Coaches on Couches

Everyone has bad days. But when you wake up every morning not knowing how your body will cooperate, it brings a whole new set of challenges to training and racing at a high level. Our guest, Dr. Melissa Puppa-Lasher, PhD, knows this daily roll of the dice all too well.

As an age group aquabike world champion and short course triathlon evangelist, Mel's journey as an endurance athlete living with lupus has been nothing but awe inspiring. There is no quit, and no excuses in this woman. She is by far the most mentally tough person we've had the pleasure of working with.

But navigating this disease while improving performance has taken a lot of trial and error, data tracking, intention, communication, and a little tough love at times. Through all the hard work, struggles, and a second heart wrenching diagnosis, we're still hitting new bests 4 years later. And she's not done. Far from it.

Mel's story can be a huge source of inspiration for others living with auto immune diseases, but if you don't get motivated listening to this one, we aren't sure you can be helped!

Our guest in this episode is none other than our longest continuously coached athlete, Liz Hall. Liz came to us as a pharmacy resident wanting to qualify for Boston over a decade ago. Since then, she has been married, changed jobs multiple times, qualified and ran the Boston Marathon, as well as the Ironman 70.3 and full distance world championships. But as we will discuss, her success has been anything but a straight line. We dive into her past NOT growing up as an athlete, the long but steadfast journey to her first BQ, and how that spun into a successful jump into triathlon. Liz talks about how the heck she stays motivated to train and achieve goals despite a demanding job and family life, as well as why she continue to work with a coach versus go at it alone with all of her experience.

We could have easily talked for hours given all she has accomplished, and continue to accomplish (still hitting PRs over a decade into training with purpose).

So if you're ready to go along on Liz's journey with us, enjoy another episode of Coaches on Couches.

In this episode, Coach D and Coach B-Fun explore the critical role of having a high VO2 max and lots of lean muscle mass for overall health and longevity and how it also translates to better race performances. Our latest podcast breaks down the gold standard tests and how to incorporate those metrics into your cycling, running, and triathlon training. We also give insight into how to use the test results as goals when racing isn't #1. For any cyclist, triathlete, or runner who is in it more for the health benefits than the medal count, this one is for you!

They are sexy. And it just rolls off the tongue. As coaches of runners, cyclists, and triathletes, we love chasing marginal gains to increase the performance of our athletes. But chasing marginal gains before developing foundational habits and routines is like tuning a race car before you know how to drive it. Long term, those habits will get you a lot farther than any 1% gain you can gey by smashing keytones every 8 minutes. So in this episode, the coaches break down the foundational items that make up 90-99% of your improvements, and explain who is best suited to start chasing marginal gains.

If we missed something, let us know in the comments!

Takeaways

• Your body likes having a set sleep cycle.
• Nutrition is key; you can't out-exercise a bad diet.
• Daily movement beyond training hours is important.
• Consistency in training trumps all other factors.
• Stress management is vital for performance.
• Focus on foundational habits before marginal gains.
• Hydration is as important as nutrition.
• Sleep routines can significantly improve sleep quality.
• Small changes in nutrition can lead to big performance gains. Managing stress is crucial for optimal performance.
• Strength and flexibility are essential for longevity in sports.
• Injury prevention is linked to strength training and mobility.
• Building habits is more effective than seeking quick hacks.
• A clean and well-maintained bike enhances performance.
• Positioning on the bike can significantly impact efficiency.
• Focus on the fundamentals rather than marginal gains.
• Consistency in training leads to better results than sporadic efforts.

The heat is on! And your body is wondering what the heck is going on. As athletes and coaches living in some of the worst heat and humidity in the country, we know a thing or two about dealing with the heat. In this episode Coach D and Coach Bfun break down why heat acclimation is so important for everyone, and the most actionable things you can do right now to make sure you are ready to perform better in the heat and humidity.

So if you're already sweatin', join us for another episode of Coaches on Couches.

Show Notes:

Key Takeaways

• Heat acclimation is crucial for performance in hot conditions.
• Core temperature regulation is vital during exercise.
• Humidity significantly affects the body's cooling mechanisms.
• Acclimation can be achieved indoors as well as outdoors.
• Physiological benefits of acclimation can be seen in 7-14 days.
• Increased sweat rate is a key adaptation to heat training.
• Training in heat can improve performance in cooler conditions.
• Perceived exertion decreases with acclimation.
• Passive heat exposure can enhance acclimation benefits.
• Hydration status is critical when training in heat. Training in heat requires specific strategies for acclimation.
• Monitoring heart rate is crucial during heat training.
• Athletes should not avoid training in hot conditions.
• Hydration is essential for performance in the heat.
• Preloading with electrolytes can enhance hydration.
• Clothing choice impacts heat performance significantly.
• Cooling techniques can improve race day outcomes.
• Ice socks and cooling sleeves are effective tools.
• Simulating heat conditions indoors is beneficial.
• Understanding individual sweat rates is key to hydration.

Chapters

00:00 Welcome Back and Podcast Updates 01:37 Understanding Heat Acclimation 07:08 The Importance of Core Temperature Regulation 12:25 Acclimation Process and Benefits 20:14 Physiological Adaptations to Heat Training 23:00 Training in the Heat: Strategies for Acclimation 30:10 Hydration: The Key to Performance in Hot Conditions 38:57 Cooling Techniques: Enhancing Performance on Race Day

Straight off a top 15 finish in the 2024 Unbound XL Gravel race, we chat with our boy David Ax about his preparation, training, equipment, and how the goal of 24 hours in the saddle panned out for him. If you have any interest in ultra cycling, or are considering taking on the 350 mile XL event, you won't want to miss this!

In this episode, Coach D and Coach BFun give you the honest truth about losing weight...ready!? It's hard and it's not fun. But there are ways we can change our habits and low hanging fruit that when cut, can make a massive difference in your daily consumption. So if you're looking to drop a few pounds, lean out, get to race weight, or just stop some bad habits, join us for another episode of Coaches on Couches!

The typical avatar of an endurance athlete lends itself to having high expectations, and that is a dangerous thing. Most of the time, we put these expectations on ourselves, and they are like a weighted vest on race day. Expectations equal stress and stress kills performance. So we're on the couch today talking about how to rid yourself of this burden so that you can let your training and your fitness do the talking. No more complex race plans, no more worrying about the uncontrollables. Take what the day gives you and have fun again!

Proper pre-race prep for premium (triathlon) performance. Say it 5x fast.

It's time to nail your next goal race, but a lot hinges on what you do in the 24 hours before the gun goes off. Don't sabotage your next race with poor planning and sheer laziness when you put a ton of work into the build up. It's time to lay it all out so join us for another episode of Coaches on Couches!

If you've been around the block, you know it's happening. The larger possible reward, the larger the chance that people will cheat. It was happening before Collin Chartier was caught and chances are it won't be the last time there is a doping scandal in our awesome sport of triathlon. We are glad he was caught and we are happy the conversation was forced to the forefront, at least for a day or two. But for the time crunched athlete the big questions are likely: 1. Is this an isolated incident? 2. Are there age groupers doping? 3. Could I be using banned substances and not know it? In this round on the couch, we talk about the recent events, what can be done, and the truth about age group doping. So if you're a triathlete or just a fan of the sport, grab your NSF certified sports drink and settle down for another episode of Coaches on Couches.

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