Up Close with Nils Frommhold

June 9, 2022

Nils Frommhold has his eyes set on the 2022 IRONMAN Eurupean Championships in Frankfurt, Germany and talked to us in much detail about his training and also shared his thoughts about his most recent races.

Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time Nils.

Nils Frommhold: I want to thank you. It is always good to hear from you Herbert and it is even better to finally do a Slowtwitch interview again after such a long time.

ST: You just returned from Challenge St. Pölten. How did it go?

Nils: Generally I am quite alright with my performance. St. Pölten was an important step on the path towards IRONMAN Frankfurt on June 26th. That race will be my summer highlight and all my training is pointing that way. Clearly I wanted to be on the podium in St.Pölten and be involved in the battle for the title, but it did not go all as planned. About 65km into the bike segment on the final 5km Gansbach climb I had to let my training partner and eventual winner Nico Mann go, and after that was dealing with my own race. I was missing a few watts but was happy that I ended up running a well-balanced good for me half marathon.

ST: What were your expectations going in?

Nils: Swimming and running went pretty much as expected. During swim I stayed with the front group and I managed to hold 3:30 – 3:35 minute [km] pace. But I expected much more from cycling. Initially I felt great and moved quickly to the front of the field. Later Nico came up to us from behind and I really enjoyed having my training partner with me at the front. We also managed to increase the advantage over the chasers. But why I did not have enough power on that late climb is puzzling to me. My lactate levels shot up, I had to drop from the front and needed some time to recover. I easily lost 1-1.5 minutes there.

ST: I noticed recently that you were in the wind tunnel. Where was that and how did that come about?

Nils: I went to the wind tunnel in Immenstaad with my race wheel partner DT Swiss under the guidance of JP Ballard, and there were several reasons for that. We wanted to check out aerodynamic improvements in the cockpit area, and also to compare aero water bottles. In some of my las few races I had dropped my nutrition, and we were testing alternatives that were equally aerodynamic but maybe more secure. We also are working with Endless Local on a new one-piece aero tri suit.

ST: What did you learn?

Nils: I think we did a good job. I actually can lower my upper body with longer extensions, instead of as typically done, simply going lower. That worked out very well. We also found a new aero bottle option that has similar numbers to the old one but is much more secure in place. In terms of the tri suit we learned a lot about cuts and fabrics and are seemingly on the right path. The process however is still ongoing, but I am hopeful to soon test one in a race.

ST: Talk about your 2021 season, and how would you rate it?

Nils: 2021 was surely difficult. Especially in the first half of the year I could not really show how well I actually had prepared. I especially did not deliver at IRONMAN Tulsa and IRONMAN Lanzarote, and I wondered for a long time why. We then mixed up the training a little bit, which mostly meant taking some intensity out and train more based on how I felt. That worked out well, and I proved that especially with my runner-up spot at Challenge Roth, and also the 4th place finishes at Challenge Budva and Mallorca. Really wanted to close out the season at IRONMAN South Africa, but then got sick two days before the race and thus that did not happen. Overall I would give myself a grade of 3+ with a positive trend, and at the end of 2021 I was very excited about 2022.

ST: 2022 season plans?

Nils: My current plan is going up to June 26th. IRONMAN Frankfurt.

ST: What is your training currently like in terms of time and volume in each sport?

Nils: I pretty much have a typical 3-day workout and 1-day recovery rhythm, which sometimes changes to 2 days of workouts and 1 day of recovery. I swim 5 times a week about 4000-5000 meters each time, but 2 of those are at higher intensity for 1000-1500 meters. My swim training is actually similar all year long. It is however quite different for running and cycling where the key sessions are race specific and adapted to the next big race, in this case IRONMAN Frankfurt.

For my 5-6 runs there is usually a long run up to 2:15 hours with up to 15 km of race pace, and a threshold run with for example 4x3km at 70.3 pace, or 10x1km at threshold pace. For cycling I usually have one longer and one more intense unit around IM or 70.3 pace. For example 4×20 minutes at IRONMAN pace, or possibly a more intense 4×15 minute set. Plus often a threshold set such as 8x4minutes of climbing with a break and easy coming back down.

ST: Talk about one of your bigger swim sets.

Nils: I train in a group that consists mostly out of ITU athletes, because we have a performance center here in Freiburg and they allowed me to join them. Maurice Clavel, Andi Böcherer and the previously mentioned Nico Mann are also in this group. Which means we train mostly short course, which really isn’t much of a problem in my view. Typically we do not have a key session or bigger sets. It is mostly about consistency, to aid in improvement. One classic main set is as follows. 40-50 meters, of which 16×50 at 45 seconds, and every 4th one fast, 12×50 at 50 seconds with every 3rd one fast, 8×50 at 55 seconds with every other fast, and finally 4×50 at 60 seconds with every one of them fast. Sometimes also 15×100 meters fast – 5 times at 1:30, 5 times at 1:25, and 5 times at 1:20.

ST: Do you do all training outside or do you ride and run indoors too?

Nils: During the summer I pretty much train exclusively outside as the Black Forest near my home in Freiburg has everything to offer, plus I have a cool training group here. During the winter I prefer to train indoor.

ST: What is your indoor training setup like and which platform do you use?

Nils: In the last few years I have really set myself up well along those lines. About 2 years ago I started renting a space in the basement that used to be a waiting room for a medical office. Now I have my treadmill, smart trainer, weights and other elements for classical athletic training in there. Nothing extraordinary, but I am very happy in that space and thus spend a decent amount of time in there. For cycling I mostly use the Wahoo app or ride on Zwift. The treadmill I use less often, and when so usually without any app.

ST: We would also like to hear about your bike. How exactly is it set up in terms of components and special touches?

Nils: I have been with Canyon for a very long time and thus have the new Canyon Speedmax CFR. I really have no special additions which aren’t available in stores, or which are in any way custom. I really like the aero arm supports which can be bought in the Canyon store as an add on, and they are very comfortable and supportive and thus a great benefit. My wheels are by DT Swiss and my components from Shimano, plus I usually have the latest Schwalbe prototype tires, mostly based on the Pro One TT in tubeless. So nothing extraordinary added on. The Speedmax is already super fast and thus nothing else is needed. And that is also what the wind tunnel proved again.

ST: What about saddle, power meter, special bearings? I did not just mean custom.

Nils: Those products I select with purpose, and I have been using a gebioMized Stride saddle now for many years, and I like it very much. Plus I would not want to be without my CeramicSpeed OSPW system and my Shimano Dura Ace power meter. More recently I have started to use waxed chains in important races

ST: Running wise, which shoes do you use?

Nils: I run in Hoka shoes and especially the new Carbon X3 is a very cool shoe for an IRONMAN marathon. Very responsive but still comfortable.

ST: Is there anything else we should know?

Nils: I don’t think there is much left to say. I am super excited about the upcoming IRONMAN Frankfurt. Even though I live reasonably close, I have not yet started there, despite having wanted to so. So let us see. [laughs]