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There are two very strong personal characteristics that have taken up refuge in the soul of Cathy Morgan; passion and persistence. Self described as an “Iron Chick,” she makes it clear that once she puts on a race number, “I want to beat SOMEBODY!” Pro triathlete Victor Plata used to say, “Passion, patience, and persistence.” Morgan admits that she has the first and third success characteristic dialed in, but is working on the second one.
After a long and rough start to the sport of Ironman, Morgan eventually crossed paths with Molina and quickly became a disciple of the former World Champion. Molina began molding Morgan into thinking about the sport and the journey as “a project.” This project of Ironman is to be pursued as a long term commitment by the coach and the athlete to ensure that the athlete reaches their goals. They accomplish this by either working directly under Molina’s guidance or by learning enough by working with him where they could carry on the habits and ways of excelling that will enable them to get to their goals in the future.
If there is one thing that Molina has instilled into Morgan it is to get the right habits down in your daily life. Molina often told her, “If you get the right habits, everything else falls into place.”
For all of the talk of passion and persistence, it is perspective that sets Morgan apart from most. There’s a level of clarity and purpose that comes through Morgan’s chosen pursuit of her passion. The exposure to the lifestyle, the training, the friends, the travel and the struggles have shaped who she has evolved into. It captures her essence and her soul as a portrayal of human spirit. Her life is simple, yet is complicated. It is filled with joy and also with struggle. There is a level of inner peace and calmness but also a level of anxiety and discontent. In all, it is the perfect definition of Ironman. She exemplifies the ongoing dichotomy of clashing characteristics. She has conquered the distance and has competed at the most prestigious event in the sport but yet she prefers to push for new levels of personal improvement.
The most admirable quality of Cathy Morgan is that she is delightfully human and honest. It is her ability to draw insight from others that has molded her spirit. One of her favorite quotes comes from Gordo Byrn when he stated, “Excuses. At a certain level, I think that we are looking for a way out. If we really execute and we suck, well, perhaps that is more than we want to face.”
You never know who you will meet during your Ironman travels. Here former World Champions Luc Van Lierde and Scott Molina had a chance to meet age-grouper Cathy Morgan after a long swim practice.
The Early Years
For those that seem to think it requires a pedigree sports background to succeed and live the Ironman lifestyle, think again. Morgan’s athletic background as a child contained horseback riding and sandlot baseball with the neighborhood boys along with one season of high school swimming.
With a degree in exercise science, Cathy found a job working as an athletic trainer at a physical therapy clinic in Northern California. One day in 1987 while working at the clinic, a patient name Stuart strolled in with a really crazy looking bike with the front wheel smaller than the back wheel. Stuart explained that he was a triathlete and was trying to qualify for the Ironman in Hawaii. During the conversation, Stuart told the staff at the clinic that there was an upcoming race where you could complete it at as a team. Within the office there was a physical therapist who was a cyclist and Cathy took on the role of the swimmer. They recruited the office receptionist into training for the run and the next thing they knew, they had themselves a triathlon team.
The team race was held in April on the Stanford campus and in the week prior to the race a swimmer had drowned in the little lake that would serve as the triathlon swim course. Mix in the cold spring water and it resulted in a nervous situation for Morgan as she explained, “The water was really cold and no one had wetsuits. It was a sprint race and I did most of the swim with my head out of the water since the water was freezing. I hadn’t completed any open water swimming in ages. I had a bit of a freak out, but in the end I had a lot of fun.” And thus was the birth of a future Ironman.
The Training
The training protocol is a familiar one for those that are disciples of the Scott Molina or Gordo Byrn methods and is heavily influenced by a repeatable basic week. One thing that is noticeable about her basic week is a lack of a true day off. Morgan explained that days off are taken when life eventually intervenes for work, travel or personal reasons. A typical basic week during a non Ironman build up would look similar to the following for Morgan:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Total |
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| Swim in the am 45 minutes | | Swim in the am 45 minutes | Swim in the am 45 minutes | | | | 2.25 hours |
| | Bike easy spin in pm for recovery 30 minutes | | Bike pm spin session 1 hour | | Bike long 2.5 hours aerobic | Bike 1.5 hours aerobic | 5.5 hours |
| Run short 30 minutes in pm | Long run 45-90 min in am | Run 45 minutes base in the pm | | Run Easy Recovery 30 min | | T-Run 30 minutes | 3.25 hours |
| Weights post swim 30 minutes | | | | Weights pm strength session 45 minutes | | | 1.25 hours |
| 1.75 hours | 1.5 hours | 1.5 hours | 1.25 hours | 1.75 hours | 2.5 hours | 2.0 hours | 12.25 hours |
Showing off the goods after the big dance on the big Island of Hawaii. There is no higher achievement in the sport of Ironman than a finishers medal from Kona.
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 Cathy loves traveling in-between her Ironman training and racing. |
Since beginning to work with Molina in 2004, the annual hours have increased and the training is far more consistent. The training hours average out to approximately 11 to 13.5 hours per week over the past few years and have accumulated in the following fashion per year:
- 2004 – 527 annual hours
- 2005 – 673 annual hours
- 2006 – 577 annual hours
- 2007 - 700 annual hours
One of the biggest benefits of consistent training in addition to the fitness gains is a positive change in body composition. Ironman volume has assisted Morgan in shedding over 50 pounds since 1998.
As a big race approaches, in particular an Ironman, the training shifts gears into specific preparation and the endurance sessions increase in volume. Morgan still executes a basic week approach but the hours come up on the weekends to properly prepare the body to go 140.6 miles on race day. Her basic week would look something like the following:
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Total |
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| Swim 1 hour in am | | Swim 1.0 hours in am | Swim 30 minutes | Swim 1 hour | | | 3.5 hours |
| | | | Bike 1.0 hour spin session | | Bike long 5 hours | Bike 3.5 hours | 9.5 hours |
| Run 30 minutes easy | Run long 2.5 hours | Run 1.0 hours in pm | | | | T-Run 45 minutes | 4.75 hours |
| Weights 30 minutes | | | | Weights and strength 45 minutes | | | 1.25 hours |
| 2.0 hours | 2.5 hours | 2.0 hours | 1.5 hours | 1.75 hours | 5.0 hours | 4.25 hours | 19.0 hours |
One component of training that is often utilized is long trail runs. This past year, Morgan completed a 50k trail race three months prior to her Ironman. This was in addition to four or five other long trail races in the 20 to 30k range. Trail runs allow her to get in the volume without the pounding that hard surfaces would require.
During the fall and winter season, she switches gears to a Cyclocross season and races just about once a week in a Cyclocross race.
When asked if she ever thinks about retiring from the sport, Morgan is quick to respond with, “No Way!!! I know Bill Bell (Bill Bell is an 84 year old triathlete who finally gave up Ironman racing at the age of 80) and I love his attitude. Also a good friend of mine Peggy McDowell-Cramer still gets out there and kicks butt in the 65-69 age group. I want to be like them someday!”
As for more recognizable heroes, Morgan is inspired by Natasha Badmann, “She has a great story and has come so far, always with a smile on her face.” Finally she’s inspired by her coach Scott Molina, “We started working together in 2004 and it’s been the perfect match. I’m not a gear junkie and repainted my 2000 Cervelo P2k in January of this year. It’s like a new bike. I’m not a quantitative heart rate or power meter junkie either and continue to work on my perceived efforts as a training and racing guide.”
Life Outside of Ironman
Morgan is blessed with a great support group including her family and friends. She has met some of her best friends through the sport and has been able to enjoy traveling with those family and friends while pursuing her passion for Ironman. She also credits having a bit of luck on occasions in her Ironman career, “I have very supportive family and friends. I think Madame Pele had a hand in my rolldown slot as my parents were able to come to Kona to see me race. Less than a year later my mother unexpectedly passed away after surgery. She used to say, “You know you aren’t a runner.” But after I DNF’d my first Ironman attempt, she said, “I hope you aren’t going to let this put you off of trying again.” I think I got my persistence from her.”
When she’s not training or working at her corporate job, Morgan is passionate about reading, writing, watching reality TV and enjoying time with her friends, many of which are also athletes.
Questions and Answers With The Kona Qualifying Cathy Morgan
Question #1 - What are the biggest mistakes that you see age-group athletes make related to Iron distance racing?
Answer - “Jumping into Ironman too early in their athletic careers. Also being upset when that first Ironman race doesn't go as planned. It takes most people multiple races before they really learn how to race the distance.”
Question #2 - What are three pieces of advice you would give to someone wanting to either improve or one day qualify for Kona?
Answer - “The first is to train with consistency. The second is to get a coach or at least have somebody who can give your plan a fresh eye (and rein you in when needed.) Lastly, have a bit of luck.”
Question #3 - Is there any person, business or organization that you would like to give a shout out to that were a main center of support for you?
Answer - “My coach Scott Molina, my bike mechanic Tyler Miller, Stef, Aaron and Ari from the bike shop, my training partners from the Golden Gatz Tri Club and the San Francisco YMCA Tri Club and the Gals of Slowtwitch which include Team Xantusia, our new triathlon team that is being formed for 2008.”
Two buddies enjoying some sand between their toes.
Contact
You could contact Cathy Morgan at – ironclm@mac.com
You could follow along on Cathy’s blog at - http://www.ironclm.typepad.com/
Coaching
Cathy Morgan’s coach for the past few years is Scott Molina – http://www.scottmolina.com/
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