Building the new standard for women's wellness.

In my journey training for my fourth Ironman 70.3, I started to realize something was missing in my training.

I’m fortunate to live and train in New York City with one of the premier triathlon teams in the country—surrounded by elite-level athletes who compete for Team USA and USA National teams. It’s an inspiring and sometimes intense environment. Among this incredible group, I’m one of the few women.

Week after week, the training blocks are consistent: hard sessions, peak efforts, recovery rides, and down weeks.

Something wasn’t adding up for me. Some weeks, I felt unstoppable—fast, strong, building incredible momentum. Other weeks, I struggled to even show up. I blamed my sleep, nutrition, workload balance, maybe even my mindset. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t that I was lazy or inconsistent - it was something women deal with every single month: our unpredictable hormones.

My body was working on a rhythm none of the training plans accounted for.

I was tracking almost every metric available to me via Whoop and Coros, to Apple Health. These tools gave me incredible insights—but no context. How could I apply this data to my training? How could I still train at the same intensity as my teammates when my hormones were low? Could I sync my down weeks with the times my energy and hormone levels are at their lowest?

I started researching more about the female hormonal cycle and how it impacts energy, strength, endurance, and recovery. The deeper I went, the more frustrated I became—why wasn’t this standard knowledge in sports science or wellness? Why weren’t more women being coached with this in mind?

That was the beginning of Petal.

Petal is the answer to a system that wasn’t built for women.

By integrating critical data women are already tracking—through Apple Health, Whoop, Oura, and other wearables—Petal is an AI-powered app that helps women (and their partners) understand and optimize every stage of the hormonal journey.

Whether you're training for a race or recovering from one, freezing your eggs, trying to get pregnant, or navigating perimenopause, Petal learns your patterns and tracks symptoms over time and offers personalized, science-backed insights that sync with your body’s natural rhythm.

No more generic advice like “take a rest day” without context. Petal asks: How are you really feeling today?

Your data may show you might benefit from rest—but do you want to push yourself? Do you need to, because your race is next week? If you are pushing yourself, what foods can you be eating to improve recovery and reduce inflammation and stress?

Additionally, a critical component of women training for a race (and for life) is our support system.

PetalPartner was built for the incredible partners of women, who want to understand what’s going on, and how to help. PetalPartner provides insights, suggestions for care, easily suggests and sends personalized gifts, and improves communication around something so deeply personal to women - our hormonal cycles.

Building Petal is my life’s passion—empowering women to truly take control by syncing their lives to their natural rhythms, through smarter nutrition, fitness, mindset, sleep, and self-care.

Join the movement at AskPetal.com

By Erica Lansman, Founder & CEO of Petal Wellness.

Your First Ironman 70.3

Embarking on your first Ironman 70.3 is an incredibly rewarding, challenging, and fulfilling experience. The race (1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of cycling, and a 13.1-mile run) is a test of endurance, mental strength, and resilience.

With a well-structured training plan, a strong support system, the proper mindset, and smaller races can help you build confidence and momentum. Patience is key—accept that your first time doing anything new will come with moments of uncertainty and unpredictability.

Here are a few reflections to guide you as you step into the unknown:

•Visualizing the end result is one of the most critical components of training. Setting your goal, write down your goal time, and visualize yourself crossing the finish line and how it’s going to feel. This helps you stay focused on the days when you don’t “feel” motivated, you’re tired, and want to rest. There has to be a vision and end goal that helps drive you on the days you need it most.

•Celebrate every small win or accomplishment. Getting a little faster, further, stronger on every workout is worth celebrating! Be proud of yourself every step of the way. The reward truly is in the journey, the discipline and habits you create and maintain day in and day out, and the like-minded people you meet along the way.

•Focus on getting 1% better every day & focus on what you can control. Life inevitably is going to present various challenges and roadblocks. Learning how to ride the waves and focus on what you can control is important. Life stressors will come up, family and work obligations will arise, do your best to prioritize what matters first, training comes second. On days when I couldn’t commit to a full workout, doing a couple miles, or doing 30 minutes of mobility/recovery, and even long walks on days when my body needed extra recovery are all positive momentum towards your goal.

•Prioritize rest, recovery, nourishing your body, and HYDRATE with added sodium, magnesium, potassium. (Drink LMNT / Cymbiotika LLC, LivOn Labs, Recess). Nutrition and recovery are discipline all on their own. When your workouts consist of 4-6 hour rides, 2 hour runs, and hour swims - you’re burning anywhere from 2,500-4,000 calories per day. Properly fueling your body with adequate carbs, protein, healthy fats and sugars - and never restricting is essential. Listen to your body and nourish it well.

•Nourish your mind and soul, your body will follow. Mindset is one of the most important factors of training. Staying positive, and overcoming the voice in your head (or even other people) that may doubt your ability. Actively speak life over yourself and your body will follow.

•If something no longer serves you, get rid of it. For me, not drinking alcohol has been the biggest game changer for my mental and physical health. This also means assessing the team around you. People you surround yourself with will either be a deterrant or a support system. Make sure the people you pour into are celebrating you and your efforts, and cheer you on.

•Let real food heal you. Whole foods, lots of greens, fiber, protein, healthy omega-3’s, fish, and cooking wholesome meals at home.

•Don’t rely on motivation. Rely on your systems and habits. (James Clear)

Life inevitably is going to throw you with a number of challenges, setbacks, and tests of your mental and physical strength.

Fill your toolbox with new skills, new perspectives, and be open to being a humble student.

Surround yourself with people who celebrate you and your efforts. Accept that you don't know what you don't know, and that’s a beautiful opportunity for growth.

Your mind is capable of taking you way further than your body thinks.

Training for your first Ironman 70.3 can be a life-changing journey that truly tests your discipline, perseverance, mental strength, and mindset.

These traits transcend to all aspects of life. When things get hard, you have the tools to control yourself, your reactions, think fast, and remain resilient. You are capable of doing hard things. You simply have to decide, make a plan, and execute.

Once the race fun was over, it’s important to take time to rest and spend time with your friends and family. You’ve created a newfound sense of discipline, accomplishment, strength, and mindset that can transcend every aspect of your life.