In this week’s episode, Katie and Jim start with some updated reflections on goal mapping and a common athlete question: what to do when no big goals are calling your name. Katie shares guidance on aligning training with purpose, taking unstructured time when needed, and exploring new modalities or distances instead of forcing an event. We then dive into the main topic: how to build a repeatable, low-friction Basic Week using principles from James Clear’s Atomic Habits to make training obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. We cover practical strategies for habit formation, systems that support consistency for time-crunched athletes, and why sustainable routines matter more than intensity. We also discuss winter training tools like uphill treadmill, how time off during the holidays can unexpectedly boost fitness, and why fitness metrics on Strava, TrainingPeaks, and Garmin should be interpreted cautiously. If you’re thinking about goal mapping, building habits, or creating a more reliable training structure heading into 2026, this episode offers a clear roadmap. Check it out!
A great listener question to follow up on goal mapping:
Katie - I’ve gotten a variation of this question from a few athletes so far: “I tried to sit down and do goal mapping, but there aren’t any goal races that are really standing out to me or calling my name right now. What should I do?”
(1) My advice is to not force yourself to sign up for something “just because.” Wait until you really feel called to an event, and sometimes that requires just going unstructured for a while with no major events on the calendar and seeing how that feels, or focusing on other goals in the meantime like getting into strength training or yoga. Take your time!
(2) It’s also helpful to think hard about the first question in goal mapping: what is my purpose in training and racing? (rather than immediately trying to pick an event or event(s))
If no goal events are immediately aligning with your purpose, then ask yourself if you can be in alignment with your purpose without a race. **Note: Not ALL years/seasons/etc. of movement have to have an event structuring them.**
Bonus question: what if I can’t decide on an event now and by the time I feel motivated to sign up, registration is closed?
My take: In the vast majority of cases (though admittedly not all cases), if an event is so hard to get into that you would have to sign up >9 months or longer in advance in order to do it, it’s probably something that you would have in the back of your mind for long enough that you wouldn’t be feeling like no races are calling your name (i.e. no one really has a same-day registration attitude for IMLP or the Boston Marathon!). There will always be events you can sign up for on a shorter time horizon!
Bonus approach: this often comes up when athletes have hit big PRs in big events and don’t necessarily want to just race the same thing again. Consider thinking outside of the box to try different modalities (e.g. a trail or ultra event instead of a road run), different distances (e.g. a 10-miler instead of a 10K or half, see e.g., the New England 10 miler series), or a destination race focused more on the travel/fun aspect of the course
And as always, talk to your coach! I’ve had great conversations with athletes where just reflecting back to them what they are saying with my coaching hat on has helped them come up with a plan (either a structured or intentionally unstructured one) for next year
Main content:
Today’s main topic revolves around helping you build a Basic Week and develop systems that keep it low friction, low stress and repeatable. A Basic Week is something you can do throughout the winter that builds a solid aerobic and strength foundation. For some people this is 5 hours, for others this is a 12-15 hour week. Either way, as everyone is a time crunched athlete, you need to make this week feel automatic. It’s what you do week after week with little thought or friction for logistics and planning.
The following four principles are pulled from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. They are: Make it Obvious, Attractive, Easy and Satisfying.
1. Make it Obvious
Implementation: Commit to specific workout times and locations:
"I will swim at 6:00 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the X pool"
"I will run at 5:30 PM on Mondays and Wednesdays from my front door"
What can make this even more obvious and easier is joining a Masters swim program or a weekly group run. Masters is at a set time and place so it hits Make it Obvious/Easy/Attractive (social)/Satisfying. (This is a take on the best workouts incorporate Joy, Health and Community.)
On Sunday’s I will look at my own schedule in TrainingPeaks - my master calendar - and not only put in workouts but at approximately what time I will do those workouts. I have a time with the name of the workout. For example, Tuesday “11am: 12 x 30’s 120% - 75%” (This is a bike trainer workout I can do inside or outside. Now when Tuesday rolls around I just hit play, no thinking about what to do when. It’s obvious. My thinking/planning was done on Sunday.
Another tactic is habit stacking: Link workouts to existing routines:
"After I drop the kids at school, I will go directly to the gym for my pool session"
"After my morning coffee, I will put on my running shoes and head out the door"
“When I watch TV in the evening, I will do some body weight exercises.”
Katie example in pregnancy: “I will hit my 20 minute hip mobility and diaphragmatic breathing routine as a precursor to every workout.”
Visual Cues: Set up your environment:
Lay out workout clothes the night before
Put bike shoes next to the trainer.
Set swim bag by the front door
Program workout reminders in their phone/watch. I’m constantly setting alarms on my phone to ensure I’m on schedule and accountable.
Example: My bike trainer set up in the pain cave has evolved over time to be a very easy, low friction set up. I use a dedicated indoor bike set up on the trainer. On the trainer I have my older bike computer that is only used indoors as switching bike computers from indoor to outdoor bikes is very timely and inconvenient. I have older shoes next to the bike trainer. I have two overbed medical tables sitting on either side of me that hold my old Ipad which runs TrainingPeaks Virtual and has a small Vornado fan. The other table holds a trainer HR chest strap, TV remote, water bottles, snacks and headbands / small towels. Placed right in front of the bike is a standing fan. I literally just walk up to the bike and everything I need (except my filled water bottles) is sitting right there. For me, I needed a set up that did not have me searching throughout the house for shoes, bike computer, HR monitor, etc. This took some time to build over the years as it does require owning duplicates of a number of items. This provides a great excuse to upgrade some of your gear this year (like a new bike computer) and use the old one for the trainer.
Example: A busy professional who struggles with morning workouts has their bike kit or run kit laid out on the bathroom counter, and set their coffee maker to auto-brew at 5:45 AM. When they wake up, every cue points toward the trainer or run session.
2. Make it Attractive
Temptation Bundling: Pair workouts with something they enjoy:
"I only listen to my favorite podcast or YouTube while on the bike trainer"
"I get to watch that Netflix show while doing an at home strength session"
"I get my favorite coffee drink after completing Saturday's long run"
“I go to my favorite bakery after swimming”
Join a Community: Connect Masters swim and/or local run/bike groups:
Attend weekly swim/bike/run groups
Find a training partner at your level
Reframe the Mindset: Think of workouts as opportunities, not obligations:
Instead of "I have to swim tomorrow," reframe as "I get to work on my weak discipline and see my friends at Masters"
"This trainer workout is making me a stronger cyclist" (See Goal Mapping)
Example: A new athlete who dislikes swimming alone might only allow themselves to listen to their favorite audiobook during swim sessions. Or meeting a friend at the pool, swimming transforms from a dreaded task to social time. In sum, we are social creatures and meant to work hard together. Find opportunities to join a group.
3. Make it Easy
Reduce Friction: Remove barriers to starting:
Keep bike on the trainer year-round (no setup required) or lots of good reviews such as the Zwift bike.
A home treadmill.
A few dumbbells or kettlebells and a pull-up bar or door frame TRX at home along with some resistance bands is enough for a quick, effective at-home strength session.
Have a dedicated gym bag that's always packed
Dedicated bags that have all your outdoor bike gear - shoes, helmet, sunglasses, bike computer, radar, vest, windbreakers, gloves, snacks.
Write out your workouts on an index card (if your memory is terrible like mine!)
The Two-Minute Rule: Make the starting ritual incredibly simple:
"I just need to put on my running shoes" (not "I need to run 5 miles")
"I just need to get in the pool" (not "I need to swim 2000 yards")
"I just need to sit on the bike" (not "I need to complete the full workout")
Positive self talk, “This will be fun! This will be awesome!”
*said ironically* “I’m Alive Alert Awake Enthusiastic!”
Start Small: Rather than jumping into your full training plan:
Week 1: Just 15-30 minutes per session to build the habit
Focus on consistency over volume initially
Gradually increase duration once the routine is established
Prime the Environment: Make bad habits hard:
Limit social media scrolling that eat into workout time
Or to bring it back to habit stacking – give yourself free rein to scroll social media once you sit down on the trainer (especially for WU/CD or recovery intervals)
Set "Do Not Disturb" during scheduled workout windows
Schedule training times with your spouse/partner/friend
Example: A parent struggling to find time could keep a fully-packed gym bag in the car. When they drop kids at practice, they immediately drive to the gym (already in workout clothes from home). The only decision is "do I walk into the gym?" not "do I go home, change, pack, and drive back out?"
4. Make it Satisfying
Immediate Rewards: Create instant gratification:
Check off workouts on a calendar (visual progress) or watch the box go green in TrainingPeaks.
Award yourself a treat after completing the workout (bakery after pool is the best!)
Use a habit tracker where you mark an X for each completed session
Track Progress: Visualize improvement:
Keep a training log / TrainingPeaks showing consistency over weeks
Comment on all your workouts so you can see improvement and insight. Reviewing your training after many weeks/months is super rewarding and you’ll be able to see how much you have progressed and learned.
Note: For both of the above, having a coach makes this even better – you get a comment back in response!
Celebrate PRs in training (fastest 100 in the pool, best trainer intervals, etc.)
Take monthly or every other month fitness tests. A simple test like a 2 x 10’ best effort run test is a low stress way to track your run progress.
Never Miss Twice: Build resilience into the system:
Use “exercise snacks” (15’ - 30’ runs/bikes) for chaotic days
Missing one workout isn't failure—that’s life. Missing several days in a row because of poor scheduling is a red flag to shore up your habits/systems.
Goal Reinforcement: Connect actions to your goal mapping:
"I train early in the morning because I have a personal contract with myself to reach my goals"
Display race number/medal somewhere visible. This sends a message to yourself that “people like us do things like this”.
Enlist the help of your support network. They want to see you succeed.
Example: Create a simple paper calendar on your fridge. Every completed workout gets a big red X. After two weeks of consistency, you can see the visual chain of X's and won't want to break it. You could add: "After 4 weeks of perfect attendance, reward myself with new race/training gear."
Practical Application : Combine all four principles as you start your Basic Week:
Week 1-4 Focus: Habit establishment (not fitness)
Choose exact times and locations (Obvious)
Join the squad or find a training partner (Attractive)
Keep sessions to 20-30 minutes (Easy)
Use a tracking system and celebrate completion (Satisfying)
Key takeaway: During early weeks, prioritize showing up over hitting pace/power targets. Completing an "easy" 20-minute Zone 2 run is more successful than one who attempts a 60-minute tempo run and quits halfway through or doesn’t do it at all. You're building systems that will eventually support bigger training loads.
Katie on consistency – a banger from Steve Magness as a follow-up to our conversation about habits, discussing characteristics of high performers:
“Consistency over short-term intensity: We love the story of the heroic effort. The Strava workout or all-nighter. But the best performers resist the allure unless it’s necessary. They know that shooting for heroic efforts all the time is a recipe for burnout. Instead of swinging for home runs every day, they just put the ball in play. They focus on stacking good work week after week, month after month. They understand that compounding interest applies to performance just as much as it does to finance. A B+ effort repeated for a year beats an A+ effort that lasts a week. This means they accept the non-linear nature of progress. They don’t get addicted to seeing visible results every single day. They are willing to endure the long, boring plateaus where the work is unsexy but essential. They trust that consistency will eventually crack the stone.”
A great goal for 2026 is consistency, and making consistency sustainable involves building a repeatable basic week.
Katie - uphill treadmill
My latest craze! Aka I have done 2x uphill TM sessions on strength days recently. 20-30 minutes, 15% grade, 3 mph hike.
Takeaways:
Back to habits - I like it a lot better than Peloton as it’s more frictionless to just hop on the treadmill before or after strength when I am already at the gym, in the same gear, already sweaty. It feels harder to motivate to get on the peloton later in the day at home, when that involves bike shorts, peloton shoes, change in location, and re-motivating for a second workout.
Quite the burner! Targets glutes, hamstrings, calves, and even core.
Feels cool to do something new – I am less in tune to what it “should” feel like, whereas biking sometimes feels much worse than usual (1) anatomically (diaphragm is kind of squished) and (2) in comparison to pre-pregnancy metrics (power, overall time, HR, etc.)
Given much lower impact forces relative to flat/downhill running, this could be a way to get back into a run-adjacent training modality postpartum sooner than I am ready for true flat/downhill running – especially given possible bone health concerns
Nice choice for the winter when I am generally walking around less in daily life/outside etc.
How to incorporate it:
As a standalone workout/ exercise snack
As an easy, lower-impact double
Scale difficulty by changing speed or incline
For more on uphill TM, check out David Roche: “The Training Theory Of Uphill Treadmill Doubles.” Some useful takeaways from that article:
Less is more: “Treadhills provide a strong aerobic stimulus, but they don’t need to be too long. Past 30 to 40 minutes, there is a possibility that some of the adaptation benefits of doubles are reduced by increased breakdown. There is a razor-thin margin between overtraining and optimal training with these more complex additions to a plan.”
Jim - Holidays
I recently returned from Paris, France, where I took six full days off from aerobic training. I did one bodyweight strength session and spent a lot of time walking and on my feet.
When I looked at TrainingPeaks, it showed a big drop in “fitness,” but the reality was very different. Three days after returning, I did an FTP test and came close to my all-time best. Training + rest/recovery = growth.
I also came back with renewed mental energy, ready for a big training block, and fully recovered from the previous 6–8 weeks of work.
Key takeaway: Holidays often disrupt structured training—and that’s OK. In many cases, that downtime ends up benefiting you in the months ahead.
Katie: And reminder that TrainingPeaks or Strava “fitness” metrics do a very poor job of capturing your actual fitness. Case study of recent-ish fitness numbers over time for me:
Sea to Summit July 2024: Fitness was “92” in Strava
Marathon in April 2025: Fitness was “75” in Strava
Right now, 8 months pregnant: Fitness is “29” in Strava
But none of these are directly comparable because they reflect completely different goals (back to goal mapping!!). Fitness numbers are biased in terms of volume, and for S2S I was training heavy volume on trails + tons of swim/bike. That set me up really well to have a great race there. In April of this year, I pivoted to mainly running with just a few x-train sessions per week (and strength, which we know is not captured accurately at all in fitness numbers). I was WAY faster at marathon running in April 2025 than July 2024 and probably couldn’t have actually raced a road marathon in July 2024 without getting injured. Finally, looking at pregnancy numbers, there is a fraction of the fitness that there was before, but I am somehow still able to hit 25ish miles/week at 8 months pregnant, one long run, one speed workout, etc., while growing an actual human (which I am arguably more proud of than the race results).
So don’t panic if your fitness numbers drop after time off. They are kind of bullshit anyway!
Challenge of the week
Jim: Find your friction points to your Basic Week and build systems to fix them.
Katie: Try out something new like uphill treadmill!
Gear pick of the week:
A few stocking stuffers from past Gear Picks of Week:
Darn Tough Men's Fastpack Micro Crew Lightweight Hiking Sock
Skida - headbands and hats
Bivo - stainless steel water bottles
LL Bean Boat and Tote®, Open-Top - build your systems with gear bags for each sport