It’s the time of year when we all need a little pep talk to keep showing up. Just when things seem like they’re getting too tough is usually when you’re about to make a breakthrough, so stick with it. In this case that breakthrough might be Spring and a revitalized energy. Stay in the ballpark. We get into the monotony of endurance training, being game for anything this time of year, and being patient through your training blocks. We look at how many athletes get too specific too early in their training cycle. We talk about developing a wide range as a triathlete. We look at creating a “find a way” mentality. And the power of conquering workouts that aren’t going well. Wilt or grow and laugh in the face of absurdity.

Topics:

• Dog Days of Winter
• Himalayan Salt Rooms
• Perfect training conditions
• Deep Winter Problems
• Endurance Monotony
• 1/2 marathon world record
• Flexibility with minutes earned
• Running stress is the highest
• Being game for anything
• The grind IS the thing
• Getting in steps with variety
• Walking is underrated
• Think of volume you can get for the total week
• Being patient through your blocks
• Being too specific too early
• Training non race specific
• Creating range in your training
• Developing your “find a way” mentality
• How to adapt and be resilient
• Conquering a workout that’s not going well
• Overanalyzing metrics
• Food logging
• Wilt or grow
• Laugh in the face of absurdity

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

If you watch the Bobby Knight 30 for 30 it brings up a lot of questions and today we explore some of them and what it must have been like playing for Coach Knight. What drives a coach to be that intense? It inspired a discussion today about practicing harder than the game. We look at ways to turn your solo training into something that will have a direct impact on your physical and mental game on race day. How do we move the needle, make tough elements less impactful, dig deeper when it needs to be done on race day? This sport shouldn’t always be hard, but it should be sometimes. On more rep. The narrative you choose is your reality.

Topics:

• The continuum of how much you really want something
• Tough coaching
• When and how to train harder
• Does it feel too easy?
• Racing outside of your training
• Following success stories
• Moving the needle more frequently
• Choosing harder challenges
• Being able to do deep into the well
• Split second decisions
• When it’s firing on all cylinders
• Country Cub in T2
• Mental reserves to go deeper
• lOne more rep
• When you don’t quit
• The narrative you choose is your reality

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Today, we look at some of the things we learned from doing hard things at Run Camp.

The body always seems to be more capable than we understand, and even on less fuel than we think. We look at stress and the effect on our body and mind and performance. We talk about carb loading and get into dopamine loading. Is carb renting for real? Does good fitness overcome fueling? How does long term diet and stress affect your performance? We talk about endurance sports junkie habits and how the body’s thermostat may affect health.

Topics:

• Our bodies seem much more capable than we think
• Stress is stress is stress
• Real vacations
• Long term low level stress
• The right ways to experiment with your fuel
• Finding yourself and what works best
• How much fuel do we really need for training and racing?
• Carb loading?
• Going all in on a strategy
• The “habit” of popping gels
• Low sugar/more mindful
• Dopamine loading
• Is high performance worth your health?
• How much sugar should we add?
• Carb Renting
• Does good fitness overcome fueling?
• Long term diet effects
• It’s all in the mind
• Pickle Juice for the Brain
• Endurance sports junkie habits
• The body’s thermostat and health

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected] Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

There’s always a point of diminishing marginal returns, but how do we know what’s not enough and how much is too much? What kind of athlete and person are you creating on a daily basis? Volume is relative and there is more power in not rushing the steps. Are you swimming upstream or going with the flow. It’s always best to make consistent and manageable deposits vs. over-extending. The outcome isn’t the only goal. What are you doing now to enjoy the process and make sure that random point in the future will be a success?

Topics:

• How long can you have maximum health?
• How good can you possibly feel?
• Volume is relative
• Recognizing how you feel
• Regular deposits vs. too much at once
• What is your ability to recover?
• Being in tune with your body
• Knowing when to bury yourself
• What you need after intense workouts
• When we’re not eating well
• Committed to doing hard stuff all the time
• Are you feeling strong and ready to trust it?
• What are you creating with yourself?
• Is what you’re doing helping your health?
• Doing whatever it takes
• Thinking long term health in the sport
• How durable, efficient and economical can you be?
• “Feels like I’m losing fitness”
• Nature is the best teacher
• Hills, downhills, and flats
• Sunshine and fresh air as fuel
• Going downstream
• Take what the course gives you
• What is being in touch with nature?
• Don’t rush the steps
• It’s all about the process
• When the outcome is your only goal
• Be invested in what you’re doing right now

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Today, we go to therapy to give each other a kick in the ass. It’s easy to fall into a rut and today we look at examples that we’ve done and seen as coaches that can get us moving the right direction. We look at things like mood, injuries, illness, and how we shift our mindset to get things moving the right direction. We all about the challenges of recovery and how to embrace them. We look aligning the mind and body when they are fighting each other. We talk about excuses and getting rid of impending doom cycles. We can’t all be the best, but we can be the best of ourselves. We have chosen to do this sport. The season is coming. It’s time to remember that this process is something we truly want and need to actively pursue.

Topics:

• Sickness
• Sunshine
• It’s time to roll
• Be a little harder on yourself
• Be good to yourself
• The middle way
• The level of excuses . . .
• We’re always creating habits
• Cheering on soft behavior
• Misery loves company
• Do you really not want to do it?
• Why are you addicted or obsessed?
• Growing or dying
• Jump stars
• When your mind and body aren’t in the same place
• Getting out of a rut
• Injuries and excuses
• Putting yourself in the recovery process
• Being in a sick rut
• Think your way out of it
• “Not Trying” on purpose
• Sickness and injuries
• Limit your being sorry for yourself vacations
• Impending doom cycles
• Healthy addictions
• Terrified . . .
• The less you do the less you want
• Sift on the continuum
• We can’t all be Goggins or Kobe or Michael, but . . .
• Life is hard, but don’t make it impossible

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Is it important to do your long run the day after your long rides? What are the best smart trainers for your budget and success. Should you refrain from sex before a big race? We get into all that and more, along with a pretty good tangent discussion about how to work on really understanding and executing your pace and effort. We look at technology and why it's for some and not others. We also look at what the greatest skill an endurance athlete can master.

Topics:

• Used bikes and bike fits
• Smart trainers
• Should you do your long run after your long ride?
• Sex before a race
• Why tech is annoying to us
• What's the point of tech without the work?
• The greatest skill an endurance athlete can have
• Intuitive understanding of how you feel and what you have left
• Creating less opportunity for excuses
• Why people have bad races
• Adapting workouts to your mentality
• lactate meters for age groupers 

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected] Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

The way we talk with ourselves matters. Today, we look how triathletes can get caught in a trap of doubt and negative talk for the wrong reasons. We look at healthy and productive perspectives, especially at this time of the year when training can be more difficult. We look at ways you can learn and build and have a great perspective on peaking at the right times. We’re capable of much more than we think and just because it doesn’t seem that way some days, we can’t let that narrative take over. Don’t always believe how you feel.

Topics:

• Athlete uncertainty
• Health and productive perspectives
• Find what you love
• We’re more capable than we think
• Owning the inner narrative
• Whey you just feel off
• What’s the best decision for me today?
• Countdown calendars
• Mounting anxiety
• Don’t believe how you feel
• What if red was green in Training Peaks?
• Don’t be afraid to fail
• Be 6-8 weeks out from doing anything
• College basketball season analogy

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

It's hard to pull logs out once they're on fire. Today, we looking at some parts of triathlon from a different perspective and finding your Real why. We talk about why burnout is usually a choice and how you can avoid it and attack triathlon from a long term perspective instead of a short lived dream. What is your real why? This is a great time to experiment with that notion. We get into re-thinking your strengths and weaknesses. Why we don't often give our bodies enough credit. The dirty secret of Ironman. And ask if you might be eating and drinking too much in races.

Topics:

• Sunny and Balmy
• Getting into the cold
• 'Laying in the snow
• Bed of nails
• 1st year excitement
• Sophomore slump
• The dirty secret of Ultras/IM
• Stop short 
• Short lived dreams
• Real Why
• Why the F8ck are you doing this?
• Core and nutrition
• Burned out is a choice
• Re-thinking strength and weaknesses 
• We don't give our bodies enough credit
• Sticking with something
• Too much water
• The best time to experminent 
• Hard to pull logs out of the fire

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected] Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

Not many notes today as Mike talks with Robbie about the loss of his dog. Mattie lived a good life and left behind a lot of lessons for all of us.

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected] Robbie Bruce - [email protected]

The saying goes, “new year, new me,” but should it be, “new year, real me?” Today, we look at goals from a perspective of picking ones that will actually align with who you are as a person and athlete. We talk about why being healthy is a great ideal, but it can also be vague without diving in a little deeper. We look at building a strong foundation as a person and how to spend time wisely in the right direction. Now is the time to eliminate the “fake goals” that have been creeping into your life, and truly uncover who you really are.

Topics:

• Figuring out who you really are and what you want
• Standing in line
• Goals can be anything
• Do your goals make sense for you?
• Egos and past selves
• Being too excitable
• Always being ready to say yes
• Being healthy is very vague
• Pay attention to what feels good and why
• The best athletes think of triathlon as a lifestyle
• Building a strong foundation as a person
• Training in solitude
• Holiday parties
• I want MORE
• Spend 2 hours a week working on you
• Do you feel strong? Did you feel good?
• The goal is to be more grounded in who you are
• Fake goals. Fake Failures

Mike Tarrolly - [email protected]

Robbie Bruce - [email protected]