We’re in that awkward time between Thanksgiving and Christmas where life feels like equal parts joyful, dark, and downright weird, so Jim, Katie, and Elena sat down to chat through what’s been going on for us in coaching, training, and life in recent weeks. The result was a rich episode filled with our collective thoughts on topics that range from mechanical durability to fighting disconnection to grief processing to self-compassion to marathon pacing to mental health to super shoes and more! Come for these and other extended insights, and stay for two bougie gear picks of the week and one stocking stuffer. Check it out!

Extended show notes:

Coaching & Training Insights

Jim:

Time on feet; basic muscular endurance training

I just returned from a trip where I spent hours walking in a city. It was super challenging and I got really tired! Walking is a great way to test your durability aka muscular endurance. A simple test for durability is to walk (or hike) for hours and see how tired you get.
The fundamental demand of many long distance events - ultra runs, Ironman, big hikes - are time on feet. If you are eating and drinking enough then mechanical load really becomes the main challenge. You must build muscular endurance to move for many hours on your feet. You do this in conjunction with speed training, strength work, easy runs, etc but the foundation is the ability to be on your feet.
If you are thinking about an Ironman, the run portion will take you 4 - 5 hours (or longer). How would you feel if you just went into your backyard and stood around for this long? If you can’t stand, or walk around a city, or go for a continuous hike, for 4 - 5 hours then you aren’t ready for an Ironman yet. Better yet, exercise for 7-8 hours then try to spend another 4 - 5 hours on your feet - that’s an Ironman!
If you are a long distance athlete, a simple tactic to use during the Base season is to do very long walks / hikes. This will illustrate the importance of time on feet and provide a gentle way to test your durability limit. Come back to long walks/hikes every few weeks to test your muscular endurance. It’s simple, effective and a gentle test.
In 2025, I’ll incorporate some long walks/hikes into my Level 1/2/3 athletes who are training for their first long distance event.

Sign up for races that are challenging but not overwhelmingly stressful

There is a lot of social media pressure to work and play at the extremes. But in your recreation, do you really want it to stress you out? No! You want to find training and racing a stretch, a challenge, but not push over into stress territory.
Training is like climbing a mountain; we want it to be challenging and learn new skills along the way that are appropriate for your current experience. Get familiar with that territory and then move up to the next level. If you were an aspiring mountaineer, think of climbing Mount Monadnock, then Franconia Ridge, then the Prezis, then something bigger out West, progressing to South American volcanoes, then an Alaska expedition into the Himalayas. This would take many years but you would have the thrill of new challenges along the way and building off all your past experiences.
Think of signing up for an endurance event like climbing a mountain; it’s all about the process of climbing (and descending) as you only spend a few minutes on the summit (the race) enjoying the view. If the climb and descent is bare knuckle scary and stressful, was it really the challenge you wanted? This is a nuanced question; you need a certain amount of challenge and unknown for some process to be rewarding. It’s finding that sweet spot of challenge vs overwhelming stress.
When you sign up for an event for which you have no experience and context, you’ll probably end up in the daily overwhelming stress category. Who needs that as a recreational athlete?!
When you sign up for stretch events, the training is challenging but appropriate. You have some comfort, a level of context, and experience to grow your existing skills.
We are drawn to endurance events partly due to their transformative nature. Ideally the training and racing will help us gain insights into ourselves and grow as a person. Transformation can’t happen when you are under tremendous pressure and stress. It can happen when you are feeling centered and somewhat in control of your inner life and circumstances. Stretch events are the perfect opportunity to transform, grow, exercise agency and build toward even more stretch events. It’s a long road; enjoy the process of building your capabilities and growing as a person over many years.
Even if I don’t coach you and you are trying to decide whether an event is stressful or challenging, please feel free to reach out. I’m happy to talk through that process with you.

Disconnection

Is the greatest dis-ease of our time, disconnection with ourselves and others. We are splintered at every opportunity by the news, politicians and social media.
I’m turning down the dial on news and social media and seeing how that affects my daily stress and mindset. Turns out, it helps a lot! I find that rumination and narratives start to get quiet in my head.
Our brains are not designed to handle this level of news and information. We have a very primitive operating system that is conditioned to interact in person with a small group of people.
After turning off the noise, one of the best ways we connect is through sports. Endurance sports in particular can be a very powerful gateway into tuning into your inner voice. When you find your voice, you can move from your center out to connect with family, friends and community.

Katie:

Observations on the body keeping score of tough life stuff

Grief as a kind of total body experience
Workout HR, resting HR, HRV, sleep all wild
Needing way more rest than usual to get everything back in line
Grounding in the intention of the workout:

Fresh air
Lower stress levels / optimize mental health
Gentle movement for the body

When in doubt, use less data:

Oura ring on “rest mode”
Unlogged workouts, going by feel, etc.

Quarterly existential crisis questioning my why

Happens when I’m in a funk with training, feeling burnt out, overtired, etc.
What I do to get curious: turn off Strava; do stuff with less data; text a friend / do more social things
Usually comes back to me realizing that joy/health/community are big why’s (and values), and that they should drive me year round

Building out some training plans for 2025 -- kudos to athletes getting started early with “pre-base” seasons

Focus: 3x strength per week
Return to swim/bike/run consistency (1-2ish/week of each sport depending on experience level)
Base foundation for base season (i.e. Zone 2)
Jim: Shout out to all the athletes who listen to the podcast. Our conversations are deeper and more directed as a result.

Against all odds, I am back in the pool

Going for consistency over volume: 2k, 2-3x per week, only using watch sometimes to record it
Focus: technical 50s and a TON of gear
No real workouts; if I feel good, throw in a few fast 25s/50s

Elena:

Extending on the body keeps the score→ life stress adds up, so we can ask ourselves, where can I take some stress off?

I’m still rebuilding from my body struggling with too much chronic stress
Setting reasonable expectations→ time blocks. Honoring a “workout” time block with whatever your body needs. Honoring a “work” time block even if you don’t get everything done
Who can I ask for help?

Sincerely taking the stigma out of mental health → I started medication! And so far so good

Connecting with others more→ being more open about the struggle
Being ok with the fact that things are not ok and I need more help! I’ve always believed that I can push through anything and it’s all about my mindset, but when all of my energy is going towards getting through the day, that is harder. Utilizing many different tools in the toolkit

CIM this weekend, so a note on pace-based goals→ definitely shoot your shot!

It’s magical when everything comes together, and we’ve talked before about how to control the controllables to make that most likely, but marathons are also full of uncontrollables as well. When planning paces with athletes, I want to start by lifting up the goals they have and my belief that those goals are achievable. Training helps us dial that in and have conversations if needed, but I often find that people sell themselves short when it comes to their best effort potential if everything goes well. If you have a pace goal:

Definitely outline your A/B/C goals so you can adjust quickly as needed. “Big goals, loosely held”
Start out at or slightly slower than your goal pace. This lets your body warm up and keeps you calm and comfortable. Then you can evaluate how you’re feeling and either keep it going & speed it up in the second half or make smart adjustments early.
HR can be a very helpful barometer but is not everything

Listener Questions

How far out from your goal race should you get on a training plan?

Katie thoughts:

Ironman: 28-32 weeks (depending on experience level)
Half Ironman: 20-28 weeks (depending on experience level)
OLY: 16-20 weeks (depending on experience level)
Sprint: 12-16 weeks (depending on experience level)
Marathons - 20 weeks (Jim)
Ultras - Jim: for 50/100 miles, 5-6 months.
Half Marathons

Can I still do group workouts while I’m on a coaching plan?

Yes! A lot of our athletes have at least one group speed run per week. We encourage you to continue for the social and speed aspect. Your cup will be filled socially and it’s a great stimulus, better than doing speed on your own.
Many athletes also are in a Masters swim group which is an excellent motivation to get to the pool and have fun with friends while getting swim fit. When the weather warms next spring/summer, we can get you out in open water to work on specific race skills. Until then, have fun in the water with your friends.

How do I get faster at running? I’d like to qualify for Boston (or some other big running goal). I currently run 3X per week.

Jim: I get asked this question frequently, usually by runners who are on a minimum effective dose plan. While there is a time and place for a minimum effective dose, it’s very hard to advance in a sport (or any skill) when you only do it 3X per week. In order to bring out your potential, we recommend doing it 5X per week. The extra two times per week do not need to be killer workouts. In fact, they can be, and in many cases should be, very easy Z1/Z2 runs of even 30’. Frequency is your friend and a 30’ run, or exercise snack, added up over time, has HUGE benefits.
Check out my blog post The Power of 5X

What are you excited about in 2025?

Katie: Return to routine and a plan! Excited about getting on a training plan and working towards new goals. The off season has been great but I’m actually feeling like I want to be on the trainer, in the pool, etc., which is a good sign.
Elena: getting back to myself! And UTMB fingers crossed
Jim: Getting super fit on the bike, return to running and mountains. From a coaching perspective, implementing new ideas we have learned about in 2024.

Challenge of the Week

Katie: go to bed before 9pm ;)

Jim: On Sunday evening, go through your upcoming week calendar by the hour (or chunks of hours) and specifically schedule your workouts, work, family/friends time, etc. You will be more successful getting in all your workouts if there is a written timeline for the week. And you may find you have more time in the week for an extra 30’ run or spin.

Elena: time on feet breaks! 10-20 mins walks

Gear Pick of the Week

Elena: I’m doing a bougie one this week→ Sweat Tent portable sauna!

Katie: Skida season is upon us! Check out their headbands

Jim: RitFit Smith Machine - if I were starting over to build out a home strength system, this would be the start. It does everything and it’s very easy and safe to use.