Bruno Goes’ story, has to be one of the most inspiring stories when it comes to dedication and discipline and overcoming less than ideal training circumstances. Bruno has a routine that many accept as an legitimate excuse not to pursue their own triathlon dreams as he works on a oil rig, on 2 weeks shifts, then when he is back home, he shares his time with his family and wife. Learn more about Bruno’s story below, coached by ironguides Head Coach Vinnie Santana, and get inspired!
Original interview from Mundotri.com.br
Imagine spending half of your monthly training hours on board of an oil rig, doing your long rides and runs all indoors in a basic gym. That’s exactly the routine of Bruno Goes. A triathlete for 4 years now, his background is the mountain biking, Bruno went 09:31:14 in his 1st Ironman, running with a injured shoulder and a sling to support it, he ranked 4th in the disputed age group 25-29 years. More than a great athlete, Goes is an example of persistence and perseverance. We interviewd this athlete and learned more about his routine on what he “The Iron Island” as a reference to the oil rig.
Training room – treadmill and bike trainer
MundoTRI: Tell us a little about your routine, you usually train in unusual locations.
Bruno Goes: Well, my routine is a little different than usual 9-5pm, I work on an oil rig and that makes it pretty unique. Generally, I work 14 days uninterrupted all boarded, then get to spend 21 days at home. During my work shift, I do 12hr a day leaving only the late afternoon for training, I usually start at 7pm and it ends only late in the evening. My only training opportunities are on a bike trainer and on a treadmill.
In the 21 days off work, I always try to train in places that I don’t do laps, I prefer point to point, or out and back routes. When I run on the roads, I prefer not to have a set route and just play it by ear, again I avoid repeating the same route whenever I can, I find that this balances out the other 14 days when I’m staring to the same things all the time.
Bruno arrives at work
MundoTRI: How do the swim training works?
Bruno Goes: Although the platform has a swimming pool, or what is more like a saltwater tank (laughs), with 1,7m x 3m x 7m, I cant rely on it for consistent swim training, as very often the pool is closed. But whenever I’m allowed to swim, I use a bungee cord around my waste that ties me to one end of the pool and just swim in place. The goal is only to maintain feel for the water and some swim fitness, then when I’m back home I swim hard again and aim to improve my swim fitness. But it is challenging to improve the swim when you need to take 2 weeks almost off from the pool. Its funny that I’m surrounded by water but I cant get my swim training done, as we aren’t allowed to swim in the ocean for safety issues.
MundoTRI: What are the differences between going long indoors or outdoors?
Bruno Goes: The only difference is that I don’t need sunscreen! Jokes aside, there are rather large differences in training. I think the main is the mental work that is needed indoors. During the indoor training is just you, it is only you who decides whether to stop, it is only you who decides whether to increase the pace, it is only you who decides almost everything, as you have pretty much all circumstances controlled.
When I train outdoor and feel like heading back home, I may still be 50, 60 or 70 km away from home. That means, either I need to ride home or call someone to picks me up which isnt really an option. But on the trainer, you have little incentive not to stop your sessions when you are having a bad day, it can be very tempting to just put your foot down and go into the shower.
Bruno works at Petrobras, Brazil’s largest oil company
MundoTRI: What were some of your longest offshore workouts?
Bruno Goes: At times my ironguides coach would throw me some challenges nicknamed “Nightmare on the Iron Island”, which was something like a 3h bike ride followed by 1h30, all done in my gym. The details is that the gym isnt your typical nice and clean room, with mirros everywhere, instead I’m surrounded by pipes and iron that can absorb quite a lot of heat from the outside.
MundoTRI: How do you prepare psychologically for the offshore training? Do you believe that this has contributed to your good performance on races?
Bruno Goes: I try not to think too much before I start the sessions, as soon as my work shift is over, I get changed and head to the gym I need to avoid the TV, the internet and the chat with my colleagues. There is no way around it, indoor training, at this set up is very boring, but I think that it has helped a lot my race day peformances as it teaches you, through the day in day out routine, how not to give up, then you go to a race and is used to dealing with the lows a lot better. With indoor training you can better listen to your body, and it has some small advantages, safety is one.
Bruno overcomes challenges on his training routine and race day. He went 9h31 on his first Ironman running with a sling and swimming with one arm due to an injuried shoulder
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