Coaches on Couches

Today on the couch we chatted with Earl Glazer. When he’s not flying 777’s, his hobbies include riding (really aggressive geometry) bikes and building his own steel frame sets. We dove into his past as a cyclist in the 70s, and how he got into building custom geometry steel bike frames. We also talked about some of the benefits of steel frames and how they differ from the heavy, sloppy steel bikes of the past. We even get into the process of getting a custom bike made, options, and turnaround times you can expect when someone is making a bike by hand. We also get a couple of tips out of Earl as to how he makes sure to get in his training with such a busy life. If you want to contact Earl, you can find him at earlglazercycles.com

This week on the couch (or a couch) we spoke with Phillip Young. Triathlete, full time salesman, husband, dog rescuer, and compulsive smiler. He's been a mainstay in the weekly shoutouts so it was about time to get him on and let him share his story. Phillip is one of the most consistent athletes we've coached over the years and he has made some CRAZY progress because of it. He's gone from fighting for an age group podium to fighting for the overall win. He also claimed his first national championship this season in aquabike. He's been to several world championship events, and in his spare time he smiles a lot. Like a lot. It's infectious really. We talk to Phillip about his life scenario, how he got into triathlon and multisport racing, and how the heck he fits it all in. He also provides a little insight on why he chose to look for a coach and the value it's brought to his training. There is a ton of good insight for the triathlete, duathlete, or any other multisport enthusiast. Don't miss this week's shout outs! - Katie Compton and Stephen Hyde (short story on when Coach Dale raced him as a Cat 3) - Pete Murray - Laura Cate Young - Adam Kaluzny

Today on the couch...Gift ideas for endurance athletes! Endurance athletes may be some of the hardest people to buy gifts for. The dead ringer gifts are all super pricey and all the less expensive gifts end up "magically" appearing on any given day. But today we will be offering up our gift ideas at several different price points based on things that we get the most use out of as athletes. Any one of these gifts, if your athlete hasn't already bought it for themselves, will get you maximum brownie points. Maybe even real brownies. We have a few (ok maybe a bunch) of shameless plugs for our own services, but none of the product recommendations are paid advertisements or have a positive affect on our wallets. But they should. This weeks shoutouts: - Michael Ort - CJ Neff - Swimsmooth

Today on the couch we talked to our very own registered dietician nutritionalist, Casey Morgan and answer listener questions on nutrition. We also talk to Casey about her experience and education not only in nutrition, but also as a triathlete and triathlon coach. Here is a list of questions we touched on (not necessarily in order): - Is intermittent fasting something I should utilize for an extended period of time? - I've plateaued with my weight loss. What should I do to jump-start my diet again? - How do you plan for hydration electrolytes with a full iron distance? Do you time out how often you take in sodium, potassium and fluids? How do you know how much volume (fluid) to take in during long events? - Should you use Tailwind nutrition and Gu at the same time? - Best way to keep energy up for last miles of marathon? What point is it too late during run to take in a carb load? - Are cheesy bean & rice burritos and fresco style from Taco Bell a good option for breakfast & lunch? - How to get a truly accurate count of calorie expenditures during exercise. - Have you had any experience with endurance athletes following a Ketogenic diet? If so, how did it affect their performance? - A lot of times pre-race/night before meals can get off track among friends. What are some general do's and don'ts as far as food protocol the night before a tri or other race? - How about alcohol intake and recovery? - What types of food besides gels are easy on the gut and great for fuel on a long bike ride or triathlon? - I'd like to know her tips for dealing with insulin resistance in athletes and incorporating that into training/races. Is there a proper strategic use for carbs (especially simple carbs)? - How much better will I be if I go full vegan? Don't miss this week's shoutouts! - St. Jude Runners - Michael Ort - Liz Hall - Sheri Gubin - House of Pain Cyclists - Jamie Bailey - "Pa"

Today on the couch we are prying into Coach Dale’s personal life in hopes of making him sweat. If nothing else, you’ll find out more on how he got into endurance sports, how he got into coaching, and the driving principles behind how he helps athletes improve on a daily basis. If you've ever wondered why the heck you would take advice from our coaches, today is your opportunity to get to know Coach Dale aka Coach D aka Quads Malone. He’s a cat 2 cyclist, a USAT All-American, and has the biggest quads at any running event. We get into: - How and why he got into endurance sports after coming from a background in football and wrestling
 - How long he's been into sport performance, and how long he’s been a full time triathlon, cycling, and running coach 
- His collection of NGB certifications and which one he feels was the most valuable - His love of the flying dismount and transitions in general
 - How many races he's won after eating a chicken biscuit as his prerace meal…actually that’s old news
 - How he’s gone from a 230 lb. brute to 170 lb. brute
 - Other fun and possibly embarrassing facts Don’t miss this week’s shoutouts! - MYA Elite Cross Country Team - St. Jude Runners - Leftovers - Kibwe´Johnson - Chip Smith - HOP Cycling Athletes

In this episode we bring in our head running coach Chris Winter to talk about last minute preparation for running a marathon. With the St. Jude Marathon only a couple weeks away, we figured we could help those in total freak out mode chill out a bit. We cover: 1. What you SHOULD be doing in the last 3 weeks before your race. 2. What you SHOULD NOT be doing in the last 3 weeks before your race. 3. Tips for the athlete who is saying to themselves, “oh sh!t, I botched my training but I still want to cross the finish line.” If you are in your final few weeks before your marathon you won’t want to miss this! Don’t miss this weeks shout outs: - Phillip Young (Aquabike AG National Champ) - MiamiMan Multisport Festival - Leslie Brainard - Leslie’s Mom (no mom jokes here, she's a bada$$) - Ann-Marie Braese - MYA Elite XC Team - Footlocker South Regional Championship

Today on the couch Coach D and Coach B-Fun are talking about how to optimize your winter training. It's easy to let the weather dictate your training. Cold weather brings along a lot of excuses for many endurance athletes so the coaches roll through their tips for keeping your training consistent and high quality during those cold winter months. Some of the topics include: 1. Having a plan and planning ahead. 2. How to stay motivated and accountable. 3. How to maximize the convenience of your training and reduce excuses. 4. How to make it through the holiday stretch without derailing your hard work. We also talk a little about our upcoming online cycling program that begins December 4th and runs until the time changes and we have more daylight. All the info about this long standing and proven program can be found at www.hopcycling.com Don't forget this weeks shoutouts! Ann-Marie Braese and Arlington Cross Country Rachel Randall Margie Ratliff Hart Robinson David Collins Grandma's Marathon And More!

Today on the Couch, Coach D and B-Fun talk to Andy Blow and Jonny Tye from Precision Hydration about guess what? NOT hydration. We figured they could use a break from the same old same. So since both Andy and Jonny are former pros, exercise science nuts, and now time crunched athletes, we talked to them about how to train for endurance events on 5-6 hours per week. Just recently Andy trained for the Otillo SwimRun World Championships all on 5 hours of quality work each week. Both Jonny and Andy have trained for an 18 hour paddling race on roughly the same volume. Recently Coach Dale trained for a 50k trail ultra marathon on a peak week of 7 hours and an average of 5 hours per week of running. What's the secret? The main points revolve around: 1. High intensity training to build the aerobic engine 2. Compromising the normal longer warm up and cool down 3. Planning the workouts into your day just like anything else 4. Planning travel accommodations around workouts 5. Having a goal for each session 6. CONSISTENCY - 20 min IS WORTH IT 7. Training specificity We also drop plenty of nuggets in the show along with the one thing low volume can't help you develop for long endurance events. If you are a cyclist, runner, triathlete, swimrun specialist, or any other do-it-all athlete wanting to go long on little time, you will not want to miss this. Don't miss this week's shout outs! - Movember - Hart Robinson - Gus's Fried Chicken - Orange Mud - Paul Newsome of SwimSmooth - And More!

Today on the couch we talk to Leigh Ruston. Wife, mom, part time personal trainer, bad mamajama competitive cyclist. Leigh gives insight into how she balances it all (work, family, training) and how she’s handled some serious adversity over the last 2 years. See, 2 years ago Leigh went down in a rainy criterium and shattered her elbow. She fought back, worked hard, only to find the pavement again. This time it was a fractured scapula. BUT, 3 surgeries and lots of hard work later, she's reaping the benefits of her positive attitude and awesome work ethic. This has been a break out year for Leigh, despite her wreck. She's taken home 2 of 3 Cat 3 state jerseys, seen plenty of podiums, and she's the gal still working at the end of the local hammerfest ride. She’ll also be giving some tips for any ladies interested in racing a bike! #moregirlsonbikes This weeks Shout Outs! - Meg Densmore - Liz Hall - Sean Hilsdon and Brian Williams - Daniel Arnold - Nathan Huff - Coach Chris - Rebekah Winter - Todd Ruston - Swiftwick Socks

Today on the couch we pry into Coach Bryant's life so you can know more than you'd care to about him, how he got into endurance sports, and how he became a full time coach almost 10 years ago. One of the main take aways is the fact that like most people, Coach B-Fun is a time crunched athlete himself. In fact, he works more when most people are training, so his workout schedule is very different than most. He even drops in his top 3 tips for time crunched training. This may be the least Bryant has ever talked about himself so if you have any questions for him, don't hesitate to leave us a comment, email, message, carrier pigeon, etc. This week's shout outs: - Tony Gambrell - The Weather - Patrick Lange and Daniela Ryf - Farmington, NM - New Mexico State Basketball