Busy bee Magali Tisseyre

July 20, 2010

Canadian Magali Tisseyre has had a very busy racing season so far and took wins at Buffalo Springs Lake 70.3 and Moooseman 70.3. The focus now is on World Championships in Clearwater, Florida, but she'll first enjoy a bit of mellow time.

Slowtwitch: Magali, thank you very much for the chat, but before we continue, do you actually prefer Magali or Mags?

Mags: I just think my name sounds so strange sometimes in English! I have even been introduced as Moogly once, that was quite amusing I must say. You think that would work? It sounds better in French, it is a name from the south of France and is also quite uncommon in Quebec. I looked up my strange name once and found it in Greek meaning pearl. That is more romantic than Moogly. Guess I should be called Mags when I race in the US and Magali when I race in Greece…well okay, when in Europe. How about that? Mags on the other hand, sounds a lot better in English. MAGS. Yeah, let's do Mags.

ST: You had nice wins at Buffalo Springs Lake and Mooseman this year. Are you happy with your season so far?

Mags: I got worried at the beginning of the season. Things have not been ideal but we managed to make it a first half of the season that I am quite pleased with! I had some of my best training ever before the race season started but got a bad cold and that affected my first two races. That was a bit disappointing but I think Lance and I made some good decisions. We went with the feeling after Florida. We decided to add Mooseman to the schedule as I had two weeks to find some speed and rhythm. We had only planned to race Racine from then on but we decided to stack in some more races as the first few had not been as exhausting as usual. I trained through Buffalo springs so I was very happy with that win. I then came back to Victoria just to head back to Vancouver the next week for a win and a new record on that course. That was great as I got to know myself. I had never stacked up two races and was hesitating on this one. My focus this year is to gain experience and get to know myself better as an athlete, with Clearwater being my main goal. I think I have accomplished that so far this season.

ST: You mentioned being tired in Lubbock. Was that due to heavy training, racing or travel?

Mags: As I said, It felt like I trained through Lubbock. I had a very big week of training the week before, finishing the effort with a 90K time trial in a team triathlon and Lance wanted to try a different, heavier kind of taper. I usually do better if I keep active after hard efforts so that was a good call. Considering the work we had done, that taper did fine but there was definitely some fatigue in the legs…my priority was to get some good training done on the bike but I also wanted to race well.

ST: Are you planning to keep up the heavy schedule?

Mags: No! I do realize with the setbacks, I ended up doing more races than was initially planned. My priority is Clearwater and I definitely don’t want to show up at that race tired! I will race less in the second part of the summer. I will take a mid-season break after Racine 70.3, then race Philippines 70.3 to get back into it. Then back to a training block and a race back home (Westcoast triathlon series Banff race) before I step it up for Augusta 70.3 and finally, Clearwater.

ST : Well Mags talk about your 70.3 Racine experience.

Mags : I had bad cramps on the run and did not want to get injured. I am very careful with injuries and over training and it has worked pretty well so far! Also, I knew I was going on a mid-season break and have been racing a lot. I guess I took a chance and knew it may not be optimal in Racine after having done a back to back with Buffalo Springs and Vancouver international. Time for a break! And for focus on Clearwater.

ST: With all the heavy racing you have done in the first half of the year, the proposed WTC qualification rules for 2011 seem to fit you. Your thoughts?

Mags: As you might have noticed, I race a lot of the Ironman70.3 series events. Only three of my races this year were not in this series so that will suit me quite well I think.

ST: A few weeks back you had your position dialed at the A2 wind tunnel in North Carolina. Did much get changed?

Mags: We had significant gains in watts by changing my position. I now definitely have a more aggressive position and feel so much more efficient. I am lower in front, my seat is more forward and I also know what position to adopt when riding in order to be more aero and have been working on that. I also feel that I have achieved a new coordination in my pedal stroke. I got my new bike just before Buffalo Springs and I think I am now well accustomed to it, I had a good bike split in Vancouver. I have never felt so comfortable and efficient on a bike. Now I just need a little more work on the Computrainer to get the watts up higher and it will be great.

ST: Had you been to the wind tunnel before?

Mags: Never, I consider myself very lucky to have had the opportunity to do that. The team from Blue definitely spoils me and I can’t thank them enough.

ST: We understand that you are looking towards going to the Ironman distance. Does that mean mostly Ironman, or a mix of Ironman and 70.3?

Mags: My ultimate goal is to win the Hawaii Ironman one day. I think it would be good for me to be patient and get very fast at 70.3 before I start racing Ironman. I think I will always race half Ironman, I just love the distance. LOVE it! It is such a perfect distance and will be good for working on speed for Ironman racing.

ST: So how soon will we see you at an Ironman event?

ST: As soon as you see me win more 70.3's easily and race them like an Olympic. I am not there yet. I realized that yesterday when I had to pull out in Racine, turned my head and saw Crowie run by in the lead, chatting away. Oh man! Wouldn't that be the dream – to jog to victory. Then I would be quite sure that I am ready for the long one! But don't get me wrong, I am craving – THE BEAST-. HA!!!

ST: How hard are your workouts?

Mags: Coach Lance makes me and my LifeSport teammates work pretty hard!! I am becoming familiar with the eat-sleep-train regimen now…haha. In my case, I swim 4,000-5,000m 5-6 times per week (I have been focusing on swim this season), bike 5 times with long rides at 4-5 hours, a hill interval set, some time trialing, and low cadence strength riding for strength. We run 5-7 times per week. Long runs are 2hours, and we do pace work intervals and/or hills. We do lots of running off the bike and that made a big difference for me. Of course the magic is in how he puts the week together, I used to train like a runner or a cyclist. Now I train like a triathlete and it makes a huge difference. In terms of general volume, a big training week is about 30 hours.

ST: How are things going for you in terms of sponsorship?

Mags: They are going SUPER! I think my sponsors are the perfect team to have behind me. Thanks to my manager, Travis Blanton, I have now found a great family of supporters and I can finally make a living doing what I love. Equilbrum is a new sponsor, they have been providing me with significant financial help and orthotics that have actually helped me stabilize my ankle and stay injury free. I got to know the crew while training back home and they are so much fun. TYR are also helping me in a substantial way and I am spoiled with my favorite products, TYR is a great family and I love how we all get along during organized photo shoots and social events. Blue bikes has also been giving more than great financial support, they have provided me with outstanding bikes, one of which even has a very unique paint job. The wind tunnel was another step they took on helping me up my performance. Shimano is also a new sponsor this year, I am so satisfied with the products my Pro disk wheel is amazing and I have definitely discovered something new with the electronic shifting, it is just amazing! Avia is also a new discovery for me. Those shoes are the best trainers and racers I have ever had and I have an injury free season so far. I am quite satisfied with the product and thankful for all the help Avia has provided me with. Finally, Lifesport and my coach Lance Watson have had a definite impact on my career and I am very proud to represent them as well.

ST: Do you follow any other sports?

Mags: I am passionate about many sports and I prefer experiencing them than watching them on TV.

ST: Can you share with us some of your food likes and dislikes?

Mags: I like everything and I eat like an animal, food is a passion too! I particularly enjoy French and Italian cuisine and… don’t tell anyone…I only rarely eat fast food but after a race, I always crave a double Big Mac , fries and a McFlurry from McDonald’s.

ST: What was the last book you read?

Mags: I just finished Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, a very inspiring book on ultra distance running. I do want my next book to be non-sport related though…it is good to find balance in reading sometimes …haha.

ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Mags: Would it sound pretentious to say on the top of the podium in Hawaii???

ST: Saying that you want to be on top of the podium in Hawaii in 5 years isn’t pretentious, we just thought you might want to be there sooner. Plus we thought you might have some other things on your mind in terms of where to be in 5 years.

Mags: I am savoring Halfs right now and my first desire is to master the distance. When I master the Half, I will move on to Ironmans. And yes, I do hope that will happen sooner than in five years. In the meantime, I want to become a great swimmer. I still need to work on that. I also want to be able to be consistent in my cycling and running. It is starting to come together, one race I am strong on the run, another on the bike, I just need to stay on it and bring it all together. I also think I would love to find a cause, a different purpose for my racing than just personal satisfaction. That would give me so much strength and such a greater feeling of accomplishment. I love sharing with others. Sharing passion. I studied kinesiology because I wanted to promote physical activity and that is so important to me, I would love to find a way, through sport and triathlon, to reach out to others and help resolve problems induced by the way of life in society such as obesity and depression. I wish I could find a way to help make a difference in that way. So as simple as it may seem, I would like that to be part of my journey in the years to come.

ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?

Mags: I am very passionate about science and arts, they help me balance my life.

ST: Are you an artist yourself?

Mags: Well, I once was. I was a violinist and spent 3-4 hours a day 6 days a week playing from age 7-16. I also liked theater, went to Paris after 2 year course at age 19. I love arts as they allow me to live and explore intense emotions. However, I always felt I was a little too physical for arts. I need to move.