The Endurance Athlete Journey

Summary
In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey podcast, Coaches Justin and Katie discuss the challenges of training within time constraints. They explore the balance between life demands and training commitments, emphasizing the importance of planning and scheduling workouts. The conversation highlights the significance of quality over quantity in training, the role of recovery, and the psychological aspects of pushing oneself in workouts. They also address the pressures of social media and the need for athletes to focus on their individual goals rather than comparisons. The episode concludes with practical tips for structuring workouts and...

Summary:
In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey podcast, Coaches Justin and Katie discuss the challenges athletes face when their mental determination clashes with physical limitations. They explore how to create tailored training plans that accommodate individual needs, especially for those dealing with injuries or time constraints. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recovery, body awareness, and the role of cross-training in maintaining fitness. They also touch on the significance of biomechanics in preventing injuries and the impact of technology on training.

Takeaways:

The mind may be willing, but...

Summary

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Coaches Justin and Katie discuss the challenges of training while managing injuries, particularly focusing on Achilles issues. Justin shares his personal experiences with various injuries and the mental struggle of balancing training goals with physical limitations. The conversation also touches on the recent Ironman experience, the unexpected opportunity for a free race registration, and the importance of faith in decision-making. They explore strategies for cross-training, injury management, and the significance of listening to one's body during training.

Takeaways

Managing injuries...

Summary:

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey podcast, Coach Justin and Coach Katie delve into the importance of protein for endurance athletes. They discuss the basics of protein, how to evaluate protein sources, and the specific protein needs for athletes. The conversation also covers the timing of protein intake, the differences between animal and plant protein sources, and practical tips for increasing protein consumption in daily meals. The episode concludes with insights on protein intake during endurance training and the importance of a balanced diet.

Takeaways:

Protein is...

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Coach's Corner, Coaches Justin and Katie discuss the challenges faced after completing a marathon, including physical recovery, emotional struggles, and the importance of finding motivation to train again. They share personal experiences and insights on how to navigate the post-race blues, the significance of reflection, and the role of support in the recovery process. The conversation emphasizes the need to be kind to oneself during this time and explores the idea of exploring new opportunities in training.

Episode Takeaways

Post-marathon recovery can be challenging...

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey podcast, Coaches Justin and Katie delve into the critical topic of heat training for endurance athletes. They discuss the physiological effects of heat on the body, the importance of hydration and electrolyte balance, and the individual factors that influence heat tolerance. The conversation emphasizes the need for acclimatization, adjusting training expectations, and recognizing the risks associated with heat training, including heat-related illnesses. 

Listeners are provided with practical strategies for safely training in hot conditions and optimizing performance during the summer months. In this conversation, Coaches Katie and Justin delve i...

Katie and Justin completed their A races for the season, and this is the race recap episode. This episode includes a long discussion with some of the following topics:

Katie shares a recap of her recent marathon including the week leading up to the race, the few days prior the race, the race details, and how she is recovering post-raceKatie shares what went well and what she struggled with prior to the race and during the race. This includes details on how she fueled pre-race and during the race. She also struggled a bit with sleep prior to...

Katie and Justin completed their A races for the season and this is the race recap episode. This episode includes a long discussion with some of the following topics:

Katie shares a recap of her recent marathon including the week leading up to the race, the few days prior the race, the race details, and how she is recovering post raceKatie shares what went well and what she struggled with prior to the race and during the race. This includes details on how she fueled pre-race and during the race. She also struggled a bit with sleep prior...

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Coach Justin talks about the role of the brick workout. He dives into the purpose behind the brick workout and how/when it fits into your training plan. He also discusses some key things to focus on during these types of training sessions. Finally, he covers the potential risks and the benefits of these types of workouts. 

 

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast we talk all about the art of the taper. We dive into what is the purpose of the taper and why it is important to taper before a big race. We also discuss how to approach the taper including some considerations when planning a taper. We talk about mistakes people make when tapering and how to avoid these mistake. We also dive deep into the mental and nutritional side of tapering. 

Here is an outline of our discussion on the taper:

Katie's current experience with tapering for h...

Coach Katie and Coach Justin are fresh off their respective race courses so during this episode, we provide some race recaps.

Coach Katie: NoCo Half MarathonCoach Justin: Smith Mountain Lake Sprint Triathlon

We talk about:

How we both approached our tapersPre-race fueling strategyOur race executionOur thoughts on how we used these races in preparation for future races 

We discuss the following

Why meal planning and prep is so importantHow it can help save time and moneyWhat happens when we don’t plan aheadIt does not have to be perfect. There is all this stuff on instagram of people prepping perfect meals and putting the meal portioned out perfectly in a tupperware for the week. This is not necessary! Don’t overthink it!Steps for meal prep including planning, prepping grocery list and shoppingTips for meal planning from apps you can use to how to make it easier and less time intensiveBulk cooking and how meal plan...

Sometimes being an endurance athlete requires an advanced degree in time management. You may be the parent of small children or very active children. There are no “bonus points” earned by missing out on important events or opportunities to be active in your kid’s lives simply so that you can get your workout in. 

Once you find a race distance that fits easily into your life (notice I said easily and not possible), then you can go about structuring your training to meet whatever your expectations are of yourself. 

Not only should you find a race d...

Recovery  Part 2: Nutrition Strategies for Recovery

The foundations of recovery include adequate nutrition to support training and recovery. Getting the right quantities of macronutrients and specifically protein and carbohydrates. 

Once the timing and intake of these nutrients are optimized then it is important to look at other factors including micronutrients and supplementation. 

Justin and Katie share their own experience with recovery 

The 4 R’s Framework for recovery: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7796021/

Rehydrate, Refuel, Repair, Rest

We review why carbohydrates are so import...

Episode 3: Recovery from Training and Why it is Important. There is more to recovery than "resting and taking the day off". How do we know when we should do something purposeful to aid recovery? Why is recovery so important to the training process and for training adaptation? What things can we do to encourage recovery? 

Here are a few other things we discuss during the podcast:

We define "Training Volume" as a 3-part equation: duration + intensity + frequency.

We discuss the Fitness-Fatigue model where the accumulation of fatigue masks fitness. Therefore, in order to o...

Welcome to The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast! This is our very first episode and in this episode we discuss why we started the podcast and what the podcast is all about. We also discuss ourselves and our personal journeys both as endurance athletes and as professionals. Coach Justin is an experienced triathlon coach and coach Katie is a sports dietitian. 

Here are some key points from our discussion:

Both Justin and Katie have unique experiences as athletes and as professionals and we discuss how we can provide useful information and a unique perspective for individuals engaging i...

Welcome to episode #2 of The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast! In this podcast we talk about race day fueling and how to start thinking about a race day fueling plan. We talk about our own experience with fueling and some mistakes we have made along the way. We also discuss what to consider when planning out your own strategy and why it is such an individualized thing. 

Here are a few other things we discuss during the podcast:

What is the goal of fueling? Why is it important to consider a race day nutrition strategy? Fads and cu...