Advertise on podcast: The Endurance Drive Podcast

In this week's episode, we're celebrating a HUGE weekend for Elena, who finished sixth at the Kodiak 100K and earned herself another ticket to UTMB! We dive into the full race recap, from the somewhat unconventional approach to training that got her to the starting line to the highs, lows, and mental strategies that carried her through over 62 miles of hilly terrain. Elena shares how taking the pressure off training helped her feel more curious about toeing the line, why years of experience matter more than any single training block, and how rebuilding her "performance bubble" helped her regain trust in her body. We also talk about racing your own race, staying flexible with fueling and pacing, and why showing up a little undercooked is way better than showing up overcooked. It's a fun one with plenty to celebrate and lots of lessons for endurance athletes of all levels. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

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! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we dive into how to choose your goal races for next season, starting with the most important question: what do you actually want to get out of your training and racing? We break down the many factors to consider when building your race calendar, including your performance and experience goals, the type of training you want to do, course characteristics, weather, logistics, scenery, atmosphere, and how racing fits into the rest of your life. We also talk about balancing A, B, and C races, choosing courses that play to your strengths versus challenge your weaknesses, and why the best goal race is ultimately the one that aligns with your purpose for the season. Finally, Elena shares some reflections from a recent crewing experience and we talk about harnessing the "potential energy" you build before a big race or adventure, even when things don't go according to plan. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we use Katie's recent race at Dover Tri as a jumping-off point for a deep dive into how to race a sprint triathlon from start to finish. We cover race-week preparation and mindset, pre-race fueling, swim strategy, TT vs. road bike tradeoffs, previewing the course, pacing by feel instead of being glued to your watch, and high-carb fueling even for short efforts. We also get into all the little ways to race faster without gaining any additional fitness, from sighting and transitions to lock laces, liquid carbs, bike handling, and cutting tangents on the run. Finally, we talk about using competition to your advantage, reinforcing your strengths when racing gets hard, and evaluating your execution before you even see the results. Whether you're getting ready for your first sprint triathlon or have been racing for years, this episode is packed with practical ways to race smarter and faster. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we catch up on Elena's recent 40-mile adventure on the John Muir Trail and talk about planning big adventure days, managing risk, and taking some of the pressure and perfectionism out of training. We also discuss approaching sport with more curiosity, finding motivation through supporting other athletes, and how to be a great crew member or pacer when a friend is tackling a big goal. Then, we dig into race-day non-negotiables, building a cookie jar of resilience data points from hard experiences, and why the races that don't go according to plan can sometimes become your most valuable mental training. Finally, we talk about recovering and fueling after big training days before wrapping up with this week's challenges and gear picks. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we rethink what the off-season should actually look like and make the case for staying active while shifting toward more diverse, fun, and low-pressure movement. We also pull lessons from the pros, including Rachel Entrekin on racing with joy and Lucy Charles-Barclay on having the patience to say no to a race in service of a bigger goal. Then, we talk about reframing all the reasons a workout or race might not go well as context rather than excuses, putting your brain in your pocket, and trusting the fitness you've built. Finally, we introduce a little Ask the Coach segment with questions about road bikes vs. TT bikes for hilly sprint triathlons and whether a week of simply "touching water" can revive some old swim fitness. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week’s episode, Jim and Katie recap their most recent adventure events, including Jim’s seven-day multi-stage cycling race in the Alps and Katie’s 30th birthday bike/run challenge in the White Mountains. Highlights include training approaches for long endurance events with a lot of elevation, how to approach fueling and hydration across racing contexts, mindset approaches for when the going gets tough, how to effectively recover between back-to-back-to-back stimuli, and the role of identity in tackling big challenges. We hope this episode inspires you to plan some endurance adventures of your own while providing some helpful tips for prep, execution, and recovery. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we talk about how to turn a regular vacation into a DIY training camp by leaning into the terrain, time, and tools you have available, and why a change in training stimulus can build fitness while keeping things fresh. We share ideas for making intervals more fun and less structured, from segment hunting and landmark fartleks to letting hills and trails dictate the effort, plus some thoughts on balancing fitness and specificity when moving between road and trail. We also talk about easing into fall training as cooler weather arrives, paying attention to whether you are actually absorbing your training, and the importance of gratitude for simply getting to move. Finally, we dig into mental toughness, celebrating the small moments when you choose to keep going, and building up a cookie jar of resilience you can draw on when things get hard. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we dive into the key principles for fall marathon prep, from building a smart weekly structure and dialing in realistic goal paces to balancing speed work, long runs, easy volume, cross-training, and injury prevention. We talk about why feeling excited isn’t always the same as being fit, how to build toward race day without doing too much too soon, and why strength training, including the much-hyped Norwegian approach, may be simpler and more foundational than you think. We also explore the surprisingly deep appeal of chasing Strava segments, why a little low-stakes competition can bring so much joy to training, and the bigger question of whether the point is simply to get fitter or to find the things that make you feel alive. We end with some thoughts on finishing your season strong and our weekly challenges and gear picks. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we talk about getting creative with your workouts when heat, time, terrain, or life get in the way, and why understanding the intention of a workout gives you more flexibility than you might think. We also dive into key recovery principles for high-volume training as Jim prepares to tackle the Haute Route, a seven-day cycling race in the Alps, including fueling before the workout is even over, hydration, sleep, cooling down, and arriving at a big event with a full "body battery." Finally, we take a closer look at Ironman Canada in Ottawa and how it stacks up against Ironman Lake Placid, from travel and logistics to course difficulty and choosing the race that best aligns with your goals. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we discuss building an athletic identity that can evolve through different seasons of life, how to think about big goals on a 5-10 year timeline, and why giving yourself more grace often starts with acknowledging the context you're training in. Elena shares her perspective on intentionally stepping away from structured training to prioritize long-term health and performance, while Katie reflects on her biggest lessons from the first six months postpartum. We also crowdsource our favorite strategies for successful early morning workouts and share practical tips for making consistency easier, before wrapping up with this week's challenge and gear picks. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we discuss our biggest takeaways from Ironman Lake Placid, including the importance of race simulations, nailing race-week preparation, and the small details that can make a big difference on race day. We also dive into the art of Strava segment hunting, trading insights on how to use segments to build fitness, sharpen your racing instincts, and have more fun in training. We wrap up with a fascinating discussion of new research on sodium bicarbonate as a potential tool for improving performance and reducing perceived effort in the heat. Along the way, we also share our thoughts on recent endurance sports news, including changes to Boston Marathon qualifying and Garmin's acquisition of TrainingPeaks. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we answer many of the most common questions we get during Ironman and 70.3 pre-race calls. We cover everything from race week mindset, travel, and sleep to race morning logistics, transitions, fueling, hydration, pacing, heat management, and what to do when things don't go according to plan. Along the way, we share practical strategies for staying calm, making smart decisions throughout the day, and setting yourself up for your best possible race. Whether you're tackling your first long-course triathlon or chasing a PR, we hope this episode helps you head to the start line feeling prepared and confident. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week's episode, we dive into how novelty and adventure can reignite motivation, from using travel and exploration to make training more fun to choosing goal events that actually match your strengths and what you genuinely enjoy. We also share practical questions to help you identify races you'll love training for, discuss what to do when the joy of training starts to fade, and reflect on the biggest training lessons we wish we'd fully internalized years ago, from learning to train the athlete you are today to why consistency, recovery, and easy training matter more than hero workouts. We wrap with practical ways to become a better athlete this summer, even when the heat makes pace feel discouraging. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].

In this week’s episode, we unpack the biggest lessons from a record-breaking Western States, including what the performances of Jennifer Lichter, Vincent Bouillard, and the rest of the elite field can teach us about smarter endurance training. We also discuss why making your easy days truly easy can unlock better recovery and long-term adaptation, how to know if you're actually absorbing your training, when it's okay to pivot a big goal that no longer fits your season of life, and practical ways to recalibrate your training if you're feeling stretched. We wrap with a simple but powerful race-day mantra from one of our listeners and our challenges of the week. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast  To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: [email protected].