
Hosted by The Endurance Drive · EN

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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this week's episode, we share the biggest lessons from recent races across the Endurance Drive community. Drawing from race reports submitted by our athletes, we dive into the common themes that separated strong performances from frustrating ones, including race-day preparation, pacing the bike to protect the run, nutrition and hydration strategies, heat management, mental resilience, race execution, open water confidence, and why racing by feel often beats chasing the numbers. We also rapid-fire five additional lessons on course reconnaissance, transitions, swim navigation, using data wisely, and how fitness transfers across disciplines. Whether you're racing a sprint triathlon, marathon, Ironman, or anything in between, there's something here to help you race smarter this season. 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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this week's episode, we recap Katie's postpartum 10K race and the lessons that came from a tough but rewarding day on the course, including where and how her pacing strategy didn’t go exactly according to plan, the mental strategies that helped her stay in the fight, and why she's actually more proud of this race than others that went "better" on paper. We also discuss race-day mindset, building goals that truly resonate, why every race is a rich learning environment, and how to think about racing as simply an expression of your fitness on that particular day. We wrap with reflections on Western States, evolving training philosophies in ultrarunning, and why your "normal" in training should evolve with different seasons of life. 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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this week’s episode, we dive deep into one topic that’s affecting nearly every endurance athlete right now: heat. We discuss how hot and humid conditions change pacing, power, heart rate, fueling, hydration, and overall expectations for both training and racing. We share practical strategies for modifying workouts, recognizing when heat is becoming a safety issue, and adapting your mindset when fitness doesn’t show up the way you expected on race day. We also explore race-day unpredictability, why learning to embrace chaos can make you a better competitor, how to estimate realistic swim, bike, and run pacing, and why practicing adaptability may be one of the most valuable race skills you can develop. Plus, we share hydration recommendations, electrolyte strategies, and a few gear picks for surviving summer training. 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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this episode, we explore what it means to train within the constraints of real life. Drawing from Katie’s postpartum return to sport, we discuss how recovery, energy availability, sleep, work, parenting, and life stress can become limiting factors just as much as fitness itself. We unpack the difference between training volume and overall life load, how expectations quietly shift over time, and why more training is not always the answer when performance starts to feel harder. We also dive into identifying your biggest constraints, focusing on the highest-return workouts, embracing the minimum effective dose, and finding ways to stay connected to joy and purpose in training. Whether you're balancing a demanding career, family responsibilities, injury recovery, or simply a busy season of life, this episode offers practical strategies for adapting your goals, managing expectations, and continuing to make meaningful progress without burning out. 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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this week’s episode, we share practical race-week strategies for endurance athletes, including how to prepare your bike, dial in transitions, visualize race day, and avoid common mistakes before the starting gun. We also break down our top 10 tips for first-time triathletes, from fueling and open-water swimming to pacing, bike handling, cooling strategies, and mindset preparation. Katie reflects on her experience pacing a fifth grader at a Girls on the Run 5K and the surprising lessons that apply to athletes of every level. Finally, we explore Gordo Byrn’s concept of “zombie training,” discuss the importance of recovery, consistency, and avoiding chronic fatigue, and share resources on the Norwegian Method, open-water swimming, and race-day gear. Whether you’re preparing for your first sprint triathlon or your next Ironman, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you train and race smarter. 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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this week’s episode, we sit down with Dr. Maggie Mullins, an accomplished physical therapist, strength coach, run coach, and athlete, for a deep dive into how endurance athletes should actually approach strength training. We talk about why strength matters for performance, injury prevention, running economy, and long-term durability, plus how to structure strength work around endurance training, what exercises give the biggest return on investment, and why endurance athletes often underload in the gym. We also cover plyometrics, calf strength, mobility vs. stretching, youth vs. masters and male vs. female athletes, and how to build a simple but effective home setup. We wrap with Maggie’s perspective on activation routines, toe spacers, stroller running, and practical ways to make strength training actually fit into busy endurance lives. Check it out!To work with Maggie, visit: https://run.therxmovement.com/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: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.