The Endurance Athlete Journey

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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

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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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

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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You missed training. You got sick. Something flared up. Life got in the way.

Now the plan you imagined is not the plan you are actually living — and the question becomes: is your race still salvageable, or did the setback change everything?

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie talk through how endurance athletes should adjust after illness, injury, missed workouts, or disrupted training. More importantly, they explain why trying to “make up” lost training is often the fastest way to turn one setback into a bigger problem.

What You’ll Learn:
Why missed training does not automatically mean your race is ruined
The mistake athletes make when they try to cram lost workouts back into the plan
How to return to training without rushing intensity or volume
When to adjust the plan, when to adjust expectations, and when to stay patient
Timestamps:
00:00 — Why this episode matters
03:28 — Katie’s illness and the reality of interrupted training
08:07 — The emotional side of setbacks and lost expectations
13:10 — Why making up missed training usually backfires
17:12 — Patience, gratitude, and reframing the setback
23:02 — Handling the uncertainty of return-to-training
30:35 — Why injury and illness prevention is never guaranteed
34:51 — What to do after a short-term setback
38:13 — Returning day by day instead of forcing the plan
44:12 — Why movement comes before structured training
54:23 — How timing affects the cost of missed training
01:06:23 — Why race day is not decided by a perfect training block

For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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If swimming feels harder than it should, this episode is for you.
Coach Justin breaks down the most common swim questions triathletes struggle with — from feeling exhausted after 100 yards to panicking in open water, sinking legs, breathing problems, and why so many athletes stop improving despite spending more time in the pool.
This episode is not about swimming more mindlessly. It’s about learning how to swim with better structure, better awareness, and better efficiency so you can become more confident and capable in the water without feeling like you need to be a lifelong swimmer to belong in the sport.
What You’ll Learn:
 Why simply swimming more often doesn’t automatically make you a better swimmer 
 The real causes behind panic, breathlessness, and fatigue in the water 
 How strength training and body position directly impact swim performance 
 How to structure swim workouts with purpose instead of just “getting yards in” 
Key Takeaway:
Better swimming is not primarily about grinding out more yards — it’s about developing efficiency, strength, confidence, and purposeful structure in the water. 
Timestamps:
 00:00 – Introduction + the biggest swim question triathletes ask
 01:00 – Why swimming more isn’t always the answer
 04:00 – Swim technique analysis and visual feedback
 06:00 – Strength training for better swimming
 12:00 – Why structured swim workouts matter
 14:00 – Why open water swimming feels slower
 20:00 – Breathing, panic, and oxygen control in the water
 33:00 – Do you need to be a “good swimmer” to do triathlon?
 44:00 – How to stop sinking and dropping your legs
 49:00 – Should triathletes use pull buoys, paddles, and fins?
 54:00 – How often should triathletes swim each week?
 01:03:00 – Why you feel exhausted after 100–200 yards and how to fix it
For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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Podcast Summary – Navigating Setbacks in Marathon Training
In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Katie shares a real and raw update on her road to Grandma’s Marathon—one that didn’t go as planned.
After coming off a strong stretch of training, including a standout 16-mile tempo run, Katie was hit with a major setback: Influenza B. What started as mild fatigue quickly turned into a full week of illness, forcing her to step away from training and rethink her approach moving forward. 
Instead of focusing on recovery strategies as planned, this episode pivots into a deeper conversation about setbacks—how they happen, how they feel, and how to handle them.
Key Takeaways:
Setbacks are part of the process
Whether it’s illness, injury, or life stress, disruptions are inevitable in any training cycle. 
Stress adds up (even beyond training)
Katie highlights how life stress—work demands, family responsibilities, and even exam pressure—can compound physical stress and impact the immune system. 
Rest early, not later
One of the biggest lessons: trying to “push through” early symptoms can prolong recovery and worsen the setback. 
Fitness doesn’t disappear overnight
Missing a week of training isn’t ideal, but it doesn’t erase months of consistent work. 
Flexibility is key
Training plans should be written “in pencil,” allowing room to adjust based on real-life circumstances. 
Mindset matters
Katie explores reframing setbacks—not as failures, but as part of the journey, and sometimes even a form of protection from something worse. 
Looking Ahead:
With about seven weeks until race day, Katie shares the uncertainty of returning to training while balancing recovery. The path forward may involve adjusting goals—but not giving up.
Bottom line:
Progress isn’t about perfection—it’s about adapting, listening to your body, and staying in the game even when things don’t go according to plan.
For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]