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You’re putting in the bike miles, completing the workouts, and watching the numbers—but the fitness still is not showing up when it matters.

The problem may not be effort. It may be that your training is developing the wrong qualities or measuring progress in ways that do not translate to race day. In this episode, Coach Justin explains how triathletes can build sustainable bike performance through purposeful progression, greater durability, better execution, and stronger real-world cycling skills.

What You’ll Learn

• Why repeating similar rides eventually stops producing meaningful improvement
• How speed and FTP can mislead you about your actual race-day fitness
• Why cycling frequency, durability, and pacing matter more than simply riding harder
• How outdoor skills, position, strength, fueling, and pedal efficiency turn fitness into performance

Timestamps

00:00 Why triathletes struggle to improve on the bike
03:35 The factors that drive cycling progress
08:00 Why every ride should not look the same
12:00 Using progressive overload in bike training
28:00 Why average speed is a misleading metric
38:15 FTP versus sustainable race-day power
41:20 The problem with making every ride hard
46:45 Why triathletes may need to ride more often
1:00:45 Why indoor fitness does not fully transfer outdoors
1:05:30 Position, strength training, and functional bike power
1:11:35 Fueling the bike to support the run
1:14:25 Pedal efficiency and bike-handling fundamentals

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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In this episode, Katie shares a candid recap of Grandma's Marathon and reflect on one of the most challenging races of my running career.

After beginning training with hopes of running a personal best, an unexpected bout of Influenza B just eight weeks before race day changed the trajectory of her marathon build. Despite working hard to regain fitness, lingering doubts followed her into race day, forcing her to confront difficult questions about expectations, motivation, and what success really means.

Katie takes you through the highs and lows of race weekend—from travel mishaps and pre-race stress to the mental and physical battles that unfolded over 26.2 miles. What began as a pursuit of a sub-3-hour marathon gradually became a fight simply to reach the finish line.

In this episode, Katie discusses:

• Recovering from illness during a marathon training cycle
• The challenge of adjusting goals after a major setback
• Confirmation bias and why athletes sometimes ignore warning signs
• The difference between intuition, fear, and self-doubt before a race
• What happens when your race-day reality doesn't match your expectations
• The mental battle of continuing when every part of you wants to stop
• Why difficult races often teach us more than successful ones
• Re-evaluating performance goals, aging, health, and longevity as an athlete
• Finding new ways to pursue growth and joy in endurance sports

This conversation is about much more than one marathon. It's about learning to adapt when things don't go as planned, finding pride in perseverance, and redefining success when the original goal slips away.

Whether you've experienced a disappointing race, struggled through a setback, or are questioning your own athletic goals, this episode offers an honest look at resilience, self-reflection, and the lessons endurance sports can teach us.

Sometimes the greatest victory isn't achieving the goal you set out to accomplish—it's finding the strength to keep moving forward when the race becomes something entirely different than you expected.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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You can complete every workout, push hard, and finish exhausted—and still miss the purpose of the training.

Hard work is necessary, but difficulty alone does not make a workout effective. In this episode, Coach Justin explains the difference between training hard and training well, why fatigue must be managed rather than feared, and how to judge each session by the role it plays in the larger plan.

What You’ll Learn

• Why a hard workout is not automatically a productive workout
• How effort, purpose, and recovery determine whether a session served the plan
• Why testing your fitness in training can lead to panic training and unnecessary fatigue
• Six questions that help you evaluate workouts more objectively

Timestamps:

00:00 — Training hard versus training well
05:00 — Why quality versus quantity is too simplistic
12:35 — The danger of constantly optimizing training
19:00 — Building your fitness floor versus raising the ceiling
26:00 — What separates training from simply exercising
31:00 — When training builds fatigue instead of fitness
39:00 — Why one workout cannot define your fitness
44:00 — Fatigue is not proof of progress
50:00 — Stop trying to prove race-day fitness in training
56:00 — The cost of always doing more
1:05:00 — Six questions to evaluate every workout
1:11:00 — Did the session serve the plan—or your need for validation?

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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In this final Road to Grandma’s Marathon episode before race day, Katie shares a candid look at the last few weeks of training, tapering, travel, and preparation leading into one of the most anticipated races of her season.

From testing a bargain pair of carbon-plated racing shoes and completing key marathon workouts, to navigating travel across Colorado, New York, Vermont, and eventually Minnesota, Katie discusses the realities of marathon preparation when life doesn’t always go according to plan. She reflects on adapting workouts, managing confidence after illness, balancing family commitments, and learning to trust the training despite missed sessions and unexpected challenges.

Katie also takes a deep dive into the science of altitude training versus heat training. She explains how altitude improves oxygen-carrying capacity, how heat training influences plasma volume and thermoregulation, and why she incorporated sauna sessions and strategic heat exposure to help maintain altitude-related adaptations while spending several weeks at sea level before race day.

In this episode you'll learn:

•  How Katie's final marathon workouts and taper unfolded 
•  Why missed workouts rarely make or break a race 
•  The importance of confidence heading into race week 
•  The differences between altitude training and heat acclimation 
•  How sauna sessions may help endurance athletes prepare for racing 
•  Practical considerations for heat training, hydration, and recovery 
•  Why the taper is often more of an art than a science 

With carb-loading underway, race nerves building, and Grandma’s Marathon just days away, Katie shares her final thoughts before stepping onto the starting line and reflects on the journey that got her there.

Whether you're preparing for your own marathon, experimenting with heat training, or simply curious about the behind-the-scenes reality of endurance training, this episode offers practical insights and an honest look at the final stretch before race day. 

Tune in and join Katie on the final steps of her Road to Grandma’s Marathon.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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Carb Loading for Endurance Athletes: What Actually Works?

Is carb loading really necessary before a marathon, Ironman, or long endurance event? How many carbs do you actually need, and will carb loading make you feel heavy, bloated, or gain weight?

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Board Certified Sports Dietitian and endurance athlete Katie takes a deep dive into the science and practical application of carb loading. With Grandma’s Marathon just weeks away, Katie shares both the research and her personal approach to maximizing glycogen stores before race day.

You'll learn:

•  What carb loading is and why it improves endurance performance 
•  How glycogen fuels long-distance events and helps delay fatigue 
•  The difference between old-school and modern carb-loading strategies 
•  Who should (and shouldn't) carb load 
•  How many carbohydrates you actually need before a race 
•  Common mistakes that can sabotage your carb load 
•  Why fat and fiber intake matter in the days before competition 
•  Whether carb loading causes weight gain 
•  Practical meal and snack ideas to help you hit your carbohydrate goals 
•  How to combine carb loading, race morning nutrition, and in-race fueling for optimal performance 

Whether you're preparing for a marathon, half Ironman, Ironman, ultra marathon, or long cycling event, this episode will help you create a carb-loading plan that supports your performance goals and helps you avoid hitting the wall on race day.

Tune in to learn how a well-executed carb load can help you start your race with a full tank and finish stronger.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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For Episode 100, Coach Justin and Coach Katie are tackling one of the biggest reasons endurance athletes fall apart on race day: fueling that was never practiced like training.

You may think your stomach is the reason your fueling fails. But for many endurance athletes, the real issue is simpler: the gut was never trained to handle the fuel being asked of it on race day.

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down why fueling falls apart during long workouts and races, how gut training actually works, and why your race-day plan is only as strong as what your body has practiced in training.

What You’ll Learn

• Why GI issues do not always mean you need less fuel
• How to progressively train your gut to handle more carbohydrates
• Why copying another athlete’s fueling plan can backfire
• How to practice race-day fueling before it costs you performance

Timestamps:

00:00 Episode 100 and the importance of gut training
05:24 Why higher-carb fueling can improve training and recovery
07:16 The fear of eating before workouts
11:19 Fasted training, weight loss, and performance goals
18:57 What gut training actually means
20:02 Justin’s experience building up to 60 grams of carbs per hour
23:38 Carb targets, elite examples, and realistic expectations
32:24 Why underfueling leads to bonking and late-race fading
39:36 Common fueling mistakes athletes make before race day
42:18 Real food, gels, and why race-day products must be practiced
51:00 What changes inside the gut when you train it
55:56 How to build a progressive gut training protocol

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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Miles can make a training plan feel clear. But they can also make it easy to chase a number without understanding the actual cost of the work.

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down the difference between training by minutes and training by miles — and why the better choice depends on your experience, your goals, your sport, and the stress your body is already carrying.

If you are a runner, triathlete, or endurance athlete trying to follow a plan without overdoing it, this conversation will help you think more clearly about volume, recovery, long runs, heat, terrain, and when “just hit the miles” may not be the smartest answer.

What You’ll Learn

•  Why mileage does not always reflect the true stress of a workout 
•  When training by minutes may be better for newer athletes, triathletes, and time-crunched schedules 
•  Why runners often get emotionally attached to certain mileage numbers 
•  How to choose the training structure that fits where you are right now 

Timestamps:

00:00 — Minutes vs miles in training plans
 02:27 — Why many runners prefer mileage-based plans
 06:50 — The downside of chasing mileage
 12:00 — Fueling long runs by time, not distance
 20:24 — How heat changes the cost of a workout
 28:00 — Why template plans can miss the bigger picture
 38:14 — The problem with arbitrary mileage goals
 47:12 — The case for minutes-based training
 56:16 — Time-crunched athletes and training stress
 1:03:20 — Why training by time can feel freeing
 1:20:33 — The limitations of minutes-based plans
 1:28:42 — How to decide which method fits you

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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What happens when the goal you can’t stop thinking about is the one you’re afraid to pursue?

Whether it’s your first race, moving up in distance, returning from injury, or taking another shot at something that didn’t go well the first time, many endurance athletes find themselves stuck in the space between wanting something and actually committing to it.

In this solo episode, Coach Justin explores the relationship between fear, confidence, and action. Using his own struggles with returning to Ironman racing and pursuing Unbound Gravel, he breaks down why waiting to feel ready often keeps athletes from pursuing the goals that matter most—and why confidence is usually the result of action, not the requirement for it.

What You'll Learn

• Why confidence is built through action, not before it
• The difference between fear, danger, and uncertainty
• How past experiences can make returning to a goal harder than starting something new
• Why committing to the first step matters more than committing to the finish line

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why this conversation about fear matters
03:15 – The thing you want most often scares you most
08:10 – Fear vs. courage in endurance sports
10:00 – Fear, danger, and risk are not the same thing
16:00 – Returning after setbacks, injury, and disappointment
21:15 – Why growth lives outside of comfort
25:00 – The real reason athletes keep postponing goals
26:00 – Confidence comes from action, not certainty
37:00 – Fear, excuses, and waiting until you're ready
45:15 – Taking the first step instead of the final step
49:30 – The lesson every endurance athlete needs to hear

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

If you train seriously long enough, eventually you hit the point where your body stops feeling “good.” Your legs feel dead. Recovery slows down. Workouts that normally feel manageable suddenly feel heavy. And then the mental spiral starts:

Am I adapting… or breaking down?

In this episode, Coaches Justin and Katie break down the difference between normal training soreness, accumulated fatigue, and genuine warning-sign pain. They discuss how endurance athletes misinterpret body signals, when soreness is actually part of progress, and how to recognize when your body is telling you something more serious.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to tell the difference between productive soreness and injury-warning pain
• Why fatigue, stress, sleep, and life load all impact recovery
• When athletes should push through discomfort — and when they should back off
• What recovery tools actually do (and what they don’t)

Timestamps:
00:00 — Why soreness became the topic of this episode
02:10 — The fine line between soreness and pain
05:20 — Marathon training fatigue and struggling workouts
09:20 — Strength training, recovery, and accumulated fatigue
19:30 — Heat training, stress, and recovery load
23:15 — What delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) actually is
30:15 — Why soreness is part of adaptation
35:10 — When soreness becomes excessive
42:30 — Soreness vs fatigue vs injury
49:00 — Sharp pain, tendon pain, and warning signs
57:20 — Should you train through soreness?
1:04:30 — Recovery days, nutrition, hydration, and rebuilding

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

In this solo episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Katie shares an honest update on her road to Grandma’s Marathon and takes listeners inside the reality of marathon training after a setback from illness. After battling the flu and losing valuable training time, Katie discusses the challenges of rebuilding fitness, navigating difficult workouts, and balancing confidence with uncertainty as race day approaches.

The episode also dives deep into the concept of functional overreaching — what it is, why endurance athletes sometimes intentionally push beyond their limit, and how to recognize the difference between productive fatigue and overtraining. Katie explains how athletes can safely use periods of increased training load to stimulate adaptation while avoiding the dangers of non-functional overreaching and burnout.

Topics covered include:

• An update on Katie's marathon training over the past two week
• Why workouts can suddenly feel harder than expected
• Understanding functional vs. non-functional overreaching
• Signs you may be pushing too far
• How recovery, sleep, and nutrition affect adaptation
• The importance of fueling during high-volume marathon training
• Why higher carbohydrate intake may improve recovery and performance
• Adjusting training when life, fatigue, and stress collide
• The mental side of marathon preparation and trusting the process

Katie also shares practical insight into her current marathon build, including high-mileage weeks, strength training integration, fueling experiments, and how she’s adapting her plan in real time leading into race day.

Whether you’re training for a marathon, triathlon, or simply trying to balance hard training with recovery, this episode offers a relatable and educational look at the fine line between pushing your limits and pushing too far.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]