In this week's insights-focused episode, we're powering through a bunch of relevant training and coaching tidbits on topics including: why "time on feet" is a useful mindset shift for workouts on tough or hot days, a case study on building open water swimming confidence, why triathlons (and most other races) aren't apples-to-apples comparisons, how you can build your "endurance bucket" and improve capacity over time, how to improve your speed in an open water swimming context, how to effectively climb hills on the bike, how to approach training in the week(s) between big races, and why your training plan is a map and not the territory. Check it out!
Katie:
On hot/tough/not feeling it days – the value of rebranding everything as time on feet
Case study – Dan getting comfortable with OWS
Fun project of getting my FIL ready for the Cohasset Sprint Tri
Goals: not panic in the swim, have fun
2x per week in pool lessons, focusing on unlocking a “slow” pace, sighting, perfect technique, swim efficiency
Roka sim shorts as race swim will be in a wetsuit
Hitting sprint distance in pool at the end of every workout after getting technique nailed down to build confidence
Minimal time to get in the open water, but building all of the OW confidence swim skills once we could and simulating elements of OW in the pool, e.g. fast/slow 25s (recover breathing while still swimming)
Nailing down gear - goggles that don’t leak, good wetsuit, etc.
Update on how it went - great!
Triathlons are not apples to apples
Weather, terrain, small variations in distance, etc. make it extremely difficult to compare two triathlons side by side
It’s pretty easy to PR a triathlon by just picking a race best suited to fast times
Came up recently with an athlete who is definitely fitter than last year but had a significantly faster time at a different race last year due to weather, terrain, etc.
Further examples: my Patriot Half 2017; upcoming Cranberry Sprint Tri for Dan (21 mi bike??); Ironman Lake Placid vs. other IMs
Jim:
Capacity: Building Your Endurance Bucket
You can think of endurance capacity as building a bigger bucket year after year. The water in the bucket represents your energy.
Your bucket has three spigots: small, medium, and large.
The small spigot drains energy slowly over a long period. This represents very long efforts like Half Ironman, Ironman, marathons, ultramarathons, the Presidential Traverse, Pemi Loop, etc.
The medium spigot handles moderate energy output. Think Half Ironman, long Olympic-distance triathlons, half marathons, or your typical weekend long run.
The large spigot is for short, intense efforts—sprint triathlons, hard group rides, intervals, 5K or 10K races. This one drains your bucket in under 90 minutes.
Point 1: A common frustration I hear from newer triathletes—especially strong single-sport athletes like fast runners—is that they can’t access that same speed at the end of a triathlon. They're often confused or disappointed that their "superpower" doesn’t show up when they want it most.
The reality? It's simply a matter of building general capacity—making your endurance bucket bigger so you have more water to pour out over time. If your run splits were slower in your first Olympic or Half Ironman, don’t worry. As you build capacity over the next season or two, you’ll have more energy available—and with that, access to your full potential.
Building your bucket takes patience and time. It’s made up of a lot of non-sexy workouts, week after week, month after month, year after year. It’s about showing up and doing the work. Building buckets and filling them with water is blue-collar, non-Instagrammable work.
Point 2: Over time, the spigots generally stay the same size. However, your ability to use them fades if you don’t train them. A common example: as runners or cyclists age, they might maintain a large bucket (great endurance), but lose access to their top-end speed—they can’t use the large spigot effectively anymore. They have one pace. This is why it’s essential to always train some form of speed: strides, short max-effort bike intervals, VO₂ intervals. You have to use the spigot to keep the spigot functional.
In sum:
Newer athletes with a lot of raw power will need to build capacity to carry that power into longer, more demanding races.
Older athletes often have the capacity but must continue training speed and power to retain access to their top-end performance.
Where you are in your endurance journey? That’s a conversation for your coach.
Open Water 10/10s
To inject a little speed and stimulus into your open water swims, try this:
Swim 15–20 minutes at an easy pace, then begin incorporating 10/10s—that’s 10 strokes fast and strong, followed by 10 strokes very easy and relaxed. Repeat this 4 times, which will cover roughly 80–100 yards. This is similar to a swimmer’s drill where you swim the first half of a length strong/fast and the second half easy/recovery.
Start with 4–5 sets, which will total approximately 400–500 yards.
Be sure to maintain proper open water sighting every 7–9 strokes.
As your fitness improves, try extending the effort to 12–20 strong strokes, followed by an equal number of easy strokes.
It’s a fun way to break up a long swim and add some pool-like speed stimulus.
Pro tip: If you start to experience cramps in your foot / calves or legs, try dorsi flexing your feet (bring your toes toward your shins) and kick out a little wider. It’s terrible swim technique but it may alleviate initial cramping and save you from a bigger cramp.
Climb Hills Better by Splitting the Hill into Thirds
Here’s a simple tactic for tackling big hills:
Look ahead and mentally divide the hill into three sections. Pick two visual markers—like telephone poles, trees, or road signs—that break the climb into rough thirds.
Start the first third by riding very relaxed and easy. Focus on staying loose: relaxed hands, chest, shoulders, and face, with big, slow exhales. Ride as economically as possible.
When you reach your first marker (about a third of the way up), the hill might start to steepen. Keep your body relaxed, but allow your effort to rise naturally with the increased grade. Think of this as applying the appropriate effort—not too easy, but not all-out either. Match your effort to the demands of the climb to stay efficient and smooth.
Around the two-thirds mark, reassess. If you’ve got something left in the tank, this is a good place to lift your effort slightly and finish the climb strong. If not, stay steady and controlled to the top.
Sometimes, you won’t be able to see the full hill—and that’s okay. If you finish your second or third “segment” and realize you’re already at the top, perfect! You’ve saved energy for the next climb.
Transition Weeks: After a Big Race and Before the Next Training Block
Like all good training plans, we build in a recovery week or two after a demanding race. The reasons are clear: the body needs time to recover and rebuild—both physically and mentally.
But what if you have another big race coming up later in the season? Maybe you qualified for Worlds in October, have a fall marathon, or another major event on the horizon.
Instead of jumping straight back into full-throttle training after the recovery phase, I’ve been incorporating Transition Weeks. These are a mix of structured and unstructured training designed to ease the athlete back into the groove without overwhelming their system.
For example, rather than prescribing “6 miles easy” on Tuesday, I might assign 30–60 minutes of easy running. If the athlete feels recovered, they’ll likely run the full 60 minutes. If they’re still fatigued, they’ll go shorter.
The same approach applies to the bike. Instead of structured intervals, I might write, “Ride 2–3 hours with optional pushes on the hills.”
The key is that the athlete is moving, staying consistent, but has a lot of agency over the duration and intensity of nearly every session.
As a coach, you’ll know an athlete is ready to return to structured training when they start consistently hitting the higher end of the prescribed range—and when you hear things like:
“I’m ready to get back into it!”
Transition weeks offer a valuable combination of light physical stimulus and consistency—essential for athletes with long seasons—and they allow for the flexibility needed to respect individual recovery rates.
Remember: the plan is a map, not the territory.
The training plan is a guide—not necessarily a reflection of what your reality will be on any given day.
In the summer, you're typically fit, but how a workout goes can vary. Life might be extra busy with kids out of school, family vacations, weddings, and more. On those days, you may have less energy, and it’s perfectly okay to scale back the workout or the week as a whole.
On the other hand, you might wake up to a cool summer morning feeling race-ready. If you’re scheduled for 4 x 2 minutes at 5K pace and feel great, go ahead and turn it into 6 x 2 minutes at 5K pace.
The key is to understand the intention of the workout and adjust up or down based on how you’re feeling—physically and mentally. Take advantage of high-energy days and be willing to ease off when needed. Both choices are valid parts of a sustainable, long-term approach to training.
Listener/Athlete’s Question
Is it better to ingest my carbohydrates through gels, drinks or bars?
Two studies, the first compared gels vs drinks and found comparable carb oxidation results and the second compared drinks vs bars and again and again there were similar oxidation rates.
Which is to say, get your carbs in whatever form best works for you.
First Study: CHO oxidation from a CHO gel compared with a drink during exercise
Second Study: Oxidation of solid versus liquid CHO sources during exercise
Challenge of the Week
Katie: Schedule PT or massage for a few days after your next big race or workout!
Jim: Include some 10/10s in your open water swimming.
Gear Pick of the Week