The Endurance Athlete Journey

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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]

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Most runners are asking the same questions—but they’re often chasing the wrong answers.
In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down 6 of the most common running questions they hear from athletes—covering frequency, pacing, injuries, nutrition, speed, and endurance.
If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough… doing too much… or just doing it wrong—this episode will help you simplify your approach and focus on what actually leads to progress.
🔑 What You’ll Learn:
How often you should actually be running 
Why “good pace” is the wrong question 
How to get faster without burning out
What really builds endurance
Timestamps:
 00:00 – Introduction
 01:15 – How often should you run?
 05:30 – Running for triathletes vs runners
 10:20 – What is a “good” pace?
 17:50 – RPE vs pace explained
 24:30 – How to avoid injuries
 29:40 – Nutrition, sleep, and recovery
 34:25 – What to eat before and after running
 48:30 – How to run faster
 56:50 – How to build endurance
 1:02:50 – Final thoughts 
For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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You trained for the race.
You put in the hours.
So why didn’t your performance reflect your fitness?
In this episode, we break down the real reason so many endurance athletes underperform on race day—and it’s not because they’re not fit enough.
From pacing mistakes and poor fueling decisions to hydration errors and lack of race-day awareness, small execution errors can quietly build throughout the race until everything starts to fall apart.
And the hardest part?
 Most athletes don’t even realize it’s happening until it’s too late.
We walk through the most common race day mistakes we see in both triathlon and running, how those mistakes show up during your race, and what you can do to avoid them.
Because race day isn’t about perfection.
 It’s about making the right decisions in the moments that matter.
In This Episode, We Cover:
 Why fitness alone doesn’t determine your race outcome 
 The most common pacing mistakes that lead to late-race breakdown 
 How fueling and hydration errors quietly derail performance 
 The compounding effect of small decisions over the course of a race 
 How to think through race execution before race day
Who This Episode Is For:
 Athletes preparing for their first race 
 Endurance athletes who feel like their results don’t match their training 
 Triathletes and runners looking to improve race execution 
 Anyone heading into race season who wants to avoid preventable mistakes
Resources & Next Steps:
If you’re tired of putting in the work but not seeing it show up on race day, this is exactly where coaching makes the difference.
For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

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You trained. You showed up. You crossed the finish line.
Now what?
For a lot of athletes, the end of a race doesn’t feel the way they expected. There’s pride, excitement… and sometimes an unexpected sense of emptiness. The structure is gone. The goal is gone. And the question becomes: what comes next?
In this episode of Triathlon 101, Coach Justin walks through what actually happens after your first triathlon—and how to approach your next steps with clarity instead of emotion.
This isn’t about immediately signing up for another race. It’s about understanding the post-race phase that most athletes skip—and why that mistake leads to burnout, frustration, and stalled progress.
You’ll learn:
 Why feeling “off” after race day is completely normal 
 The difference between reacting vs. progressing 
 How to evaluate your first race the right way 
 The biggest mistake athletes make when choosing their next race 
 Why longer and harder isn’t always better 
 How to build a sustainable path forward in the sport 
Whether your race went exactly as planned—or completely off the rails—this episode will help you take that experience and turn it into your next step forward.
Because the finish line isn’t the end… it’s the starting point.
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction: What Comes After Your First Triathlon
03:00 The Emotional Aftermath of Race Day
06:30 The Most Important Question: Continue or Stop?
09:30 Reflect Before You React
12:30 Finish Line High vs. Finish Line Low
15:00 The Trap of Doing Too Much Too Soon
21:30 Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
25:00 The Refinement → Progression Process
28:00 Recovery: Physical and Mental Reset
34:30 Training Must Fit Your Life
39:00 Your 3 Paths Forward as an Athlete
01:00:30 Long-Term Progression Strategy + Final Takeaways
 🎧 Listen now and take control of what comes next in your journey.
For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail
Most athletes think the key to improvement is simple: train more, push harder, and stack on more workouts.
But what if that’s exactly what’s holding you back?
In this episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, we break down how to actually structure your training week so that your workouts build fitness—not fatigue. This is Part 3 of our training plan series, where we move beyond theory and into real-world execution.
We dive into how to take your weekly training volume and turn it into a plan that works with your life, not against it. Because the difference between progress and burnout isn’t how hard you train—it’s how you sequence, recover, and manage fatigue over time.
You’ll learn why many athletes feel like they’re getting slower despite training more, how poor workout sequencing sabotages performance, and why recovery is one of the most overlooked performance tools.
We also discuss:
 How to properly sequence workouts across the week 
 Why fatigue is necessary—but must be managed 
 The biggest mistake athletes make with easy days 
 How to balance intensity, volume, and recovery 
 Why generic training plans (and even AI) fall short without personalization 
If you’ve ever felt stuck, constantly tired, or unsure why your training isn’t working—this episode will change how you approach your entire week.
Key Takeaways:
Fatigue is required for adaptation—but unmanaged fatigue leads to breakdown 
 Workouts cannot be evaluated in isolation—they must be viewed within the full week 
 The goal is not to do more—it’s to sequence better
 Easy days are just as important as hard days—and most athletes get them wrong 
 Poor recovery habits lead to the illusion of lost fitness 
 Consistency—not intensity—is what drives long-term performance 
 Training plans must adapt to your real-life schedule, not just ideal conditions 
 There is more than one way to achieve a training goal—but not all methods carry the same risk 
 Generic plans (and AI-generated plans) lack the ability to integrate life demands and individual nuance 
 Strategic recovery (not just rest days) is a critical part of performance
Timestamps:
 00:00 Why structuring your training week matters
 00:36 The art of workout sequencing
 01:31 Why AI training plans fall short
 02:28 Managing volume, stress, and fatigue
 04:18 Building your training week
 10:13 Individualizing training and recovery
 30:04 The big picture: fatigue vs performance
 32:18 Why fatigue hides your fitness
 36:25 The 80/20 method and intensity balance
 43:02 Customizing training cycles beyond 7 days
 75:01 Recovery, consistency, and long-term success
 80:04 Wrap-up and next steps 
For coaching inquiries:
Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → [email protected]