Advertise on podcast: The Endurance Athlete Journey

Send us Fan Mail Are your best racing days behind you, or are you limiting what you believe is still possible? As endurance athletes get older, personal records become harder to chase, recovery changes, and the way we measure success can begin to shift. But does getting older mean you have to stop being competitive? In this fourth installment of our Aging as an Endurance Athlete series, Coach Justin and Coach Katie explore the mental side of aging in endurance sports. Drawing from their experiences as coaches and masters athletes, they examine how expectations influence performance, why a faster finishing time doesn't always mean a better race, and how to continue pursuing your athletic potential without being defined by past results. What You'll Learn Are you limiting your own potential? How assumptions about aging can influence training decisions and competitive ambitions.Does a slower time mean a worse performance? Why race execution, pacing, and nutrition matter beyond the finishing clock.What does it mean to reach your athletic potential? Why your capabilities today shouldn't be measured exclusively against your younger self.How do you stay competitive as you age? Rethinking goals, prioritizing consistency, and finding meaningful ways to keep improving.Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: The mental side of aging as an endurance athlete 09:22 – Facing the emotional challenges of getting older 11:55 – Katie's perspective: When your fastest days may be behind you 17:24 – Justin's perspective: Finding new potential as an aging athlete 19:31 – Redefining competition, performance, and race success 22:50 – Is athletic potential fixed, or does it change with age? 28:09 – Age-group competition, age grading, and new challenges 33:29 – Why faster doesn't always mean better race execution 37:36 – Process versus outcome: The importance of training consistency 43:44 – How expectations influence competitiveness and potential 47:00 – Are athletes mentally limiting themselves as they age? 59:14 – Accepting realistic limitations without giving up on improvement The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast — Real conversations about endurance training, racing, and the pursuit of athletic improvement at every stage of the journey. For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail How do you balance getting stronger with maintaining your running fitness for HYROX? In episode 4 of Highway to HYROX, I’m sharing the latest two weeks of training for my first HYROX race—including threshold runs, station workouts, fueling practice, and fitting it all around work and family life. There have been strong sessions, challenging days, and plenty of adjustments along the way. Then, I dive into strength training: why it matters for HYROX, how foundational strength differs from muscular endurance, and why practicing the stations is an essential part of preparation. I also share why I’m following Sorinex’s Squatober workouts, how I’m modifying the schedule to fit my training, and why enjoying the process matters. In this episode: How strength can support the stations and running portions of HYROX.How strength can also support running form and economy, which is important for maintaining your pace throughout all 8 run portions of  HYROXThe importance of upper-body strength, grip, and lower-body strength.Why heavy lifting and high-repetition circuits serve different purposes.What two dedicated strength sessions might include.How I’m managing fatigue across running, lifting, and HYROX workouts.Why recovery days and rest between lifting sets deserve attention.This is an honest look at what I’m trying, what I’m learning, and how I’m adapting as an experienced endurance athlete preparing for something new. For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail What are you actually training for? Every endurance athlete is trying to answer a question—but the training, expectations, and race-day decisions don’t always match it. Are you trying to prove you can complete the challenge, improve how well you perform, or pursue the highest realistic outcome available on race day? In this episode, Coach Justin breaks down the Complete → Perform → Compete framework and explains how each mindset changes the way you should train, execute, and define success. What You’ll Learn Why reliability should come before optimizationHow performance depends on execution, not fitness aloneWhy competing requires tactical decisions, calculated risk, and comfort with uncertaintyHow to tell when your goals, readiness, and training are out of alignmentTimestamps 00:00 — Complete, Perform, Compete: the three questions 04:00 — Returning to racing and asking, “Can I do this?” 08:00 — The shift from completing to performing 10:00 — When a good performance still isn’t competition 14:00 — Complete: building reliable capability 25:00 — Perform: adding specificity and execution 31:00 — Why fitness alone doesn’t guarantee performance 35:00 — Compete: pursuing the highest realistic outcome 41:00 — Training athletes to make decisions under pressure 46:00 — Realistic potential vs. theoretical potential 58:00 — Aspiration, readiness, and the role of the coach 1:03:00 — What are you actually training for? For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail You've been told to spend most of your endurance training in Zone 2. But does the science actually support Zone 2 as the best way to improve aerobic fitness, burn fat, and build endurance? Zone 2 training works. But effective doesn't always mean optimal. And for athletes with limited training time, following a popular training method without understanding its limitations could mean missing opportunities to improve. In this final installment of our three-part Zone 2 series, Coach Justin and Coach Katie examine three major scientific claims about Zone 2 training and explain what the research means for runners, cyclists, triathletes, and developing endurance athletes. What You'll Learn Is Zone 2 really superior? What the research reveals about mitochondrial adaptations, fat oxidation, and VO2 max.Are you spending your training time effectively? Why workout duration, intensity, and recovery must be considered together.Why copying elite athletes can backfire. How training volume, experience, and available time change what works.Durability before optimization. Why consistency and progressive training matter more than chasing the perfect training zone.Timestamps 00:00 – Training updates and managing competing goals 08:28 – The three scientific claims behind Zone 2 training 13:32 – Mitochondrial adaptations and aerobic development 17:58 – How much Zone 2 training is enough? 23:38 – Balancing intensity, recovery, and workout sequencing 28:29 – Is Zone 2 optimal for mitochondrial development? 32:36 – Why beginners should prioritize durability over training zones 38:22 – Fat oxidation, fuel utilization, and fat loss 50:49 – Effective vs. optimal: Why the distinction matters 53:14 – Zone 2, VO2 max, and diminishing returns 01:00:46 – What the research doesn't establish and how to apply it Continue the Zone 2 Series: Episode 122 – Understanding Zone 2 Training Episode 124 – Zone 2 Isn't Enough: The Other Zones Matter For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail How do you build the speed you can sustain through eight runs and eight demanding workout stations? In episode 3 of Highway to HYROX, I share the latest updates as I prepare for my first HYROX race—including lessons from a recent 5K, balancing running with strength training, and recognizing when competing goals become too much to recover from. Then, I dive into why I’m prioritizing lactate threshold training for the running portion of HYROX. Drawing on emerging research and my endurance background, I explore how building sustainable speed may help me manage the demands of running between stations—and why practicing race effort on tired legs matters. In this episode, I discuss: Why I shifted my focus from chasing a faster 5K to preparing for HYROX.How threshold training fits into my running plan.Pacing strategies to avoid starting too fast.Using effort, heart rate, and pace to guide workouts.Examples of threshold sessions and ways to build them gradually.Why adequate carbohydrates, fueling between sessions, and recovery are essential.This is an honest look at how I’m approaching a new challenge: applying what I know about endurance training and sports nutrition while learning what works for me along the way. For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail Zone 2 gets most of the attention in endurance training—but it is only one part of the picture. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down training Zones 1–5, what each zone is actually doing, and why the right intensity depends on the athlete, the event, and the purpose of the workout. They also challenge some common assumptions around the “fat-burning zone,” Zone 3, heart-rate targets, and the idea that one training model works for everyone.   What You’ll Learn Why training zones are better viewed as a continuum than hard physiological boundariesHow Zones 1–5 differ in purpose, adaptation, fatigue cost, and race-specific valueWhy Zone 3 is not a “bad” zone—and why Zone 2 does not own fat oxidation or mitochondrial developmentHow race distance, training volume, sport, and athlete experience should influence intensity distributionTimestamps 00:00 Why this episode goes beyond Zone 2 02:16 Three-zone, five-zone, and expanded training models 04:08 Why zone boundaries are not hard physiological lines 07:25 What zone-based training is really for 10:00 Zone 1: recovery, cross-training, and when going too easy can backfire 18:10 Zone 2: aerobic development and where it fits best 23:54 Zone 3: the misunderstood “gray zone” 32:17 Fat burning, fuel use, and what really happens above Zone 2 41:36 Zone 4: threshold work, lactate, and performance adaptations 54:38 Zone 5: power, VO₂ max, fatigue, and injury risk 1:01:48 Why no single zone should dominate every athlete’s training For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail Two weeks after earning my first-ever win, I lined up again with a bigger question: was that performance repeatable—or was Patriot just one great day? Giant Acorn answered that question with rough water, wind, hills, accumulated fatigue, and another two-day race weekend. In this episode, I break down what the double podium really showed me about competing, recovery, race execution, and the difference between the workload you can handle and the workload that actually produces the best adaptation. What You’ll Learn Why performing well once is different from being prepared to compete repeatedlyHow I managed the 14 days between Patriot and Giant Acorn without trying to manufacture new fitnessWhat rough conditions taught me about resilience, fatigue management, and measuring race performanceWhy successful results don’t automatically mean your training decisions were optimalTimestamps 00:00 — Giant Acorn and the question I needed answered 02:45 — Rough water, frustration, and the lesson from Jamestown 10:30 — Complete vs. perform vs. compete 18:00 — The training load behind four races in 12 weeks 20:00 — Recover, reload, sharpen, taper 25:00 — Was my training effective—or simply survivable? 31:00 — Saturday Aquabike: adapting to wind and terrain 38:00 — Second place, competitiveness, and gratitude 42:00 — Recovery between two race days 46:00 — Why training makes fatigue familiar 49:00 — Sunday: bike durability and racing off fatigue 54:00 — The progressive run that changed the weekend 1:01:00 — Double podium and what Giant Acorn proved 1:03:00 — Offseason priorities and what changes next For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail Zone 2 training is everywhere—but what does Zone 2 actually mean, and should endurance athletes really build their training around it? In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down why Zone 2 is harder to define than most athletes realize, why heart-rate numbers can create unnecessary confusion, and why the right intensity depends on your fitness, goals, available training time, and where you are in the season. Zone 2 matters—but it is a tool, not a complete training system. What You’ll Learn  Why your watch may say you’re outside Zone 2 even when the effort feels controlled  Why beginners can hurt their progress by obsessing over staying in a prescribed heart-rate zone  How training changes when the goal shifts from completing → performing → competing Why easy training belongs in the plan—but eventually other intensities have to build the adaptations Zone 2 cannot Timestamps 00:00 — Why Zone 2 deserves a deeper conversation 06:14 — Why athletes get so confused about Zone 2 12:00 — Where popular Zone 2 training methods came from 20:17 — What Zone 2 actually means physiologically 27:23 — Heart rate vs. RPE: how do you know you’re in Zone 2? 33:26 — Lactate isn’t the enemy 41:05 — Why Zone 2 can look completely different between athletes 43:41 — New runners: stop obsessing over Zone 2 56:34 — Training stress matters more than the label 57:57 — Complete, perform, or compete: three levels of preparedness 01:04:06 — Why higher intensity still belongs in endurance training 01:12:58 — When Zone 2 makes sense in a training plan For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 2 of Highway to HYROX, I share an update on my training and take a deeper look at how to fuel for the unique demands of HYROX. If you want to jump right into the Nutrition content and skip my training recap and you go to about 31:30 on the podcast episode.  Balancing running, strength training, race-specific workouts, and adequate recovery has required some experimentation. I discuss what my current training week looks like, why I’m prioritizing threshold running, and how I’m learning to adjust my schedule when fatigue starts to build. Then, drawing on my experience as a board-certified sports dietitian and longtime endurance athlete, I break down the nutrition strategies that can support HYROX training and racing. We cover: • Why HYROX athletes need both carbohydrates and adequate protein • How to adjust carbohydrate intake based on daily training demands • What to eat before and after HYROX workouts • Protein needs for supporting strength, recovery, and muscle maintenance • Hydration and sodium considerations • Whether carb loading is beneficial before a HYROX race • How to fuel when your race starts later in the day • Whether you should use gels or other carbohydrates during the event • Why trying to lose weight during a demanding training block can compromise performance HYROX combines endurance running with repeated high-intensity strength stations, making carbohydrates especially important for performing well. The goal isn’t simply to make it through the race—it’s to arrive properly fueled so you can maintain your effort from the first run through the final wall ball. For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail You can get stronger, follow the plan, hit your numbers—and still have the same side of your body keep breaking down. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie are joined by physical therapist Craig Depperschmidt to explore why endurance athletes are naturally asymmetrical, how repetitive training can magnify those patterns, and why recurring injuries may involve more than weakness or poor form. The conversation goes beyond muscles into movement, breathing, the brain, body awareness, and what it really takes to build durability for the long haul. What You’ll Learn Why the same side of your body may repeatedly become your “problem side”Why getting stronger doesn’t automatically correct the movement patterns underneath recurring injuriesHow single-leg training, body awareness, and movement variability can help athletes better manage asymmetryWhy rigid, metric-driven training may be missing an important piece of long-term adaptability and durabilityTimestamps 00:00 — Why body asymmetry matters for endurance athletes 09:01 — What does it actually mean to be asymmetrical? 12:23 — Why endurance training can magnify imbalances 17:01 — When the same side keeps causing problems 19:41 — Asymmetry, durability, and injury-prone athletes 23:11 — Why single-leg and single-arm strength work matters 31:42 — Signs your asymmetry may be affecting movement 37:25 — What may be happening before mechanical breakdown 44:32 — Strength training progression for endurance athletes 55:05 — The connection between the brain and body 1:02:34 — Metrics, body awareness, and rigid training habits 1:14:53 — RPE, novelty, community, and becoming more adaptable Connect with Craig Depperschmidt, DPT, PRC: Craig is a physical therapist at ProActive Physical Therapy & Performance Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is Postural Restoration Certified through the Postural Restoration Institute. Learn more about Craig and his work: Craig’s website — Resilient Endurance Craig’s Postural Restoration Institute provider profile For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail Training hard is one thing. Knowing whether that training actually prepared you to race is another. Coach Justin uses the Kinetic Multisport Patriot Race Weekend as a real-world test: an Olympic Aquabike on Saturday followed by a sprint triathlon less than 24 hours later. One race produced his first-ever win. The next exposed exactly where his training still falls short. This episode breaks down what the weekend revealed about bike fitness, run durability, race-specific training, tapering, and the role fueling and recovery played in being able to perform again the next morning. What You’ll Learn  Why being fit enough to finish is different from being prepared to perform and compete What racing twice in 24 hours revealed about training volume, durability, and recovery  How a breakthrough bike performance exposed outdated training zones—and a different limiter on Sunday  Why the next step isn't automatically more training, but more specific training aimed at the weakness that mattersTimestamps 00:00 — Two races, 24 hours, and the questions behind the experiment 05:30 — What did my training actually prepare me to do? 11:30 — Building durability through volume, frequency, and accumulated fatigue 20:00 — Bike, run, and swim preparation for Patriot 29:00 — Tapering to express fitness instead of building more of it 34:00 — Saturday: Olympic Aquabike and a breakthrough bike performance 42:30 — First place—and the shift from completing to competing 47:00 — Refueling and recovering for another race in less than 24 hours 51:00 — Sunday: what held up and what the sprint exposed 59:00 — The run reveals the missing piece 64:00 — Prepared to Complete vs. Perform vs. Compete 70:00 — What changes in training from here For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail A stress fracture does not automatically mean you trained too much—or trained badly. For endurance athletes, bone stress injuries often develop when training load begins to outpace the body’s ability to recover, rebuild and adapt. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down the bigger picture behind stress fractures, including training progression, underfueling, low energy availability, aging, hormones, nutrient intake and strength training. If you are increasing mileage, returning to running, training through weight loss or simply wondering how a fit athlete can still end up with a bone injury, this conversation will help you understand what may be happening beneath the surface. What You’ll Learn Why a well-designed training progression can still lead to problems when fueling and recovery do not keep paceHow low energy availability, rapid weight loss and hormonal changes can affect bone healthWhy cardiovascular fitness and strength do not automatically mean your bones are ready for running impactHow strength training, progressive loading and key nutrients can help support long-term bone durabilityTimestamps 00:00 Why stress fractures are more complicated than “too much training” 06:05 How bone adapts, remodels and responds to load 15:15 Training load, recovery and nutrition: finding the cause 20:21 Rapid weight loss, GLP-1s and bone-health risk 26:25 Calcium, vitamin D, iron and other nutrients that matter 40:05 Low energy availability, RED-S and underfueling 45:32 Aging athletes, hormones and declining bone density 48:08 Strength training and loading bones as you age 54:27 Why running, cycling and swimming affect bones differently 56:05 Why being fit does not mean your bones are ready to run 1:03:34 High-volume training is not the real problem 1:05:44 Stress-fracture location and what it may tell you For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail Highway to HYROX: Starting a New Training Journey What happens when a longtime runner and endurance athlete decides to step outside her comfort zone and train for something completely new? In this episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey, Katie kicks off a new series: Highway to HYROX. She’s training for her first HYROX race in Denver and taking listeners along for the entire experience—from figuring out what HYROX actually involves to learning how to balance running, strength training, recovery, and all of the unique demands of hybrid racing. Katie breaks down the HYROX format, including the running and functional fitness stations, and shares her initial thoughts about pacing, race strategy, and what makes HYROX so different from a traditional running race. She also walks through her current training week and the challenge of fitting two HYROX workouts, running workouts, a long run, strength training, and recovery into a busy schedule. But this series isn't about having all the answers. Katie is very intentionally approaching this as a learning experience. She doesn't consider herself a HYROX expert, and she isn't presenting her training plan as the right way to prepare. Instead, she's sharing what she's trying, what's working, what's challenging, and what she's learning along the way. If you've ever been curious about HYROX, wondered what it's like for a runner to transition into hybrid training, or simply enjoy following an athlete through the highs and lows of preparing for a new challenge, come along for the ride. The Highway to HYROX has officially begun! For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail If one hard workout makes you wonder whether you’re actually ready for race day, you’re not alone. The mistake is assuming training should prove what you’ll be capable of when the race finally arrives. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down why race-specific work can create doubt, how accumulated fatigue can distort your perception of fitness, and why chasing certainty can lead athletes to do too much. The goal isn’t to eliminate uncertainty—it’s to arrive prepared enough to perform when it matters. What You’ll Learn  Why a difficult workout does not automatically mean your race goal is unrealistic  How trying to “prove” your fitness in training can create unnecessary fatigue and risk  Why preparedness matters more than confidence or certainty on race morning  How training for discomfort helps prevent doubt from taking over when racing gets hard Timestamps 00:00 When training creates insecurity about race day 04:43 Justin’s own doubts about race-specific bike power and fitness 15:31 How fear feeds insecurity during a training build 17:00 Why one hard workout can make athletes question everything 21:58 Why training should not be used to prove race-day fitness 27:51 The danger of doing too much just to feel confident 37:49 Confidence vs. preparedness 41:22 “We don’t train to make race day easy” 45:31 Learning to suffer well and preparing for discomfort 54:10 Why comfortable training alone won’t prepare you to race hard 1:03:35 How a coach protects athletes from themselves 1:09:48 Managing doubt when it inevitably shows up For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail What if you knew this might be your last race? Jim Logan was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer and told he might have six months to two years to live. Instead of stepping away from endurance sport, he kept training. Now, after chemotherapy, radiation, major surgeries, an ostomy, and repeated Ironman setbacks, he is preparing to race the Ironman World Championship in Kona. But this episode is about more than cancer or Kona. Jim challenges endurance athletes to stop assuming there will always be another race, another season, or another chance—and to recognize that the real value of this sport is often found long before the finish line. What You’ll Learn Why Jim believes you shouldn't wait for a crisis to start treating your time like it mattersHow endurance training prepared him for the “uninvited pain” of cancer, treatment, and surgeryWhy a DNF or disappointing race doesn't erase everything you gained through the pursuitHow “Just Keep Tri-ing” became more than a mantra as Jim prepares for Kona with stage 4 cancerTimestamps 00:00 Meet Jim Logan: Stage 4 cancer and the road to Kona 07:02 Ironman DNFs, second chances, and the question that changes everything 10:22 What cancer taught Jim about today, tomorrow, and priorities 13:31 The symptoms he almost dismissed as normal training fatigue 16:33 Finish line → start line → the daily pursuit 22:03 “Cancer has my body. It cannot have my heart, mind, or soul.” 24:18 How endurance training prepared him for chemo, radiation, and surgery 30:16 Why performance isn't what ultimately defines the athlete 37:00 Faith, purpose, and finding meaning inside the diagnosis 43:22 Training is a privilege—and you may not always get to do it 51:55 Why worrying about race day can steal the joy from today 1:12:07 Jim's story changes Coach Justin's perspective on returning to racing Connect With & Support James Logan Want to follow James’ journey to Kona or support the mission behind it? Follow James on Instagram: @stage42025 Instagram – @stage42025 Support James’ IRONMAN Foundation fundraising: James is racing the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona while raising funds for the IRONMAN Foundation. Donate to James’ IRONMAN Foundation campaign Get James’ book, Just Keep TRI-ING: Just Keep TRI-ING: The Faith-Fueled Formula to Push Through Pain, Face Your Fears, and Finish Your Race Buy Just Keep TRI-ING on Amazon Proceeds from the book support James’ IRONMAN Foundation fundraising efforts. For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com Podcast Email → [email protected]