In this week’s insights-focused episode, we’re deep diving on a bunch of topics including: thoughts on minimum effective dose of training for marathon, triathlons of all distances, and ultras; how holding on too tightly to expectations can lead to disappointment; how fueling, mindset, pacing, and heat all interact to make or break race day; three types of movement (exercise, training, and adventuring) and how they serve different purposes in our lives; additional Ironman Lake Placid takeaways from Jim’s athletes; the intersection between “heat bonking” and metabolic bonking; and more pregnancy updates from Katie. Check it out!

Insights / Main Content

Katie

Thoughts on expectations

Applies for pregnancy, injury, etc.
“You’re going to feel AMAZING in the second trimester”
Amazing relative to what?? Easier mentally to handle feeling bad when everyone says you will feel bad. Harder to handle when
Same goes for injury – “You’ll feel better in 12 weeks!” may not apply
Advice: temper expectations. Learn, collect information, but don’t be so tied to it that if it doesn’t happen you are crushed

Also goes for races – feeling bad earlier than expected is so much harder mentally

Discussion on minimum effective dose: we have had many athletes over the years who have extremely busy schedules with work, family, and other responsibilities. This naturally begs the question of what the minimum effective dose is to tackle a big goal.

Factors to consider in determining MED:

What are my goals?

What is my pre-existing experience/fitness level?

General thoughts if your goal is to finish and have a solid (not groundbreaking) performance for big races:

Marathon: 3-4x run per week, 2x strength per week (~30 mins)
Olympic triathlon: Singles M-F with one off day, possible brick on a weekend day and a couple of S/B/R race sims
Half IM: Singles M-F with one off day, longer session (3-4 hours) on a Saturday during specific prep phase, long run Sunday; 3-4 race sims
Full IM: Singles most weekdays but some days with a shorter double session or 90+ min workout; LONG weekend days during specific prep phase + 3-4 race sims.
Ultra (50K or longer): 3-4x run per week, 2x strength per week, time for LONG efforts/race sims on the weekend

Post B-race (olympic) chat with an athlete that didn’t go perfectly

We talked last week about how fueling and patience are often the factors that sabotage race day. Post-race debrief call with an athlete showed this to be true, plus one additional factor: Mindset. Plus, these factors all interact!

Mindset: “I felt like Lucy Charles for the first 500m...then I looked at my watch and the pace was way slower than I expected. I basically checked out after that because it felt like my race was over”

Reminder: no one wins on the swim. Difference between a good and bad swim for one person may be a few minutes at most.

Patience: Post-swim, sprinted through transition and started hammering on the bike to make up time lost in swim; couldn’t get HR down and ended up cooked.

Reminder: no one wins in transition. Keep it efficient but easy, allow HR to at least come back into high Z2 before you start the bike for Olympic and longer.

Fueling: “It was really hot and I wasn’t hungry so I kind of fell off the fueling”

Reminder: stick to your plan no matter what, and if you need to be flexible, be flexible on what you take from aid stations, not whether you’re going to fuel at all.

Heat made all of these factors MUCH harder.
The silver lining: any time an athlete has a B/C race that doesn’t go well, my immediate reaction is “Great! We learned a ton that we can work on before your A race.”
This particular athlete has 14 (!) weeks until her A race. Plenty of time to work out the kinks in race sims and workouts directly focused on addressing limiters / things that did not go well.

More endorsement for racing often in your prep.

Three types of movement: Found myself in a bit of a mental funk with pregnancy. Thought more about it and realized there are three types of movement that I do:

Exercise: not all that structured, doesn’t really need to progress; mostly focused on maintaining health, etc. Many people exercise and don’t consider themselves to be “athletes”
Training: prepping for a goal race/event with specific structure, etc.
Adventuring: often but not always social, focused on values like fun; usually for me this would involve a big trail run/hike or bike ride on a fun creative route, break from routine, etc.

I have definitely been checking the box on exercise in pregnancy but not really on “training” other than in the gym. Planning some adventures and getting out in the mountains recently made me feel SO much more like me. Need to prioritize this going forward and be flexible as my capabilities evolve!

Advice: if you are in a funk, think about how you can infuse more adventuring into your routine or sign up for something you can “train” for and build a plan around.

Jim:

Athlete Lessons Learned from Ironman Lake Placid

During our Ironman Lake Placid wrap-up Zoom, I asked our athletes: “What key lessons would you pass on to someone doing their first Ironman?”
Here are their distilled takeaways:

Pete

Nutrition: Had a plan, practiced it during training and race simulations. That’s the number one priority.
Take your time in transition. Eat real food. Relax. You’ll be fueling with gels all day—real food helps ground you and makes the day feel more normal.
Don’t get attached to a time goal. This was my first triathlon—I focused on listening to my body. I stayed within myself. On the bike, I focused on feel and cadence.
Run strategy: Just make it to the next aid station. Take a break, get some food, reset.
Know the course. Some athletes were confused on the second swim loop. ("Where do I go to finish?")
The process was beautiful. The journey itself was fun and deeply rewarding.

Kaitlyn

Nutrition: Same as Pete—had a plan, practiced it, and executed on race day.
Expect the unexpected. Be mentally ready for whatever comes next.
Know how to change a flat tire.
Training and racing Ironman can be tough—on your body, mind, and relationships. It’s a selfish act.
On race day, embrace the kindness from family, friends, and volunteers. Be kind to yourself.
Enjoy the moment. Days like this are rare in your life.

Jason

Practice gratitude and leave your ego behind.
Spectator energy is real. When someone calls your name, those little acts of kindness hit hard when you’re digging deep.
Show up early on race morning. It was chaotic getting on buses to transition.
Your #1 goal should be finishing—because it’s incredibly hard.
Practice run-walk. Have a plan and the courage to start early. It saved my stomach and helped me negative split the marathon.

Jeff

Nutrition was a lifesaver. Ate tons of real food in transition. Sodium was key.
Get in the water early to avoid traffic on the first swim loop.
Take your time in transition.
Power walking at 15-minute miles is very doable.
Race simulations helped set the mental and physical context for race day.
The family experience was amazing—it truly became a family day.

Kevin

The day brought so much joy.
River Road on the run can feel isolating.
The town miles flew by thanks to the energy from fans.
You can’t go too easy on the first bike loop.
Nutrition: Be ready to eat more than during Race Sims. I ate 17 gels.

Don’t chug non-flat Coke.
Don’t try new products (like Mortal Hydration) on race day.

Race day goes by faster than training simulations.
Set multiple goals.

Your “A” goal happens 5–10% of the time.
Most likely you’ll hit your “B” or “C” goal—and that might simply be to finish.

Post-race: Walk. Move. You need active recovery to clear metabolic waste.

Coach’s Note

This year, I introduced a weekly Zoom for our Ironman Lake Placid crew. It created a real sense of connection and team energy.
Athletes could share insights, compare notes, and build lasting bonds.

Come for the training plan. Stay for the community!

Does Metabolic Bonking Lead to Heat Bonking?

This was a question I asked myself after a bike ride last week.

For context: I’ve recently increased the intensity of my bike rides. After riding two days in a row with some solid efforts, I went out for a third-day ride and experienced an interesting “event,” let’s call it.

That day, we had driven over to Burke, Vermont with the family (highly recommend checking it out—there’s an amazing trail network via Kingdom Trails, plus some great cafes and breweries). It was mid-afternoon by the time we arrived, and I had to be back by 6 p.m. to record a podcast with Katie. I realized I didn’t have time to sit down for a late lunch. My last real meal had been breakfast around 7 a.m.

Knowing I had a long gap between meals, I grabbed a couple of fig bars and ate them right away, planning to refuel again in a couple hours in Lancaster at the Polish Princess. I left Burke around 2 p.m., and it was nearly 90°F with high humidity.

There were two major dirt climbs on the way to Lancaster.

Given the heat and my less-than-ideal fueling situation, I paced myself very carefully. But there was no avoiding the intensity of the heat and humidity. By the 90-minute mark, I was really feeling it—which surprised me because I’ve done a lot of heat riding this summer and generally feel pretty heat-adapted. Still, I felt slightly dizzy, and over the next 30 minutes, I really started to suffer.

By the time I reached Lancaster, I was in a near full-blown metabolic bonk: dizzy, very hungry, and mentally foggy.

At the Polish Princess, I inhaled two large pastries and an iced cold brew. I felt instantly better and figured I was set up well for the final hour home, even though it included more climbing—especially in the last few miles.

But within 15 minutes of leaving Lancaster, I started feeling another kind of bonk—this time a heat bonk. My body was overheating, my heart rate was out of control, and no matter how easy I rode, my heart rate stayed higher than my watts (very unusual for me).

Then the mental battles began. My brain was screaming at me to stop. I was deep in a spiral of negative self-talk and mental tricks trying to convince myself to get off the bike. I kept negotiating with myself: “Just go slower, push a little less, keep moving forward.”

By 2 hours and 45 minutes in, I was completely cooked. I knew I wouldn’t make it home. I pulled over at a local swimming hole, found some shade, and just shut down. After sitting there for about 10 minutes, I found a kind stranger and asked them for a ride home—which they graciously gave me.

So, did my metabolic bonk contribute to a heat bonk?

After doing a bit of research, the answer seems to be: yes.

Low fueling and metabolic stress can absolutely impair your body’s thermoregulation. When your glycogen stores are depleted, your ability to manage core temperature diminishes, making you much more susceptible to heat-related distress.

Study: Physiological Responses to Exercise in the Heat

Takeaway:

It’s even more important to fuel (and hydrate!) properly during rides and runs in the heat. Underfueling doesn't just impact your energy—it can tip you into a full-on heat bonk.

Challenge of the week

Katie: Plan an adventure!
Jim: I’m going to second that Challenge. Post big races, or if you are taking a mid season break, is a fantastic time to go out and use some of that big fitness to adventure with family and friends.

Gear pick of the week

Katie: Carhartt Canvas Mesh-Back Cap (the perfect hat doesn’t exi…)
Jim: Lead Out! Mini Frame Bag