Doug Stenclik, from Cripple Creek Backcountry, Wild Snow, and the Totally Deep Podcast, joins this episode to talk skimo gear, tell some comical race stories, and play a little ski mountaineering 'would you rather'. Also in this episode, Grace goes to Europe and Joe takes a vacation.

Joe and Matti debate the High Fat Low Carb nutrition trends and their impact on athlete performance. They do a deep dive into what really happens in the body during fat adapted racing and training. Matti is back on the bike racing and Joe is back in the snow getting stoked for winter.

Joe and Grace talk with Dirk Friel, Co-Founder and Chief Evangelist at Training Peaks. Get excited for winter and learn how Training Peaks can help optimize your training. Also, Grace races in Broken Arrow before heading to Europe while Joe works the Badass Class circuit.

Eat your heart out science nerds! Joe and Matti review a podcast about dopamine and apply their learnings to optimize endurance sport and training. Joe does a deep dive into additional dopamine research and compares his findings to the podcast. They discuss how dopamine influences addiction, motivation, and what is known and unknown about how it works. Also, Matti's son has started ripping around pump tracks on a strider, which inspires Matti to play more. Joe is embracing fall through trail running.

Joe and Grace talk to Chris Knerl, Strength Coach and Performance Manager at Howard Head Sports Medicine, about strength philosophies, strategies, and Grace's box jumps. This one includes a lot of knowledge and some motivational phrases you can tape to your mirror.

Joe and Matti discuss injuries; everyday habits to prevent them and what to do about niggles (little pains that could turn into big injuries if not addressed properly). Also, Matti prepares for his final bike race of the season and Joe continues to work on an injury of his own.

As the summer training and race season comes to an end, do you need to take a two week break? Joe and Matti explore the benefits of seasonal breaks and how to spend those dreaded 14 days without training and racing. Matti tells a harrowing story of getting lost during a gravel bike race. Also, how is success defined as an athlete? And is it really possible to find the perfect balance between parenting and training?

Joe and Grace talk to USSMA Board President, Ram Mikulas about how the sport of skimo gets to be included in the Olympics. Also, Grace dominates The Rut, Joe is back to hard workouts, and everyone has a take on intervals called Build-A-Bear.

In this episode Joe and Grace talk about off season training, how to use poles while running, and the smoke factor.