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Endurance Planet episodes

November 22, 2019ATC 299: Sub-2 Relay, HRV-Guided Training, How To Approach Hills on MAF, Ironman After 50, and Quelling Anxiety Around Those ‘What If’ Thoughts
Sponsor:
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Sponsor:
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On this episode of Ask The Coaches with Lucho and Tawnee:
Intro Banter and Announcements
Do Our Survey!
We need your help! Participate in a survey to help us learn more for a new athlete health & nutrition program and be entered to win a 30-min consult with Tawnee for free! The brief backstory: Tawnee has been collaborating with sports nutritionist and registered dietician, Dina Griffin, on a new project, and we want to learn a little more about you to help us fine-tune things. So if you would be kind enough to take this survey we’d sincerely appreciate it. Be sure to add your email and you’ll be automatically entered to win a free 30min consult with Tawnee!
Jon let us know about a cool event:
“I thought you might get a kick out of an event that happened this past Sunday in West Michigan. In honor of Eliud Kipchoge’s first ever sub-2 hour marathon, I organized a marathon relay in Holland, MI on Sunday, Oct 27 and recruited 44 other runners to run 210×200 meters to see if we could match or beat Kipchoge’s time. It was a ton of fun and we got it done in 1:49:32 (4:11/mile pace). Runners ranged in age from 8 to 55 years old and ran between 1 and 26 legs. I ran 26 of the 210 legs and I’m feelin it this week! Crazy to imagine maintaining that pace for 26.2 miles solo There’s a more thorough recap and really cool highlight video available at sub2relay.com“
Research mention:
Training Prescription Guided by Heart Rate Variability Vs. Block Periodization in Well-Trained Cyclists
20 well trained cyclists (15 completed)
2 week baseline
8 week intervention- HRV and BP groups, both maintained volume that was similar in each group
HRV trained according to HRV monitoring (weather to do HIIT, low intensity or rest, etc.). IF HRV was low they were not to do HIIT.
BP had set training program (as seen in study)
Several evaluation interventions with 40min TT, etc.
Used HRV4Training app, measured upon waking for 90 seconds.
For the HRV-G group, training was prescribed according to their HRV morning values following a decision-making schema (24) (Figure 2). Cyclists only performed 2 consecutive sessions of high-intensity training and did not accumulate more than 2 consecutive days of rest.
Results
Both improved Vo2max
Performance (40 TT) increased in the HRV-G but not in the BP group.
Individual changes in 40 TT reported only 1 subject with a decrease in performance for the HRV-G, whereas the BP group presented 3 subjects with less power output in POST (Figure 5). In addition, the mean change was 6 +/- 6%, and it has been suggested that changes lower than 4.4% could be due to normal day-to-day variation (26,27).
Peak power output improved in the HRV-G group with no change in the BP group.
Both improved power output at ventilatory threshold (WVT1 only in HRV but WVT2 in both groups)
qualitative assessment showed likely beneficial effects for the HRV-G, whereas in the BP group, it reported possibly trivial effects.
Therefore, it seems that individualizing high-intensity training when the athlete is in optimal cardiac autonomic homeostasis could lead to an improved adaptive response to training.
“Importantly, these data show that HRV- guided training prescription presented a more positive response at improving fitness and performance than a block periodization (BP).”
Loren Q. asks:
Hilly MAF Training
Hi! New to your podcast and am absolutely loving it! What a great format and lots of solid info.
I have been doing MAF for about a month and am curious how I should approach long uphill sections in my typical long runs. I have been avoiding those hills because I’m working on building my pace up with as few walking breaks as possible. At some point however I want to get back to the technical and somewhat steeper terrain I typically run and even race on (my long run happens to be on a 50K course that I raced last year). I love the scenery, the trails and the solitude up there, but I also want to improve my pace and stay injury free.
So my question is, how much hiking is too much hiking to do me any good with regards to building my MAF based pace? I suspect that on a 16 mile run that includes about 5,000 feet of elevation gain over very rough terrain that I’ll be hiking for at least 5-6 miles. That seems a ridiculous amount of moving slowly to stay at MAF. I would typically hike 2 to 3 miles max of it during my last training cycle, but my heart rate was 20-30 beats on average higher than my MAF rate would have been.
Should I try to find flatter terrain to do long runs on and only run that trail on race day? How much value is there to training on the actual race course? I wonder, as last year I was the last guy (that finished) to come across the line and I did every long run on the course. It was my first ultra, but I was still significantly slower than I planned, therefore I have adopted the MAF method in hopes of improving my time by an hour or so on this race course in 2020.
Would love to hear what you guys think. Thanks!
Stats;
– 50 years old. MAF of 130 due to zero injuries. 5’ 10” at 165lbs.
– 10 years steady running experience with a few 5Ks for fun and several half irons as goal races over the years but not recently.
– First MAF test was 10:44/mile and has improved to 10:04/mile in just one month!
What the Coaches say:
It’s only been a month, so you can be patient and spend more time at MAF if you want to. You seem to be a good responder!
But limited time above MAF now won’t destroy the past month of work you’ve put into MAF training.
It’s really important that you noticed how much you value the solitude and scenery. Hiking with intent is a great way to enjoy that.
If you’re a really good hiker in a hilly ultra, you’re better off.
Being 20 beats over MAF when you’re going uphill isn’t the worst thing. It won’t necessarily cause injury.
To prevent injury, don’t push through pain and do high volume when you’re not feeling well.
Running significantly slower than your natural pace can cause injury or create soreness.
Mental health is more important than physical health in some instances.
Consider using HRV as your guide. If your HRV is lower, be strict on sticking to MAF during your run. But if HRV is high, then you can experiment with going above MAF on hills.
Steve K. asks:
Ironman over 50
IM after 50
I recently turned 50. Feel 40.
Currently could pretty easily Swim an hour, hilly road ride 50, run 10. Been riding much more. Weight train once a week: variety of stuff. Track once a week, since reading Fast after 50.
Prefer not to do the same thing two days in a row, although I can and do ride that way. But want to avoid any overuse injury…its why I like tri.
There is an IM August 27 near me.
Wonder where I can get a general training plan and learn about how to periodize for this event. Book? Coach? Training peaks program? 8 month build up is best.
The plans I see look like less training than I would expect. Maybe I am wrong. Goal is just a respectable finish…before dark.
What the Coaches say:
Pick up the Triathlon Training Bible
You can’t go wrong with Friel or Daniels
A canned program is helpful because it gives you benchmarks to reach in preparation for a race.
But, don’t treat the plan like it’s set in stone. Let your body (and HRV) be your guide, when appropriate.
Individualization can also be helpful when it comes to building up your weakness. Consider doing a swim, bike, or run focus.
Different programs advocate different approaches. Some emphasize strength, others MAF, others tempo/intensity.
Based on what the Coaches think you like to do (based on the details in your question), they suggest you stick with a plan that has a lot of diversity. MAF long term might crush your soul.
Weight training doesn’t make you faster, but it does prevent tissue/structural breakdown, which is so important for older athletes!
Christina Block asks:
More Qs on Split Long Runs
Hey guys,
Thanks for this very informative show! I was listening while I was on a second long run of the weekend. Well, and that is why I am writing.
I chose to split my long runs, because I was getting mental problems with long runs. I was nearly scared to go off for a 10 mile or longer run (in the middle of the preparation for a 50 mile run)… it was easier for me to split it.
Well, the race went terrible. I had this undefined fear in the middle of the race. It’s a mixture of “it’s too far away”, “what if something happens?”, “what if I just can’t run anymore”, “what if…..” a lot of stupid things.
Well, after off season and recovering it begins again. And all this unsecurenes came back, I am splitting long runs again. So, do you have a suggestion, how I can train this mental side? In the end, I love running, and I really don’t understand myself.
What the Coaches say:
It’s worth considering: is anxiety part of your normal life? If you have general anxiety disorder or just the regular traits of anxiety, then group therapy can be very beneficial.
In regards to run anxiety, Lucho recommends finding a loop near your house to train on. Let the loop be short, so you can stop at any time and go home easily. Then you can continue adding loops as you feel comfortable.
Alternatively, you can do out-and-backs.
Avoidance is not the answer. If you don’t face it, then you’ll never know if you can get through it and be ok. Life is a lot better when you confront your fears!
Consider changing “fear” to “challenge.” That positive phrasing can help you get excited about tackling the challenge (rather than avoiding the fear).
It’s also worth thinking about what caused this anxiety? Is it PTSD related? Maybe you have to work through another issue in order to alleviate your fear while running.
Split runs can definitely prepare you for a race, so have faith in that training protocol.
The post ATC 299: Sub-2 Relay, HRV-Guided Training, How To Approach Hills on MAF, Ironman After 50, and Quelling Anxiety Around Those ‘What If’ Thoughts first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 10 min
November 15, 2019HPN 11: Steps To Healthy Cholesterol Levels, Theories for Increased Lipids When Low Carb, and Are Those Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Risky Or Not?
Sponsor:
Ready to go deeper with your health but don’t know where to start and having trouble obtaining blood tests from doctors? Check out Inside Tracker, an awesome service to use for convenient and informative blood testing geared toward athletes. IT uses science and technology to deliver ultra-personalized guidance based on blood biomarkers that span from cholesterol to inflammation and much more. You can get up to 43 biomarkers tested and more on your journey to bettering performance, along with many other features such as your “inner age,’ genetic info, and personalized recommendations. Our favorite is the Ultimate package. Use code “enduranceplanet” for a 10% discount.

Welcome to episode 11 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:
Research Review:
Non-nutritive Sweeteners (NNS) Implications for Consumption in Athletic Populations
Purpose of this review: (a) consolidating the existing metabolic concerns in cell culture and animal models, (b) demonstrating the risks and benefits of use in human subjects, and (c) establishing where future research should investigate with regards to consumers using NNS to increase performance and optimize body composition.
Types:
Saccharin
Sucralose
Sucralose represents one of the most researched NNS used commercially, making up more than 4,500 products and 62% of the over 1-billion dollar NNS market (79).
Aspartame
Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
Stevia
Conclusions:
Most studies thus far on animal or in vitro studies; not enough studies done on humans to make any conclusive statements.
Not enough evidence to link them to cancer.
Some evidence between them and the impact on the gut microbiome.
Saccharin seems to be the worst in terms of gut health.
Stevia seems to have the potential to be the least harmful, but also hasn’t been studied for long enough to determine anything for certain.
“Overall, the inclusion of NNS in popular protein supplementation may be perpetuating many of the hypothesized mechanisms relating to altered metabolism and decreased satiety.”

Jeff asks:
Cholesterol & Low Carb Diets
I have a very functionally minded primary care physician who agrees with past show guests that the most important lipid statistics are ratios. While my key ratios are all ideal, my total cholesterol is at such a high level that it cannot be ignored and we finally gave in to trying low dose statins in the last few months. We will run a full set of tests again after 6 months to determine our path forward.
I would ask that you have a general discussion on managing cholesterol levels with a typical low carb eating style.
Personally, I am a 54 year old male, describe myself as an “active couch potato” – run 30-60 miles per week, but have a desk job, typically eat a 1-egg vegetable omelette, wild-caught smoked salmon, decaf expresso with whole milk and a small amount of seasonal berries for breakfast, a salad with olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon or lime and meat left over from the previous night’s dinner for lunch, and whatever meat, potatoes and veggies we have for dinner – plus another glass of whole milk. I may indulge in a bowl of ice cream a couple times week for dessert…

Cholesterol Chat Outline
Ideas for high cholesterol on LC/keto.
Why we need/want cholesterol (but things can go wrong).
What biomarkers matter and why you might need to go deeper in testing more than typical lipid panel.
What are some numbers to look for.
Dietary / nutritional interventions.
3 theories of high LDL & lipids on low carb or keto
Feldman’s theory – “Higher energy demands, lower body fat stores, and lower glycogen stores in lean mass hyper responders trigger the liver to increase production of lipoprotein particles so that TGs can be transported to cells for use as fuel. Since cholesterol travels along with TGs, blood cholesterol levels might rise as the liver pumps out more lipoproteins to keep up with the body’s energy demands.”
Keep in mind this is so far unproven.
“Ketone production requires acetyl-CoA, precursor to cholesterol. Having more acetyl-CoA in circulation could theoretically increase cholesterol synthesis.”
“Higher saturated fat intake increases cholesterol absorption; low insulin state decreases LDL receptor activity. Together, these variables can in theory increase circulating LDL concentration.”
Also check:
Thyroid!
Hypothyroid at even subclinical levels may put lipids at higher risk.
Studies show that LDL-P (particle number) can decrease with use of thyroid hormone.
TSH < 2.5, and T3 and T4 is low, could be low pituitary function.
If TSH is normal, check diet for high in carbs and saturated fat.
Leaky gut / gut dysbiosis
Genetics
Dr. Tom Dayspring – Lipidaholics Anonymous Case 291 Can losing weight worsen lipids?:
About ⅓ of patients who go low carb demonstrate tremendous improvements in:
insulin sensitivity
loss of weight
decreased waist size
improved TG and HDL-C
decreased inflammatory markers…
BUT develop an increase in:
TC
LDL-C
ApoB – ApoB are proteins found in lipoprotein particles.
LDL-P – Particle number, i.e. the concentration of LDL particles.
Dr. Dayspring says that atherosclerosis is a disease of EITHER too-much-inflammation OR too-much-cholesterol. He writes:
“The worse scenario is to have both high apoB and an inflamed dysfunctional endothelium. Is it better to have no inflammation in the endothelium – of course! But make no mistake the driving force of atherogenesis is entry of apoB particles and that force is driven primarily by particle number not arterial wall inflammation. It’s a myth to say it’s just inflammation and not about too much cholesterol. Let’s get rid of the nonsense seen all over the internet that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, not a cholesterol disease… it is both.”
“There is little doubt after a review of the literature that the most important CHD risk factor apart from age and smoking is having too many atherogenic lipoproteins as measured by elevated apoB (LDL-P).”
Interpreting Your Entire Lipid profile (a helpful and thorough outline by Dr. Dayspring)
Cholesterol/lipid values:
Numerous studies have shown that high risk (80th percentile population cut points) LDL biomarker levels are:
LDL-C > 160 mg/dL
LDL-P > 1600 nmol/L
ApoB > 120 mg/dl (<100mg/dl is what is best)
Numbers put another way:
The average person should be below the 20th-percentile cut point, which includes:
apoB < 80 mg/dL
LDL-P < 1,000 nmol/L
LDL-C < 100 mg/dL
non-HDL-C < 115 mg/dL
For high-risk patients aim for the following 5th percentile cut off:
apoB < 60 mg/dL
LDL-P < 800 nmol/L
LDL-C < 70 mg/dL
non-HDL-C < 85 mg/dL
Source
Other numbers you WANT to see:
HDL higher than 45 in men and 50 in women
LDL:HDL 3:1 (less than 3x HDL value)
TG: HDL ratio <2 (ideal is 1:1)
CRP < 1
Homocysteine < 7
Where to test when the average lipid panel isn’t enough?
Directlabs.com is one source online.
A la carte biomarkers (i.e. LDL-P, ApoB, etc.) or their “Cardio IQ Advanced Lipid Panel and Inflammation Panel”
Roles of Cholesterol
It’s not a swear word – no cholesterol, no life – why would the body make something detrimental to itself?
Saturated fat and cholesterol make our cells firm, without them we would look like worms.
They also embed protein to the walls of our cells so they can communicate with each other. Without Cholesterol our cells wouldn’t be able to communicate and transport various molecules in and out of the cell (i.e. we wouldn’t function well).
Immune system: LDL binds and inactivates dangerous bacterial toxins.
Vitamin D is made from the cholesterol in our skin!
Cholesterol is a precursor to bile which we need to break down fats.
Brain! Anywhere from 8-22% of dry weight of the brain is cholesterol. And it is estimated that 25% of the bodies cholesterol is taken by the brain.
20% of myelin is cholesterol. Myelin is one of the most abundant materials in your brain and nervous system. It coats every nerve cell and fiber, providing nourishment and protection.
Lower cholesterol? Putting your brain and nervous system under threat. MS, memory loss, emotional instability, behavioral problems.
“Low blood cholesterol has been routinely recorded in criminals who have committed murder and other violent crimes, people with aggressive and violent personalities, and people prone to suicide and low self-control.
Many Hormones are made from cholesterol: regulation of metabolism, energy production, mineral assimilation, brain muscle and bone formation, and reproduction.
POINT: when you go on a cholesterol-lowering drug, the side effects are vast and real, please take careful consideration before doing so and get multiple opinions from different doctors and do the research.
LDL Function – carries cholesterol, fat soluble vitamins/antioxidants, choline, lecithin, co-q-10, phospholipids and more from the liver to other tissues for repair and delivery to cell membrane.
High blood sugar may shred the lipoprotein coat behind recognition (every cell has LDL receptors). When sugar glycates the lipoprotein coat, and vegetable oils oxidize the lipoprotein coat, it becomes unrecognizable to our LDL receptor on our cells and they don’t let them in, so they stay in our bloodstream, exposed to further oxidation, and eventually finding a home by crashing inside our arteries.
HDL – returns excess cholesterol from the tissues to the liver.
Role of diet:
According to Dr. Dayspring:
With individual variability (likely related to genes) low carbohydrate or ketosis producing diets can lead to significant hepatic cholesterol synthesis.
Ingestion and small intestinal absorption of saturated fatty acids in some patients can drive cholesterol synthesis, i.e. lead to a hypersynthesis of cholesterol.
The vast majority of cholesterol absorbed by the gut has an endogenous (produced by body cells) not exogenous (as in eaten) origin.
In reality dietary cholesterol has little to do with CHD risk.
Estimates say your diet accounts for about 15% of cholesterol in your body.
Coconut oil increases cholesterol but also the particle size of LDL.
Aforementioned Case study:
“The only modifications I’ve made because of my high lipids are eating steel cut oats regularly, adding chia seeds to my diet, and eating apples regularly (to increase fiber levels); cutting out most dairy; and watching my saturated fat intake a little more closely–all aimed at getting my high LDL-P down.”
LDL-C dropped from 230 to 92
LDL-p dropped from 2643 to 948 (<1000 is the goal)
Dietary interventions to manage lipids and lower LDL when low carb:
Decrease some of your saturated fats
E.g. lay off the bulletproof coffees with copious amounts of butter
No dairy for a while
Is coconut oil a different beast?
Implement intermittent fasting (IF) and/or avoid grazing
Increase MUFA and PUFA (and NO harmful vegetable oils), as well as EPA/DHA
Olive oil, avocado oil, avocados, PUFA from whole foods not oils; wild salmon, sardines, etc.
Ground flaxseed, sunflower & pumpkin seeds, soaked chia seeds.
Eat more plant-based foods (greens! fiber!)
Plant-based foods often neglected on keto diets- avoid this!
A little more carb may help! Including adequate fiber.
Low-glycemic, unrefined, whole-food sources.
Still aim for <150g day (depends?)
Avoid simple carbs and refined sugars.
Soaked oats, sweet potatoes, buckwheat groats, psyllium husk, apples. (some grains, some fruits are not evil!)
Consume foods with K2
Animal based proteins like chicken liver and chicken legs, egg yolks, natto. Pasture raised organic is best!
Might need to watch the saturated fat sources like grassfed butter and cheeses.
Trans fats and vegetable oils can block absorption of K2!
Statins may also block and/or inhibit absorption of K2.
Watch your nuts & nut butters!
Easy to go overboard with nuts when LC and grain free. Hidden ingredients in these as well (bad oils, sugars, etc.)
Natural supplement ideas:
L-Carnitine
Fish oil (EPA & DHA) – we like Nordic Naturals!
CoQ10 – reduced form preferred: CoQH-CF (allergy research group)

The post HPN 11: Steps To Healthy Cholesterol Levels, Theories for Increased Lipids When Low Carb, and Are Those Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Risky Or Not? first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 9 min
November 08, 2019ATC 298: The Most Common Injuries To Prevent Against, The Sub-2 Shoe Debate, MAF For Health vs. Performance, And More
Sponsor:
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Intro Banter and Announcements:
We have a bunch of new EP gear — including just-added men’s and women’s athletic tech T-shirts — for casual wear, kids and babies go over to our Gear page. Get your hands on some and send us a pic of you sporting the logo!
Wanna run Ragnar SoCal with the EP team? It’s April 3-4, 2020 and we are opening a second team. To find out more, email us at [email protected].
Shoe debate after the sub-2 marathon: should we regulate things like midsole height and carbon plating?
Is it the shoes? A proposal to regulate footwear in road running.
Tawnee reviews the Apple watch vs. Garmin (Garmin wins)
Tawnee mentions using a stroller strap for safety; here’s the one she got.
Dr. Matthew Klitsch asks:
Most Common (and Preventable) Injuries?
I’m a huge fan of the show and have been listening to every episode for about a year now. I wanted to gather some information to better help the athletes I take care of in my office. Specifically my goal is to help keep athletes healthy and cross the finish line in the same level of health they started the race in. In doing so It’s much easier to keep athletes healthy, prevent injuries than to put out flames days or weeks before races or big training days. So to get to my question. Over the course of your and Lucho’s coaching journey, what “injuries” have you most frequently seen (aside from traumatic incidences)?
What the Coaches say:
Dr. Ebonie Rio on The Fundamentals of Tendon Training and Rehabilitation: Just Fly Performance Podcast #144
Commonalities of injuries in adult runners (compilation of many studies):
Top location of injury in adult runners:
Knee
Lower leg
Foot
Top types of injuries in adult runners:
Tendonitis
Inflammation
Strain
Intrinsic risk factors for injury:
Previous injury
Age
Hip abductor weakness
Higher BMI
Men
Decrease calf strength
Extrinsic risk factors for injury:
Less experience
Excessive weekly training distance
Lower stride rate
Lower volume
Excessive training progression in novices
Less than 2 days off per week
Using orthotics or inserts
Minimalist shoes
A Review of the Current Literature on the Utility of the Functional Movement Screen as a Screening Tool to Identify Athletes’ Risk for Injury
Study on FMS as injury predictor – Recent studies on the FMS have demonstrated major flaws in its ability to predict overall injuries with high rate of false positives that never resulted in injury. Based on the conflicting evidence, rehabilitation and strength and conditioning specialists should use caution when attempting to use the FMS for injury prediction in athletes. The FMS is better described as an assessment of the quality of human movement as opposed to a risk-assessment tool.
First, although the FMS is considered a screen, studies report low to medium sensitivity and higher specificity; this is problematic as viable screens demonstrate the opposite characteristics. If anything, the FMS can rule-in factors that indicated a possible injury and thus should be considered more of an assessment than a screening tool.
A majority of the FMS research indicates that composite scores do not correlate with injury prediction (5,12,22). As previously mentioned, this can be due to the variability of the methodology used in FMS studies, or it may be related to components of the FMS that do not correlate with certain sports’ demands. However, when the FMS was used with a single sport or an individual component from it, a majority of the results demonstrate better correlation to a future injury (1).
Tendon loading types
Suzzane S. asks:
Easing Back Into Running
Hi Coaches,
I’ve been a listener of your podcast for a few years now and always learn a lot from you guys. I’m hoping for some advice.
A brief history – 39 yr old female, Hashimoto’s and Raynauds but otherwise healthy, 5’7”, 130-135ish lbs. I eat whole foods diet and have played around with paleo, gluten-free etc to find what works for me. My sleep is decent.
-Former exercise addict, used to do half marathons (middle of the packer), bootcamp workouts and feel anxious if I couldn’t get in a sweaty workout most days. Two years after having my daughter (she’s now 6), I kinda burnt out by trying to do it all, work etc and working out too hard. Burned out. I started to taper things down and tried the MAF approach. Over the past few years I’ve been gradually cutting back, first with easier effort, then with less volume and so on but I don’t think I ever really slowed down enough to actually recover. A ‘Maf-ish jog/walk’ an hour 5-6 days/week was maybe too much and even after a couple years, I was never able to actually run at MAF, it was more of a wobble, shuffle, old lady run. A couple of months ago, with a bit of a flare in my Hashimoto’s and overall fatigue, I decided to completely CUT OUT my attempts to run and just walk (5-6 45min walks/week) and do a bit of weights at home. It’s helping! I’m feeling more energetic and happy. YAY! (Also- Q from Suzzane in April 2019 she indicated she had a stress fracture on top of foot, and was wondering if her training was “too hard”? Says: my exercise routine has been to get in about 5 or 6 runs/week, 30-60 min, trying to keep my heart rate under 140 most of the time. I would run fasted in the morning thinking that this would overtime improve my fat burning and help me to improve my pace at low heart rate. My other reason for the way I was training was to try to keep my exercise-stress low as I’m a bit of high sympathetic-type of person. I would also do a bit of strength work (push-ups and squats, mostly body weight). This was convenient and worked well with my work/family life and I enjoyed getting out in the mornings. I had no injuries for years. However, I was not getting any faster and was not feeling very strong. )
Here’s my question: I really love running- fall runs through crunchy leaves, getting a bit of a sweat on (although I no longer like the feeling of pushing really hard), feeling strong and free. I also love participating in fun runs and running with friends. I’d really like to get back to running but want to avoid getting to the burnt out state I lived in for too long. It would be great to go for runs with friends and do an occasional 10k again. With about an hour/day that I can devote to exercise (ideally first thing when I wake up), what might be a way that I could integrate some running back into my life gently? Would it make sense to replace two or three of my weekly walks with an easy run, going by feel instead of struggling to stay below MAF? I’m just not sure that I can do enough volume to make the MAF method work. And also, I realize that fasted workouts are a bad idea for me so I’ve been saving weights for later in the day. I’m assuming fasted walking is fine…?
Thanks so much for your sharing your wisdom and advice!!
What the Coaches say:
Don’t fixate on “making MAF work” in a performance-based sense. You should be using MAF to help you get healthy.
It doesn’t have to be all or nothing; you can incorporate some running into your walks.
Volume isn’t what’s important for you right now. Your life has a lot going on, and if your MAF isn’t improving because you’re not running high volume then that’s ok!
Don’t stress out about when you’re eating, necessarily.
The effects of a pre-exercise meal on post-exercise metabolism following a session of sprint interval training
Fat oxidation happens during exercise whether or not you’re fasted.
Racing doesn’t have to be set in stone in your life right now.
Don’t let your identity be wrapped up in your racing and performance. (Motherhood is way more important )
Maury L. asks:
MAF for Triathlon on Limited Volume?
Hello, I am very interested in properly applying MAF training to all 3 sports swim, bike run, concurrently.
I find when maf is talked about it is usually done so with running being the sole sport pursued while doing maf.
I am a typical time starved person and probably can only train 7-10 hours per week. I think I understand how to do MAF training if I run exclusively. However, I do NOT understand how to apply MAF training when training all 3 sports, concurrently, with only 7-10 hours per week (with more weeks probably at 7 vs 10 hours) .
Should I just do all 3 sports at or below my MAF heart rate?
So mostly steady state, lower intensity/RPE efforts that keep my HR below my target number?
also, is there a minimal amount of training time at MAF one should do, otherwise it is not worth it?
This ties in with my above question in that if I only run twice a week for example for a max of 2 hours combined, because I am also biking and swimming, is it not worth it to do any MAF training?
Thank you for any comments, feedback or direction that can be provided.
What the Coaches say:
7-10 hours of training can be sufficient if you’re fast and strong at MAF.
Using MAF on the bike is just like MAF on the run. You should be doing this!
To do MAF in the pool, figure out your pace at MAF using a HR monitor one time. Then just go by pace after that.
Lucho recommends undulating one week heavy running and the next week back off to 2 runs with a bike focus.
In the pool, the biggest bang for your buck is kicking drills.
A straight swim is never going to get you faster; do 10x100m drills with kicking in between.
Make sure you’re running off the bike, even if it’s a 10 minute T-run.
You could take a periodized approach by doing MAF in the off-season and base period, then doing more specialized speed workouts as your A race gets closer.
Tia M. asks:
Postpartum mama wondering how to structure offseason?
Hi guys, a huge thank you for this amazing podcast. The impact of your work has been huge in my life. I’ve been listening since 2015, a very dark time as I was recovering from a slew of female athlete issues and 2 years of infertility. After not having a period for nearly 8 years, thanks to your podcast and Tawnee, your blog, it led me down a rabbit hole of knowledge that totally shifted my mindset about training and wellness. Fast forward to today, I’m a mommy of 2 beautiful little humans. I feel like you guys had some doing in that, as crazy as it sounds. Thank you!
I have a background in competitive kickboxing for 12 years, Crossfit and running.
-Running for me was mostly long and slow; several 50Ks which I completed in roughly 7 hours.
-I spent 2015 exclusively focused on MAF getting my pace from 10:30 mile/min to 8:50 mile/min with 35 to 45 miles/week just before getting pregnant.
-I was able to work out 4 to 5 days a week throughout my entire pregnancy. This included light jogging 4-6 miles, scaled/modified Crossfit and the bike trainer.
-I took postpartum really slow as I had a pretty big mindset shift with the second baby. Instead of rushing back to the gym, I didn’t do more than a short walk here and there for the first 6 weeks.
-I also worked with a Pelvic Floor PT (highly recommended) to ensure my insides and lady parts were healing and recovering well. I’ve also been able to return to my pre-pregnancy weight without dieting or restrictive eating. I’ve just been focused on intuitive eating and quality foods as much as possible, carbs and all.
I’m now 1 year postpartum after having back to back kids and am starting to get excited about more structured training. I just finished breastfeeding too so the timing feels right.
I’m 36 but I still run MAF slightly higher, 147-154. It still feels easy. Recent MAF Pace is 9:09 min/mile.
I ran a half marathon last month with a 1:51 finish and felt great. I felt like I could’ve easily gone sub 1:50. It’s no where near my PR 1:43 many years ago but it was the best I’ve felt in 6 years since my healing journey. I also have a full marathon in October. My goal is to simply enjoy it and see where I’m at to prepare for next season.
My question is about my upcoming off season after the marathon. I have my eyes set on a 1:45 Half marathon next year and possibly another Full marathon. I’ve never worked on speed but would like to next season!
My parameters for training these days are:
– 5 to 7 hours a week dedicated to training. I work full time and not willing to sacrifice any more family time for training.
– I live in upstate NY so running in the winter can be spotty. I don’t have a treadmill (should I get one?) I have a Peloton/Indoor spin bike that I love.
-I really enjoy Crossfit 2 days a week just to get out the house, be social and break up the week. I have no issues scaling these workouts if I need to…I just really don’t want to give this up completely.
My question is, how should I structure my off season? More leg extensions? Should I dedicate this time to building/improving MAF? Is 5 hours a week enough time to do so? Would the bike be effective for MAF in the off season? Or do I really need to consider dishing the money for a treadmill and keep MAF specific to running?
What the Coaches say:
A treadmill would be really useful, but it’s not worth going into debt for.
Cycling doesn’t benefit running as much as running benefits cycling.
Incorporate CrossFit workouts that are run bias, such as:
Lucho’s Bert Ladder
Weight optional and/or modify as needed
R- 400 MAF
100 squats (50#)
R- 800
100 core
R- 1200
100 Lunge or Bulgarian split squats (50#)
R- 1 mile
30 KB swings (55#)
30 V-Push ups
30 Pull ups
10 Push ups
R- 1200
100 squats (50#)
R- 800
100 Lunge or Bulgarian split squats (50#)
R- 400
30 KB swings
30 V-Push ups
30 Pull ups
10 Push ups
(4 miles total)
Tawnee recommends polarized training if you’re not seeing gains running 4-5 hours a week at MAF.
Lucho recommends fartleks: 10x 2 min at tempo effort (half marathon pace) for 45 minutes straight.
The post ATC 298: The Most Common Injuries To Prevent Against, The Sub-2 Shoe Debate, MAF For Health vs. Performance, And More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 25 min
November 01, 2019Sanjay Rawal: A More Spiritual Approach To Running, and The Group in Queens That Runs 3,100 Miles Each Summer
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Sanjay Rawal is a filmmaker and runner. His most recent film is called 3100: Run and Become, which documents a small but mighty race in New York every year in which people spend nearly their whole summer running roughly 60 miles every day consecutively on a 1/2 mile block until they reach 3100 miles, taking them on a path to self-transcendence. On this show we talk to Sanjay and learn about this powerful yet little-known-about running race in Queens. Find Sanjay on Twitter and Instagram. View the movie trailer here.
Sanjay’s story and his path to a deep meditation practice.
His spiritual master Sri Chinmoy, a lifelong advocate of fitness and self transcendence.
Running as a spiritual practice and as a way we can overcome preconceived limitations about ourselves.
Mention: Deepak Chopra’s book, Buddha.
Many of us struggle to meditate – tips to stay consistent with it and disciplined to sit?
The 3100 race – how and why this race even started, what was(is) it trying to achieve?
It’s a small amount of people, about 12 or so, and no spectators, running from every day all day for nearly 2 months.
Inside the runners experience and this concept of transcendence that takes place.
The mind shuts off, heart and soul come forward (like a silent meditation retreat) – what triggers this transcendence?
What it’s like for the mind to “shut off” and experience transcendence.
Do we have to suffer to get there?
How can we tap into this in our running and/or meditation practice.
How we can let go (even if a little bit) of results, pace, performance, rankings, and all that…. and take a more spiritual approach to running.
How can we use our spiritual practice to boost our running performance
The post Sanjay Rawal: A More Spiritual Approach To Running, and The Group in Queens That Runs 3,100 Miles Each Summer first appeared on Endurance Planet.
55 min
October 25, 2019HPN 10: Custom Race Fueling Options, Recovering From Rundown, and More On Choosing Your Optimal Diet
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Welcome to episode 10 of Holistic Performance Nutrition featuring Coach Tawnee and Julie McCloskey, a certified holistic nutrition coach who you can find over at wildandwell.fit.
Michael says:
In Response to HPN 9 and Vegan Diets
Hi Tawnee and Julie,
As a long time listener to the show, I looked forward to a balanced, and informed view on plant-based diets for athletes. Instead it came as very one-sided. First, portraying a plant-based diet as being insufficient is not a valid argument, if you can’t account for plant-based athletes who excel at their chosen sports.
If a plant-based diet is inadequate for health, why does the American Dietetic Association claim the opposite? (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19562864/). In addition, how do medical professionals who specialise in plant-based nutrition arrive at different conclusions to the ones you reach? It’s also highly problematic to adopt the position of an omnivore diet as the healthy standard against which other diets should be measured. Why is it that you don’t mention any of the adverse health effects of eating meat, apart from a brief mention at the beginning of the show? The WHO has concluded that processed meat is carcinogenic, and red meat is likely carcinogenic. (https://news.un.org/en/story/2015/10/513662-new-un-report-links-processed-meats-cancer-humans-red-meat-also-likely-cause). In terms of supplements, using a B12 supplement is widely recommended for vegans. I think most people considering adopting this diet would already know this.
An ethical and environmental point you mentioned relates to pasture fed animals. If animal welfare is such a concern, why is killing them acceptable? To me that sounds like a contradiction. In relation to the environment, animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change and deforestation. Take a look at what’s being said about the cause of the fires in the Amazon, for instance. You mentioned that this was not the focus of the podcast, but you then talk about how animal agriculture can be sustainable. This is a questionable claim. My view is that health, ethics and the environment should not be considered as unrelated.
My last point is that if you’d like to present a credible argument, based on research, why not draw on a wider range of literature? If you’re not willing to, it would be an idea to inform listeners that what you are arguing is based on your own personal views, and some research and opinions which support this.
Finally, it would be great if you could host a plant-based medical professional and/or athlete to hear her/his views about what you discussed.
All the best.
What the Coaches Say:
Our goal is to give our audience resources and tools. We are looking at longevity and longterm health, and that partially question explored how sustainable vegan diets are with keeping an open mind.
If your body is craving animal proteins be willing to listen to it.
Athletes require more vitamins and minerals than non athletes and omnivorous diets may really help with that.
Understand the WHY of adopting any diet and not just jumping on a bandwagon.
Utilization for vitamins and minerals is higher in athletes than non-athletes.
Highlighting the theme of this podcast to become healthier, empowering you to right the ask questions.
We are not here to say there is “one true way” nor “one diet to follow.”
Living in harmony with vegans and omnivores.
Athlete results don’t tell the whole story of one’s health (eg fit but unhealthy).
Omnivorous people make a lot of mistakes with diet as well. A lot of meat eaters are not getting it right either and risk deficiencies.
If our diet is limited we need to know where to supplement, and no matter what diet you tackle: 1) eat nutrient dense foods, 2) eat local whenever possible.

Shawn asks:
Healthier Race Fueling Options?
Greetings Endurance Planet! I have a basic question. I’m looking for in-race fueling advice for my first 70.3. It’s the Muncie IronMan 70.3 in my home town and it’s July 11th 2020. I have already paid hoping to have that carrot as a great motivator through the winter. My question is fueling during the race. I recently ran a couple half marathons. One on the trails and one on the road. I fell apart at the 10 mile marker in both race situations. It could be I need to increase my long run. My longest long run leading into the most recent road half was 12 miles. I ran a 1:42:00 but was planning to run a 1:39:00 or faster.
During that last road half marathon I used Cliff gels. 1 before the race, 1 about 4 miles, and part of one around mile 9ish maybe. I hated taking them during the race. The goo gets everywhere and I’m not a fan of taking gels anyways. In the trail half I used cliff blocks. Less messy but still felt pretty weak at the 10 mile marker.
So for the IronMan 70.3, am I just stuck having to take in gels and blocks or is there a better / healthier way…? I train primarily at MAF and I try and to avoid added sugars most of the time. I’m guessing most of my fuel should happen during the bike portion of the race?
I would really appreciate your suggestions. I intend to spend the next 8 months building up my millage in both running and biking, nice and slow, at MAF for 99% of my efforts. So I should be pretty high in fat burning by July. My MAF is 143, and I’ve seen heart rates over 190 during 5k / threashold efforts. It’s usually very hot and very, very, very humid here in Indiana during that time. The bike course is flat and nicely paved and fast. The run course is more like rolling hills and full sun.
I will also be doing a practice Olympic distance in May and I have done several sprint distance races at this same location. The exact location of the IronMan.
What the Coaches Say:
Semi-homemade sports drink 1:
12-20 oz water
1 Scoop UCAN (if a smaller bottle may use less ucan)
1/16 tsp to 1/8 tsp high quality salt – add to taste, start with a little and add more to your palatability.
Note – 1/16 salt is about 250 mg sodium.
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
Adjust ratios as needed to find a palatable mix you enjoy.
Semi-homemade sports drink 2:
UCAN or Tailwind
“Fat adapted” gel or healthy gel of choice – Fbomb, Muir Energy, Spring gel, Justin’s nut butter, etc.
Water
In your own bottle, 12-20oz handheld, gel flask like GoToob, or in a larger 10oz flask like those by Nathan.
Homemade “power bars”
Homemade “power bars” with foods that agree with your gut eg soaked dates, sprouted grains like buckwheat, nuts, hemp, chia seeds, cacao powder. The goal is to incorporate as much real food as you can.
More insight:
A question to ask: do you want all calories in your bottle or to have a hydration?
The Lucho route with nutrition – choke down anything as long as it works, taste and enjoyment doesn’t matter.
Meanwhile Tawnee is more of an “enjoyer” with sports nutrition, it’s ok to want to like what you’re using.
Julie’s pre race breakfast for a 30k – UCAN, oats, chia, maple syrup, sea salt.
Gel alternatives for fat-adapted athletes like Muir Energy – incorporates more fats and natural sweeteners.
Absorption is key to assimilate and utilize your calories and avoid GI distress.
Homemade sports drink recipe:
The small amounts salt and honey/maple sugar help with absorption (not necessarily a calorie source to rely on).
Maple syrup lower in FODMAPs than honey.
Avoiding salt pills – too highly concentrated and can actually pull water into the gut and dehydrate you.
Skratch labs is great for finding a good osmolality for optimal absorption – use that as drink along with a whole food nutrition source on the bike.
Nuun tablet if you just want electrolytes and no sugar.
GoToobs – Use these food-grade silicone containers for homemade gels.
Simplification is key.
Julie’s blog post on sports performance product.
Gu not organic, and GMO issues which could exacerbate GI distress.
Spring Energy Gels – we’re a fan of ingredients, a lot of whole food based ingredients. But was initially curious about oil being used?
We found out that they indeed use coconut oil in their gels, which is great news. Hearing more success stories with these gels!
Use code “tryspring” for 10% off your first purchase at https://myspringenergy.com/
Ella asks:
Feeling Mega Rundown
Hi! I love your podcast. I recently listened to your episode about getting your period back and I learned a lot of useful information.
I do have a question. I have been running hard for about a year now, and I honestly feel like I am getting worse. I run commute 3 times a week and can see that my easy pace has gotten slower – even the pace I went out when I first started running (9:30mins mile) now feels consistently unattainable, and I am stuck at 11 min miles, even on easy pavement. I feel extremely tired all of the time, even though I try to sleep 9-10 hours a night. I might be imagining it but I’ve always had slightly downy hairs on my neck and chin (I’m a woman) but now these seem to be getting thicker and I’m having to pluck them! I really do try to rest and take 2 days off a week from running but even that is very stressful as I know I won’t hit my goals on such low mileage weeks. I feel like I constantly have the flu or there’s something stopping me hitting my mileage goals, and I don’t understand why I’m getting slower! Thank you!

What the Coaches Say:
Stress response is out of whack – a lot of pressure put on herself, like amenorrhea, super tired, getting sick often, getting slower at running, lacking nutrients, low vitamin D likely, not recovering well — all red flags.
Nutrient deficiencies – A, D and Zinc come to mind since she’s always sick
Management of Hirsutism
“Laboratory results may suggest either the ovaries or adrenals as the major source of androgen excess”
Appearing to exhibit Female athlete triad or RED-S
Amenorrhea vs. PCOS
Adrenal PCOS 10% of cases – irregular cycle and higher androgens
HPA axis dysfunction starts with signaling in the brain – based on our actions.
Symptoms are a window into what we need.
Adrenal PCOS – “This means that women who are under chronic stress not only have more opportunities for elevated ACTH and thus elevated androgens, but their hormones may also start to react more severely to stressful situations. It also suggests that a higher amount of DHEA could be the body’s way of protecting the brain from the long-term effects of chronic stress.” – Kresser
PCOS three criteria (must meet 2 out of 3):
Polycystic ovaries (must test)
High androgen levels (hair growth, acne, etc)
Menstrual dysfunction of some kind
To do:
Stress management
Eat more nutrient dense foods
Switch the run commute to a bike commute for a couple weeks
No restricting, no dieting, eating what you want and not.
If being very stringent on needing to run X miles per week, it’s time to let go of that.
Stop tracking and logging mileage and let go of training log, and/or leave the watch at home.
Redirect that energy to a gratitude journal.
You are more than miles. Body is asking for change. Let’s listen to what it needs.
Run a DUTCH panel to understand more about hormones and interconnectedness.
Time off to rest is key.
Stay away from cold smoothies and cold, raw foods. Focus on warm, nourishing foods like stews and soups. Be ok with carbs and real meals that are warming.
No low carb eating
Stress over food and guidelines you place on yourself can do a lot of damage.
Takes time to get health back in line.
Testing (like DUTCH) helps to own the reality and start the path to healing.
Being a driven person can help you in a healing journey.

The post HPN 10: Custom Race Fueling Options, Recovering From Rundown, and More On Choosing Your Optimal Diet first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 5 min
October 16, 2019Kona Special: Race Recap of the 2019 Ironman World Championships with Thorsten Radde
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Thorsten and Tawnee caught up the day after the 2019 Ironman World Championships to recap race highlights and take you through the record-breaking, awe-inspiring day! You can read more race review details and stats over at Thorsten’s website, trirating.com.

Men’s Top 5
Jan Frodeno
Tim O’donnell
Sebastian Kienle
Ben Hoffman
Cameron Wurf
Women’s Top 5
Anne Haug
Lucy Charles-Barclay
Sarah Crowley
Laura Philipp
Heather Jackson
The post Kona Special: Race Recap of the 2019 Ironman World Championships with Thorsten Radde first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 3 min
October 11, 2019ATC 297: Preparing For Frigid Races, Fitness During Pregnancy, Long-Term Kona Goals, and More
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Also be sure to pick up UCAN Tri Starter Pack, which is a sampling of all UCAN’s products, and by using this link that will activate a 50% discount on this package making it just $17.50. And as always use code enduranceplanet for a 15% discount on all UCAN items. Click here to get 50% off your UCAN Tri Starter pack. Hurry while this special lasts!

Intro
Endurance Planet is opening up a second team for Ragnar! Email [email protected] if you’re interested.
New moms are medaling at Worlds and men in their late 30s are breaking world records! These amazing feats shows that we’re learning how to take better care of ourselves as athletes and extending the limits of what we thought was possible.
Julie (aka IronMutti) asks:
NORSEMAN 2020
I have now been listening to the podcast for about a year (I think a fellow Betty first got me onto it) and I listen a lot, so I’ve been catching up on old episodes as well (but I have by no means heard them all)
This may be a question for the podcast, but it may also have to be a single consult (as much as I’d like to be coached by you, I don’t think I can afford it)
I am a 48 year old mum of 4 (23,17,10,8)
I was an active swimmer, track and field, handball, in my teenage years. Did rowing at university and mountain biking/spinning after my first daughter … then moved to Canada (from Europe) and life happened without much exercise.
4 years ago I had the opportunity to start teaching spinning again and took it. 3 years ago I drastically changed my lifestyle (nutrition metabolic efficiency, training…) and started triathlons.
So at my last race I was lucky (I did jump for joy and let out a scream when they pulled my name out of a hat) to get a world card spot for the 2020 NORSEMAN race…. It doesn’t scare me and I know I can finish, but of course now the black shirt dreams have started.
Competing against 250 other hopefuls the majority of them being the 35-40 AG men, there is a very small chance of getting lucky, BUT if there is a chance that I can get into the shape that will allow me to compete for a spot in the first 160 I want to take it.
My swim is good, and cold does not bother me
I will need a 7hr bike
And then there’s the run… already my weakest… 25k + 8k of Zombie hill …. If I can ace the first 33k I will crawl the rest if I have to
Thinking of running mostly hills, long hills, short hills steep hills and doo strength training. But would like your taken this (Lucho … I have been mostly barefoot all my life and only put on cycle shoes and the occasional high heels to go out, I do not own a pair of socks and run all my races in Zoot Solana shoes with no laces and bare feet)
I currently swim 3 times a week (3-4k OWS in the lake June to October and the pool) on swim days I add a run after easy 1hr, intervals, long run ( 75min to 150min)
On the interspersed days I teach 1hr spinning followed by 1hr TRX plus another 1hr of spinning at night
I try and do. One long 3-5hr bike a week during the summer and teach 2hr class of spinning in the winter
One rest day
Of course I have times (42.2k 3:53 stand alone, 12:06 IMAZ,…) and ME crossover point data…. And can send that if needed.
What the Coaches Say:
You’ll definitely want to wear socks for this race.
The hill-work you’re planning is key.
Get your hiking effective so you can hike really hard.
Consider hiking with a weighted vest.
Run 30K then have your weighted vest at the bottom of a hill, where you’ll do 3×1 mile up the hill.
Tawnee recommends the Hyperwear weighted vest for training
Do long runs that finish on a steep climb. Make sure your hill endurance is good.
The conditions will be the most challenging part of this race. Make sure you’re training in the cold.
You want to psychologically handle the cold.
You also need to be physiological able to deal with the cold.
Lucho is worried about the number of spin classes you’re doing. Make sure you’re biking outdoors in the winter.
Practice dressing for intense cold/rain/wind conditions.
Use a pair of cycling shoes that are a size too big, so you can wear an extra pair of socks.
If your shoes are too tight it’ll reduce blood flow, which is not what you want.
In the cold you need to up your carb intake. You have to increase fueling to prevent hypothermia.
Claire P. asks:
Pregnant Triathlete – “Freaking Out Big Time”
I’m an avid listener of the podcast. I love the content that the team puts out – it’s my standard listening go to for every long run! I’ve always love the Ask the Coaches episodes – I’ve learnt a huge amount from the listener questions and the answers you guys put forward – especially enjoy the ramblings and knowledge nuggets from Lucho and so happy that you are back and thriving Tawnee.
To stop myself from rambling I’ll jump straight in. I find myself in an interesting situation where I would love to be able to pick the brains of the Endurance Planet Coaches.
I’m 28, and a mid to back pack triathlete and runner. I’m an mechanical engineer by day – I squeeze in my weekend warrior training into the rest of the hours in the day. In the last 3 years I’ve completed 2 marathons, 3 half ironmans, multiple half marathons in the lead up to training for IM Western Australia last year. It would have been my first full distance IM.
Unfortunately I had a collision with a truck 2 weeks out and never got to the start line. I sustained 3 cervical spine fractures and a thoracic fracture that required stabilisation. Recovery has been incredible however! I bounced back better than I could ever have hoped for (it wasn’t without a lot of tears, frustration, sweat, and support – so much mindset gems from the podcast that have helped an incredible amount) and I was aiming to get to that IMWA start line a year later.
I’ve been on track with my training – back up to 15 hour plus training weeks – similar speeds, distances, and heart rates to where I was this time last year. However, I just found out I was pregnant!! A bit of a shock (for various reasons) but my husband and I are thrilled. So my long winded question for the coaches is, what now??
I would love to continue to train throughout my pregnancy but I’m struggling to find good information on what is recommended for endurance athletes regarding training and pregnancy. I still want my Ironman and I also don’t believe it would be good for me mentally or physically to just give my training away. My plan was to stick to low heart rate training and try and maintain as much fitness as possible/feels good but I’m at a bit of a loss for what that heart rate is? If there is a “safe” training heart rate? While I do at least one weights session in the gym currently, my plan is to step this up going forward, is there a recommendation regarding strength training volume in pregnancy? So many questions!
I really appreciate all that you do for the triathlon and endurance community, but also what you do for each listener individually.
Any information or resources you could point me in the direction in for helping me train safely for this new phase of life would be so appreciated!
What the Coaches Say:
Don’t start anything new that you weren’t doing before you got pregnant including new workouts, heavier load, higher intensity, or more volume.
Exceptions: walking, mobility/functional bodyweight exercises to prep for birth, light swimming at lower intensities.
Always, always work with your care provider on exercise routines, heart rate, etc!
Pregnancy is definitely a time to keep up a fitness routine, modified to be safe for pregnancy, but Tawnee doesn’t see pregnancy as a time to train for competition. Keep up with fitness and exercise, and this will help you to more quickly and easily get back to real training postpartum.
Professional athletes can be the exception here.
Old-school thinking on exercise while pregnant is to keep HR at 140 or less.
That said, Tawnee used MAF heart rate while exercising during her pregnancy.
Chat with your care provider, as MAF may be a good guideline for you to follow.
You’ll see examples of elite or pro women pushing beyond aerobic efforts into higher intensity, but this is the exception not the norm.
An important question to ask if you’re worried about letting go of training: What’s wrong with letting go of training and just exercising for the health of you and baby? What’s so scary about that?
Some physiological things during pregnancy:
You become a more efficient sweater.
Respiration increases, which means you’ll find yourself out of breath during exercise because oxygen is shuttled to the baby.
Ligaments loosen, possibly makes you a little more clumsy.
Increase in blood volume.
Round ligament pain.
As far as caffeine usage: no more than 200mg a day.
Book recommendation: Emily Oster’s Expecting Better
Kevin S. asks:
Kona Qualification Hopeful in 5-10 years
I’m 40 years old and I have a 5 to 10 year goal of qualifying for Kona. Ive been doing triathlons for 10 years have done multiple Halfs and Fulls and my best time in a half was this last April with a 4:45. I currently train around 20 miles per week of running 30 at peak and 15- 17 hours total training at my peak. With my current running ability I believe I have no chance of ever qualifying unless i can run 3:30 or less marathon. The only way I see getting faster at an easy pace is by increase my running mileage. Ive began to use MAF in training but the problem Im having is how do I best increase mileage throughout the year and how much do I need to increase by(running Volume goal) during my training blocks when I have two other sports to train for? What are you having your triathletes do for running volume?
What the Coaches Say:
If you can’t go out and run 26 miles easily, then running 26 miles hard in an Ironman will be extremely difficult.
Structural durability, rather than HR, is the key to doing that.
The weight room and hill work are crucial here.
You have the time to incorporate a run-focus block in your training.
Back off on the bike. Run fitness will make you a better cyclist, but cycling won’t make you a better runner.
From Alan Couzen’s Benchmarks blog post:
Kona Q for a M 40 y/o entails:
800-1200 hours of training per year
~25 hours per week
Z2 swim pace 1:30/100m
Z2 bike 250-270w
Z2 run 4:24-4:42 km (7:05-7:34 mile)
vo2max 66-70
sub 4:30 HIM with a sub 1:30 run split
9:13-9:47 flat IM, with 3:09-3:21 run split
Alan Couzens Benchmarks
Alan Couzens Kona Qualifiers stats
Putting in this amount of work is a huge sacrifice.
You’re definitely sacrificing health when you’re doing that amount of exercise.
If you have a family, this level of training is something that should be discussed with everyone.
The post ATC 297: Preparing For Frigid Races, Fitness During Pregnancy, Long-Term Kona Goals, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 19 min
October 08, 2019Kona Special: 2019 Ironman World Championships Preview with Thorsten Radde
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The Ironman World Championships take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, and on this episode we are here with Thorsten Radde of trirating.com (Twitter @ThRadde) for our official Kona preview. Grab a copy of Thorsten’s Kona Rating Report, which is nearly 200 pages of detailed athlete analysis and race info. Thorsten was also nice enough to put together a TriRating Kona 2019 Cheat Sheet for our audience, which you can download and use as you’re listening to this podcast and as you watch the big race on Saturday to help you better understand the make and female pro race dynamics.
To watch live: Coverage of the entire Ironman World Championships will begin at 4:30 a.m. HT/7:30 a.m. PT/10:30 a.m. ET at Facebook.com/Ironmannow.
On this show some of the professional Ironman athletes racing in Kona who we feature include:
The Women
Daniela Ryf
Anne Haug
Jocelyn McCauley
Sarah Crowley
Honorable Mentions:
Sarah True
Heather Jackson
Kona Rookies: Imogen Simmonds, Laura Philipp
The Men
Jan Frodeno
Cam Wurf
Patrick Lange
Honorable Mentions:
Sebastian Kienle
Lionel Sanders
Kona Rookies: Cody Beals, Alistair Brownlee
Don’t forget to get your TriRating Kona 2019 Cheat Sheet so you can be dialed in on race day!!

The post Kona Special: 2019 Ironman World Championships Preview with Thorsten Radde first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 12 min
October 04, 2019Alan Couzens: Revisiting Electrolytes and Cramping, and How Heat Affects Fat Oxidation Rates
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On this show, we welcome back coach Alan Couzens to dive into two new studies that endurance athletes will want to hear about, especially those who are prone to cramping and/or those racing in hot conditions. Check out Alan’s blog or follow him on Twitter.
The studies discussed on this show include:
The effect of a physiological increase in temperature on mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in rat myofibers.
Electrolyte beverage consumption alters electrically induced cramping threshold.

What we discuss:
Electrolyte beverage (EB) study:
Subjects, consisting of 7 males and 2 females in their 20s, had their tibial nerve activated to induce a toe cramp. These people reported regular cramps in calf as well as foot/toes, abs, triceps, or hamstring during activity or sleep.
Blinded study, each subject was tested twice; once with EB, once with placebo.
What they found:
EB can increase the electrical stimulus frequency required to elicit a cramp and decrease the pain experienced when a cramp occurred in euhydrated, cramp-prone individuals, which suggests that EB consumption independent of hydration can decrease cramp susceptibility in young people.
However, EB did not prevent cramps from occurring in any participants.
“There is still no well-controlled, randomized study that has determined if commercially available EB can decrease cramp susceptibility in euhydrated individuals. Thus, the purpose of the present study is to determine if EB consumption alters the frequency of nerve stimulation at which a cramp occurs (i.e. threshold frequency, TF) compared to a placebo beverage (PB) with similar fluid volume and flavor profile. We hypothesize that EB consumption will increase TF, indicating greater cramp resilience when compared to PB consumption.”
Some impractical aspects of the study that being that it took place in a well-controlled lab vs. out in the field, but that also allowed for much more specific measuring of key variables like hydration state.
Localization of cramps (e.g. overuse of muscle) vs. systemic causes of cramps.
Theories of why we cramp during exercise:
Pushing muscles harder and longer than what they’ve been trained to do (localized cramp).
E.g. cramping on the run coming off a very hard bike is more frequent.
Noakes and Maffetone theory say whole body stores are enough to deal with stressors of endurance exercise. But is a race like Kona different?
Maybe it’s just very individualized.
Hot Shot mention:
Muscle cramps are caused by hyperactive motor neurons and they tested the threshold in which a muscle will cramp and using this
When muscle is held in shortened position for long time and contracted the inhibitory neurons switch off, which can lead to increased excitability of neurons, thus cramping. We can in theory distract this excitability with a supplement like hot shot, pickle juice, spicy things, etc.
Pickle juice seems to be effective when it comes to reducing cramps.
In the study:
Increases the intensity that an athlete would have ot be performing at before cramping sets in.
No one avoided getting a cramp, everyone did cramp, it’s just that their threshold increased when using the EB.
What they drank:
Participants were given 0.5 L of their assigned beverage for consumption. Both beverages were similar volume (0.5 L), color and general flavor (lemonade), and mixed with the same brand of bottled water.
The EB was a commercially available beverage packet (Fuelocity Plus, United Citrus Corp, Norwood USA) with 120 kCals, 29 g of sugar, 840 mg of sodium, 320 mg of potassium and 5 mg of magnesium and 300 mg of l-alanine
The PB was a commercially available low-calorie beverage packet (Crystal Light, Kraft Foods Inc., Northfield USA) with 5 kCals, 0 g of sugar, 35 mg of sodium and 0 mg of potassium, magnesium and l-alanine.
Sweat rate and sweat sodium loss were not measured or utilized in this study.
This EB was heavy in sodium with 840 mg.
Using a drink like this in training and racing.
Real world application:
Don’t diminish the role of electrolytes especially if you’re an athlete who often cramps. Recently the tide has been a muscle fatigue and intensity issue with less merit on the electrolyte component, but should we be ditching electrolytes? Maybe not. We don’t have a complete answer and the complete answer may be that it is a combo of variables. So be mindful of electrolytes.
Utilize all the great resources we have these days to make the most of your fueling plan!
Individualize!!!
Fat oxidation in heat study:
They investigated the effect of temperature increase on mitochondrial fatty acid (FA) and carbohydrate oxidation in the slow-oxidative skeletal muscles (soleus) of rats.
One condition the muscle was heated to 40 degrees C or 104 degrees F, the other it was closer to normal body temperature.
They looked at two markers:
3-HAD, a marker of beta oxidation.
Citrate synthase, a marker or oxidative phosphorylation (Kreb’s cycle).
What they found:
In the heated condition the rate of fat burning was decreased by 32% when compared to the normal body temperature condition. The activity of fat oxidation in the hot muscle was reduced by almost a third!
It’s not about fat transport – fat was still accessible, but the mitochondria was having a hard time converting fat to energy (ATP) in the heated condition.
So even if an athlete is very fat adapted, they will be less efficient with their fat burning in hot conditions.
Typical core temps in hot conditions can be up to or around 40C, as was measured in this study.
So what are ways we can deal with this decrease in fatty acid oxidation?
More reliance on glucose for fuel.
Make the most of BOTH systems you have: carb burning and fat burning!
In a hot race like Kona, athletes may need an additional 120 calories of CHO an hour, which is a lot especially if we also want to be a bit higher on sodium intake! So *gut tolerance* will become a limiter here.
Adjust your pacing plan knowing you will be less efficient.
Are athletes defying this physiological finding by still pushing their fat burning quite far?
The reality is that in hot races like Kona everyone is slowing down relative to their potential.
Paraphrased quote from Jan Frodeno on Kona – “You’re still going to give up 15-20% to the course.”
Other findings:
The study showed a decrease utilization of fatty acids means more free circulating fatty acids in the body. So considering liberating free fatty acids vs. taking in exogenous fats, and understanding the mitochondria will be less efficient at utilizing the fats for energy.
This study also showed heat was not a factor in increasing ROS, thus this was not a factor in decreasing fat burning.
Considerations:
Can we boost mitochondrial health as a way to overcome this issue presented in this study?
Would the results be different in fat adapted athletes vs. rats?
Real world application: Just accept that hot races take their toll and as such make a more conservative pacing plan.
The post Alan Couzens: Revisiting Electrolytes and Cramping, and How Heat Affects Fat Oxidation Rates first appeared on Endurance Planet.
48 min
September 27, 2019ATC 296: Six Swim-Specific Strength & Conditioning Exercises, Running with A Stroller, and More
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Intro:
Tawnee did a 6K Xterra trail race! Holding back on the hill climb by walking allowed her to cruise for the rest of the race and win her age group.
Google has changed their algorithm to downgrade functional and alternative medicine information. You’re going to have to look harder to get this information.
Swim Study:
A Swim-Specific Shoulder Strength and Conditioning Program for Front Crawl Swimmers
“THE SWIMMING SHOULDER KINETIC CHAIN (SSKC) DESCRIBES THE GENERATION OF SWIMMING PROPULSION USING THE WHOLE BODY. EFFECTIVE SWIMMERS WILL USE THE SSKC IN THEIR STROKE, SO EFFECTIVE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROGRAMS SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE THE SSKC.”
“Interestingly, shoulder flexibility and range of motion have a relatively low association with shoulder pain. Time off from competitive swimming is associated with shoulder problems, perhaps suggesting there is a continual adaptation that occurs in swimmers through their swimming career. Hence, return to competitive swimming following time off should be managed carefully to avoid potential shoulder injury.”
“Three main phases have been identified in the FC stroke where shoulder problems may occur (38): the catch phase, the pull phase, and the recovery phase (Table 1). In these phases, swimmers who are at high risk of experiencing shoulder impingement typically show 3 characteristics in their FC stroke technique: (a) a large amount of internal rotation of the arm during the pull phase; (b) late initiation of external rotation of the arm during the recovery phase; and (c) a small tilt angle or shoulder roll (38). Pink et al. (24) similarly observed that 70% of shoulder pain occurred during the first half of the pull, and 18% of symptoms were in the recovery phase. Swim fatigue has also been shown to significantly influence the swim stroke mechanics by reducing stroke length and external rotation range of motion (20).”
The exercises:
The swim hand plank
The swim hand plank coordinates thoracic rotation, scapular rotation, and the trunk and abdominal muscles (Table 2). It is the only SSKC exercise that incorporates a thoracic rotation movement
Step and rotate with marching arms
The step and rotate with marching arms exercise focuses on the rotator cuff shoulder muscles alongside the hip flexors and spine extensor muscles (Table 3). The rotator cuff muscles are responsible for key phases of the FC stroke (Table 1). During the catch phase, the rotator cuff muscles undergo initial eccentric then concentric contraction as the hand enters and catches the water. This stabilizes the humeral head and improves the dynamic GH joint control during this phase.
Overhead squat sequence
The overhead squat is a good exercise for developing a strong push off and streamlined glide position adopted in swimming while activating the posterior rotator cuff, gluteal muscles, back extensor muscles, trapezius muscles, and whole-body range of motion (Table 4). The addition of elastic resistance and light weights will encourage good recruitment of the rotator cuff muscles throughout this whole-body movement. In addition, this exercise recruits the gluteal, trapezius, and back extensor muscles that are important in the coordinating and stabilizing role of the leg kick.
Prone over a stability ball
This exercise activates the deltoid muscles, teres major, triceps, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, abdominal, rotator cuff, and serratus anterior muscles (Table 5). It is a very good sequence for using the swim kinetic chain within an upper-limb closed kinetic chain scenario. Rotator cuff and scapular muscles will be engaged alongside abdominal and hip flexor muscles. The prone position with external arm movement aligns with the arm movements in the catch phase of FC swimming, and correct movement will activate eccentric contraction of the subscapularis muscle of the rotator cuff group. The internal rotation of the GH joint during this exercise will activate concentric contraction of the subscapularis muscle and align with the pull phase of FC swimming (Table 1).
Glenohumeral External Rotation Motor Control
This exercise uses the rotator cuff muscles that are used in the catch, pull, and recovery phases of the FC stroke (Table 6)
Glenohumeral Internal Rotation Motor Control
Similar to the GH external rotation exercise, this GH internal rotation exercise uses the rotator cuff muscles that are used in the catch, pull, and recovery phases of the FC stroke (Table 7). Lying supine with the arm supported, the eccentric– concentric internal rotation movement develops the internal rotators of the GH joint (subscapularis and deltoid muscles).
Want photos of the exercises?
If anyone would like more information and a visual guide on the exercises mentioned please email [email protected] and she will send photos.
Par Tornholt asks:
Swimming Long
So swimming-related questions…
This summer I did a 3k race and a 21k ”adventure”-swim which wasn’t a race. Completing a 21k swim without any injuries felt good and made me want to try a longer a race (than 3k). Fortunately there is a 10k race close to my location so I have the following questions: 1) How do I structure my schedule? I will want to race, not only finish. I have to train according to work and family which in short means: 10 week cycle, 4 cycles until race; no swim during weekends (but will run and bike with wife); strength training will be at home with mostly body-weight (pull-ups, dips, handstands, upperbody). 2) How do I structure my workouts? Only focus on going long? Kicking? Speed-work? Further reading: I am healthy, not injured and low carb since 2013. Did 3k in 36.30 at 1.13/100m and will try to get to 1.20/100 in 10k. I have a really good wetsuit. Love swimming with pull bouy and paddles but a useless kicker. Longest session so far not counting 100×100 in youth is 20×400 @ 6.00 Pretty good technical swimmer w high elbows and high frequency. Need to get stronger in upper body.
What the Coaches Say:
You don’t just need upper body strength. Your whole body needs to work in conjunction.
The majority of people should stay away from dips. Be careful about the weight training you choose to do in general. Pull-ups can be stressful on the shoulder joint; assisted pull-ups would be safer. Handstands can also add a high load to the shoulder joint. Is it necessary? Probably not…
Tawnee and Lucho would encourage you to do the strength exercises included in the above study.
To develop your kick, don’t use fins; you’re more advanced than that.
Strive to kick 1500m (3×500 with brief rest).
Don’t just relax with the kick board and chat with your friends. Use the clock to force yourself to kick hard and fast.
Not swimming on the weekends will be a good modulator for you.
40-weeks is almost too long. You could almost do a double periodization of 16-weeks each (working from non-specific to specific). You can take a polarized approach with 80/20 or 60/40 (aerobic distance vs speed).
Don’t become too reliant on pool buoy, paddles, and other “toys.”
If you’re committed to the team, do that. But if it’s not specific for your training and you don’t need the master’s setting to motivate you to get to the pool, then ditch it and do your own thing.
Andy R. asks:
Stroller Running
Just curious to hear your thoughts on training with a jogging stroller for running.
I’m a 30 year old (male) cyclist turned runner with now 2 boys (3mo and 21mo) and am quite proud of the 600+ miles I’ve logged on weekends with the jogger while the older one naps (through winter, summer, rain, snow, and in between). Lately, I’ve been doing the major portion of long runs training for Presque Isle Marathon (Sep 8) hoping to run 2:57 for a BQ (missed it at Boston with a mile 18 blow up, 3:21 finish) with the stroller. FWIW I ran 3:00:04 at Presque in 2017 for my first bq and requalified in 2018 for this year with 2:59:41, in that crazy rain and wind storm. Anyway just curious on your thoughts around long runs with strollers, I’ve gone up to 18 and often will split a run starting with ~12 stroller and 4-6 solo finish. I take the kids in the morning, making solo morning runs less of an option (early wake up while I’m out…no go). We live outside of Amherst MA on a dirt road with variable conditions, often doing all the running back and forth on a single paved stretch, rolling hills. Stoller pace is 30s-1min off regular pace (more on hills) for equivalent HR.
What the Coaches Say:
The stroller creates resisted running, which makes your run stride unnatural. Stride frequency, stride rate, and ground contact time all change.
Don’t let stroller running be your primary form of training.
The good news is, the resistance is making you stronger!
Stroller intervals (fartleks or downhill) can be beneficial, but make sure you’re tethered for safety!
Stroller running also increases core strength.
Wheel size is everything when it comes to choosing a stroller. Bigger wheels will definitely allow you to run easier. Comment below if you have recommendations for a running stroller for Tawnee.
The post ATC 296: Six Swim-Specific Strength & Conditioning Exercises, Running with A Stroller, and More first appeared on Endurance Planet.
1 hr 19 min