Athlete Profile: Dede Griesbauer

From hot stocks to the heat of Hawaii, from a Wall Street equity trader to professional triathlete –- now that’s an exciting career change!

In 2002, Dede Griesbauer, a former NCAA and national level swimmer, decided on a whim to take a shot at a triathlon. And not just any triathlon; she headed straight to the Ironman. That’s right, the big daddy.

For those of you not in the know, the Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile (3.8 km) ocean swim, a 112 mile (180 km) bike ride, and a full marathon (26.2 mile, 42 km). Whew, my fingers got tired just typing that.

And not only did Dede try the tri, she actually won the thing, placing first among the amateur women athletes. This impressive finish caught the eye of Karen Smyers, a two-time world triathlete champion. Subsequently, Karen coached Dede for 2 years as an amateur before convincing her to leave Wall Street and turn pro.

Since that first event 6 years ago, Dede has completed 10 Ironman events. That’s over 1400 miles (2250 km) of swimming, biking, and running. She’s also spent a lot of time doing the 70.3 “sprints”, essentially half an Ironman distance triathlon. And, most excitingly, in 2007, Dede placed 7th at the World Championships, finishing as the top American competitor.

Coming into 2008 and gearing up for the Ironman World Championships, Dede and her coach knew that incorporating higher level nutritional strategies and strength training were the keys to an even stronger finish. Although Dede had always been extremely disciplined with her training, it wasn’t until she and Karen started working with Eric Cressey (of Cressey Performance) that Dede started making major gains in strength, recovery, and conditioning. As a result of this training, Dede is seeing big improvements in the cycling and running portions, and is more adept at handling the high training load dictated by her sport.

No day is “typical” for an Ironman triathlete, but that’s exactly what Dede loves about it. Most days, she dedicates 2 training sessions to 2 of her 3 primary sports (swim, bike or run), plus a third session consisting of either a strength workout, physical therapy, massage therapy, or yoga.

Although Dede’s extreme love of the sport and competition drives her commitment to training, the nutrition side of things never came quite as easily. Dede gets so busy in her training that she often doesn’t feel hungry. She also confesses that she’s a picky eater who rarely planned her meals on busy days. All of this meant that she wasn’t always eating the way she should for optimal performance. So Team Griesbauer contacted Team PN.

When Dede joined the PN Team, we focused on strategies to help her get through those busy days. We also worked on meal prep and planning, training and recovery nutrition, and supplementation. Energy bars, greens supplements, and liquid carbohydrate drinks enabled Dede to refuel easily during and around training sessions. These supplements also keep her going until she can get home and eat her healthy, whole food meals.

So far it looks like attention to these details is paying off. With the 2008 competition year in full swing, Dede has finished in the top 10 at six different events, including the Ironman Austria. Over the next few weeks it’s full speed ahead to strong finishes at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, October 11th and Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida, November 8th.

As Dede says, “The only bad race you have is a race you don’t finish. I am incredibly blessed to get to do this for a living.”

Update October 16th from Coach Eric:

“[Dede finished] 10th — so a podium finish! …She didn’t bike very well, which is unusual for her — but she did have her best-ever run split.”

To keep up with Dede’s race results and schedule, check back here for further updates. Or log on to her website at www.dede-griesbauer.com.