In this week’s episode, we chat through our favorite strategies for recovery and signs of whether you are recovered or not, how we approach traditional strength training in the gym vs. cardio workouts that build strength in a periodized context, active heat training protocols to increase your blood plasma and improve performance, how we think about structuring training for unique combinations of events, how to know whether you are improving or not, and why adventurous and durability-based workouts can often make us feel like the best versions of ourselves as athletes. Check it out! 

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This week’s episode covers insights across lots of topics including: how you can level up your long-distance performance quicker with high-carb fueling, how you can use hydration biosensors to optimize your fluid intake, open water swim safety tips, how visualizing the transition area can save you time on race day, why you should consider “going all in” for your next race, and how to think about recovery in the context of travel. We also answer some great listener questions on how to plan out your hydration strategy with aid stations and limited bottle cage capacity on race day, how to approach racing in bad weather conditions, whether to buy a swim skin or not, and considerations for traveling with a bike. Check it out!

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In this week’s episode, we’re recapping Elena’s speedy race and “effort PR” at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. We talk through why Elena chose to race a road marathon as part of her build for UTMB, her flexible approach to setting A/B/C goals, how she managed internal and external pressure, why feeling bad during the taper doesn’t mean you’re going to have a bad race, the mental prep she did to get ready for race day, how she designed and executed her race plan on a challenging course, why body weight has so much less to do with performance than we might think, what it was like to coach her husband Will (who also crushed it!) for this race, and why self-belief was the number one factor that led to her incredible performance. Katie and Elena also cover some fun insights on when and how to choose a big vs. small race, why the ability to “say yes” to anything physically is one of the greatest benefits of endurance training, how we think about integrating chat GPT into our training and coaching strategies (or not), and female athlete body pressures. This is a super rich episode full of insights for any athlete — check it out! 

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This week’s episode is jam-packed with insights across a bunch of different topics! We riff on: how to think about training during the first hot and humid days of the spring; how to plan out your fueling strategy for long workouts and races; troubleshooting low motivation and/or fatigue; the pros and cons of indoor vs. outdoor intervals on the bike; handling high-pressure situations by having a calm conversation with yourself; optimizing recovery after big days; using races or group rides as organic fitness tests; how to build durability on the bike; why skipping and other plyometrics can revolutionize your running; and Jim’s minimum effective dose 15-minute run workout for time-crunched athletes. We also hit some fun swimming-related gear picks of the week and answer listener questions on clip-in pedals. Check it out!

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This week’s episode is another grab bag full of recent insights from racing, training, and spectating! Elena and Katie cover a bunch of fun topics including: insights from the Boston Marathon; how to optimize your training schedule for variables like multiple sports, good vs. bad weather, recovery, and social time; pre-race nerves and anxiety; processing bad races; gender breakdowns in Ironman and ultra training; emotions and training; what rucking is and how to incorporate in your training; how the menstrual cycle impacts overall feel in training; and fun new marathon prep workouts. Check it out! 

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This week’s episode is a grab bag full of fun insights related to: the how and why of training camps, considerations for buying a new or new used bike, navigating race-day uncontrollables, impulse control in racing, how and when to “burn a match” in workouts or races, GI issues on long runs, the post-race blues, and lessons from interval training. We also debrief Jim’s recent bike trip in Europe, answer some questions related to “hitting the wall” after Katie’s recent marathon (hot take: there is no wall), and cover some fun tech-y gear picks of the week. Check it out! 

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In this week’s episode, Elena and Katie recap Katie’s recent BQ marathon. We cover why Katie decided to pivot from triathlon training to marathon training, why she kept the race a secret until after she crossed the finish line, how relatively low mileage and a ton of cross training kept her injury-free throughout the build, how she integrated heavy weighted strength into her run training plan, how she approached unexpected adversity leading up to the race, mindset tools that helped her in training and racing, her fueling and pacing strategies, and her key takeaways from the race experience itself. This episode is a good listen for anyone who is marathon-curious or who likes a good story about the importance of flexibility and resilience! Check it out. 

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In this week’s episode of the podcast, Elena and Katie are welcoming on a repeat guest who always has plenty of life wisdom to share. Gina des Cognets — an executive coach for teams and individuals and a badass athlete herself — talks us through how she approaches uncertainty and risk in the pursuit of ambitious goals, practical strategies for establishing a routine, and how to think about balance between career, sport, family, and life. She also talks us through her evolution as an athlete, and specifically how she and Katie have collaborated on her training in recent years, how she thinks about listening to her body vs. pushing harder, what races and goals are most exciting to her in training and how that has evolved over time, and how she has approached perimenopause as an athlete. In addition to Gina’s awesome perspective, Katie and Elena riff on some insights related to courage and anxiety in workouts, body image, and down weeks and share some fun gear picks of the week related to gels, apparel, and super shoes. Check it out! 

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In this week’s episode, we’re bringing on a very special guest and friend of the pod. Eli Burakian is an ultrarunner, coach, guidebook author, mountain photographer, dad, race director, and all-around adventurer whose love of the sport and passion for helping other people make him one of the most interesting people we know. We chat through Eli’s most recent ultrarunning achievement: completing the Grand Slam in 2024, a series of four 100-mile ultras in a period of 14 weeks. Eli also shares stories from the many FKT (fastest known time) adventures he has completed, including a multi-day trek across the entire country of Iceland and from the southern to northern borders of New Hampshire. We learn about the fueling, recovery, and training tactics he has brought to these extraordinary undertakings, the mindset tools he employs when the going gets tough, and how he wants to bring his knowledge into the coaching space. Finally, we chat about Eli’s upcoming trail running retreat in the White Mountains and how you can get involved. This is a jam-packed, can’t-miss episode — check it out! 

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We’re starting the transition to from base season to race season fast! This episode covers a bunch of topics we’re thinking about as our athletes welcome spring, the build phase, and even some races. We talk through the what, why, and how of tapering, the common pattern we see of bad race simulations and good races, reminders on the benefits of zone 2, and how to make easy aerobic training more bearable. We also do a deep dive (no pun intended) on common swim technique issues, cues to address them, and why making the swim a low metabolic stress event needs to be the goal of triathlon swim prep. Finally, we chat through the pros and cons of TrainingPeaks’ new “See How I Stack Up” feature and share some fun challenges and gear picks of the week. Check it out!

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To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].