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Endurance Planet episodes

May 21, 2021HPN 27: Coming Off The Pill and Supporting Your Natural Cycle (For Athletes), The Best Time To Eat Iron-Rich Foods With What To Avoid For Better Absorption
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Welcome to episode 27 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Part 1:
Training & Life Updates From Julie & Tawnee
Tawnee shares how and why she paused her ultra-endurance goals to better manage overall stress and life’s demands, and what went into her decision-making process.
Also: the new goals that Tawnee has adapted that better serve her in this season of life—a lesson she’s learned in minding your health and wellbeing after years of trial, error and mistakes.
Julie shares her 2021 goals, which include a 50k that she’s been dreaming of doing, and her approach to training while still working through her Achilles issues.
How and why Julie is taking on a more structured plan to help keep her in check and feeling good, including 2 days off from running after each run she does.
Part 2, Q&A:
Jessica M. asks:
Discontinuing oral contraception combined with training/hormones
Hi HPN! I really enjoy the podcast. My question is regarding quitting oral birth control (the pill) after over 12 years of continuous use and how that may play into training and hormonal changes.
I am a 32 y/o female and have been on the pill for 12+ years now. I started the pill simply for birth control (no other reasons like wanting to skip periods, or to prevent cramping or anything else) and had normal periods before starting. The past few years as my training volume has increased (now around 60-90 miles/week average depending on where in the block I am) I have noticed my periods getting lighter and lighter to the point where I have “normal” bleeding for only one day or so during my cycle (about 1/2way thru the placebo pills in the pack) and occasional spotting in between. I didn’t think much of this but recently have begun to wonder if birth control is hiding the fact that perhaps my cycle would be irregular (or even non-existent?) without it. My bloodwork is normal at last check (iron, b12, etc), but i’ve never had any hormones tested. I always seem to walk the fine line overtraining, although I think I am getting better at taking it easier when my body feels like it needs a rest, but am wondering if perhaps hormones would be playing some role in this.
The past few months I have been starting to consider discontinuing the pill. I don’t want children (in my current situation I don’t need to worry about this), but am more curious as to what my actual cycle is like or if hormonal balance (or imbalance) is an issue with the higher mileage I have been doing in recent years. I really like the regularity of my periods on the pill but am worried that maybe I’m just masking an underlying issue.
Can I still accurately test my hormones (I’m thinking DUTCH test or something similar) while on the pill to make sure everything is in line? Is there a specific time to take bloodwork to get the most accurate assessment? Just wanted to get your thoughts on this — discontinuing the pill vs staying on it and assessing hormones etc during training.
Thanks for everything you do!
What the coaches say:
Some potential downsides to the pill
May cause stomach, gut and digestive issues – e.g. candida, dysbiosis, etc.
Could deplete nutrients.
Jessica says her B12, iron, etc, are normal but is she optimal? We discuss blood lab reference ranges and why normal may not tell the whole story or mean you’re doing ok.
For example: Antioxidants, B vitamins, selenium, zinc can be depleted on the pill.
Can negatively affect thyroid.
Increases risk of depression.
The pill doesn’t balance your REAL hormones, it just suppresses them and replaces them with synthetic ones
When on the pill, you don’t necessarily get the health benefits you actually want from natural hormones.
The bleed on the pill is a withdrawal bleed not a real period (and you’re not ovulating either).
Spotting is generally normal on the pill.
Training and hormones
60-90 miles per week is a lot, anecdotally we see more breakdown in athletes beginning to occur when consistently putting in 70+ mpw, both injury risk and hormonal depletion/health issues.
Testing hormones while on the pill
What Precision Analytical says (ie DUTCH test, which Jessica is interested in doing):
“Women on birth control pills have suppressed estrogen and progesterone. If you wonder why their progesterone and estrogen levels are low – they are supposed to be when you’re on the pill!”
“You can test the Dutch Adrenal while on the birth control pill however testing the sex-hormones has diminished value.”
“The birth control pill (ring and implants) stops the FSH and LH surge from the pituitary to prevent an estrogen rise and ovulation (thus progesterone production) from the ovary.”
Stopping the pill abruptly won’t just fix things for accurate testing.
Precision analytical encourages you “have 3 full menstrual cycles without any pill, ring or implant use before testing to ensure the hypothalamic-pituitary communication with the ovary is back on track as best as it can be.”
Blood testing
Also best to do after you’re off the pill.
Day 2-4 – this is the best time to test FSH and LH, i.e. the brain-ovarian connection/communication; hormone levels/results are how the ovaries are responding to messages it’s getting.
Test of fertility, ovarian reserve, etc.
The pill stops FSH and LH surge from the pituitary to prevent an estrogen rise and ovulation (thus progesterone production) from the ovary. (Source: Precision Analytical)
Estradiol and progesterone – test both around days 19-22 of a 28 day cycle.
Progesterone levels are highest 5-7 days following ovulation.
Helpful to get estradiol/estrogen levels in relation to progesterone during the luteal phase especially if estrogen dominance symptoms or PMS issues.
For athletes- this is the time to do your DUTCH and/or blood.
Some female philosophy
It’s personal
YOU are the only person who truly understands your body and what it needs. YOU are the only one who can determine whether or not the benefits of taking the pill outweigh the risks
We totally encourage and support any woman who’s ready to get off the pill or any oral contraceptive.
Let your body adapt back to its natural state, support it appropriately, and listen/take action on its cues. It’s time to reconnect with your beautiful self!
Why do it?
Bone health!
Cancer risk, cognitive decline.
Because having a natural cycle is HEALTHY and a SUPERPOWER.
To reconnect with ourselves, live in harmony with nature, and work with our bodies instead of against them.
To reestablish trust.
Exogenous hormones compromise so much and they down-regulate your muscles ability to recover.
Coming off pill – a process & practice in patience, listening to your body
“Hormone imbalance, inflammation, digestive disturbance and as well as others symptoms. These last for an average of at least 4-6 months after coming off the pill.” – Dr. Jolene Brighten, author or Beyond the Pill.
Athlete specific:
If training with a lot or volume and/or intensity, this may impact the return of a normal cycle and monthly period, must monitor closely.
Hormones may not bounce back as quickly as one would hope. This could be for many reasons including an energy imbalance, overtraining, overstressing the body, and any of the things that contribute to typical hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Endurance Planet episodes on Amenorrhea (archives)
The question is: If you are seeing a hormonal imbalance and/or amenorrhea, are you willing to make the changes and do the work to heal hormones? This would include things like less training and possibly revising your nutrition, along with overall stress management.
Things you can do to help:
Morning morning BBT to track ovulation/cycle phase.
Extra B6 (100mg/day) for luteal phase defect.
Also for luteal phase: extra Mg glycinate and Vitamin C.
Consider a B complex supplement for total HPA axis support (we love Thorne’s Stress B Complex).
Extra Omega 3 fatty acids for hormone production.
Vitex for hormone balance, especially progesterone.
The science of the pill and periods for female athletes
The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Exercise Performance in Women
2020 metaanalysis concluded a very trivial change in performance between OCP and regular menstruating female athletes. And surprise surprise most of the studies they looked at were extremely low quality!
Stacy Sims in ROAR says oral contraceptives decrease performance by 11%.
Stacy Sims on EP: The Everything Guide For Female Athletes
Amy asks:
When is the best time to eat iron-rich food?
I did an IT test and my iron levels are borderline low (in their “needs work” category). I have some great recommendations on what foods to eat–although open for more suggestions–and feel ready to fix this issue before it gets worse (trying to avoid iron dropping into their “at risk” category and/or anemia).
So my question is: WHEN is the best time to eat iron-rich foods or take an iron supplement? Is there an optimal time to help better absorb iron? The thing is, I feel like my diet is pretty rich in iron foods anyways (I eat red meat every week, etc) so I was thinking maybe there’s something I’m doing wrong here.
Second question is: Is there anything to take or avoid taking with my iron food/supplements? I’ve read some things online about coffee being bad for iron, but am going to look to you guys to give us the lowdown on what the research and science says here!
Lastly, how, if at all, does exercise affect iron absorption? Does eating iron foods after a hard workout help boost iron?
Thanks for your insight!
What the coaches say:
Inside tracker found that “50% of females under the age of 50 have suboptimal ferritin levels.” (And only 2% had too high of iron!)
Optimal time to eat & absorb iron?
In the morning
Hepcidin is lowest at this time making for better absorption rates.
Iron supplements should ideally be taken on an empty stomach for maximum absorption, e.g. ideally first thing in AM. However, if this causes upset stomach you can take with a light meal preferably one with Vit C to enhance absorption.
Or: Can also take ~1 hour after drinking coffee (see below) or 2-3 hrs after a meal, before eating again.
Don’t take directly after exercise, this can negatively affect absorption of iron as well. Wait till rested.
Can take things like PerfectAmino Amino Acids, etc, directly after exercise while empty stomach.
Avoid having it with calcium, i.e. 300mg or more of calcium rich foods (eg one cup of skim milk)
Avoid having it with oxalates (spinach, kale, parsley, beets, nuts)
Avoid having it with grains and legumes unless properly prepared (soaked and sprouted)
foods containing phytic acid/phytates can lead to 50-65% reduction in iron absorption with these (whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, soy proteins)
Avoid having with coffee, tea, chocolate, i.e. tannins and polyphenols
Up to 60% reduction in absorption with tea and coffee, chocolate, herbs.
The tannins in coffee and tea may bind to iron and block absorption .
Inhibition of food iron absorption by coffee
Best to take or eat iron one hour after coffee not one hour before.
“A cup of coffee reduced iron absorption from a hamburger meal by 39% as compared to a 64% decrease with tea, which is known to be a potent inhibitor of iron absorption.”
Effect of tea and other dietary factors on iron absorption
“From these calculations we conclude that the presence of sufficient amounts of iron absorption enhancers (ascorbic acid, meat, fish, poultry, as present in most industrialized countries) overcomes inhibition of iron absorption from even large amounts of tea. In individuals with low intakes of heme iron, low intakes of enhancing factors and/or high intakes of inhibitors, iron absorption may be an issue.”
Heme iron is less affected by the polyphenols of coffee and is less bossed around. You’ll get more iron absorbed from steak and coffee than veggie scramble and coffee.
Avoid having it with excess FIBER
“Excess insoluble fiber can bind to minerals such as zinc, magnesium, calcium, and iron, preventing the absorption of these vital nutrients.”
Eggs can reduce iron absorption by up to 28%.
For optimal absorption eat “all meat meals” with some fruit and supplement with that meal.
Eat with a vitamin C-rich food; and/or 500-1000mg vitamin C.
Eat with a food containing heme iron.
How to increase ferritin/iron and troubleshooting
Avoid coffee, tea, high fiber, dairy, eggs, chocolate and calcium supplements 2 hours before and after a “meat meal”
Eat your red meat, dark meat, venison with a green salad or fruit for vitamin C. Take iron supplement with this meal. (source)
If blood values remain low despite detailed attention to all of this, may need to assess gut health and/or gut dysbiosis that could be preventing proper absorption of not only iron but other nutrients and minerals.
Also check stomach acid, too low?
Iron content in common foods (via Cronometer)
3oz beef liver is 6mg of iron
3oz ground bison/buffalo 2.7mg
3oz clams is 2.3mg
3oz mussels 3.4mg
3oz oysters 5.7mg
3oz tuna 1.3mg
3oz wild salmon .5mg
3oz beef is 2.3mg
3oz leg of lamb 1.9mg
3oz venison 3.8mg
3oz chicken breast .9mg
3oz turkey leg 2mg
3oz ground pork .6mg
1 egg .5mg
3oz Tofu 1.8mg
3oz tempeh 1.8mg
Resources:
Iron Considerations for the Athlete
Iron and the Female Athlete

The post HPN 27: Coming Off The Pill and Supporting Your Natural Cycle (For Athletes), The Best Time To Eat Iron-Rich Foods With What To Avoid For Better Absorption first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 28 min
May 07, 2021ATC 327: Understanding Hypertrophy for Endurance Athletes (Why Gains Are Difficult But Not Impossible), Plus: Marathon PR Plan, and More
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by the UCAN, the only sports fuel of its kind and a fuel that helps you thrive via stable blood sugar, metabolic efficiency and more. UCAN is powered by SuperStarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.
UCAN has done it again and come out with Edge, a Superstarch-powered energy gel! But this is not just any ordinary gel. It has 70 calories, 0 grams of sugar and 15g of Superstarch equating to 19g of carbs; Edge gels are selling so fast, so be sure to hop on their website at ucan.co right away and get yours.
UCAN also has delicious flavors of energy bars for you to try—salted peanut butter, chocolate almond butter and cherry almond—and equally yummy energy powders enhanced with your choice of plant-based pea protein or whey protein, each option packing 20g protein per serving!
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Kev asks:
Marathon PR – aiming to get to that next level
Hi team!
1st off thanks again for the show! Always look forward to hear it on my long runs!
My question is as there are very few races currently in the UK, my only proper race this year is Manchester marathon in mid October. Its a flat, quick route and I want to do well
I can manage quite comfortably 40 miles a week, mostly steady paced runs 5 days a week with 1 interval session a week too.
My plan was as I do have a pretty big endurance base was to work on speed, to aim for a half marathon pb say 2 months before the race, then up the distance for the long runs and take that speed from the half training to help on the full but will of course be interested in your input please?
I’ve done about 30 races on or above the marathon distance
I’ve been consistently running for 10 years now with no major injuries. 47yrs old and 165lbs
I’ve enclosed my PRs if that helps.
Thank you for your time as always.
What the coaches say:
Red flag: doing a half marathon then increasing volume for the 2 months leading into the marathon: major risk or injury, fatigue, etc.
Instead: Increase volume NOW prior to HM, then maintain prior to HM, then drop volume after HM and before marathon to reduce risk.
Long runs should be at 20-24 miles for someone with this kind of experience (has run 100 milers, etc).
Speed is not the problem. It’s strength and muscular endurance that’s making his 5k better relative to marathon, i.e. marathon is weak point. (Need to be able to grind a hard pace for 26.2, not just 5k).
Lead up to HM: focus also on strength, tempo, threshold, muscular endurance- type workouts. Can sprinkle in intervals/speedwork in there by using the short stuff like 200s as a warmup for example, or maybe even some strides or 50m sprints toward the end.
Marathon pace is tempo/Z3ish feeling.
If you can easily run 40 miles per week, then bump that to 50 mpw! That is, if you have the time and space to allow that added volume.
15 weeks out: peak at 50 miles for the week, but don’t do that much after the HM
Example workouts for marathon success:
One day hard, two days easy, repeat… allow for more recovery. Hard is harder! E.g. instead of 20 mile long run, do 18 miles long run with more quality, for example:
3 mile warmup
5 x 1min intervals: hills at Vo2; walk down for recovery (takes of edge so your not fresh for the pace efforts)
3 mile cruise at MAF
3-6 miles at marathon goal pace
3 miles easy
3-6 miles goal pace
Lucho is not a fan of long goal pace runs for marathon, if you can do tons of miles at marathon goal pace you’ve set the goal too easy. And it also decreases confidence! Keep yourself hungryyy for a big goal, within reason.
Tempo is a good place to start by adding a good stimulus to long runs.
But don’t worry about goal pace early on; rather, go by the FEELING (pace will change hopefully for the better).
The feeling is: you kind of want to slow down but you don’t have to, there’s some pressure there but not a struggle. E.g. MAF+ 10 bpm. Or Threshold minus 10-15 bpm.
Just because all your long runs aren’t MAF doesn’t mean you’re missing the focus.
Scott asks:
Strength programming and a Q on that “hypertrophy range” for endurance athletes:
Hi Lucho and Tawnee,
A question for you on strength programming for endurance athletes:
Should we avoid the 8-12 rep “hypertrophy” range as defined by NASM and focus only on strength/power (<= 6 reps) and muscular endurance (>=12 reps) across the phases of the year? (Assuming the goal is endurance performance and not actually gaining size)
Or is the “hypertrophy” label for this range too narrow of a definition of the adaptations that occur and there is indeed a reason to train in this 8-12 rep range?
Thanks and Cheers from Switzerland!
What the coaches say:
Hypertrophy:
Hypertrophy, is the result of an increase in the amount of contractile proteins within each muscle fiber.
Hyperplasia can happen but it’s more rare and not the main means to gaining bulk.
How is hypertrophy achieved?
“While there are a number of ways to induce hypertrophy in the weight room, it seems that employing multiple sets with moderate loads (6-12 reps, 65-85% 1RM) and rest periods (60 seconds) creates the greatest elevation of testosterone and growth hormone (primary anabolic hormones); compared to heavy loads (1-5 reps, >85% 1RM) with long rest periods (2-5 minutes) and light loads (12+ reps, <65% 1RM) with short rest periods (30 seconds) (Schoenfeld B. J., 2010).” – Source NSCA
Muscle hypertrophy doesn’t exactly happen as you’d expect with concurrent strength and endurance training – reason for this is at a molecular level. Why?
“AMPK also acts to inhibit the Pl-3 k/ mTOR stage of the pathway via activation of the tuberous sclerosis complex thereby suppressing the ST induced up regulation of protein synthesis [185, 186]. This conflict arising at a molecular signaling level therefore appears to impair the muscle fiber hypertrophy response to ST and attenuate increases in body mass [186].” (source)
In other words: mTOR is released during or as a result of strength training and that otherwise would help build muscle tissue; however, mTOR is suppressed by adenosine monophosphate-activated kinase (AMPK), which is an enzyme that is released in response to endurance exercise. Basically, AMPK overpowers mTOR preventing big gains in strength training as long as one is endurance training enough.
As long as you’re doing about 3:1 endurance training to strength training, roughly, you’re not going to have massive hypertrophy gains.
Practically speaking for athletes: what is your goal with strength training? Most endurance athletes using strength training as supplement to bigger goals of endurance gains. In other words, you don’t want to become a stronger runner by doing in work in the gym, needs specificity.
When we make a muscle bigger, we reduce capillary density, thus reducing endurance efficiency, not something endurance athletes want or need.
Increasing squat max has other side benefits- efficiency, durability, etc, allowing you to run better and get faster (i.e. indirect benefit).
Squats also pinpoint biomechanical needs to endurance athletes.
Effects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance: A Systematic Review, (mentioned above) also says:
“Importantly for the distance runner, measures relating to body composition are not negatively impacted by a ST intervention. The addition of two to three ST sessions per week, which include a variety of ST modalities are likely to provide benefits to the performance of middle- and long-distance runners.”
Lucho poses the idea that most athletes don’t need to go into a true strength training phase of training outside the exceptions. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need strength training, we just need small amounts to get the benefits as endurance athletes. E.g. get “strong enough” to support your endurance goals. Hypertrophy, reps, sets, etc…. just doesn’t matter for this population of athletes.
What if you DO WANT hypertrophy/lean body mass (LBM) gains:
Diet matters for positive protein status:
“hypertrophy occurs is by growth of individual muscle fibers. This is a result of altering protein turnover in favor of net protein synthesis (Figures 2.15 and 2.l6). Strength training causes a short-term increase in protein degradation, but a longer-term increase in protein synthesis (Figure 2.l7). Adequate protein and carbohydrate consumption before or after a strength-training workout can shift protein turnover further toward a positive protein balance by reducing degradation and increasing protein synthesis.” (Source: Essentials of Sports Nutrition book)
Decrease endurance and increase strength (more like a 2:1, 1:1 E:S or even less E and 3+x week strength.
Timing! Wait 3+hr minimum after E to do your S (minimum, this may not even be enough). Anabolic response from S lasts 18ish hrs, so don’t do more E in that time for max S gains.
Programming: endurance soon after strength diminishes anabolic response (less hypertrophy).
Separate sessions by at least 8 hours.
Load! At least 70% 1RM for 6-12 reps, 3ish sets, 1ish min rest (60% 1RM eg 17RM or even lower weight with high reps won’t elicit much, but also 1RM near max won’t elicit much hypertrophy either).
Multi joint free weight exercises.
Sometimes you see that you have to give up endurance training for a while if you really do want to gain weight and muscle mass.
Chronically injured and using strength training to help? Keep it more functional, not heavy lifting (at least not right away). Also related: special situations like a post-knee replacement surgery. We give examples of what to do in the gym.
Bottom line: Address deficiencies at a functional level before adding heavy loaded strength training.
Split schedules of endurance and strength.
Always better off doing strength before endurance if you must do them back to back. And the good news is, you don’t completely wreck your strength gains (it’s a LOT safer this way).
Martin asks:
Aerobic gains + Strength gains – how to get ’em both?
Hi, I am not an endurance athlete but despite that I love the show. It is helpful and I have listened for about 5 years. Please keep the content coming. I have to admit. I am an avid ATC listener and less avid for the “100 km trail run advice” type episodes.
I do judo ( just think wrestling) which requires a combination of strength, endurance, and explosiveness. Typically, five 4-8 minutes fights over a 1 hour period in a competition. Nothing too serious. Just a hack but an avid hack.
I have incorporated the MAF concept to create a baseline aerobic fitness that has been very helpful, as when others (even those much younger) are puffing I am just on aerobic idle. Phil would probably shudder at how I have, as I don’t go for “runs” but do it more via body weight calisthenics and walking up hills. Apologies Phil, I am sure I am not the first to deviate from your great advice, but “horses for courses”. Things like obstacle courses & cross fit style workouts kind of feel like “just judo warmups”.
I can become very fit aerobically or become strong through strength-based training, however balancing the two is quite a dance/ dark art. Got any tips on how to balance the two?
Boring stuff: Male. 178 cm. 69 kg. Late 50’s and super active. I am a good runner when I put my mind to it, but didn’t find out to my forties, and I find it dull, and not very relevant. Wiry build, am relatively stronger in my upper body than lower body, but I am making efforts to correct that. Walk 1 ½ hours per day in hilly areas (guess it adds to MAF). 30 minutes weights per day, and maffy style calisthenics workouts 3 time per week. Plus judo training several times a week. Apologies, I have no metrics I can send you, like a runner can.
What the coaches say:
Defining the goal(s).
He needs muscular endurance, not so much MAF-type training. (Though not a waste to do MAF, just doesn’t seem that sport-specific to judo).
If HR is elevated for hour+ duration, this is aerobic endurance exercise even if sub-MAF, i.e. a fat-burning activity.
90min of easy walking may not be doing enough for his goals.
Ideas for cross-training as an alternative to the walks:
More explosiveness-type training as a focus, perhaps.
Hill intervals – 45min worth or so.
Try a MAF test to see what aerobic run fitness is like. Then: Run at MAF 1x a week (a little bit more than just walking).
Functional endurance: Sprint intervals with a heavy weight of some kind (medicine ball, sand bag, etc) that you’re throwing up the hill and chasing. Or: crawling up a hill, hill bounding, carrying something dynamic (rock, baby, etc), run up a hill sideways.
Dynamax balls are a good tool.
Don’t worry about losing strength gains if overall endurance/aerobic work is minor.
The post ATC 327: Understanding Hypertrophy for Endurance Athletes (Why Gains Are Difficult But Not Impossible), Plus: Marathon PR Plan, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 13 min
April 23, 2021Katie Zaferes: How To Fuel A Female Triathlete, According To A World Champion
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On this special episode, host Tawnee Gibson recently had the opportunity to catch up with professional triathlete Katie Zaferes who is an Olympian, WTS world champion, Super League champion and UCAN athlete. A video version of this interview aired on UCAN’s FB page, which you can watch here.
On this episode:
Katie talks about living in a tiny home with her husband, Tommy. Their move into a tiny house was featured on the TV show Tiny House Nation.
During the pandemic, Katie stepped away from intense training. She wanted to be mindful of energy so that she isn’t burnt out mentally and physically before reaching the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
The fast, aggressive nature of races was an issue that Katie had when fueling for her sport. The nutrition that she used to use did not give her the energy she needed to sustain a race.
UCAN preemptively helps Katie fuel for races, giving her the sustained energy she needs for a 2-hour race. During the race, she also has one bottle of UCAN on the bike.
Weeks before the race starts, she visualizes when she is going to take in her sports nutrition.
Katie started working with a sports nutritionist which helped her dial in her fuel.
A variety in fuel is really helpful! UCAN offers a wide variety of nutrition from almond butter to different kinds of powders and bars.
What a typical day of eating looks like for Katie:
For breakfast: 2 servings of Oatmeal with a half serving of Cocoa Energy and Protein Powder plus other toppings like peanut butter, blueberries, or mango.
Then Katie will go to her first training session of the day and eat an energy bar or drink a mix with the SuperStarch.
For lunch: 3 eggs, a ton of vegetables, plus tofu, tempeh, or ham.
Before her next workout, Katie will have The SuperStarch unflavored mixed with watermelon hydration.
For dinner: protein, veggies, and carbs. If the training day is lighter, she will eat a huge salad.
It is so important to have enough energy to fuel workouts, even more so if you’re tired. Using something like UCAN is an easy way to get in those calories so that you make sure you’re getting the energy you need.
During hard sessions, Katie uses one bottle filled with unflavored SuperStarch mixed with watermelon hydration. And one bottle filled with plain water.
Before the race, she is going to have a UCAN energy bar on hand if she needs it before the race. On the bike, she will use a gel for fast energy. And another gel on the run if she needs it.
You can find UCAN gel recipes online!
Please help support this podcast by leaving a review: iTunes, Stitcher.
The post Katie Zaferes: How To Fuel A Female Triathlete, According To A World Champion first appeared on Endurance Planet.
39 min
April 09, 2021ATC 326: Running 14ers – Training, Nutrition and Altitude Advice, Uphill Racing Tactics, And Resuming Swimming Post-Shutdowns
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company. UCAN is powered by SuperStarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.
UCAN is also a fantastic fuel option outside of training, or even for kids and general health enthusiasts—UCAN products make a great clean snack and food source that you can trust to help keep blood sugar stabilized without the spikes and crashes. Now more than ever we need to be mindful of our metabolic health and taking good care of ourselves starting on the inside! Using UCAN doesn’t just have to be a powder mixed in liquids, either—UCAN is crushing it with their many new products that offer their signature SuperStarch including a variety of tasty bars, almond butter, granola, hydration mixes, and more. Select products come in plant-based options or with whey protein to fit your dietary preferences.
Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

Sponsor:
Living longer and better all starts with a number. But not the number you might think. At least according to people at InsideTracker .
InsideTracker was founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics, and biometric data from MIT, Tufts, and Harvard. Using their patented algorithm, they can analyze your body’s data and offer you a clearer picture than you’ve ever had before of what’s going on inside you.
InnerAge 2.0 is their new and improved ultra-personalized nutrition system focused on improving your healthspan. Their advanced data-driven model first calculates your true biological age, and then creates a science-backed action plan designed to help you live a longer, healthier life.
For a limited time, InsideTracker is offering Endurance Planet listeners 25% off their entire store—including InnerAge 2.0. Just visit InsideTracker (or type in insidetracker.com/enduranceplanet) to get 25% off any of their tests or packages.
Check out InsideTracker today. Because living longer and better all starts with a number.

On this episode:
Peter asks:
Advice for running the 14ers:
Hey guys, Love the podcast!!!
I am training to run/hike all the 14ers in colorado this august in under 30 days. I am planning on doing a ton of MAF pace running and then lots of steep hiking at MAF pace as well. I’m currently doing about 15 miles per week and am starting to bump the mileage up each week. What else should I be doing for training? what kind of mileage running and or steep hiking should I be doing each week? I want to be able to finish the 14ers in good shape because I am also looking at attempting some FKT’s in the fall and hopefully a 50k race. Thanks!
What the coaches say:
One of the biggest challenges here will be the consistent stress from altitude for 30 days.
Because of this altitude stress, your nutrition needs to be spot on.
The range of altitude training is highly individualized because of genetics.
The first general range of adaptation occurs around 7,600 ft.
The second general range of adaptation occurs around 10,500/11,000 ft.
The third general range of adaptation occurs around 17,000 ft
For this particular case, you want to start getting up to at least 7,600 ft. Then you will want to get to 10,500/11,000 ft to prepare you well for the 14ers.
The things that will matter the most:
Your experience at altitude. Every time you reach a specific altitude, you decrease the amount of stress it has on your body.
Your nutrition at altitude. Be on top of your nutrition starting on Day 1.
When you come down and rest from elevation, you will need to focus on replenishing your glycogen stores; this is not a time to go low-carb.
For your body to metabolize fat, it takes about 20% more oxygen than it does for carbohydrates (i.e., if you eat almond butter, your body will need 20% more oxygen to metabolize that).
Practice having a good liquid calorie intake with an emphasis on heavy carbohydrates.
If you’re coming up to the top of the 14er, and you’re starting to feel really bad, a coke might be the best option. You don’t want to make your body do any more work than it is already doing at that altitude; you need something that doesn’t require any digestion.
Overall mileage doesn’t need to be high, but your ability to hike steep climbs and descend well is going to be extremely important. Bring poles!
Don’t worry too much about speed climbing; focus on downhills and muscular endurance.
Anton Krupicka
Aim for 30 miles per week with an emphasis on hiking (see: Energetic of vertical kilometer for races; is steeper cheaper?). For example, run until your heart rate gets 10 beats over MAF then hike.
Article from Trail Runner Magazine by Brian Metzler
Topical magnesium and Perfect Aminos
Get out of altitude (preferably below 7,500 ft.) for recovery.
Strength training: Bulgarian split squats, lunges, plus anything that will target quad eccentric and hip extension. Also, tricep extensions and shoulder work for poles and packs.
Laura asks:
Help on Uphill race training
I am planning on doing a race on September 13th which is 2.86 miles and 1200 foot elevation gain. Currently I am trying to build my base running all MAF. What training can I add in to prepare for this race? And how do I incorporate it with my MAF training?
I don’t know that my specifics are relevant to this question but just in case. I am a 45 year old female and have been racing for 6 years. My best 5k was 25:28 minutes and that is the distance I race at almost all of the time. I have done one half marathon at 2:08. I like races with 100 feet elevation gain and find 200 feet to be more challenging slowing me down roughly 30 seconds a mile. My MAF pace is a 13 min/mile average with a little bit of walking to keep my heart rate down, and I have been sticking to flat ground in an attempt to get past the walking phase since I started MAF in January. I know it will be hard to run up that much elevation, my goal is to run the race and not have to walk much if at all. I am not sure what I can do to prepare and it somehow seems particularly at odds with MAF training.
What the coaches say:
Start with a base period of MAF.
Vertical climbing requires much more than good aerobic fitness. Strength will play a large role in vertical climbing.
The coaches are assuming you’re not using MAF on race day.
Focus on getting MAF pace a little better over the next month. Then start to incorporate hard hill strides (e.g., 5-10 second strides). If your race is at an 8% grade, use that as a minimum for the grade you will train on. You can train on a lower grade if you increase the intensity of the strides.
Start with a 5-10% grade – max effort; then start to increase the duration of strides.
Do longer runs on hilly courses.
Work on intervals at a higher heart rate, 1-2 times a week.
Work on “enjoyable effort.”
Keep it fun!
Gina asks:
Return to swimming?
After about a year away from the pool due to covid and closures, I’m finally ready and able to get back in the pool! Prior to the virus and shutdowns, I was swimming 2-3 times a week, training for triathlon (sprints, Olympic, and 1-2 70.3s a year) and my sessions would vary from 2k to 4k with all sorts of types of intensity (from LSD to sprints, drills, etc). I am a mediocre swimmer but love it. Since then I have done stretch cords, but not as consistent and swimming fitness is junk right now. What’s the best and safest way to get back to it to avoid overdoing it and causing an injury? (I’m super excited to get back in the pool and I know I’m going to have to hold back from doing too much too fast!)
What the coaches say:
Most injuries are preventable – don’t ignore what your body is telling you.
Don’t go all out!
Rotator cuff exercises with stretch cord – good to use as a prehab.
Don’t pull too much if your shoulders aren’t strong and durable; if you do pull, use a pull buoy and no hand paddles.
A good early base period for swimming: DRILLS. Do a lot of drills! A lot of kicking.
Make sure your first two weeks of swimming are capped out at 1k. An example of the first month back:
First and second week capped at 1k with drill focus
Third week 1500, but the volume added would include kicking and non-free
Fourth week 2k
The post ATC 326: Running 14ers – Training, Nutrition and Altitude Advice, Uphill Racing Tactics, And Resuming Swimming Post-Shutdowns first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 9 min
March 26, 2021HPN 26: Julie Goes Carnivore, Real Talk On Within-Day Energy Deficits, Plus a New Study Shows Avocados Favorably Alter Gut Microbiota
Sponsor:
Living longer and better all starts with a number. But not the number you might think. At least according to people at InsideTracker .
InsideTracker was founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics, and biometric data from MIT, Tufts, and Harvard. Using their patented algorithm, they can analyze your body’s data and offer you a clearer picture than you’ve ever had before of what’s going on inside you.
InnerAge 2.0 is their new and improved ultra-personalized nutrition system focused on improving your healthspan. Their advanced data-driven model first calculates your true biological age, and then creates a science-backed action plan designed to help you live a longer, healthier life.
For a limited time, InsideTracker is offering Endurance Planet listeners 25% off their entire store—including InnerAge 2.0. Just visit InsideTracker (or type in insidetracker.com/enduranceplanet) to get 25% off any of their tests or packages.
Check out InsideTracker today. Because living longer and better all starts with a number.

Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company. UCAN is powered by SuperStarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.
UCAN is also a fantastic fuel option outside of training, or even for kids and general health enthusiasts—UCAN products make a great clean snack and food source that you can trust to help keep blood sugar stabilized without the spikes and crashes. Now more than ever we need to be mindful of our metabolic health and taking good care of ourselves starting on the inside! Using UCAN doesn’t just have to be a powder mixed in liquids, either—UCAN is crushing it with their many new products that offer their signature SuperStarch including a variety of tasty bars, almond butter, granola, hydration mixes, and more. Select products come in plant-based options or with whey protein to fit your dietary preferences.
Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

Welcome to episode 26 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Part 1:
Coffee talk:
Julie and Tawnee chat about mushroom elixirs and coffees that feature special blends of adaptogens like Four Sigmatic and Om. You can find mushroom elixirs over at Fullscript and get a discount when you create and account through endurance planet!
Julie’s carnivore experiment
Animal-based diet (aka the carnivore diet)
What is it ?
Elimination of all seed oils and high-toxicity plants; eat lots of organs, meats and fish plus low toxicity plants (fruits, veg)
What Julie learned:
Getting over 100g of protein isn’t THAT hard
More organs and bone broth and steaks than ever before—beef, bison, chicken once, fish, fruit, eggs, avo, olives, squash, cheese, berries, oranges, bananas, apple, salt (SOLE!)
Woke up feeling rested and chatty
No night sweats except when taking Mg and almonds the first two days
Felt better, connective tissue healing
Muscle spasm in hamstring on day 6; low on calcium so added in goat kefir and pecorino which is sheep cheese.
Diet is low on folate
Dips in energy especially in afternoon—wasn’t getting the calories
Constipated—enzymes or kefir didn’t work or celery juice; was it the cheese, sauna, and carbonated water causing this?
Typical Day: black coffee, date, 3 eggs and 2-3oz of organs, canned fish/apple/banana/EPIC bar, bone broth, organs, honey leftover meats/squash, avo, then dinner was a meat/fish and squash with cheese. Dessert as berries and goat kefir
On missing veggies
The notion we as society have that “green juices,” all veggies and leafy greens and plant-based is inherently healthier than meat… but is that always the case?
Tailoring the carnivore diet to be more realistic and balanced
Julie also tried vegan diet a while back! Listen to her thoughts on being fully plant-based here: HPN 19: Potato Purée vs. Sports Gels Put To The Test, ‘Cleaning Up’ A Poopy Problem, and Cultivating A Healthy Mindset For A Healthier Body
Part 2:
Study discussion
Avocado Consumption Alters Gastrointestinal Bacteria Abundance and Microbial Metabolite Concentrations Among adults with overweight or obesity, an RCT (August 2020)
Objective: “Evaluate the impact of daily intake of avocado on the fecal microbiota and microbial metabolites and to assess relations between metabolic health markers, microbial taxa and metabolites in overweight and obese.”
Hypothesis: Basically they predicted that avocado consumption would positively impact the intestinal microbiota and be a dietary strategy to improve health among adults with overweight or obesity
Study:
Subjects: 163 overweight/obese men and women
Ate: roughly one full avocado daily or not; 12 weeks (otherwise they had regular diet)
Women received 140g of Haas avocado per day as part of an isocaloric controlled meal, men 170g.
The study meals were designed to replace one meal a day and included ingredients of standard american foods. The avocado group had 20g more MUFA than the control group and 14g of additional fiber and 300cals higher. Bodyweight did not differ between groups. Saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, carbs and protein were similar between groups
Conclusion:
Daily avocado consumption = “Evidence that this nutrient-dense food affects digestive physiology, as well as the composition and metabolic functions of the intestinal microbiota.”
This study also showed avocados support fat digestion and insulin secretion, which contributes to better blood sugar regulation.
More specifically:
increased diversity and enriched the following between 26% and 65% compared with the control group.
Faecalibacterium
Lachnospira
Alistipes
The avocado group had:
18% greater fecal acetate (a SCFA that increases colonic blood flow and enhances ileal motility)
70% greater stearic acid
98% greater palmitic acid concentrations
Bile acids cholic and chenodeoxycholic acid were 91% and 57% lower, respectively.
Daily avocado consumption resulted in:
Lower fecal bile acid concentrations
Bile acids help with fat digestion and regulate systemic metabolism and insulin secretion.
Greater bile acid concentrations are associated with obesity and diabetes.
Greater fecal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)
Avocados are rich in fiber, including soluble hemicelluloses and pectins that can be metabolized by intestinal microorganisms to produce SCFAs
Short-chain fatty acids: these are made when you eat fiber, and they help maintain gut barrier immunity.
Low SCFA associated with dysbiosis, gut inflammation and functional bowel disorders.
High SCFA associated with decreased GI disease.
N-buyrate is a type of SCFA that is the preferred energy source of cells lining the colon; helps regenerate colonic mucosal membrane. It is the result of bacterial fermentation of carbohydrates that have resisted digestion in the small intestine.
Greater relative abundances of bacteria capable of a healthy type of fermentation
Other studies on avocados show:
Eating avocados regularly is associated with lower body mass, improvements in satiety and healthier blood lipid concentrations.
Downsides to eating avo?
Avocado is a high histamine food; histamine drives many everyday allergies (seasonal, etc). If this is a problem for you may need to limit avocado intake until histamine issues is resolved.

Part 3:
Cassie asks:
How to combat within-day energy deficits?
Hi Tawnee and Julie,
Thanks for this podcast; I look forward to HPN all month! I’ve been reading and hearing a lot about within-day energy deficits, and I think it’s a problem for me (maybe partly why I have only gotten one period since having my IUD removed a year ago?). I have a really hard time eating enough during the day (I’m a teacher, so I can’t just snack whenever, especially now that we have to wear masks and face shields all day). I’m wondering if you can give me some advice for better spreading out my nutrition throughout the day.
Here’s what a typical day looks like for me:
5 am- wake up, do 10-20 minutes of yoga, have a cup of black coffee
5:45- Breakfast (usually some sort of egg bake made of eggs, veggies, and maybe some ground turkey; sweet potato; avocado or guacamole
6:15- leave for work
7:30- students start arriving (mask and face shield on)
11:00- Lunch: dinner leftovers and a piece of fruit
2:45- end of the school day. If I don’t have a meeting and remember to have a snack,
I’ll eat 2 boiled eggs and half a sweet potato (more food than that makes for a rough run later)
4 pm- workout: 1-2 hours of running and/or strength training (I’m training for a 6-hour trail run in April)
So, by this point, I’m super hungry. I’ll grab a couple handfuls of nuts while cooking dinner. Dinner is some sort of meat, some sort of leafy or cruciferous veggies, and a starchy veggie or rice. After dinner, I’m generally still hungry, so I’ll have a bowl of frozen berries with some nut butter and maybe a scoop of protein powder and some coconut flakes. Sometimes I’m STILL hungry, so I’ll eat something like an RX bar.
Bedtime is 9:00. I’ll read for a while and try to be asleep before 10.
As you can see, I’m eating a lot at night, which is not awesome. Can you help me figure out how to spread that out a little more and fuel better during the day?
Thanks so much! Keep up the awesome work on the show!

What the coaches say:

A review of within-day energy deficits and research on this topic
Episode mention: HPN 15: Is Keto Bad For Bone Health? Plus: The Risks of Intermittent Fasting For Female Athletes (And Why We Say ‘A Hard No’)
Within-day Energy Deficiency and Reproductive Function in Female Endurance Athletes – a 2018 study looking at 25 female elite endurance athletes and within-day energy deficits
Within-day deficits were classified as any 1-hour window where energy deficit was in a 300-kcal deficit (<300kcal).
within day deficits are shown to suppresse resting metabolic rate, lower estrogen levels, increase cortisol levels
Eating empty calorie or low nutrient value snacks may feel safe but might not do the trick for healing
All athletes spent time in an energy-deficient state, but the athletes with menstrual dysfunction had 24% more time in a deficit. (Also of note: total daily energy intake was not statistically different!)
Our thoughts:
It’s not about never going without food, but rather avoiding too many deficits too often. don’t feel like you can never have a day with a deficit, it’s avoiding chronic deficits and when healing this is what I mean when I say you often have to go above and beyond to send the body the right message for rebalancing hormones and menstrual function then can tailor from there.
Must consider: individual variance + confounding variables, for example some may have lower or higher thresholds for what leads to healing or dysfunction.
Cassie’s situation
Amazing awareness and so glad you’re asking for help!
Also great that Cassie is not running/training fasted first thing in the morning before school, most likely this is an understanding she’s gained knowing a practice like that does not serve her or her cortisol levels.
Cronometer calculates her at 3,000cal/day
Julie’s ideas:
Bigger breakfast—egg bake AND oatmeal. Front load your day better since your job inhibits snacking
Variety: are you rotating between different macros? Different types of protein sources and cuts. Different grains/beans/carb sources. Different types of fats? Could be a deficiency somewhere that is leaving you hungry
Up the carbs at night? How much rice or starchy carb is involved in that dinner?
On days you weren’t able to eat enough, chop some of the training that afternoon.
Tawnee recently did an interview with pro triathlete Katie Zafares who recently signed on with UCAN, and we talked about Katie’s diet and daily eating habits. Of course she trains and eats like it is her job—because it is—but a couple things stood out that we can realistically carry over into our own practices as amateur athletes with “day jobs” to avoid pitfalls or calorie deficit. Head over to the UCAN FB page and watch/listen to the interview now.
Further ideas:
No black coffee on an empty stomach. Eat first then sip caffeine. Even better—consider cutting out caffeine all together for a while. (Maybe try decaf adaptogenic mushroom drinks?)
If you are eating a whole food-based clean diet for your main meals of the day, try not to over-worry about utilizing supplemental foods, powders, bars and those more snack-type foods to get in those much-needed calories when you’re busy.
Eg) Katie talked about her 3 meals a day, which were all whole foods made from scratch, but then between meals she’s using UCAN powders/drinks and bars to make sure she hits her daily needs, and she even mentioned how her coaches are checking to make sure she’s eating enough.
Liquid calories are easy. You can sip on this and not have it interfere with your work or covid policies.
Julie suggests: Add in a smoothie to sip on when you’re not teaching or during the in-betweens/commutes/RIGHT after working out.
Add in a spoon of almond butter before coffee? Or add in MCT oil and collagen to coffee NOT as a replacement of any calories in breakfast but as a supplement of calories that support your training.
Using “convenience” foods that are still clean fuels (sooooo many options these days!) is not a diet fail and may mean the difference between healthy vs dysfunctional hormones.
Fearing these foods may signify some degree of disordered eating patterns.
Covid era and masks—how to navigate putting your health as a priority while being safe to you and those around you with the virus taken into consideration.
Maybe explain to your school administration, to your comfort level, the medical reasons for needing to eat more frequently during daytime hours and not have large gaps without fuel.
Consider STRESS! What is your relationship with stress right now? Back then? How anxious are you? Food matters, calories matter, but there are other components too—stress is usually a big factor in this equation.
On extra stressful days or weeks, try swapping out a run for a meditative/parasympathetic type activity instead! Balance is key. Can’t always keep pushing and expect body to heal or respond favorably.
It will behoove you to re-evaluate exercise/training/race goals and/or style of training. Is it serving you in this season of life? Maybe put off “big goals” till body is back to a better baseline, covid life is less stressful and work stress isn’t sky-high.

The post HPN 26: Julie Goes Carnivore, Real Talk On Within-Day Energy Deficits, Plus a New Study Shows Avocados Favorably Alter Gut Microbiota first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 19 min
March 12, 2021ATC 325: Zwift Racing Tactics, Indoor vs Outdoor Power Differences, and Crosstraining and Fueling for Ultrarunning
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company. UCAN is powered by SuperStarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.
UCAN is also a fantastic fuel option outside of training, or even for kids and general health enthusiasts—UCAN products make a great clean snack and food source that you can trust to help keep blood sugar stabilized without the spikes and crashes. Now more than ever we need to be mindful of our metabolic health and taking good care of ourselves starting on the inside! Using UCAN doesn’t just have to be a powder mixed in liquids, either—UCAN is crushing it with their many new products that offer their signature SuperStarch including a variety of tasty bars, almond butter, granola, hydration mixes, and more. Select products come in plant-based options or with whey protein to fit your dietary preferences.
Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

Sponsor:
Living longer and better all starts with a number. But not the number you might think. At least according to people at InsideTracker .
InsideTracker was founded by leading scientists in aging, genetics, and biometric data from MIT, Tufts, and Harvard. Using their patented algorithm, they can analyze your body’s data and offer you a clearer picture than you’ve ever had before of what’s going on inside you.
InnerAge 2.0 is their new and improved ultra-personalized nutrition system focused on improving your healthspan. Their advanced data-driven model first calculates your true biological age, and then creates a science-backed action plan designed to help you live a longer, healthier life.
For a limited time, InsideTracker is offering Endurance Planet listeners 25% off their entire store—including InnerAge 2.0. Just visit InsideTracker (or type in insidetracker.com/enduranceplanet) to get 25% off any of their tests or packages.
Check out InsideTracker today. Because living longer and better all starts with a number.

On this episode:
Ryan & Steph ask:
Combining short-duration critical power with Ironman long-haul training
Let’s say you now have 17 months to prepare for your 2020 ironman distance race (Roth–due to covid we will now be racing it in 2022, along with doing a cycling tour in France after the full-distance tri).
As far as bike training goes, the majority of training and racing we’ve had for the past 10 months is on Zwift (some summer outdoor rides plus the only other race since covid being the Cedar City Belgian waffle ride of 125mi last Oct). The majority of training and racing for at least the next ~6 months will also be on Zwift. While Zwift has actually been really fun through all this, providing lasting friendships that likely would never have happened, and we have perfected a devastating attack OFF the back of the pack…. we would also like to be able to attack FROM the back of the pack just once or twice. How, as an endurance athlete, would you go about boosting your 15 second to 1 minute power, which would help achieve this goal in Zwift racing? This seems to be most important in Zwift racing that we’re finding. And because we like to be difficult athletes, how might we utilize this in our 17 month build to boosting our 6 hour power.
What the coaches say:
On the most basic level, you’re trying to change muscle fibers mid-ride; one of the most important aspects of making this change is to make sure you’re not doing it when you’re already cooked/exhausted (but you don’t always have that choice).
Make sure you know when to attack and if you can.
You can ruin your race if you attack and you’re already cooked.
If you’re going to attack, you need to choose that time wisely.
Generally, an attack of over 40 seconds is a mistake. An attack over 40 seconds will most likely make you blow up.
When Lucho was an elite Ironman athlete, his rule was to never cross zone 4.
If you want to attack, you need to be confident in your ability to elevate and to continue to keep that faster pace.
If you want to attack from the back of the pack, make sure that the pack is small (6-10 riders).
Ryan should probably attack on a hill.
A good strategy for an attack: Max effort for 15-20 seconds to create some distance from the other riders, then you’re going to relax and ease back off to steady-state. The chase group will have to catch up, and once they do, you’ll be all rested and ready to go again.
What should training look like for this?
2 minutes at zone 2, then 1 minute at zone 5. Repeat for a total of 10-15 minutes.
1 minute in zone 4, then 30 seconds in zone 6; this is more realistic as it will mimic race strategy.
2 minutes in zone 3, then 30 seconds in zone 6.
When you can no longer reach the goal wattage – you’re done.
Check out Ryan and Steph’s Twitch and Youtube channel!
Annie asks:
How does power output differ on trainer/Zwift vs. outdoor riding?
Hi Tawnee and Lucho!
Thank you for your help in my question below (you referenced it in an episode a while back, and I’ve been doing some soleus and gastroc stretches + eccentric weighted heel lowering, and haven’t had many problems since).
BACKGROUND for my question:
When COVID started, Peloton released their app for free for two months. I joined, and started doing cycling classes on their app while on my trainer, and loved it – but I only had my heart rate for data. So this Christmas, my husband got me the Peloton. I’ve drank the koolaid and am in love. DATA DATA DATA!!!! Some of their instructors are endurance athletes (Matt Wilpers is my fav, you should have him on EP), and I love taking their power zone classes and learning more about FTP and output. While I have a ton of endurance experience, I have been utterly humbled. I take some of their live classes with my friends, and am totally left in the dust when it comes to overall output. I’m uber competitive, and I know I’ll eventually see some improvement here…but it leads me to an overall question.
MY QUESTION:
How does output in a spin session (like Peloton, Zwift, etc) compare/correlate to outdoor riding? Some of my friends that have a higher overall output at the end of a 60min session are the same friends that I can totally hang with (if not leave in my dust) on a long outdoor ride. So, while I am competitive, should I just be paying attention to my own numbers and stop the comparison (well, yes, I should)?
Like I had mentioned in my previous question below, I have a background in crossfit. As an endurance athlete, I was never one that could squat heavy, but I could squat 30 reps of 85% my max (and probably more if my coach would have let me keep going). Comparing my output numbers to others kind of reminds me of this from the crossfit gym – different strengths for different body types.
What the coaches say:
You see your friend’s power output, but you don’t see effort!
When riding outdoors, there is an increased use of motor units being used to drive the bike. On the indoor trainer, you lower the percentage of muscle fibers being used which lowers your wattage; because of this, 200 watts outdoors might feel easier than 200 watts indoors.
Don’t worry about a perfect transfer between indoor and outdoor riding – so many variables go into it. You may want to set up zones independently for indoor vs. outdoor rides.
Mel asks:
Best cross training and “diet” for ultrarunning
Hi! I’ve decided to give ultrarunning a go more formally. I am a 40 y/o female and my background is primarily in marathons (PR 3:10) and a few random 70.3s and a couple 50ks but the latter were just for fun at the time and nothing serious. I want to build toward doing a 100k then a 100 mile (not sure on timeline yet but I’m already comfortable running 50 mpw and have a good base and strong MAF pace of ~8:20). I feel comfortable with a training plan for the longer running (I mean, isn’t it just about a lot of running?!) but I am wondering what kind of crosstraining you would suggest. I have a bike trainer/zwift, a decent at-home gym, can swim outside in warmer months, access to trails, etc., and I like being able to mix it up. But is that hindering my run progress? Is it just about focusing on the run or do you think Xtraining for ultra makes an actual difference and if so how much percentage of training (or time) would you invest in non-running activities?
Also- might be more of an HPN question but I would like to hear Lucho’s take on diet for ultra-athletes. I’m not interested in anything restrictive and I have no diet restrictions, but am curious about the claims some of these diet “gurus” seem to make. Keto/low carb is still so trendy these days (fat burning for long endurance makes sense but is keto too far?), and then things like carnivore and vegan too. I am not looking to follow “one diet” but rather mix in the “best of” what these approaches may allow for, including being able to keep my strong gut and handle taking in nutrition while running. The diet Q is just my quest to get the best out of myself. Any dietary approaches to avoid?
Thanks for your considering my question! It will be such a trip if I tune into EP and hear my question answered while I”m out running ha!
What the coaches say:
Tawnee is personally a fan of mixing it up when possible and being an overall fit, resilient athlete. At the same time, we don’t want to sacrifice the bigger goal of building a body that is ready for the type of mileage you want to run.
Cycling doesn’t help speed-based runners. But for ultrarunners (where running is slow), cycling can be useful to the overall development of an endurance athlete.
Athlete/runner aside, strength training will help you as you age.
Lucho would recommend avoiding fast-food (McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, etc.), junk food, etc. But it’s also okay every once in a while.
If there are obvious errors in your macros, work on that.
Make sure to eat enough!
Ask yourself, how do you feel?
Buy organic when possible, grass-fed meats, buy local or from farmers markets, soak grains before consuming, and avoid industrial seed oils.
The post ATC 325: Zwift Racing Tactics, Indoor vs Outdoor Power Differences, and Crosstraining and Fueling for Ultrarunning first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 20 min
March 05, 20216 Empowering Mantras and Lessons For 2021: Featuring Megan Flanagan of Strong Runner Chicks
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PerfectAmino helps you fight fatigue, maintain and/or build lean muscle mass, and better sustain your training loads. It literally counts toward protein grams in your diet and vegan friendly. Buying PerfectAmino through us helps support the podcast and ensures that you are getting the highest efficacy and quality care in your supplements rather than risking old, poorly stored, less efficacious supplements bought elsewhere on the internet.

Megan Flanagan of Strong Runner Chicks joins host Tawnee Gibson for a special collaboration episode featuring some of their top empowering mantras and tips for a more successful 2021 and beyond.
Megan is a former collegiate runner turned competitive trail, ultra, and OCR runner. She works in the healthcare industry alongside being a certified running coach, strength coach, and the founder of Strong Runner Chicks (SRC), which is a women’s community dedicated to educating, empowering, and connecting women in distance running, as well as host of the SRC podcast. She is an amazingly positive and inspirational soul who, on this episode, shares her story and why she started SRC along with a few of her personal mantras. Click here to follow Megan on Instagram.
Intro
Tawnee and Megan share their personal experience with their eating disorders and disordered eating, as well as their journey towards healing.
Tawnee’s Mantras
1. Control and perfection are illusions
Healing the inner child. Years of undoing conditioning (e.g., eating disorder=control; triathlon=seeking perfection).
Allowing the mind to evolve, getting unstuck and out of a fixed perception of self.
“In order to be who you are, you must be willing to let go of who you think you are.” -Michael Singer
Getting more comfortable with the “as-is” state; stop wishing for another now.
“Perfection is not a prerequisite for anything but pain.” – Tara Brach
Getting more comfortable with the past — the good, bad, ugly, traumatic. Allowing the past to be an experience for growth and not fixate on the imperfections.
We don’t need to let go of those who we have lost; the goal is to feel and not resist grief, to dig deeper and understand life because of it.
Untethered Soul by Michael Singer (please support the podcast by using this link!).
2. Be my authentic self and do not fear the judgment or criticisms of others
Learning to accept criticism with an open mind instead of fear and worry. Instead of an auto reaction — contemplate and respond mindfully; ask if this is something I need to hear.
Explore the why to what you’re doing.
Don’t be afraid to be who you are.
Be humble, inquisitive, and curious about others.
Tawnee is conditioned to be a people pleaser, but it is exhausting and ineffective. Trying to please everyone betrays who she is.
3. Trust my intuition
Trusting intuition also means recognizing and detaching from irrational fears, worries, and anxieties—toxic thoughts that try to play mind games with us.
We are often too busy, too distracted, too upset to listen to the part of us deep down that knows.
Coming from an eating disorder past, it’s not always easy to trust yourself but it’s a beautiful thing when it finally works.
Megan’s Mantras
1. “Create the things you wish existed.”
Manifestation (making those visions and dreams into a reality!); creating Strong Runner Chicks (podcast and community); looking for opportunities to bring new ideas into the world and our running space.
2. ”Personal growth is not a matter of learning new information but of unlearning old limits.”
Forgoing limiting beliefs (e.g., noticing words like should and can’t, seeing excuses come up, etc.) and opening up opportunities to what is possible.
We create our reality. If there is something you want to see happen in your life (acknowledging that there are a lot of factors that predetermine this), you have the power to change your circumstances.
3. Showing up fully/authentically and letting the chips fall
Going all in and not holding back – on big dreams, etc.
Trusting that things will play out and that showing up each day is the most important piece to continuing to create connections and make an impact in the long run.
Taking ownership in creating safe and inclusive spaces.

The post 6 Empowering Mantras and Lessons For 2021: Featuring Megan Flanagan of Strong Runner Chicks first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 17 min
February 26, 2021HPN 25: Spring Seasonal Eating Guide, Plus In Depth on The Science of Cravings and Creative Ways to Alleviate Stress
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Welcome to episode 25 of Holistic Performance Nutrition (HPN) featuring Tawnee Gibson, MS, CSCS, CISSN, and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
On this episode:
Part 1:
Seasonal Eating Guide—Spring!
A reminder of our seasonal picks for previous seasons (click on the link for full show):
Summer: Raspberries, Arugula, Figs, Parsley, Garlic
Fall: Blackberries, Parsnips, Brussels Sprouts, Mushrooms, Ginger
Winter: Endives, Rapini, Kiwi, Kohlrabi, Turnips
Spring 2021 picks:
Asparagus
Nettles
Dandelion greens
Lemons
Instead of a 5th food for the spring season, we have homework for YOU! Find a local farmers market (FM) if you don’t already attend one regularly and talk to a farmer, ask them what’s fresh, and bring some home! If you already go to FM regularly, then be adventurous and try something NEW that you’ve never bought before. Write in and tell us what you found! #shoplocal #eatseasonally
#1 Asparagus:
Seasonality: April to mid-July, but can start as early as February.
4 Varietals: green, white (covered in soil, no chlorophyll), purple, and wild.
What to Look For: the thinnest stalks possible as they are the most tender. Should have a fresh scent, if it smells musty give it a pass. Rich in color and stand firm.
Part of the clean 15! No detectable residues on 90% of samples. Doesn’t like much water; their water footprint is pretty low.
Storage: It Goes downhill pretty quickly, so trim the ends and stand it in the cup of water in the fridge.
Can peel asparagus. Don’t overcook, can enjoy raw, shaved, grilled, roasted, steamed. Trim it! Grasp a stalk with one hand around the root end at its furthest point, and the other about mid-way down the stalk and gently bend. Wherever it breaks is where it should be trimmed to.
Nutrition: Vitamin C, folate, potassium, vitamin k, inulin (prebiotic fiber). Fiber, mostly insoluble which forms bulk to the stool, and some soluble fiber which draws water from the intestines creating a gel-like substance to help move things along.
Asparagus Pee: Excreting sulfur compounds into the urine; it’s likely that everybody produces it but not everybody smells it.
#2 Dandelion greens:
Sprouting up on lawns across the country – one of the first signs of spring.
Anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, and anti-microbial properties.
Study: The Physiological Effects of Dandelion (Taraxacum Officinale) in Type 2 Diabetes
Good for liver health protection and liver function and detox support; cleanse and flush toxins (Chinese medicine uses to treat hepatic diseases).
Dandelion is rich in Polyphenols (the main source of dietary antioxidants) with chicoric acid (CRA) (phenolic acid) as the most abundant component of dandelion, found in all parts of the plant.
Drink as a tea or as an herbal coffee.
Generally, the concentration of polyphenols is higher in flowers and leaves than in stems but they are included in all parts.
Dandelion contains: Vitamins K plant-based A and C, even D, E, B! Also: inositol, lecithin, and minerals such as iron, magnesium, sodium, calcium, silicon, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese.
“The root of dandelion contains inulin which includes fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). This complex carbohydrate can help to normalize blood sugar levels; it reduces hyperglycemia and can be really beneficial for gut health — FOS is a complex carbohydrate; its intake benefits bifido-bacteria, which eliminate pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract [66]. As a result of mineral absorption, FOS stimulates the immune system, and thereby suppresses abnormal cell growth.” (Source from the study mentioned above.)
“Also contains chlorogenic acid; CGA has been a potential compound for preventing obesity and inflammation. It also impacts on insulin secretion and sensitivity, making it an attractive option for use as a future anti-diabetic drugs [61, 71].” (Source from the study mentioned above.)
“It has also been demonstrated that dandelion extract is able to reduce hepatic lipid accumulation by activating the phosphorylation of AMP and AMPK, hence protecting against NAFLD and eventually against hepatic steatosis (fatty liver disease) [126].” (Source from the study mentioned above.)
“Dandelion is one of the richest sources of [plant-based] beta-carotene (11,000 µg/100 g leaves, same as in carrots), from which vitamin A originates [66]. In the past few years, dandelion has demonstrated health benefits including anti-rheumatic, anti-carcinogenic, diuretic, laxative, hypoglycemic, and chloretic effects [67].” (Source from the study mentioned above.)
Incorporating Dandelion in food & drink
A bitter green to add to salads, juice, or drink dried dandelion teas
“The health-promoting benefits of dandelion can be attributed to the presence of these bitter substances and of phenolic components, which possess anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities [44].”
How much to consume: Renowned physicians, the European Commission, and the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia recommended the following range of doses for dandelion:
Fresh leaves 4-10 g daily
Dried leaves 4-10 g daily
2-5 ml of leaf tincture, three times a day
Fresh leaf juice, 1 teaspoon twice daily,
Fluid extract 1-2 teaspoon daily
Fresh roots 2-8 g daily
Dried powder extract 250-1000 mg four times a day
#3 Nettles:
Seasonality: Start showing up late winter to early spring depending on where you live. They can’t withstand the heat, after a 90-degree day they’ll be gone.
Grows wild in forests and woodlands near streams and rivers in NA, Europe, parts of Asia, Russia, and Northern Africa.
Either forage them or buy from a farmer who foraged them for you.
Storing: extremely perishable, will keep for a few days in the fridge. Wear gloves until soaked or cooked.
Uses: much like spinach. Pesto, sauces, soup, pizza or pasta topping, with eggs, nettle tea.
Nutrition (link to nettles chart): 1 cup is 6g of fiber and 2g protein. A, K, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Mag – outperforms kale, spinach, and dandelion in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, and vitamin A.
Medicinal: long regarded as a botanical healer – Naturally detoxifying and anti-inflammatory it’s been used for gout, anemia, and joint pain. Native Americans have long been using it not only as a general tonic but for fevers and to help with childbirth.
#4 Lemons
Another polyphenol powerhouse. It’s so obvious and available that you might pass it by, but it’s coming into peak season so stock up this spring
Possible negative effects if eating lemons regularly:
Concerns with enamel erosion (maybe use a straw if you’re worried).
If you have any GI upset or internal issues, you may need to avoid doing it on an empty stomach
Lemons may trigger migraines in some people; source: Migraine Miracle (please help support the podcast by using the link).
“Immense therapeutic potential because of their anticancer, anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory nature and also serve as an important ingredient in the formulation of several ethnic herbal medicines.” (Source)
“In animal studies, the citric acid found in lemon water has also been shown to protect liver function and prevent oxidative damage, helping preserve the liver’s natural ability to detoxify.” (Source)
Lemon water first thing in AM is an easy way to consume – a bonus – you’ll help meet your hydration needs! It can help combat cravings, promote regular bowel function/constipation relief, detox support, adrenal support, energy, and more.
Combined with exercise (walking 7k steps a day), a lemon a day was shown to help lower BP. (Source)
Packed with vitamin C:
Lemons contain about 50-75mg vitamin C per 100 g of juice. Looked at another way, just 1 cup of fresh lemon juice provides more than 150% of your daily recommended serving of vitamin C (one lemon is about 30-40%).
Also contains fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and copper, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B6, folate, and pantothenic acid/B5- good for adrenal health.
Part 2:
Science of Cravings & Stress Mitigation
Not from a lack of willpower or a complete emotional failure. We now understand there is a biochemical reason for cravings and we want to help you determine what that is (usually many) and then using that knowledge to begin the process of deconstructing the craving/habit/behavior.
Cravings are a signal that our body is out of balance — What is causing the imbalance? Where are they coming from?
Poor night’s sleep
Dehydration (minerals) — SOLE WATER
Nutritionally
Energy Deficit from not eating all day or just the first half (ravenous for dinner?) because you didn’t plan or have been ignoring your hunger cues for so long.
Blood sugar imbalance – what goes up must come down.
Gut health – inflammatory foods mess with your intestines causing an imbalance of bacteria and throwing our neurotransmitter production off and wanting more comforting and quick-energy foods. Triggers could be gluten, seed oils, artificial sweeteners, sugar, processed foods, low-quality dairy.
Micros/Macros – minerals, water, magnesium, protein, fat.
Stress
Hormones
Ghrelin (the hunger hormone), Leptin (Satiety hormone), Neurotransmitters serotonin (hug someone!), and dopamine (try something new to get a dopamine hit!)
Habitual
We create this habit/feedback loop that we consider to be a craving. Eat when angry? Excited? Stressed? Sad? Certain time of day? Certain location? With a certain show? When changing tasks? Buy certain things at certain stores? Hostess cupcakes when buying the paper?
Good resource by Thorne on the science of cravings (mentioned by Tawnee):
The Science Behind Sugar Cravings
NO judgment, you are not weak because you have cravings. They are normal! Use them to learn more about yourself and your environment
Neurotransmitters Involved:
Dopamine: known as the feel-good neurotransmitter—a chemical that ferries information between neurons. The brain releases it when we eat food that we crave or while we have sex, contributing to feelings of pleasure and satisfaction as part of the reward system (ever reach your goal? The feelings involved is a rush of dopamine)
What else increases Dopamine?
Eat enough protein – tyrosine (beef, pork, fish, chicken)
Probiotics – gut and brain connection!
Exercise, sleeping 8-9 hours
Sleeping and waking same time every day. Reducing noise and light in the bedroom. Limit caffeine/alcohol/sugar
“When people are forced to stay awake during the night, the availability of dopamine receptors in the brain is dramatically reduced by the next morning”
Listening to music (instrumentals)
Meditation and sunlight
Try something NEW
Serotonin: helps regulate mood. Calm, relaxed, focused, motivated, happier, emotionally stable
Needed for production: Tryptophan, B6, Omega-3s, Vit. D (most in your gut!)
Sunlight, Fish, Bananas, Turkey, Beans, Eggs, Leafy Greens
Aerobic exercise
Massage – decrease cortisol and increase serotonin
Hug someone!
What CAN we do when we get a craving:
Pause, approach with no judgment. Give yourself time to switch from the emotional brain to the logical brain.
Ask yourself if you are truly hungry, or just eating for the sake of eating. Or ask yourself, “What part of me is this nourishing?
Eat at a designated eating station – sitting and mindfully and joyfully. Have a date with yourself at the table!
Envision your life as a movie and you are the lead character — how does this scene end? Joyfully? Great. Uncomfortable and disappointed? Rewrite the scene, gain trust back in yourself.
Alternative Ways to Deal with Stress:
Meditation or any mindfulness practice; baby steps – even 1 minute at a time makes a difference!
Go outside – forest bathing.
Grounding – piggybacking off forest bathing, get barefoot and TOUCH nature; if you don’t want to take off shoes cause it’s cold, touch a tree or anything in nature.
Connect with someone somehow.
Affection, touch, conversation, gift-giving.
Have a creative side project.
Listen to music, dance, yoga.
More specific to music: Sound wave therapy
Try listening to 528Hz, known as the “love frequency” it is a healing frequency that you can find in music among other places in nature to help restore balance, reduce stress and cortisol.
It is one of 7 solfeggio frequencies each of which offers specific benefits. You can find this stuff for free on youtube and just let it play for hours (but even just a few minutes really seems to help calm).
https://meditativemind.org/benefits-of-music-based-on-7-solfeggio-frequencies/
Gratitude practice (and less focus on all that’s negative).
Ensure enough sleep
Supplements
Stress B Complex by Thorne; they have a few different B complex supplements, but Tawnee loves the Stress formulation! Extra B5 for adrenals and immunity.
L-Theanine to reduce anxiety and physio signs of stress.
Mg Bisglycinate 2-3 hr before bed (citrate or carbonate may cause loose stool for those sensitive; can also relieve constipation — something like Natural Calm or BodyHealth Calm).
Also a transdermal Mg spray (Tawnee sprays this on after her workouts). Mg spray is Mg chloride.
DON’T RELY ON SUPPLEMENTS, YOU STILL HAVE TO DO THE HOLISTIC WORK
Epsom salt bath (which is basically Mg sulfate)
Not only do baths ROCK, with Epsom salts they support detox and can help you bounce back if you feel like you’ve been dragging and overwhelmed with stress; also counteracting too much exposure to radiation and technology (either for work, travel, health procedure like an MRI or just sensitive to tech).
Not much research on these baths.
Mg absorbed thru skin, increases blood levels (one study showed increase in serum Mg after a week of baths).
Mg helps 100s of biochemical reactions and enzymes so epsom salt baths in theory may boost these functions, helping you feel better. More on what Mg does https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium.
More.
The post HPN 25: Spring Seasonal Eating Guide, Plus In Depth on The Science of Cravings and Creative Ways to Alleviate Stress first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 33 min
February 12, 2021ATC 324: Recovery Intervals – How Much Rest Do You Need? And More on The Science and Art of Rest Sets and Avoiding Common Mistakes
Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by the UCAN Company. UCAN is powered by SuperStarch, the fat-burning fuel of choice for metabolically efficient endurance athletes and health enthusiasts.
UCAN is also a fantastic fuel option outside of training, or even for kids and general health enthusiasts—UCAN products make a great clean snack and food source that you can trust to help keep blood sugar stabilized without the spikes and crashes. Now more than ever we need to be mindful of our metabolic health and taking good care of ourselves starting on the inside! Using UCAN doesn’t just have to be a powder mixed in liquids, either—UCAN is crushing it with their many new products that offer their signature SuperStarch including a variety of tasty bars, almond butter, granola, hydration mixes, and more. Select products come in plant-based options or with whey protein to fit your dietary preferences.
Best of all: EP fans get 15% off everything UCAN offers, click to activate your discount and shop now. You can also use the code ENDURANCEPLANET if you’re shopping at ucan.co for that same 15% discount.

Sponsor:

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On this episode:
Matt asks:
Recovery intervals – what difference do they make in performance gains for endurance athletes?
Hi! I’d love to hear more on the science of recovery intervals and why they matter so much (some say they matter even more than the work interval). What does “full recovery” mean? What difference to my training/fitness does it make if I take full recovery vs. partial recovery? How do I know what kind of recovery interval I need for certain workouts, for example 400s or 800s on the track vs. hills vs. mile repeats, tempo, and longer stuff. Do/should recovery intervals change with the season? What’s the benefit to “incomplete” recovery intervals (i.e. either maintaining a certain intensity or a very short recovery interval)?
I’m looking to apply this to both marathon training and probably triathlon in the future (once racing starts to happen safely again).
What the coaches say:
What does it mean to have a full recovery?
Depends on the intensity and goal of the workout, and what you want to get out of it.
Intensity is based on energy systems.
If you want full recovery, you have to fully recover each energy system that you use.
Each energy system takes a certain amount of time to recover. For example, the PCR (phosphocreatine system) takes about 2 minutes. But to fully recover lactate, it can take up to 15 minutes.
Too much (or too little) rest isn’t good. Too much rest can shut down the Krebs cycle and the whole cycle will have to start over again once you start your next interval. Every individual’s Krebs cycle is different depending on fitness level.
The Step Test is a basic fitness test that measures heart rate and recovery; typically, the quicker the heart rate drops down, the more fit you are.
Full recovery will be very subjective to where you’re at as an individual.
Typically, the number one mistake athletes make is that they don’t take long enough rest intervals.
The study mentioned: The effects of recovery duration on psychological and perceptual responses of trained runners during four self-paced HIIT sessions.
Conclusion: “Longer recovery durations may facilitate a higher external training load (faster running), whilst maintaining a similar internal training load (physiological stimulus), and may therefore allow for greater training adaptations.”
When does it make sense to do incomplete/partial recovery?
The only time partial recovery is not a good idea is when you’re working on speed. Partial recovery is okay, but as long as you recognize that you’re not working on speed.
The question: Is the quality of form, breakdown, and injury risk increasing when there isn’t proper recovery in between intervals?
There is an optimal level of intensity for lactate clearance (about 50%-60%). For example, if your doing an interval at a 6-minute pace, jogging at a 9-minute pace for the rest interval would be better than standing still.
Tawnee recommends the Jack Daniels’ method if you’re training for a marathon; he clearly states what recovery should look like for each type of workout.
The Maffetone method would recommend listening to your body.
Tabatas have a great basis in science, but is it worth the risk? And can you do something better that is safer? Lucho would reserve tabatas for the elite of the elite.
What do you want to get out of the workout during hill intervals will determine your recovery interval length.
For tempos, RPE is the best. Lucho will prescribe his athletes a total amount of volume he wants them to run; the athletes can break it up however they need to get that volume.
A 1-minute rest (even up to 2-3 minutes) will not affect your workout outcome.
Jack Daniels’ VDOT Chart allows you to factor in seasons.
The post ATC 324: Recovery Intervals – How Much Rest Do You Need? And More on The Science and Art of Rest Sets and Avoiding Common Mistakes first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 3 min
January 29, 2021Dr. Phil Maffetone 26: Self-Care During Uncertain Times, ‘Risk’ vs Reward of Wearables, Plus: Phil’s Daily Habits for Wellbeing
Sponsor:
Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. So let’s make sure you’re not running yourself into any deficits—this list is a good place to start:
Magnesium Bisglycinate
Stress B Complex
Vitamin D/K2 drops
Multivitamin Elite
Prenatal
Meriva
L-Glutamine
BioGeset
Go ahead, click on each supplement if you’re curious to learn more about how these supplements may serve you. Maybe one of these or one of Thorne’s targeted bundles for sleep, stress, or performance, will complement your needs and round out your diet this season. Thorne is always available to you on our Shop page, and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

Sponsor:
Body Health’s PerfectAmino® 300-count Tablets are NSF Certified for Sport, so you can trust that they’re clean and free form contaminants and banned substances. What you see is what you get. Please note: at this time it’s just the PerfectAmino® 300 count bottles that are NSF certified but all PerfectAmino® is made under the same roof with the same standards.
PerfectAmino helps you fight fatigue, maintain and/or build lean muscle mass, and better sustain your training loads. It literally counts toward protein grams in your diet and vegan friendly.
Buying PerfectAmino through us helps support the podcast and ensures that you are getting the highest efficacy and quality care in your supplements rather than risking old, poorly stored, less efficacious supplements bought elsewhere on the internet.

On this episode with Dr. Phil Maffetone:
Getting strong the ‘slow weights’ way
Phil’s new book on strength training: Get Strong (released Nov 2020)
Why endurance athletes might reconsider 2-3x a week of heavy and/or intense strength training workouts mixed into their program
How and what kind of strength training can inhibit aerobic fitness, and not allowing proper recovery can impair fitness(proper
The concept of slow weights and how a strength workout can fit into your day without even having to change clothes or feel sore afterwards
Using 80% of your 1-rep max at a self-paced manner for a non-fatiguing micro strength workouts into your day, in a way that compliments endurance training rather than interferes with it
Fitting in strength training into your home “gym” with little equipment, or taking it outside
Tawnee shares how she approaches slow weights with heavy rocks and how it also made strength training more doable as a new mom
Self-care in uncertain times
What are things we can do at home that complement our well-being. Things we can do on our own, that may not require physician guidance
We talked to Phil back in May 2020 where he guided us on seasonal allergies, covid and overeat pandemics, gut health and more, listen here.
It all resorts back to controlling the stress we experience
Focus on the stress that media exposure and consumption may be causing us
Adding more stress crashes the immune system making us more susceptible to illness—covid or otherwise
Reasses short term and long term goals with the changes we’ve all experienced in the past year
The kitchen is not a vending machine
People are buying more junk food than ever right now, but we should be focusing on healthy food more than ever!
Covid rescued the junk food injury in a way—junk food is comfort food
Make your home a comfortable, happy place. A place you want to be
Setting up a cozy home enrionvment; for Tawnee that means NOT having TV streaming all day long
Junk food and sugar is an addiction like drugs can be, using them as an excuse to sooth stress and “reward” one’s self is not the healthy answer
Social media censoring more content these days, but not comments that are harmful to our health like condoning high junk food intake
Do Phil’s strict healthy eating recommendations go “too far” for those of us who may be experiencing or are susceptible to eating disorders / disordered eating?
Phil explains the difference between unhealthy restrictive behavior vs choosing healthy food for a genuine interest in one’s health and wellbeing
Phil’s case that this is about wanting to feel good every day, and that justifies a more strict approach to food choices and how to let go of unhealthy obsessions
The key is understanding control is an illusion, we can’t control it all, and allowing some flexibility is key to success. Not having unhealthy thoughts that we need to be perfect.
If one as more at risk for certain health conditions it warrants more need to focus on diet.
“Let’s eat like humans should eat!”
Using the example of fish: not getting overly restrictive or obsessive about food choices, but also being mindful of choosing the best-quality fish with lowest toxin load. (Read more at Phil’s article on fish here).
Wearables – the good and ugly of these devices
What good can they provide in alerting us to the internal state of our health and measurements of our well-being but what risks and harms can they introduce into our lives.
The key is adjusting your lifestyle if the information your receiving from a wearable is not desirable, but this is where people struggle the most
It’s an empowering big step to get the wearable to understand more about your current health, but it’s the follow-through on changing habits where it matters
Biofeedback aid – using these tools to intuitively understand our body better, such as the live of intensity we should be working out (eg running at a certain heart rate and being true to that based on what you’ve learned from a heart rate monitor)
Phil mentions that it can be hard for people to stick to a strict heart rate without the HR monitor (instead we get too wrapped up in no pain no gain)
How it’s changing these days with all our workout data such as power and heart rate info being available on a public platform, eg Strava, Zwift, etc.
Measuring your submit efforts is an important part of overall fitness assessment with the gold-standard being a MAF test
MAF test and focusing on this component of fitness is a good marker of our overall state of health and wellness (not just speed and fitness)
Phi Maffetone: Wearables for an assessment is valuable but not for ongoing, regular use
Don’t use devices as a game or part of an unhealthy obsession
KEY POINT: Get to the point where you don’t need to use them anymore
Using wearables to set healthy boundaries for ourselves
Phil’s daily practices for ongoing wellbeing
Phil shares some of his personal routines or practices for self-care and wellbeing
5-minute power breaks: alpha wave exercise; going into a type of meditation mindset
daydreaming, lying, eyes closed, etc. Having the power to “click into” this state is crucial for health and balancing the autonomic nervous system
Do it at least twice a day
use it when you need it to counteract a stressful moment or to recharge the brain.
Frequency when it comes to meditation or power breaks is most important, because consistently training the brain is key to reaping the benefits
Alpha vs theta vs delta states
Sleeping habits
The caution against using devices to monitor sleep—why they do more harm than good for sleep quality
Using wearables nightly for sleep is something that Phil does not see as necessary and that it also may retract from your best sleep
Not that they should be off limits, but just use periodically and for a greater purpose and not as a gamer or competition with yourself
The post Dr. Phil Maffetone 26: Self-Care During Uncertain Times, ‘Risk’ vs Reward of Wearables, Plus: Phil’s Daily Habits for Wellbeing first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 13 min