Matty Reed has been a standout at the Olympic distance for almost 15 years.  The native New Zealander who recently acquired US citizenship last year was kind enough to sit down and discuss his recent explosion on the 70.3 scene, his disappointment at last year’s Olympics and the role of high intensity training in his training cycles. 

Congratulations on your big win at the REV3 half iron race in Connecticut.  You mentioned the difficulty of the course after your finish.  What was the most taxing part of the course and why?
Rev 3 had no break... It was constantly up and down.  There was no relax.  Other hard courses have big climbs, long climbs but somewhere to relax your mind and legs. Rev 3 was all on, all day. Other courses are challenging in they are flat and fast... How fast can you go over that distance and get to the finish line. I like all courses that are challenging. Clearwater 70.3 World Championships is my next 70.3 distance stop and I am really looking forward to seeing how fast I can go on that course.

How do your wins at Oceanside 70.3 and the REV3 race alter your schedule at all for the rest of 2009?
I planned my 2009 schedule out in January and have stuck to it. I knew and was prepared to race the half-ironman distance in 2009. I planned to race hard at both of those half ironman races so being first at the line didn't change my plan for 2009.

You became a naturalized US citizen only months before winning the US Olympic trials in triathlon.  Tell us about your decision to become an American and how it has changed your life.
I am an American. I met my wife here, built my career here, raise my kids here and live in my home here. I decided to race for the USA years ago when I was living here and building my life here. I truly believe I am the american dream athlete. I race for the red, white and blue and win for the red, white and blue. USA Triathlon and the US Olympic Committee has been a huge part of my success and their belief in me as an athlete over all formats and distances has been vital in my growth and success and will continue to be through 2012 and the rest of my career.

So much is made of training time in the sport of triathlon.  Rather than hearing about how many hours you are training, what kind of intensity are you training at?  Specifically, how many hours a week are you training at an intensity greater than 85% of your max heart rate?
I train hard and I train a lot. Every single workout has a purpose. When I had kids this became even more important. There are very few junk miles or easy useless sessions. I do have easy sessions where I am flushing my body or working on technique.  I would say 75% of my workouts are at 85% or harder. That % goes up when I go to sea level. I have been living year around at altitude for 7 years now. I go to sea level for a total of 6-8 weeks a year... Usually in two week blocks spread throughout the race season.

You live in Boulder, but train and compete almost year 'round.  How does living in such a cold climate affect your winter training plans?
I have an amazing set up in a large workout room at home. 55" LCD Samsung hangs on the wall with surround sound. My Technogym treadmill was the best purchase I have ever made in my career. Cost me a dear penny but has been worth its weight in gold. Computrainer and an ergo. And one small fan. That is how I deal with winter. Oh and a picture. One small picture. Reminds me of just why I do this sport. A small piece of paper that says World Champion with 5 rings underneath it a picture of my kids.

After dominating the US Olympic trials, you fell on some hard times in not performing to your usual level in Beijing.  Now with almost a year behind you, what you do think caused your lackluster performance?
Beijing. That word. I knew my exact plan for the Olympic year. Win the trials, then hit St. Anthony's. Then back off for a large training block after a week off. Well, that plan didn't happen. I am flexible in that I can change my plan on a dime. I raced 4 weeks- 4 continents, then a weekend off and then world champs in Canada. Every race I had to perform, every spot mattered and every person ahead of me mattered. All were World Cup format. I won my Olympics with saving the 3rd spot on our Olympic Team. I will tell you in hindsight I am so proud of myself for my performances at those races, under pressure that I have never had like that in my life. And to top it off with a 5th at World Championships in Vancouver, I am proud. That run of races cost me my recovery time and then my training block to the games.  After worlds, I was 8 weeks out of the games. My coach and I tried our best to bring it back and then hit it hard for a few weeks. But we knew that my typical 3 week window of "being on" was going to be narrowed. We simply missed the peak by about a week. I was flat on race day.  I am not proud of my Olympic performance. I will remember turning my head to watch across the race course the finish of the race I thought I would be in. It was surreal to me to be watching a sprint for Olympic medals. I believed I would be there. I cannot put to words my emotions after that race. It wasn't the lack of medal. It was the fact that I did not have my engine there that day.
So Beijing. I say that word every day for motivation 2012. Every day. Every day.

There were dozens of accounts of your candor and generosity in spending time with so many age groupers after your REV3 win.  What is the most common question you are asked by age groupers and what is your answer?
Amateurs always want to know what we as professionals do on a day to day basis. Many ask about how I do it as a hands-on dad. Also many ask how I handle such a busy race schedule. My answers are always the same: I truly enjoy what I do. I race triathlon because I love the challenge and I love to train hard.

On your website www.mattyreed.com you note that your favorite running workout is 25x400m repeats.  That sounds like a lactate acid nightmare!  What are your average times in those efforts and how much recovery are you taking after each?
25x400 I leave every 2 min. so I run them at altitude at about 68 sec. so I get about 50 sec rest and go at it again.  It is a great session and I feel I learn about my threshold doing this session.

Multiple choice.  If you could win one, and only one of the following, which would it be and why A) Olympic Gold Medal, B) ITU World Championship, C) Clearwater 70.3 World Championship, D) Ironman World Championship?
The trick question. Today Clearwater 70.3. Tomorrow my answer will be Ironman. The next day it would be Olympic Gold then I would say ITU world title. So All 4 baby. I want to be the strongest athlete. I want to win and I want to win big.

You have made your name at the Olympic distance and you are quickly showing yourself to be among the top 70.3 distance competitors in the world.  Is the Ironman distance in your future?  If so, when and why?
The question of the year: will reed go long and when? :-) My marketing team would shoot me if I answered and my coach ultimately calls the plan. So I guess, folks, stay tuned to the Matty Reed show.  I take the line when I know the training is in the tank and I am ready to go. As my advisor says, I start when the gun goes off and I want to be the last green bottle standing. I want to be the best out there.

Matty Reed
Born:November 8, 1975 
Age: 33
First Triathlon: Aucklund World Cup, 1994, 4th (1st pro race)
Lives: Boulder, CO

Career at a glance

• USA Triathlon Olympic Team Member (2008)
• 1st, St. Anthony’s Triathlon (2007, 2009)
• 1st, Escape from Alcatraz (2006)
• 1st, Oceanside 70.3, (2009)
• 1st, REV3 Half Iron Triathlon (2009)

Thanks for your candidness and introspective look at how you handled Beijing and how you are using it as a motivator. We will you best of luck in the remaining races of 2009 and encourage everyone to learn more about you at www.mattyreed.com.

Interview by Max Wunderle

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