Lionel Sanders searches for Tucson alternative as heat takes its toll on his triathlon trump card

Lionel Sanders is looking to rediscover his triathlon run form, after back-to-back summers in the scorching heat of Tucson have left him unable to build on what was once one of his trump cards.

The Canadian, who has in the past used his deadly bike-run combination to dominate middle-distance fields, feels that the climate during the warmer months in Arizona has been limiting his training.

Now, at the beginning of a new era, ‘No Limits’ is taking stock of his run fitness before attempting to find the winning combination of training and environment, one that he hopes will put him back on the front foot.

“It’s just too hot” – Sanders

Whilst many American professionals have made Arizona their home base over recent seasons, including Sam Long, Ben Kanute and Trevor Foley, the summer temperatures – which can reach highs of 42 degrees – have begun to take their toll.

Sanders, speaking during his latest YouTube video (watch in full below), highlighted how the climate has played a part in what he sees as the deterioration in his run form over the past three seasons, which the heat leaving him no option but to sacrifice speed and intensity in the third discipline.

“I do truly feel like over the last three years in Tucson my run has deteriorated due to training so much outside in the heat. I think I have historically managed to get into quite good form by March, but then as the heat goes up I have sacrificed speed and intensity and whilst you still have the cardiovascular stimulus, you do not have the muscle resistance or the capacity to produce speed.

“You end up deteriorating over the next 5-6 months and then the process begins again in October when the temperatures begin to cool down. The problem with that is they [March to October] are the key months when you really start to get fit and do some fast running.

“You need a whole year to get fit, you can’t just do it in six months. You need years and years of continuous training to allow you to get to your max capacity and run against the likes of Jason West, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden – who are all running 5:00/mile off the bike.”

Tried and tested

Hinting at a summer move away from Tucson, Sanders talked through the process of taking the last of his three lactate tests carried out to establish his baselines in all three disciplines, explaining why the data gathered now is of such importance.

“I’m going to be doing a lot more running indoors on the treadmill, so this data will help me there and I tend to get quite lazy in the run, not that I don’t work hard, but because it is easier to do it outside and I make the wrong decisions.

“I know I’m not running fast enough [when running outside], so we are going to be doing a lot more work from here on out indoors on the treadmill, which means this data is going to be very important.”