're doing now, but I definitely wanna focus on one period of your career in particular before we move on to sort of, like, the present time. You mentioned how you got 4th in your 1st professional triathlon shortly thereafter, won your first, professional race, which isn't very common. I feel like a lot of athletes take many races to sort of get their feet under them. It felt like you kind of burst on the scene.
Justin Metzler:And then from 2015 to 2019, you had 15, 70.3 wins. What was that time like for you?
Sam Appleton:I mean, it's it sounds kinda crazy these days. Like, yeah. I think I had a couple of good years there where, I was just kinda firing on all cylinders, and I was just training really well. I was loving racing, loving training. I was just in a really good spot, and, yeah, I was having great success.
Sam Appleton:And I think, you know, the sport now is quite a bit more competitive. I'm not saying that I won easy races back then, but I think now the depth of fields at every single race is a lot deeper than it was. You know, you were counting off races, you know, 8, 9, 10 years ago where the sport was quite young, and I was fortunate. I was kind of, yeah, firing on all cylinders for those years, but, now it's a lot more competitive. It's a lot deeper.
Sam Appleton:If you're not, you know, bringing your a game to these races, you know, you're you're at the back these days, and, it's great to see because I think it's pushed everyone to improve, and you've seen that across the board. Like, look at guys in Kona now going 7:30 odd. You know? I remember Pete Jacobs famously said he was gonna go 7:30 at Kona, and he was laughed out of the room. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:And, you know, Pete wasn't the one to do it. But, yeah, it just goes to show, like, how much the sport has evolved. Like, at Kona this year, I think I did 8 805 or 808. What did I do? And, you know, I think Sebi Kinlay won in 2014 in, like, 814 or something.
Sam Appleton:That was that was 22nd. So yeah. I mean, it was a different time back then, and I think, yeah, it was great. I was kind of making hay while the sun was shining, I think, a little bit. But, yeah, it's a lot definitely a lot harder these days.
Sam Appleton:You know, not many people are going out and winning 4, 5, 6, 70.3s in a year. Like, I I think one of the years I, yeah, had 5 wins, which was unbelievable. But, yeah, I don't think many people are doing that these days.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. No. I couldn't I couldn't agree more. It's definitely a lot more difficult. One other point that I had written down here was today's episode on that type of These guys have been careers because it was a credit show And it's really a product that I use every one day in my training.
Justin Metzler:But if you look at to help me because you feel faster. At the time, they did a championship. High carb is 4 thing, 6th than 8th. So previous just off the podium about how much I like in reflection from I'm still like 5 years when you pretty much say every single day in training cylinders. But I've really been getting into that yet.
Sam Appleton:How do
Justin Metzler:you most let down that time? Maybe having great success with wins, but not getting a world champion. I feel like sometimes I'll just take that
Sam Appleton:entire Yeah.
Justin Metzler:I feel once or go half and half to get a little bit more carbohydrate.
Sam Appleton:I do.
Justin Metzler:And sort of Feel a little bit of regret in training.
Sam Appleton:So try that
Justin Metzler:for yourself, head on over to championship podium when
Sam Appleton:I feel like I was code
Justin Metzler:big match
Sam Appleton:in 20 2 5. Top echelon of the 70.3 racing. Like, there is a bit of regret. But I also had really great races at those 70.3s, and there's not much more that I think I could have done. My biggest regret, I think, was Chattanooga 70.3 where Ben Canute and Javier Gomez swam off the front, and I kind of I didn't let them go, but I didn't swim with them, which is something, you know, I think I was a bit complacent, and I ended up riding in that run group and then had a really good run and, finished 4th.
Sam Appleton:I think that was probably my best chance at a 70.3 podium, and then, yeah, I just think, like I said, yeah, the sport's just changed so much. You can't have a weakness anymore. Everybody now is swimming, biking, and running, like, so well. Like, you know, back when I, you know yeah. That early or the 2000 the mid 2000 and teens there, you know, you could get away with having a weakness or something and still and still be on the podium or be competitive, but now it's just, like, you need to swim in that front 5, 6, 7 guys.
Sam Appleton:You need to be, you know, riding. You can't have a weakness at all, and you need to be one of the best runners in the sport. So yeah. I mean, it it is exciting how the sport has changed so much, but, yeah, it's kind of definitely, made it a lot tougher to, yeah, make those top tens at 70.3s and win even win, you know, a non championship 70.3. It's like you can't go there and just expect to be on the podium these days.
Sam Appleton:Like, everyone is really good, and there's such depth throughout all the races.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Couldn't agree more. In reflection, let's say, for example, in Chattanooga, you would have come 3rd or come second or won the race. Do you I mean, I guess winning changes things, but do you feel like if you were one spot more and gotten 3rd, that would have changed anything for you today?
Sam Appleton:I don't think so. No. I mean, I might not have that kind of nagging little thing in the back of my head, that I had for a couple of years, but I don't think, you know, maybe a little bit financially or sponsorship wise, but, you know, my sponsors have been pretty solid with me, throughout my whole career. I haven't haven't had too many changes. I've, you know, I don't think there would have been too much, you know, disruption on that front.
Sam Appleton:So
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. Okay. Well, I definitely wanna talk a little bit more, about your training and and kinda racing and maybe some performance specific questions. You mentioned that you've got a little boy now.
Justin Metzler:Mhmm. How much of your life revolves around his schedule versus how much autonomy do you have to just, like, do what you wanna do in training?
Sam Appleton:Everything revolves around him. No. I'm I'm we've got a great support network here, and my wife, she's really invested in in triathlon as well, and she she loves to see me succeed, but I think it's just given me a little bit more, I just have to be better planned. You know? Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Excuse me. Like this morning, I woke up at 5:30 because I had to do 2 and a half hours on the trainer before I dropped him at day care, and then I had to do a run session before I came here, and it's, it just requires a little bit more structure to your day, which is fine, and a little bit more planning, but, you know, there's added challenges, I think, when you're in heavy training and, you know, you've just finished a big, you know, 25, 28 hour Ironman training week, and then you've gotta be on dad duty on Sunday afternoon. That can be the hardest part, I think. But, yeah, like, I wouldn't change anything. You know, you bring so much joy to our lives, and it's it's kinda nice.
Sam Appleton:You know? It's, it's not all about me anymore, which is, you know, it's kinda nice. You know, I've got somebody else to to provide for, and, yeah, I actually really enjoy being a dad. So there's no no regrets. Nothing I would change at all.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Does it give you, like, an extra layer of motivation in your training when you when you are out there kinda putting in the hours or when you're on the race course knowing that, like, okay. He's gotta we gotta pay for diapers and pay
Sam Appleton:for pay for food. I guess a little bit. I, actually, I was doing when I was racing Ironman Canada last year, I remember on the bike, you know, Ironman bikes a long way, and, it was one of those time trial starts. So we were you know, there was no group dynamics or anything. And I remember just, like, drifting, and I was probably about a 100 k into the ride, like, halfway through or something.
Sam Appleton:I was just like, I wonder what Toby's doing right now. Hope he's having a good day. And I'm just, like, just, like, daydreaming and then, but I thought that was quite funny.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. That is funny. Sponsor of today's episode, Precision Fuel and Hydration. These guys have been an amazing partner for the show, and it's really a product that I use every single day in my training to help me go faster, feel better. So in today's day and age, we all know high carb is sort of the thing.
Justin Metzler:And so, previously, I've spoken about how much I like the chews, and I'm still munching on those pretty much every single day in training. But I've really been getting into the p f ninety gels. That's been a really big value add for me to have 3 gels in 1, and I feel like sometimes I'll just take that entire gel all at once or go half and half. It just allows me to get a little bit more carbohydrate, and sort of just bump everything up and feel a little bit better in training. So if you wanna try that for yourself, head on over to pfnh.com and use code big Mets 2025 for 15% off.
Justin Metzler:Looking back on maybe the early portions of your career, like when you first got to Colorado, like, what is one thing that you were doing back then that just totally wouldn't be able to happen now? Whether that's because of, you know, you're on, you know, you're a little bit older now, or you've got a a son and a family. Like, can you think of anything like that?
Sam Appleton:Yeah. I guess, yeah, just not being like, I touched on it a bit earlier. Like, I just can't I don't have the luxury now of, you know, just being able to train whenever I want. Like, I've got certain windows each day that I have to fit my training in, and, you know, I swim at the YMCA a lot with you guys, and, you know, they've got a daycare there. And I I bring Toby with me to the pool, and he goes to the daycare, and I bang out, you know, 4 or 5 k or something and then go pick him up.
Sam Appleton:So, yeah, there's definitely things, Like, now a lot of it is just more structured. Like, I'm not like, oh, I'll ride whenever I feel like it, or I'll run whenever I feel like it now. It's like, alright. Toby's napping. I've got 2 hours.
Sam Appleton:I've gotta do a, you know, a run session, get it done while he's napping, and hopefully he doesn't wake up. Yeah.
Justin Metzler:It's in some ways, it's better though. Like, I mean, I don't have a child, but I feel like now with age, you pick up more responsibility
Sam Appleton:across the board, so you do
Justin Metzler:have to have a bit of that.
Sam Appleton:You know, it's definitely adds a layer of complexity, but, yeah, like I said, I've kind of enjoyed complicating my life in that respect, you know, kind of juggling some extra balls, so to speak. It's, yeah, just rather than I'd rather be too busy than not busy enough.
Justin Metzler:Couldn't agree more. Yeah. I feel like you almost are more present in your training
Sam Appleton:Mhmm.
Justin Metzler:When you have only 2 hours to focus on it.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And you have to make it count as well, and, yeah, you can't just procrastinate, which I would often do. Like, I mean, yeah, answer this will answer your question.
Sam Appleton:I used to drive to the pool and just sit on pool deck for 30 minutes trying to muster up the motivation to get in the pool, but now I drive there, I'm like, I gotta I gotta bang out 4 k in an hour and get home.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. 100 100%. 100%. Yeah. I mean, I've at least found that I enjoy my training a lot more now that I'm, like, a lot busier because I'm like, okay.
Justin Metzler:Well, I only have 3 hours to ride, and I've got a bunch of other stuff in the rest of my day. Yep. I'm really gonna enjoy this 3 hours. You know, it's more of like an outlet now, whereas before it was maybe a bit of a chore. So, I wanna get into a little bit more about, like, your training specific stuff.
Justin Metzler:Are you still getting coached by Tim?
Sam Appleton:Yep. Yep. Still with Tim. So as I actually started my long course career with Tim, when in 2012, I think I started getting coached by Tim, and he was obviously having great success at 70 point threes as well. And it I think it got to when I was here in Colorado 2015, he actually called me up, and he's like, I just don't think I can coach you anymore because, you know, I was he almost did his job too well.
Sam Appleton:Like, I was beating him at races and things, and I think that was a hard, you know, definitely a conflict of interest for him. Like, he was racing at the top of his game. I was racing at the top of my game, and I was, you know, actively taking prize money. Like, he was investing in me, which was then, you know, in performances or in races taking away from his prize money and things like that. So there was definitely a conflict of interest there.
Sam Appleton:So I went to Matt Dixon in 2015. Sorry if I'm jumping ahead. You're probably gonna get there. And then I was with Matt for, about 5 years. And that was really good.
Sam Appleton:Like, Matt Matt was really, really great, and he, you know, taught me and built the athlete that I am today, and then I just wanted a bit of a change because I knew, you know, I was now in my thirties, early thirties, and I kind of wanted a bit of a change for the last, you know, push in my career. And Tim was kind of winding down his training, and he wanted to bring me back on. So, you know, it's all almost come full circle from when we started to then, you know, going away to Matt and then coming back to Tim. So it's, yeah, it's quite a cool little story.
Justin Metzler:When you came back to Tim, did you feel like you had a certain level of commitment to him? Like, okay. I'm gonna be coached by Tim for the rest of my career, or did you go in with a trial? Like, okay. Let's let's try again and see if it works.
Sam Appleton:I I guess not a commitment that I'd be with him until I finish my career, but I know like, Tim is one of my best friends. He was the actually the best man at our wedding, and I think he knows me personally probably better than anyone. And I think that is invaluable in a coach athlete relationship. Like, writing a program for someone isn't is only part of the puzzle, isn't it? Like, it's not it's not too difficult for a coach to write an athlete a program, but understanding, you know, emotions, thoughts, and who I am as a person, I think, is much more important.
Sam Appleton:So that was a really big thing for me, and, I think Tim and I are similar athletes and similar people as well, so he kind of understands everything, you know, if I'm going through, you know, some emotional stuff or he's he also had a young family kind of at a similar age to me. So he understands what it's like to juggle, you know, family life, training, and trying to be the best athlete you can be.
Justin Metzler:Do you think there's potentially, like, just something cultural about you both being Australian, or do you think that doesn't have any impact?
Sam Appleton:I mean, I think there is maybe something cultural there, but, I just feel like, Tim understands me best, and I think his programming is really, really good. And we kind of when I went to Tim, it was almost like I'm going to Tim to pursue Ironman, and I think Tim has made a lot of mistakes in his Ironman career that, you know, he knows how to avoid or, you know maybe not how to avoid, but he knows, for him because we are such similar athletes. Like, what worked for him, what didn't, and he can implement that into my program.
Justin Metzler:What was the main differences that you saw in his training that he was prescribing pre Dixon versus when you started up with him again post Dixon?
Sam Appleton:I was well, it's a little bit different because I was focusing on 70.3s when I was with Tim originally, and the shift to Ironman obviously requires quite a bit more volume. But the sport's just come so far in that 10 years that, you know, has gone past, and I think Tim now well, just not Tim, but everybody is so much more equipped to how to train athletes for best performance and things like that. So, you know, we weren't doing too much zones or or a very basic, you know, zone structure or something. It wasn't like, oh, we're gonna go like, now, it's like you you're gonna go for a 4 hour ride, and you're gonna ride between, you know, 210 and 230 watts. Like Yeah.
Sam Appleton:It was kinda just like, oh, you're gonna ride in zone 2. What's zone 2? I'm like, I don't know. Just like, not easy, but not hard. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:I think the science excuse me. Sorry. I think the science has come a long way, and that has obviously shifted the plan a little bit as well.
Justin Metzler:Yep. Yeah. Absolutely. You've previously spoken a little bit about, like, you and Tim, you know, being similar athletes and just in personal conversations, you know, you've mentioned to me that you're not a guy who goes, like, you know, multiple 30 hour weeks in a row. Like, is that something that you've tried and failed at?
Justin Metzler:Is it something that doesn't work with your lifestyle? Like, what what do you have to say about that?
Sam Appleton:I think a couple of things. I have tried higher volume. It just doesn't agree with my body. I tend to break down. I tend not to enjoy it too much.
Sam Appleton:I was actually trying kinda this time last year, actually, I was trying big training, and it was pretty evident after doing it for, like, 4 to 5 weeks that I just wasn't absorbing it. Like, the training quality just wasn't there. Like, the volume was there, but I was feeling bad. I was getting run down. I was having a lot of niggles and things like that.
Sam Appleton:And the body just the training quality, yeah, just wasn't there. The volume was. And then we actually, and this was before Ironman Australia, kind of, like, 8 weeks before or maybe even closer to the race, and I just felt like it wasn't clicking. And then Tim called me and was like, look. I want you to trust me.
Sam Appleton:He stripped out a lot of kind of the junk. Like, I was still doing, you know, between 23 26 hours a week, so it wasn't nothing. But, yeah, I wasn't getting close to 30 hours, and all of a sudden, everything just seemed to click for me. And, Yeah. I my body just started responding way better.
Sam Appleton:I was hitting better numbers and, obviously, still had the endurance because I had a great race at Ironman Australia. So it was kind of interesting, just knowing that, you know, big volume does work for some people, and people have great careers on big volume, but I'm just not one of those people that absorbs it. And, yeah, I feel like I don't really enjoy training, you know, 30, 32 hours a week. Like, it's a long time when you because that's just training. You know?
Sam Appleton:You've got so much extracurricular stuff. You've got you know, if you're going to the pool 5 times a week, there's, you know, 20 minutes to the pool each way, 20 minutes back, so there's another, you know, another few hours there, and then just everything else that you have to do on top. It's like it's not just training. So, you know, when you are doing those big 30 hour training weeks, it's often more, like, you know, 40, 45 hours. So Sure.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. It's a big a big investment. But, yeah, like I said, it's just not something that has worked for me, and I've actually thrived on kind of less volume and more intensity, and I think that's what kinda led me to a lot of that 70.3 success that I had through 2015 and 16. But then, you know, I'm not trying to say this to everyone, like, volume obviously does work, and you do have to do volume, especially fine, man. Like, there's no way around it.
Sam Appleton:You have to do long rides. You have to do big run weeks. You have to do, you know, you have to have that volume and that muscular resilience, but, yeah, for me, that that big long stuff is just yeah. It just doesn't work.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. One thing that I really am curious to get your take on is for an athlete who's been in the game for 11 or 12 years and had incredible success, How much do you feel like you can just go back to what you've done previously that has made you strong and just repeat that again versus that's not gonna be good enough anymore? I have to evolve, do more volume, do more intensity, take a different approach, implement more of the new technology, whether that's lactate or more, you know, power stuff or more testing or whatever. Like, are you reflecting back on the past? I'm I'm struggling with this a lot on my on my own right now because, you know, I I look back on my career, and I'm like, in that year, I was great.
Justin Metzler:Mhmm. Let's just do that again.
Sam Appleton:Yep. Yep.
Justin Metzler:But I don't know if it applies in 2025. What's your take?
Sam Appleton:Yeah. I don't I don't know. If I it's funny. When I was in my mid twenties, even late twenties, I wouldn't even count. Like, I would barely upload my sessions into TrainingPeaks or whatever.
Sam Appleton:You know? But now it's like now that I'm 34 and I'm kind of, you know, coming towards the end of my career, I'm, like, all of a sudden obsessed with everything going green in TrainingPeaks, obsessed with singing, you know, my CTL and my total hours. And it's just funny how, you know, I never used to care about that. Someone would ask me, oh, how much do you swim a week or ride or run a week? And I'd be like, oh, I don't know.
Sam Appleton:But now if you ask me, I could, you know, tell you exactly almost to the kilometer. But, yeah, I think I think every year, you build layers. And what worked, you know, 5, 6 years ago might not work now because you're a different person. You're you know, the sport's different. The sport's changed.
Sam Appleton:You know? Yeah. I have looked back at past training and have compared a little bit, but then I've also gone back and been like, oh, I never would have been able to run, you know, 2 hours at 4 minute kilometer pace, you know, 6, 7 years ago when I was training for 70.3's. But now I could go bang that out in an Ironman build, but I also look back at the you know, I do 6 by 1 k, and I was doing, you know, sub three minutes, and I'd be like, I can't do that now that I'm focusing on Ironman. You know?
Sam Appleton:It's like, yeah. It's totally different, I think. Yeah.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. It's also one of those things where, you know, you mentioned you tried to do the 30 hour weeks, and I think at least I am. And in 2025, I think we're just inundated by what other people are doing. Mhmm. 10 years ago, that wasn't really the case.
Justin Metzler:So you could get your plan. You could execute it. You could be like, oh, wow. Like, I'm doing great. I'm making progress.
Justin Metzler:And, you know, if you were running 3 10 k's 2 months ago, and now you're running 3 minute k's, you see that improvement.
Sam Appleton:Exactly. Yep.
Justin Metzler:You know? And so maybe it's just an addition. It's not always addition by addition. It's addition by subtraction now. Just yeah.
Sam Appleton:And I also think that, you know, a lot of people might add 10% onto their, you know, what you hear, just when you hear somebody say they do, just take 10% off, and that's probably more like the number.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. How much are you paying attention to, like, what the big dogs are doing on social media, and how much are you paying attention to, like, what people are doing in town?
Sam Appleton:I think when I was younger, I used to pay a lot more attention to it. Now I'm just, like yeah. I try not to look at it too much. I actually don't really follow too much of other athletes' training and things like that. You know, I don't really watch any of the YouTube channels or anything like that.
Sam Appleton:Like, sometimes I will if I'm on the trainer, but, yeah, like, I don't actively seek it out, but I'm not trying to block it out, if that makes sense. Like, I'll scroll on Strava, and I'll see, oh, you know, Justin did a 3 hour ride. You know? It's good power, but then I just carry on and, you know, I don't be like, oh, you know? It doesn't send me, you know, down a spiral or anything.
Sam Appleton:Yeah.
Justin Metzler:I mean, at the end of the day, I've had a lot of guests, you know, in town guests here, you know, Rudy
Sam Appleton:Mhmm.
Justin Metzler:And whatever. And I think a lot of people have a similar thing because what matters at the end of the day and I think the thing we all respect is, like, what you do in the race?
Sam Appleton:Yeah. You know? Yeah. Exactly.
Justin Metzler:It's like it's all good and well that post a really sick 6 hour ride. Yep. But if you go to the race and walk Yeah. Yeah. It doesn't really matter.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. I just mainly like Strava because if you do a long ride, you can see a nice big, you know, a nice big loop. It looks quite pleasing.
Justin Metzler:That that that's I'm I'm with you on that as well. Like, oh, man. If you do, like, a nice big Thompson lube Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Or you
Justin Metzler:do, like, the Saint Vrain lube, it just looks nice
Sam Appleton:and pretty. Exactly.
Justin Metzler:Absolutely. So I guess, like, one thing that I want to touch in on a little bit more is you mentioned it a couple of times, like, just the the general competitiveness of the sport, like, post COVID. I think we're all feeling that. It's harder to get results. It's harder to get sponsors.
Justin Metzler:Like, it's just a completely different game now. You know, looking at that time between, like, 2020 2023, there were glimpses of what you were delivering in terms of results from that 2015 to 2019 period, but you weren't getting 1570.3s during that phase. Like, was there something that you could pinpoint in your training or your life that prevented you from getting those wins, or was it just a matter of, like, the sport elevates?
Sam Appleton:I think there was a couple so 2022, we had the birth of Toby, our son, kinda 6 weeks before Kona, and I also dealt with COVID through that summer, and it just, you know, knocked me for 6. I just never kind of really got over it until I actually took, like, 2 months completely off after Kona. So that was kind of a whirlwind and a bit of a write off year, 2022, but I think, you know, I think through COVID, a lot of the young guys were so motivated, and, you know, there was no races, and they were just like, we're gonna go out, and we're gonna train really hard, whereas I was kinda the opposite. I was like, oh, this is kinda nice. You know?
Sam Appleton:I can not do any training. I can, you know, I can put on a bit of weight. I can drink beer and not feel bad about it and things like that. And I think you know, I'm not saying that was the cause because I think, you know, having time off and, getting some hormonal replenishment is quite good, but I think quite a few athletes really, you know, I look at someone like Sam Long, and I think he really used that time quite well, and he was motivated. And he trained really hard, and he came through the other side, and he was, you know, one of the best athletes in the world.
Sam Appleton:And, I'm not saying that that's where I dropped the ball, but I think, you know, those younger motivated guys use that time to get really strong, and some of some of us older ones were kinda resting on our laurels maybe a little bit. And, yeah, I guess I fall into that category of resting on my laurels, but, you know, that's one kinda hypothesis that I've had, but just also yeah, I mean, I've touched on it, just the sport. Everyone's really good now. The sport's growing. We're getting so much more influx.
Sam Appleton:Like, I think one thing kinda back to your earlier question where you said, you know, why did I have so much success at 70.3 is I think, you know, I was one of the early guys that came from ITU into 70.3s. Whereas now you're getting young kids that are training specifically for Kona. You know, it's not like 70.3 and Ironman are no longer, like, the post ITU career. It's like, no. I wanna race Kona.
Sam Appleton:I'm a 17 year old kid. I'm training for Kona, you know, and I think, you know, you see that's why there's quite there's so many good young guys now, you know, Sam Laidlaw and stuff. Like, they've never really looked at that ITU stuff, and it's, you know, long course hasn't been like a second career for them. It's been their focus.
Justin Metzler:Yep. And where are you at now? I think are you comparing yourself to the Sam Laidlows and these 25 year old guys who immediately come in and are Ironman world champion? Or, like, what's what's your perspective for where you're at in your career at this point?
Sam Appleton:For me, I've always like, winning is great. I love winning. Everyone loves winning. Everyone loves podiums, but I've always been more of a, I wanna be the best athlete I can be and try not to look or, you know, what other people do is out of my control. So I try and really focus on, you know, what's gonna get me the best results, and whatever that result is, what it is.
Sam Appleton:And I think now as I'm quite a bit older, I'm also, you know, I very rarely go into a race with a position or a, you know, a finish place in my mind. It's always, like, how do I execute the best race? And that's what gives me satisfaction. And, you know, whatever place that is, if I execute a great race and get 7th, then great. You know?
Sam Appleton:That's all I could do, and I can't be disappointed. And I think, you know, while, obviously, yeah, it's nice to win, and I'd love to have a world title like Sam Laidlaw, but, you know, you also gotta just, I think, focus on yourself and, yeah, be the best athlete that you can be.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. And I think when you look back on your career, at least, you know, I've done this a long time. You've done this a long time. You probably look back more on the experiences and knowing that you kinda gave it your best rather than, like, oh, it's nice to look back and say I won that one. I won that one.
Justin Metzler:Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. For sure. I I mean, some of my best race experiences aren't wins. You know? Some of those 70.3 worlds races, I actually think when I got I think I got 9th in 2019 in Nice, and I look back on that race with so much fondness because I feel like I had a great race, but I got 9th.
Sam Appleton:You know? It's not it's on paper. It doesn't look good, but I feel like I executed a really good race, and, you know, I was really happy.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. One thing I mean, a big piece of 2024 was, you winning Ironman Australia. You alluded to that earlier. I'm curious to hear your perspective on the differences in racing in Australia versus racing in America, and maybe if you feel any pressure, like, to go back to Australia and race at home.
Sam Appleton:I wouldn't say I feel pressure. I do have Australian sponsors that I wanna keep happy and race in Australia for them, but, you know, going home and racing in Australia is important to me. I've got family. I've got friends. Yes, sponsors that like to see me do well there.
Sam Appleton:But it's never been like, oh, I have to go back to Australia. It's like, oh, awesome. I'm gonna you know, I look at the calendar. I'm like, I'm gonna do Ironman Australia this year, and that's gonna be one of my a races. It's never, like, a a burden, so to speak, besides the travel a little bit.
Sam Appleton:But, you know, once I'm there, it's good. But, yeah. I mean, I love racing in Australia, and I think, you know, that's just the nature of an Australian living in the US. And, yeah, I think it's important to my family and, like, you that Ironman Australia race is in a town called Port Macquarie. It's where my mom lives.
Sam Appleton:So my dad drove up from Sydney. I had my brother there and my mom, and, you know, it was really special having them watch me race because we race so much internationally that, you know, often we're actually going to races by ourselves, and we've got no one out on course. So, you know, to have a really good race there and have my mom at the finish line, it was yeah. It was really emotional. But, yeah.
Justin Metzler:That's cool. I mean, that's, like, a day where it all comes together. Those that's probably, like, what makes all the bad times it it is what makes all the bad times worth it. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. I think so. And, yeah, that race, Ironman Australia, was almost like the culmination of you know, I'd been focusing on Ironman kind of more specifically than 70.3's for 2 or 3 years at that point. And I feel like I'd never really done a good one. So I felt like that was the one that I'd been training for for, like, 3 years, and to execute that and have a great day, it's yeah.
Sam Appleton:It does. It makes those 3 years worth it.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. That's cool. I guess, like, one thing I was looking back on your career and looking through all of your results, like, you've done a lot of races. And you mentioned, you know, we race internationally. We race all over the world.
Justin Metzler:And I'm curious if you take away, like, the prize money, the sponsor bonuses, and, like, pressure to race in certain areas or whatever, what is your ideal race schedule if you had to pick, like, 4 or 5 races simply based off, like, coolness and location?
Sam Appleton:So you wanna pick 4 locations? Yeah. Pick 4
Justin Metzler:4 races that you've done in your career where you're like, okay. Those are the 4 that I'm really down with. Or it could be races that you haven't done yet that you really would like to do.
Sam Appleton:So I wanna do I definitely wanna do Roth 1 year. I think that's, you know, on a lot of people's kind of bucket list races, and maybe one of those adventure Ironmans, like Patagonia man or something. I think that looks really cool. But, I mean, in terms of some of the best races that I've I've done, that Nice race was really cool. Like, riding up that mountain, it was you know, it sounds a bit cliche, but it did feel like you were in the Tour de France a little bit.
Sam Appleton:A lot of I mean, I haven't raced in Europe a lot, but, yeah, European towns are just so much different to US and Australia that it's kind of you know, it's really cool getting that that different culture. In terms of here in the US, there used to be a race called Vine Man, which I think was, you know, one of the best races around, and I don't know. It was just, yeah, such a cool race. You swam in this tiny little river that was, you know, sometimes was too shallow to swim in. You had to get up and, like, porpoise or, you know, some taller people.
Sam Appleton:Like, you you could probably, like, wade or run through it and, yeah, you ran around this vineyard and things. Yeah. It was a really cool race. I I was really sad when that one kind of shut up shop, and I think Saint George is another one that's a really special race. Just that, you know, just the scenery on that course is is amazing.
Sam Appleton:It's a shame that that one's going away as well this year, but, you know, we, cross our fingers that, races come and go. Like, I think this year on the calendar, there's a few races that, haven't been a pro race for quite a long time. So, yeah, I think it, you know, ebbs and flows a little bit.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. I have vivid memories of Saint George. I can't remember what year it is, but you and I both not having a best our best day. Yeah.
Justin Metzler:We're riding on Snow Canyon Parkway together, looking at each other like, oh, this isn't super fun right
Sam Appleton:now. Yeah. Yeah. I do. I do remember that.
Sam Appleton:I don't know why I had such a bad day.
Justin Metzler:You, me, and Ben Kanute. Yeah. I remember the 3 of
Sam Appleton:us. Yeah. We're just, like,
Justin Metzler:trying to get up Snow Canyon as best as possible being like, oh, man. This is not going well.
Sam Appleton:Yep. Yep. I do remember that.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Good times. Good times. Alright. Well, I got a couple mindset question here's, quest mindset questions here.
Justin Metzler:I think, you know, all of us who are at this point in our career are starting to feel 10 years of professional sport on the mind and on the body a bit. Like, are you what are you doing to stay motivated these days?
Sam Appleton:I think the shift into Ironman, you know, the last few years has really kind of sparked my joy again and the desire to improve. It's been like a new challenge, because I raced exclusive 70.3s for, you know, 6, 7 years. It was quite a long time. And, yeah, I did wait quite a while to go into Ironman. Like, I did one in 2019 kind of at the end of the year as a bit of a, you know, I'll just try one out, but it wasn't until really 2022 that I kind of started training with Ernest, for Iron Man.
Sam Appleton:So that's been kind of really motivating, because like I said before in one of my questions, like, running 30 k, you know, in a long run 5, 6 years ago would have been like, oh, that's so far. But now it's like, you know, seeing that improvement is been quite rewarding in Ironman, and, yeah, that's been that's been really fun. And then, like I said, winning Ironman Australia and seeing that improvement kinda play out in a race has been really motivating. But, yeah, I think, you know, I'm still I'm still enjoying it. I still love training, most of the time.
Sam Appleton:I think anyone that says they love training all the time is is lying. But, yeah, I mean, I'm still having fun. I love the lifestyle. And, yeah, I just I still have that drive to kind of get better. And, and I still think that I do have you know, my best Ironman is still ahead of me, so that's kind of motivating as well.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. Are you someone who needs balance, or do you feel like you can have triathlon be your identity and sort of what you're doing 247?
Sam Appleton:No. I definitely need balance. I mean, I I feel like triathlon, you know, for better or worse, is my identity a little bit, and, you know, it is, I think, something that all professional athletes might struggle with, from time to time. But, you know, like, I'm just getting back into training. Like, I had no problem, you know, since Kona doing absolutely nothing for I think it was about 6 weeks, and it was, you know, then it was just, you know, a couple of weeks of 10, 12 hour weeks, and now I'm finally back into the swing of things.
Sam Appleton:So, yeah, I've got no problem, like, shutting up shop for a little bit and having some time off. But, yeah. I definitely definitely do like balance, yeah, like social life and things like that, whether that's just with, you know, Sarah and Toby and things like that. Like, not going out partying, but, you know, we like to, yeah, we like to spend time with the family and friends and, yeah. I try not to let triathlon become all consuming because I don't think that's a healthy relationship.
Sam Appleton:Like, there is times where you do have to be really strict and, obviously, through the season or training for a big race, there is times when it is kind of all systems go, and it's all revolved around, you know, training and performing. But, yeah, that's why it is nice at the end of the season to shut up shop and kind of, you know, almost give back to the family and things like that. And, you know, the time is more about them than it is about me because I know, you know, when the season comes back around, it is, you know, it does come around quick, and it can be, you know, full on, especially for, you know, my wife and things like that who has to deal with my, mood swings and training up and downs and everything. So
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Not easy. Not easy. I think, like, you know, with training in a family, that's probably the majority of your time. But is even in peak season, are there things that you're trying to carve out every day to step back and do different types of stuff, or is it full on?
Sam Appleton:During season, mainly full on, I would say. Like, I mean, the stuff that I'm doing to kind of unwind is, you know, just yeah, maybe watching TV or playing video games or something if I can fit it in. But, yeah, generally, I've got my hands pretty full with training and family life and things like that. So Yeah.
Justin Metzler:Do you ever grapple with the fact that you're probably even if your best performance is still ahead, do you grapple with the fact that you're probably on the back 9?
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Like, yep. Every, the last few years, I feel like it's, you know and, I do feel like, yeah, my best Ironman is ahead of me.
Sam Appleton:But that doesn't always mean that that's gonna happen. You know what I mean? Like, I still feel like I do have more to give in the Ironman, but, you know, to put lay down a really great Ironman performance, a lot of stars have to align. You know, you have to not get sick. You have to have mechanical luck.
Sam Appleton:You have to feel good. And, you know, there's a lot of things that go into a performance. And, yeah. I definitely do grapple with the fact that, you know, while I am only 34 and, you know, 15, 20 years ago, people were just starting their Ironman career. But now it's like, I looked at the, the start list for Kona, and I was definitely in that, you know, that top third of older athletes.
Sam Appleton:And I was like, man, when did that happen? You know, it's like, just it felt like a year ago that I came here to, to Colorado, but it was 10. Yeah. But, yeah, I mean, there is those anxieties and, yeah, little thoughts that you have about, yeah, being kind of in your twilight, and I think I think that goes back to why now I am quite obsessed with seeing all the training go green and, you know, making sure that every Ironman build is or race build, a race is going really well because you don't know how many more you're gonna have.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Do you feel like your peak performance, if it does lie ahead of you, lies in a world championship event or in, like, a a different type of race, like an Ironman Australia or a regional championship?
Sam Appleton:Yeah. I'm I mean, I've done Kona twice, and I feel like, you know, this year oh, last year, 2024 wasn't disastrous, from a numbers perspective. I mean, 20 seconds, not great on paper, but I actually felt like it wasn't besides the run, it was quite a okay performance swimming bike wise, but, I just think, you know, Kona's or world championship's just such a different different beast. Like, every other Ironman, you're like, alright. These are my numbers.
Sam Appleton:This is what I can hold. This is what I know I can ride for 180 k, and this is what I know I can run. But at Kona, it's like you don't have really that luxury of just, like, settling into your rhythm. It's like you're just getting the power and the pace dictated to you, and you just hope that you can hold on. And, you know, that's why it makes it so different than any other Ironman.
Sam Appleton:So yeah. I mean, I'm not sure. I think I do definitely would love to get back to Kona in 2026. But, yeah, I mean, it's hard to say where my best performance will lie. I think, you know, I do I definitely think I can do a lot better in Kona than I did last year in 2024.
Sam Appleton:So, yeah, fingers crossed.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. I guess, like, what does come post triathlon? Are you even having those thoughts yet? Or is it just head down until that moment happens?
Sam Appleton:No. I I have thoughts, you know, a lot of them pipe dreams, but, you know, I'm like, oh, that'll be cool to do this job or something. But, yeah. I mean, I would love to kind of stay in the endurance sport, you know, community. I'd love to stay involved in triathlon in some form or fashion.
Sam Appleton:I don't know what that would be. I do actually coach, about 10 athletes, which I really enjoy, you know, just kinda giving back a little bit, and, you know, I find that really fun. So maybe that's something I could scale up a little bit or, you know, I don't know. I'd love to, yeah, work with one of my sponsors or something, you know, maybe transition into from an athlete role into, you know, something else within a within a company. But, you know, never really sat down and, you know, I've had thoughts or something will drift into my mind.
Sam Appleton:I'm like, oh, that'll be cool. And then I Google it, and I'm like, oh, there's no way.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. I'm I'm very similar. I would like sit on the couch with Jeannie in the evenings and be like, oh, what if we did this or what if we did that? Yeah. And I will kick that to
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Yeah.
Justin Metzler:A year down the line or whatever.
Sam Appleton:Or or you realize that, you know, you need a 4 year, you know, computer science degree or something. You're like, I'm not doing that. Yeah. Absolutely.
Justin Metzler:Do you and Sarah think about your future in terms of staying in Boulder? Do you wanna go back to, Australia at some point? What do you
Sam Appleton:think? We've thought about relocating back to Australia, and we'd you know, I'd love to do that at one point. But, I've always said that, you know, before Toby starts school, we would try it for a couple of years, but he's already 2a half. You know, he's starting preschool soon, and, you know, time just goes. And, you know, Sarah's, got a good job.
Sam Appleton:Her family lives in Denver, so she's really close with her family. So it would be definitely be a big change for us. But we have spoken about it, and we're definitely open to the idea. But nothing you know, we haven't made any plans or anything like that. We've just kind of thrown it out there and be like, oh, yeah.
Sam Appleton:That would be fun. But, you know, when you start thinking of all the, everything that goes into relocating a a family to another country, it's quite a lot. Like, you know, when I came here, it was I just had a suitcase and my bike and, you know, but now I've got, you know, so much more stuff. Like, bringing that all back to Australia, yeah, I wouldn't even know where to start.
Justin Metzler:I know. We have the same conversations about going to South Africa where my wife is from, and it's just, you know, Australia and South Africa are 2 of the furthest places away from Colorado. Yeah. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. So so far, and it's yeah. It's a complete yeah. Just lifestyle change and, yeah. I would love to try it one day, but, you know, probably not within the next couple of years.
Sam Appleton:I'd say it would be something, you know, post career that we would try. Cool.
Justin Metzler:Is there a result or performance that you could see yourself having that you could just walk away on kinda like how Jan won that PTO race and he just, like, dropped the mic and went out? Or or is there anything like that that you could see happening? Or do you just do you wanna kinda have an exit strategy maybe like a like Sebi did and say, okay. This is my exit plan.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Yeah. Sebi announced his retirement, like, 2 years in advance or something. I think
Justin Metzler:it was, like, 5.
Sam Appleton:And then you have other people that just never announce retirement. You know? They just kind of drift off. I would love to win another Ironman. You know, I don't know what Ironman that would be, but, yeah, I'd be really satisfied with but even if I don't, like, even if I was to you know, if something happened and I could never race again from now, you know, I would still look back at my career with, you know, being really proud and really happy and achieved a lot more than I ever set out to do, really, and ever thought that I would.
Sam Appleton:So, yeah, I mean, there's nothing that I would that I feel like I'm missing. You know? Obviously, I'd, you know, love to win a world title or something, but that's not, like, something that, you know, that well, I guess I am chasing it in some respect, but it's not like, oh, I'm gonna do that before I retire. It's like yeah.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. I think if you're coming from a place of pride and gratitude for what you've done, then it's really all to play for. And maybe your best performance of your career still
Sam Appleton:lies ahead because
Justin Metzler:of that sort of approach and mindset.
Sam Appleton:So Yeah. It often happens as well when you kind of when you are a little bit more, you know, you're not hyper focused on a result that, you know because sometimes that can derail the actual result. It's kind of you know, some of the best races that I've had are the ones where, you know, you have a little bit less pressure or you don't think it's gonna go as well and it you know, you take that pressure off yourself, and then you go out and you do perform.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. You gotta kinda tread that line between, like, contentment and commitment. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Where it's
Justin Metzler:like, alright. I'm content, but I, you know, I gotta commit to the goal. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Exactly. I'm not I'm not saying, you know, don't don't give stuff about the race, but, yeah, sometimes and I've definitely been on the other side where you've been way too, you know, anxious leading into a race, and I think definitely there's that optimum arousal that you need to have of, you know, not too much, but definitely a little bit.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Absolutely. Alright. Well, before we wrap up, I've got some rapid fire questions for you. Ready to roll?
Justin Metzler:Yep. Alright. Number 1. What's the best advice you've received in your career?
Sam Appleton:It's hard to beat someone who never gives up. Nice.
Justin Metzler:You have to delete one from the earth. Beer, coffee, or precision carbon electrolyte mix.
Sam Appleton:Precision's gone. Oh. Man, dude, you're getting fired. You
Justin Metzler:just resigned your contract, I think.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Prob I mean, probably beer.
Justin Metzler:I do has to say that.
Sam Appleton:I do I do love beer, but, you know, as an athlete, it's doesn't really fit in with the lifestyle, does it? Yeah. Yeah.
Justin Metzler:Alright. Best part about being a dad and the worst part?
Sam Appleton:The best part is just seeing, you know, a little human develop in front of your eyes. And, you know, as the other day, this is kind of not rapid fire, but I'll tell the story anyway. He was riding his Strider bike, and, I was riding next to him on the mountain bike, and I went down this ditch, and then, you know, did a little jump. And I saw Toby look so excited, and he was like he goes, dad ami? He wanted to try.
Sam Appleton:And I could see the fear in his eyes. Like, I could see, like, he how scared he was, but he did it anyway. That's awesome. And he went down, and, yeah, he did it. And, yeah, it was just beautiful.
Sam Appleton:That's cool. That's very cool. And the worst Turn away. Don't watch me cry. And the worst part, he's in this phase where when he's mad, he'll bite us.
Sam Appleton:So, currently, that's the worst part. When he's, if you pick him up and he's mad, he'll try and, like, bite your face or something.
Justin Metzler:Can he break skin?
Sam Appleton:Oh, yeah. I had this cut. It was actually from scratch. Like, I had this cut under my eye that drew drew blood from his, one of his tantrums the other day.
Justin Metzler:Maybe he's gonna have to get into, like, wrestling or something. Yeah. Yeah. Alright. Bike with a top tube or without a top tube?
Sam Appleton:Well, the last couple of years has been without. But, you know, that might change for 2025.
Justin Metzler:That would make sense.
Sam Appleton:But still in the same family. Cool.
Justin Metzler:Would you rather do a 2 hour triathlon related Instagram live or livestream yourself playing a video game for 4 hours?
Sam Appleton:Oh, I'd play a video game for 4 hours because then if I have do it, then I get to play a video game for 4 hours. Alright. So that one's easy. Instead of 20 minutes before, after Toby goes to bed, and then I'm like, oh, I'm going to bed too. I'm too tired.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Alright. Who is the most overrated triathlete of all time and the most underrated?
Sam Appleton:Just throw some shade at someone.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. I'm putting you on the spot.
Sam Appleton:The most overrated triathlete of all time. I'm trying to dig back into the, into the memory bank. Someone that's a bit older that probably won't listen to this, maybe. The most oh. You can
Justin Metzler:do you can do underrated if you just wanna pick underrated.
Sam Appleton:Most underrated triathlete, Who would that be? I mean, recently maybe someone, I mean, maybe someone like Leon Chevalier. I know he's you know, he had a great race at Kona, but
Justin Metzler:That's an exceptional answer.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. I feel like he doesn't really get his, his just desserts.
Justin Metzler:Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Maybe we'll go with Leon. Alright. And then I'm not offending anyone by saying over. Alright.
Justin Metzler:I'm gonna I'm gonna ask him off the pod and then post it on Instagram. Alright. Final one. What is a pocket IPA?
Sam Appleton:Oh, so I went to a friend. I had a Christmas party the other night, and, we're playing, ping pong. And, I had an I was drinking a beer, and then I finished it. And then I had it. I had another one in my pocket.
Sam Appleton:So I just pulled it out of my pocket.
Justin Metzler:That's a pro move.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. People were like, wait. Where did that come from? It was just in my pocket.
Justin Metzler:Yeah. That was an audience question.
Sam Appleton:Not a, not a deep, nothing too fun. Alright. Well, cool.
Justin Metzler:Appreciate you coming on the podcast, man. Yeah.
Sam Appleton:Of course.
Justin Metzler:Pleasure catching up.
Sam Appleton:Yeah. Thanks, man.
Justin Metzler:Alright. Of course. See you in the next episode.
Sam Appleton:Peace.
