Episode 152: Fall Training Innovations, Rethinking Race Goals, and Trail Running Technique
In this week's episode, we cover a little bit of everything as athletes head into fall racing and the off-season. We talk about making strength training your "big rock" in the off-season, keeping some fun and unstructured intensity in your routine, and how to maintain enough running, biking, and swimming to set yourself up well for next season. We also share some tips for getting into trail running, including when to hike versus run, building technical skills, and learning to let go of pace. We also talk through knowing when a goal is no longer serving you and why changing your race plans isn't the same as quitting. Finally, we touch on marathon training stops, Boston qualifying heartbreak, life stress and injury risk, and the changing 70.3 landscape in the New England area. Check it out!
Katie
Trail Running Skills
“Hi Katie! Question for you: I just hiked/ran mount cardigan as ~80% hike and ~20% run. I’m definitely still babying my Achilles but even putting that aside, it’s crazy for me to imagine running much more of it than I did. How the heck do you/people do it?”
Trail running is partially about fitness but a whole lot about skill!
Even at the most elite levels, most pros are not running everything! They power hike the super steep terrain, which is more efficient than running, and they get really good at knowing when to switch between power hiking and running.
Going fast on downhills is a skill that you build over time with more exposure to terrain.
If you want to get faster on trails, spend more time on trails. Ridges like Franc Ridge and/or the Southern Prezis are awesome places to practice trail running in the Whites because they have actually runnable terrain.
Injury Risk Goes Up In the Context of Life Stress
Coming off an awesome whirlwind trip to California with my 8 month old, which was amazing from a career and social perspective but definitely high on life stress with zero downtime!
Noticed that I was holding a lot of stress in my body, which led to way more niggles than usual popping up. I could literally feel that there was a lot more tension/ wasn’t fully exhaling e.g. while doing strength workouts and generally just more locked up than usual.
Ended up taking an early recovery day even though my volume wasn’t crazy high to avoid flying too close to the sun. Good reminder that travel and other stressors do impact your body and you may need to modify it in order to stay healthy! Less is more.
With that in mind, important to identify 1-2 key priorities for the week (for me this was a speed workout and a strength workout) and let everything else be gravy.
Frustration + Reframe Re: Boston Qualification
Boston Marathon qualification cutoffs just came out and one of my athletes missed it by 2 seconds and did not get in via the lottery.
Gutted for her and more evidence that the random lottery thing is dumb -- just let the next 1000 fastest runners in!
Did however lead to a good conversation about how her fire is even more lit to try again next year and shoot for a time so comfortably under the cutoff that we won’t even have to worry about it, which might have never happened had she gotten into Boston and just treated it as a victory lap. Super proud of her for the mindset shift but want to validate how tough all of this is!
Switching Races
Recent text from an athlete that is really wise and instructive! “I switched to the half! I realized I just wasn’t excited about the marathon and was doing it “just to do it,” and it wasn’t bringing me any joy. Life has been chaotic lately, and it started to feel like one more thing on my plate that was creating stress rather than something I was looking forward to. I switched last night (and can’t switch back because there’s a waitlist 😂), and I already feel so relieved and happy about the decision. I think what was keeping me in it was this small part of me that felt like I was quitting or taking the easy way out by not doing the full. But I realized there’s a difference between quitting because something is hard and making an intentional choice because something just isn’t serving me right now. I know I can run a marathon, I don’t need to prove that to myself, and I’d much rather go into race day excited to run a half than spend the next two weeks dreading a full.”
Jim:
Fall Bike Challenge
This is an odd time of year. We want to stay on the Off Season theme with lots of diversity of movement, and we don't want to lock ourselves into a structured program, so we can rejuvenate our minds and bodies after a long season.
Ironically, as we head into the Off Season, we're often at peak fitness, and it seems a shame not to have some fun with that fitness. So one thing I'm doing this fall is the Fall Bike Challenge. It's a really fun way to get out on my bike, challenge myself, and see if I can hit a few PRs. Even if I don't, I still end up winning!
Here's the challenge: once or twice a week, when I'm out riding and have done 30'–45' of easy spinning, I pick a yearly power PR I want to try to break. The options are 10", 30", 1', and 5' power. I'm starting with a 10" power focus because those are a very low mental ask, and I can almost always get up for a few 10" bursts.
When I do these, it's organic. I'll see a hill and just go for it. I'll also try on the flats, and believe it or not, I've had some of my best short power bursts going downhill, so all terrain is on the table. I leave plenty of time between efforts, 2'–5' of easy spinning, and it usually takes me 2–3 tries before my body is fully engaged. I'll only make maybe 4–5 attempts during the ride. That's it.
It's really simple and short, and even if I don't hit a power PR (which I don't most of the time), I've had a really fun, productive, unstructured ride. I also enjoy having just a tiny focus for most ride sessions. It keeps my body and mind connected, with just a tad of competitive spirit.
So, if you're looking for a small amount of intensity and focus on the bike this fall, give it a try!
Bonus for triathletes:
For those of you who want to keep up a little running this fall, I've been challenging my athletes with 3 x 30' runs per week, with one or two of those runs finishing with strides. It's short, simple, low friction, and very easy to schedule. If you do this consistently through the end of the year, you'll be able to jump right back into run workouts at the start of 2027. It's enough running to keep your tendons, muscles, and run economy fresh and ready.
Daily Big Rock
In the Off Season, I’ve put an even bigger focus on my ‘big rock’ session.
My big rock this fall is strength training. In practice this means, I can ride my bike and hike and do other activities as much as I want as long as it does not prevent me from giving my best at strength sessions.
This mental model has me anchoring the day knowing I need to show up with the most energy for strength work.
Fall is an easier time to make this a habit for me. I found it very difficult to do it this summer when I was piling on the long hours on the bike and found myself at the end of the day very unmotivated to strength train.
Lift Heavy to become a better cyclist
If you need any more convincing that strength training benefits your athletic performance, here’s a new systematic review on cycling and heavy strength training.
TLDR: Heavy lifting (greater than 80% one rep max) results in more mechanically efficient and more powerful anaerobically.
It did not show any evidence of improving VO2 max. (Not surprisingly as that’s more in the aerobic stimulus domain.)
I’ve recently started to lift 4X per week in Off Season and am finding it easier to engage more specific cycling muscles on the bike which comes from the neuro-muscular work done in the weight room. In other words, as I build more connections from my brain to my muscles during mindful strength training, I’m able to take that same connection and apply it when I’m on the bike.
This also seems to create a flywheel effect for me; the more I can engage my muscles, the better and more powerful I feel on the bike, the more I want to engage all relevant muscles which brings more muscles online which increases power even more and so on.
And this is not dependent on doing super heavy lifting; my take is any level of mindful strength work will make you more efficient in your sport. There is more going on in the body than just stimulating more muscle motor units.
New England area 70.3 race thoughts
Triathlon is back and in particular the 70.3 race distance. In many ways, it is the perfect distance: It’s a big challenge yet anyone with some level of consistency over a period of a few months can complete one. And it’s still short enough that experienced racers can bring a lot of power into the race. You can do a big endurance summer event and balance that with having summer fun with family and friends (that becomes very challenging with Ironman distance racing).
Jones Beach - problematic time of year. I can’t see how they continue to have that race in September. They just bumped it to the end of October. Should be interesting from a temperature perspective that late in the season.
Western MA - has been put on hold. I expect they’ll find another community to replace this around the same time. This one is very convenient for Boston / NYC athletes. Ironman needs more 70.3 races in the northeast.
Tremblant - sold out very quickly.
Musselman - popular with our triathletes. Flat bike and run. Beautiful area. Some wind and heat are major environmental factors.
Patriot Half - nice off brand 70.3 especially for beginners. It was HOT this year on the run.
Maine - super hard bike course, not recommended for beginners. We get a lot of #regrets from people doing this one!
White Mountain Triathlon - they have a 70.3 distance but like Maine, this course is very challenging. Consider the OLY distance if you want a challenge that is bit longer than a sprint.
For 2027 planning, I’d wait to see what IM introduces for new races.
2027 Roster
Two housekeeping notes:
If you are thinking about Ironman Lake Placid or Ironman Canada, we will have two cohort groups actively training virtually and sometimes physically. We will do regular Zoom education and social time which is a great chance to talk with and support your peers. Weekend training opportunities in the Upper Valley and support on the ground at the races. Email me: Jim@TheEnduranceDrive.com for more details. We’d love for you to join our group.
If you are thinking about hiring us a coach, or want to talk to us about coaching, please reach out now. Don’t wait for the end of the year even if you don’t want to start structured training this fall. Roster spots are filling very quickly. Ideally, our coaches will know who they will be working with in 2027 by the end of this fall.
Challenge or Resource of the Week
Katie: Hit some trails
Jim: Read our Bonus Podcast Notes on Off Season best practices.
Gear Pick of the Week
Katie: Baby wipes!! In your car for post workout/post race
Jim: Kettlebells - super flexible for workout anywhere
Bonus Podcast Notes:
Many people have been asking for advice on Off Season. This is a summary from many of our podcasts on Off Season strategies and tactics.
1. Reframe the Purpose: Mindset & Mental Reset
Off-Season as Base Phase Variant: View the off-season as a variant of the general/base training period rather than a completely isolated phase. It provides necessary diversity for long-term sport longevity and crucial mental recovery.
Separate Identity from Sport: Use the post-season to open up to new possibilities and step away from a single rigid identity (e.g., "I do triathlon" vs. "I am a triathlete").
Prioritize "Play over Performance" & "Connection over Perfection":
Waking up without a strict workout calendar or target performance metric serves as a mental de-loading phase.
Focus on social training, group runs/rides, unstructured movement, and simply having fun rather than obsessing over data or exact Z2 heart rates.
Wait 2 Weeks Post-Race: Wait at least two weeks after your "A" race before signing up for any new races to allow adequate physical and emotional space.
2. Physical & Movement Guidelines (Keep Moving!)
Active Recovery vs. Inactivity: High-performing athletes take 2–3 months of a relaxed off-season while maintaining regular, diverse movement. Complete inactivity causes performance loss and lowers your baseline heading into the next year (especially critical for Masters athletes).
Correct Repetitive Strain & Imbalances: End-of-season sports focus on repetitive movement patterns. The off-season is the time to load the body in new angles and directions to address wear-and-tear and structural imbalances.
Cross-Training & Alternative Activities: Incorporate activities like hiking, nordic/roller skiing, trail runs without a watch, disc golf, or casual rides on flat pedals to build coordination, agility, and overall baseline fitness.
3. Practical Sport-Specific Maintenance
Run Routine
Keep runs light and short: 2 to 3 easy runs per week for 30–60 minutes.
Frequent, short "exercise snacks" (even 20–30 minutes) preserve run foundation without causing excessive fatigue.
Ramp up slowly coming into winter/spring—don't jump back into previous volumes/intensities too quickly to avoid overuse injuries like tendinopathies or plantar fasciitis.
Bike Routine
2 to 3 easy Zone 1 / Zone 2 rides per week.
Add short, organic high-end efforts: short bursts/pickups (20–30 seconds), casual Zwift/TrainingPeaks Virtual races, or brief hill surges.
Avoid jumping into heavy VO2 max intervals too early in the off-season.
Swim Routine
Optional/low-pressure: Swim if you feel like it, but if not, it can wait until the new year.
Use off-season pool time to relax, work on open-water sighting mechanics, or practice sub-threshold pacing without over-exerting.
4. Strength, Body Composition, & Fueling
Front-Load Strength Work: The off-season and base period are the best times to focus on heavy/maximal strength training. Heavy strength takes ~8+ weeks to build and lasts a long time once established.
Fueling & Nutrition Shifts:
If shifting from off-season weight loss goals back to performance training, recognize that body composition goals must give way to fueling the increased training load.
Failing to restock energy stores on rest or light days leads to low energy availability.
5. Equipment & Pain Cave Setup
Use late November or December to organize your winter trainer setup, update virtual software, sync devices, and troubleshoot bike/trainer connections before structured training starts on January 1.
Dial in your indoor cooling setup (multiple high-flow fans) to manage core temperature during indoor trainer rides.