Road to Grandma's Marathon: Fatigue, Fitness, and Finding the Line

Should Endurance Athletes Use GLP-1s? The Risks of Chasing Race Weight

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] What if reaching your race weight is the very thing that ruins your race? GLP-1 medications may help an athlete lose weight, but using them during race-specific training can also reduce fueling, impair recovery, accelerate muscle loss, and limit the fitness needed to perform. You could arrive at the starting line lighter—but less prepared. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie examine where GLP-1 medications may fit for endurance athletes, when the risks can outweigh the benefits, and why significant weight loss should be treated as its own strategic phase rather than forced into a marathon, triathlon, or cycling build. What You’ll Learn * Why a lower race weight does not guarantee better performance * How GLP-1s can affect fueling, muscle retention, recovery, and training quality * Why rapid weight loss during a race build increases RED-S and injury risk * When a separate, medically supported weight-loss phase may make more sense Timestamps 00:00 – GLP-1 medications and the pursuit of race weight 06:52 – How GLP-1 medications work 14:12 – Benefits, side effects, and unanswered safety questions 25:26 – Why GLP-1 medications produce weight loss 35:15 – An athlete losing weight while training for a 70.3 44:19 – When race-weight goals become a warning sign 56:13 – Who may benefit from GLP-1 medications 1:05:47 – RED-S, muscle loss, and impaired recovery 1:17:43 – GI symptoms and the challenge of fueling endurance training 1:27:24 – Why reaching race weight may cost more fitness than it creates 1:31:15 – A better time and strategy for athlete weight loss 1:46:24 – Finding a better reason than chasing a number For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com [https://fuel2run.com] Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com [https://tabularasaracing.com/] Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com [theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com]

How to Stay Fit When You’re Tired of Following a Training Plan

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] You are tired of following a structured training plan, but you are also afraid that if you back off, you will lose fitness and have to start over. That is the tension a lot of endurance athletes face after a big race, during the off-season, around holidays, or between major goals. You may not need a highly specific training plan all year long, but that does not mean you need to remove structure completely. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie talk through when it makes sense to loosen the plan, how to stay consistent without feeling trapped by training, and why the best answer is often not “plan or no plan,” but the right amount of structure for the season you are in. What You’ll Learn: * Why “less structure” does not mean “no structure” * When it makes sense to take a break from a rigid training plan * How guardrails help you stay fit without burning out * Why jumping from one race plan to the next can hurt long-term consistency Timestamps: 00:00 When to follow a plan vs. loosen the structure 02:18 Katie’s approach after marathon training 08:19 Justin’s view on maintaining fitness with less specificity 17:47 Why having no plan for too long can become risky 20:55 Giving athletes freedom without removing guardrails 28:46 Why workout sequencing still matters 33:48 When it makes sense to come off a plan 35:08 Post-race recovery and the mental deload 36:51 Training during vacation without guilt 44:37 Why downtime looks different for every athlete 48:31 How to reduce specificity without losing direction 56:12 Building flexibility into a structured training plan For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com [https://fuel2run.com] Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com [https://tabularasaracing.com/] Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com [theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com]

Heat Acclimation: Why You Feel Slower—and How to Race Better in the Heat

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] Training consistently but suddenly feeling slower? Your normal pace is harder to hold, your heart rate is higher, and every workout seems to take more out of you. That does not necessarily mean you are losing fitness. Heat can mask the fitness you have built while adding stress your body must learn to manage. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie explain how heat acclimation works, how to prepare for hot and humid conditions, and how to build heat exposure into training without compromising recovery. What You’ll Learn * Why heat makes your normal pace feel harder even when your fitness is intact * How active training, sauna sessions, and other passive heat methods create adaptation * Why chasing cool-weather pace in hot conditions can undermine your training * How summer heat training can support stronger performance when temperatures fall Timestamps 00:00 Podcast update and current training plans 18:12 Why major races are being changed or canceled because of heat 27:36 The environmental risk athletes often leave out of race preparation 39:14 What heat acclimation changes inside the body 44:50 Race-day cooling strategies—and why they cannot replace preparation 50:20 Why every workout should not become a heat-training session 52:25 Active versus passive heat-acclimation protocols 58:10 How runners should adjust summer training volume and intensity 1:04:59 Why you should stop chasing pace during hot workouts 1:09:30 Feeling slow does not mean you are losing fitness 1:12:51 How heat masks fitness—and why it appears when temperatures fall For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com [https://fuel2run.com] Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com [https://tabularasaracing.com/] Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com [theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com]

Could Low Iron Be Slowing You Down? Nutrition Deep Dive on Iron Deficiency in Endurance Athletes

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] Feeling more fatigued than usual? Struggling through workouts that used to feel easy? If your training isn't matching your effort, low iron could be the missing piece. In this solo episode, sports dietitian Katie takes a deep dive into one of the most common—and often overlooked—nutrition concerns in endurance sports: iron deficiency. Drawing from both the latest evidence and her own experience as a collegiate runner who battled severe iron deficiency anemia, Katie explains why iron is so critical for performance and how even "normal" lab results may not be optimal for endurance athletes. In this episode, you'll learn: * Why endurance athletes are at higher risk for iron deficiency * The early warning signs that often appear before anemia develops * Which blood tests to request—and why a CBC alone isn't enough * Optimal ferritin levels for runners, cyclists, and triathletes * The best food sources of iron and how to improve absorption * Common mistakes that can reduce iron absorption * When iron supplementation is appropriate (and when it isn't) * Practical strategies to prevent recurring iron deficiency while training Whether you're training for your first marathon, preparing for an Ironman, or simply wondering why your energy has been lagging, this episode will help you understand how iron impacts endurance performance and what steps you can take to stay healthy and perform at your best. If you've ever wondered whether your fatigue is "just training" or something more, this episode is for you. For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com [https://fuel2run.com] Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com [https://tabularasaracing.com/] Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com [theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com]

Why You’re Not Getting Faster on the Bike—and What Triathletes Should Do Instead

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] You’re putting in the bike miles, completing the workouts, and watching the numbers—but the fitness still is not showing up when it matters. The problem may not be effort. It may be that your training is developing the wrong qualities or measuring progress in ways that do not translate to race day. In this episode, Coach Justin explains how triathletes can build sustainable bike performance through purposeful progression, greater durability, better execution, and stronger real-world cycling skills. What You’ll Learn * Why repeating similar rides eventually stops producing meaningful improvement * How speed and FTP can mislead you about your actual race-day fitness * Why cycling frequency, durability, and pacing matter more than simply riding harder * How outdoor skills, position, strength, fueling, and pedal efficiency turn fitness into performance Timestamps 00:00 Why triathletes struggle to improve on the bike 03:35 The factors that drive cycling progress 08:00 Why every ride should not look the same 12:00 Using progressive overload in bike training 28:00 Why average speed is a misleading metric 38:15 FTP versus sustainable race-day power 41:20 The problem with making every ride hard 46:45 Why triathletes may need to ride more often 1:00:45 Why indoor fitness does not fully transfer outdoors 1:05:30 Position, strength training, and functional bike power 1:11:35 Fueling the bike to support the run 1:14:25 Pedal efficiency and bike-handling fundamentals For coaching inquiries: Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com [https://fuel2run.com] Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com [https://tabularasaracing.com/] Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com [theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com]