The Endurance Athlete Journey

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

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] In this solo episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Katie shares an honest update on her road to Grandma’s Marathon and takes listeners inside the reality of marathon training after a setback from illness. After battling the flu and losing valuable training time, Katie discusses the challenges of rebuilding fitness, navigating difficult workouts, and balancing confidence with uncertainty as race day approaches. The episode also dives deep into the concept of functional overreaching — what it is, why endurance athletes sometimes intentionally push beyond their limit, and how to recognize the difference between productive fatigue and overtraining. Katie explains how athletes can safely use periods of increased training load to stimulate adaptation while avoiding the dangers of non-functional overreaching and burnout. Topics covered include: * An update on Katie's marathon training over the past two week * Why workouts can suddenly feel harder than expected * Understanding functional vs. non-functional overreaching * Signs you may be pushing too far * How recovery, sleep, and nutrition affect adaptation * The importance of fueling during high-volume marathon training * Why higher carbohydrate intake may improve recovery and performance * Adjusting training when life, fatigue, and stress collide * The mental side of marathon preparation and trusting the process Katie also shares practical insight into her current marathon build, including high-mileage weeks, strength training integration, fueling experiments, and how she’s adapting her plan in real time leading into race day. Whether you’re training for a marathon, triathlon, or simply trying to balance hard training with recovery, this episode offers a relatable and educational look at the fine line between pushing your limits and pushing too far. 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 Strong Runners Fall Apart in the Ironman Marathon

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] Being a strong runner does not guarantee a strong Ironman marathon. In a standalone marathon, you start fresh. In a full Ironman, the marathon begins after a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, hours of fatigue, fueling decisions, pacing mistakes, and muscular damage that have already shaped what your run can become. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie compare standalone marathon training with Ironman marathon training and explain why runners moving into long-course triathlon often need a completely different mindset. If you’ve ever assumed the Ironman run is “just a marathon,” this conversation will challenge that idea. What You’ll Learn * Why the Ironman marathon is usually decided before you ever start running  * How bike fitness and bike execution protect your run more than extra run volume  * Why fueling mistakes on the bike can sabotage the marathon later  * How runners need to rethink pacing, patience, recovery, and expectations in Ironman training  Timestamps: 00:00 – Why runners misunderstand the Ironman marathon 03:02 – How standalone marathon training is usually structured 08:41 – Why Ironman run training starts with bike fitness 17:44 – Why marathon expectations do not transfer cleanly to Ironman 22:03 – How overbiking destroys the run 33:04 – Why bike fueling determines marathon survival 43:25 – Flavor fatigue, texture fatigue, and long-course nutrition strategy 47:23 – Long runs: marathon training vs Ironman training 53:49 – How much run intensity belongs in Ironman training 1:02:22 – Why patience off the bike matters 1:10:17 – Recovery differences between marathon and Ironman training 1:25:35 – Final thoughts 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]

Nutrition Deep Dive: The Evolution of High Carb Fueling

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] In this solo episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Katie takes a deep dive into the fascinating evolution of endurance fueling and how high-carb strategies are reshaping modern performance. From the early days of marathon racing in the late 1800s—when athletes fueled with steak, eggs, whiskey, and even avoided water—to today’s precision fueling strategies of 80–120 grams of carbs per hour, Katie explores how sports nutrition has transformed over time. Using recent breakthroughs in marathon performance, including two sub-2-hour marathon performances in the London marathon, Katie examines the major factors driving athletes faster than ever before: fueling, shoe technology, training advancements, recovery science, and evolving sports nutrition products. This deep dive focuses on the fueling and sports nutrition products.  This episode covers: * The surprising history of marathon fueling * Why athletes once believed dehydration improved performance * The discovery of glycogen and carbohydrate loading * The rise of Gatorade, gels, and modern sports nutrition * The low-carb/high-fat era and why many elite athletes have moved away from it * How under-fueling still impacts many endurance athletes today * The importance of gut training and individualized fueling * Why modern athletes are prioritizing fueling over simply staying lean * The future of high-carb fueling and endurance performance Katie also reflects on how outdated “tough it out” mindsets still influence athletes today and explains why fueling is no longer viewed as separate from training—but an essential part of it. Whether you're a marathoner, triathlete, cyclist, or endurance athlete looking to improve performance and recovery, this episode offers valuable insight into how fueling strategies have evolved—and where they may be heading next. 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 Your Fitness Isn’t Leading to Better Race Results

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] If you are fit enough to finish the race, but not durable enough to keep training, eventually the cycle catches up with you. You build fitness, make progress, start to believe things are working — and then something breaks down. Injury, inconsistency, burnout, lost motivation, or another restart from square one. In this episode, we break down the difference between fitness and durability, why chasing performance too aggressively can keep athletes stuck, and what it actually takes to build a foundation that supports repeatable progress. What You’ll Learn: * Why fitness and durability are not the same thing * How the “rebuild cycle” keeps endurance athletes from long-term progress * Why more intensity is often the wrong solution * How strength, frequency, recovery, and patience create sustainable performance Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction to fitness vs durability 01:29 — Why run frequency sparked this conversation 04:39 — The limits of three-day-a-week training 08:43 — Why early performance gains do not last forever 16:03 — Fitness for completion vs durability for performance 21:00 — The rebuild cycle and why athletes get stuck 27:51 — Why cookie-cutter plans do not work for everyone 33:16 — Fitness is capacity; durability is replicability 43:28 — How to start building durability 52:30 — Adding frequency without overloading the body 1:04:54 — The danger of validating every workout 1:12:47 — Playing the long game in endurance training If this episode helped you understand why your training keeps breaking down, share it with another runner, triathlete, or endurance athlete who may need to hear it. You can also join The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast Group on Facebook to continue the conversation and connect with other endurance athletes working through the same challenges. If you are tired of guessing your way through training, Coach Justin and Coach Katie are both active coaches accepting athletes. 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]

Road to Grandma's Marathon: Returning After a Setback and The Pillars of Recovery

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2450527/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the Road to Grandma’s Marathon series, sports dietitian, coach, and endurance athlete Katie shares an honest update on her marathon build after being sidelined by illness for nearly two weeks. From elevated heart rates and lingering fatigue to rebuilding confidence after difficult workouts, Katie opens up about the physical and mental challenges of returning to training after getting sick — especially as a masters athlete balancing recovery with high mileage. Katie walks listeners through her recent training week, including modified workouts, a challenging half marathon effort, and the frustration of feeling disconnected from the fitness and momentum she had built before getting sick. She also dives deep into one of the most important topics for endurance athletes: recovery. In this episode, Katie discusses: *  How illness impacts endurance performance and recovery  *  Elevated heart rate and post-viral training struggles  *  The mental side of setbacks and rebuilding confidence  *  Why recovery becomes even more important for masters athletes  *  The key pillars of recovery: sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress management  *  The importance of carbohydrates during and after training  *  Managing training load and listening to your body  *  Recovery tools like mobility work, foam rolling, compression, massage, and active recovery  *  Supplements that may support recovery, including protein powder, creatine, omega-3s, tart cherry juice, and magnesium  Whether you’re training for a marathon, returning from illness, or simply trying to balance hard training with recovery, this episode offers practical strategies and relatable insight into the realities of endurance training and the importance of patience during setbacks. 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]