Episode 121: Efficiency and Economy, Athlete Health, and Building Consistency
In this week’s episode, we talk about training efficiency and economy, troubleshooting fatigue, and how to stay consistent when life gets complicated. We start with a discussion on volume and intensity in training, digging into why some athletes with years of aerobic base may benefit from periods of higher intensity and slightly lower volume, how LT1 vs. LT2 adaptations play into that shift, and why recovery and fueling context often determine whether intensity becomes productive or overwhelming. From there, we dig into a listener question about persistent fatigue and motivation swings, covering potential physiological causes like nutrient deficiencies as well as practical steps such as strategic rest, fueling adjustments, reducing life stress, and adding community or joy back into training. We also discuss Elena’s exciting new project aimed at helping athletes navigate training, fueling, bloodwork, and healthcare more seamlessly. Finally, Katie shares postpartum reflections on building systems for consistency, focusing on daily movement, flexible scheduling, “exercise snacks,” and staying anchored to the intention of the workout. Check it out!
Link to Elena’s Female Athlete Health and Experiences form: https://forms.gle/skmLuB4Kfm3SwfoH9
Efficiency/economy discussion
Anecdotally– feeling really really good adapting my training to have a bit more intensity but less overall volume
Volume still coming from cross training
Intensity coming from more Z3-Z5 work
Scientifically→ some athletes who are already fit and have years of aerobic base have already pushed their LT1 to a great spot but may not have had the specific work for improving LT2→ vo2 max, mitochondrial efficiency, etc. But also there’s a tremendously important recovery & fueling context. If on the verge of maladaptive stress with high volume, well fueled high intensity and rest can give the body new positive stress to adapt to.
if an athlete has a huge base but LT2 is sitting at, say, 78% of VO2max, there's real room to push that number and intensity is the lever. If LT2 is already at 88-90% and relatively stubborn, the gains from an intensity block might show up more as economy and top-end capacity than a clean threshold shift but still real gains
But generally and perhaps more importantly is the recovery context→ very easy to be like, well start easy, then build volume, then add intensity. But then you can stay at this double high volume with intensity phase as “baseline” which can lead to prolonged stress especially when combined with other lifestyle factors. So actually being very clear about delineating volume focus or intensity focus can be helpful, and letting one or the other be the thing that slides if needing more recovery.
Waning motivation / burnout -- “I feel like I am going through waves of motivation - which I know is fleeting as it is, but it usually isn't for me. I think the season grind is wearing me down. I am getting a ton of sleep, winding down by reading too every night to detach from work/life. I wake up still so tired, and it is tough to get going most days. Today for example, I couldn't get myself up to workout, I just couldn't. I feel like I am fighting demons LOL. I have a massage tonight, which will be relaxing but I am frustrated with being tired so much, and annoyed I can't solve it. Terrible cycle!”
First thing: labs! Tiredness you can’t shake despite a lot of sleep can be a sign of deficiencies -- common ones include vitamin D, ferritin, B12. Knowing what your baseline is (and that athlete baselines are sometimes pretty far off from general population baselines) is helpful, which makes regular bloodwork useful.
If it isn’t something obviously physiological, some things to try:
Rest! 2-3 days off can sometimes work wonders
Evaluate and potentially change/increase fueling -- are you short on carbs? Getting in regular meals and snacks, etc.?
A consistent extra hit of carbs when feeling super tired has very little downside and possibly major upside
Evaluate life stress and see if there is anything you can eliminate and mitigate to make things easier (i.e. say no to things!)
Infuse some community and/or joy -- group run, walk with a friend, etc.
For all of the above, be really intentional about what is working vs. not working to help with tiredness, motivation, etc.
Do more of the things that help and less of the things that make it worse!
Athlete health platform discussion
Great segue, because this is exactly what I’m trying to build!
Phase 1: community resources like this question
All the education on fueling, training, triaging fatigue, blood tests, etc. Pulling together a list of great providers across the country.
Phase 2: building an app that puts all this information in the same place
Phase 3: Actually putting all the pieces together to make the friction seamless between all of these pieces→ clinical visits, blood tests, sharing data, etc.
The ask:
Do you want to share your experiences navigating healthcare as a female athlete with me?
Do you have great providers to recommend me listing on the site?
Do you have ideas or feedback on this space?
Please fill out my form attached to the episode!
Intention of the workout story / reminders
Zwift troubleshooting issues this morning → important to zoom out and ask myself what the intention of the workout was and whether I could find it without good data or a working trainer/platform
Which leads into…
Additional PP (or just general infant parenting) updates -- finding “balance” so far, identifying priorities, team effort with your partner/family/friends, flexibility mindset, exercise snacks
Big priority for me = movement every day. Has been working wonders for mental health in the postpartum period
How I make that happen when:
Schedule it, with partner or other support, in a wide window of potential availability (to leave room for unpredictable baby schedule)
Whenever I do have even minutes of free time, use it for workout prep (lay out clothes, prep water bottle/snacks, etc.)
Be open to chunked workouts - 20 mins here, 20 mins there, 10 mins of mobility, etc. -- and bonus if I get to stack them all together into a full hour or longer
Above all, flexibility mindset in knowing that sometimes what I planned is not able to happen due to factors outside of my control, and consistency overall is much more important than every workout being perfect in every way
Bonus things: workouts that I can do with baby around! i.e. strength with him in bouncy chair
Challenge of the week
Katie: Add 5-10 mins of mobility to your day!
Elena: schedule a workout with friends even if everyone is doing their own thing
Gear/resource pick of the week
Katie: Two Substack blogs I follow! Katie Arnold’s Work In Progress and Gordo Byrn’s Endurance Essentials
Elena: pilates?? And my form for athlete healthcare feedback