In our final episode of the year, we reflect on the biggest lessons from training and coaching in 2025. Katie shares how this year reinforced the importance of trusting feel over data, listening to the body (especially during periods of change or vulnerability), and intentionally building a strong performance bubble to support both physical and mental health. Jim expands on why performance is ultimately a systems game, highlighting the power of basic weeks, consistency, identity grounded in process, smart fueling, muscular endurance, and using data as a tool rather than a driver. Elena rounds out the conversation with insights on becoming a more flexible athlete: checking in with your mental, physical, and emotional state, embracing rest as a performance tool, and intentionally shaping your environment to support joy, sustainability, and long-term growth. If you’re looking to carry meaningful lessons from 2025 into your training, coaching, or life in 2026, this episode is for you! 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 zoom out to talk long-term goal mapping, sparked by Katie revisiting an athlete questionnaire she filled out in 2017—and how goals like completing an Ironman or qualifying for the Boston Marathon quietly became reality through years of unsexy consistency. From there, we dig into our experiences with multisport training versus single-sport focus, sharing practical ways to use multisport to support durability, aerobic development, and time management while keeping the main goal the main thing during a focused training block or season. We also touch on lessons from the Norwegian Training Method, why consistency beats heroic workouts, how to interpret training data and fitness metrics with better context, and how to think critically about course demands using AI tools (including a deep dive into the Ironman Maine 70.3 bike course). If you’re thinking about long-term progression, balancing multisport with focused training, or building fitness that lasts for years, this episode is for you. 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, Katie and Jim start with some updated reflections on goal mapping and a common athlete question: what to do when no big goals are calling your name. Katie shares guidance on aligning training with purpose, taking unstructured time when needed, and exploring new modalities or distances instead of forcing an event. We then dive into the main topic: how to build a repeatable, low-friction Basic Week using principles from James Clear’s Atomic Habits to make training obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. We cover practical strategies for habit formation, systems that support consistency for time-crunched athletes, and why sustainable routines matter more than intensity. We also discuss winter training tools like uphill treadmill, how time off during the holidays can unexpectedly boost fitness, and why fitness metrics on Strava, TrainingPeaks, and Garmin should be interpreted cautiously. If you’re thinking about goal mapping, building habits, or creating a more reliable training structure heading into 2026, this episode offers a clear roadmap. 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, Elena shares insights from the very beginning of her return to structured training after a true three-month off-season, including what’s helping her rebuild consistency, how she’s thinking about early Boston Marathon goals, and why maintaining joy in her routine matters so much. We then shift to Katie’s turkey trot 5K at eight months pregnant: why she decided to race, how she approached a hilly, unfamiliar course at a “smooth tempo” pace, and what she learned about managing her competitive side, listening to feel over data, and reframing expectations while running in pregnancy. We close with a listener question on mental health, postpartum recovery, and movement during any planned time off, along with Katie’s framework for setting realistic expectations, maintaining identity, and focusing on a healthy long-term return to sport. 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.
Happy Thanksgiving! With the end of the year fast approaching and a new season on the horizon, this week’s episode features a deep dive on goal mapping! We recap what goal mapping is, explain why it’s a great starting point for your next season, go through all of the questions we like to ask our athletes as they map out their goals, and share some thoughts on why the inherent vulnerability in goal mapping can be scary. We then share some thoughts on our own goal maps for 2026, including Jim’s plan to cycle the Haute Route in France in August and Katie’s ideas on returning to sport postpartum. Whether your goals for next year are big, small, or still to be decided, this episode is for you! 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.
We did a deep dive on a bunch of interesting topics in this episode! Katie and Elena trade insights and questions on: how to make outdoor training bearable now that it's very dark and cold out; Elena's takeaways from committing to a true three-month off season for the first time ever; life lessons from Elena's coaching experience at the Girls on the Run 5K; imposter syndrome at big races and in life; and Katie's extended thoughts thoughts on running in pregnancy now that she is nearly eight months along and still hitting consistent mileage. We also cover some fun challenges of the week related to meditation and gratitude and share our practical (and fashionable?!) gear picks. 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.
This week's episode hits a bunch of fun topics including: insights from our athletes and the pros at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain; thoughts on how to get back in multisport training if you have been focusing on a single sport for a while; off-season reminders, including how to balance lack of structure with a smart progression of volume and intensity; indoor trainer tips for cycling; Jim’s new mobility and strength routine; and “chocolate chip cookie” training. We also preview the Triathlon Academy, an entry-level coaching option for members of the Endurance Drive community, and hit some fun fashion-inspired gear picks 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 asked some of our most inspiring community members to tell us how they make training work alongside busy family and professional lives. We were blown away by the rich insights that came back, including tips on early morning workouts, run commutes, calendar blocks, stroller jogs, home gym setups, and how to effectively tag-team with your partner when both of you want to get some movement in. Our parent-athletes also opened up about how their mindsets have evolved since becoming parents—reframing training as self-care, identity, and connection—and how that shift helps them show up more fully for the people they love, without letting go of big athletic goals. Whether you're a parent-athlete yourself, thinking about starting a family, or just looking for better balance in a busy life, this episode is for you. Check it out!
In this episode we finally got to discuss our reactions to one of the craziest races we have ever seen in Ironman history: the all-women’s 2025 Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We discuss what it means to win and lose with grace, Taylor Knibb’s incredible post-race interview, the role of heat and humidity in making or breaking an athlete’s day, and what bike brands seem to be most popular at the elite level. We also chat through the role of muscular endurance in super long-distance events like half and full Ironmans, marathons, and ultra runs, and preview some of the innovations we will be bringing to our athletes’ training in the 2026 season to account for this. Next, we deep dive on takeaways from Ironman California, which Katie and Jim agree is one of the best races you can do as a first-time IM athlete. Finally, we expand on a listener question from last week about burnout and drill into three different types of athletes: “event athletes,” “identity-based athletes,” and “for the love of the sport athletes,” considering what lessons we can learn from each athlete type as we try to burnout-proof our season. This episode was so fun to record and we’re excited to share it with you, so 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.
This week's episode features a deep dive on three big topics: (1) how to plan out a sustainable season in order to avoid burnout, (2) pros, cons, and use cases of AI as an athlete, and (3) playing the long game in pregnancy and postpartum—particularly with respect to new research on bone density in pregnant and postpartum runners. We also riff on hydration and running shoe recommendations and share updates from our training and coaching lives. 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’re joined by a very special guest: clinical psychologist and triathlete extraordinaire Dr. Alejandra Zamora, Psy.D. Ale draws on her experience working with Division I athletes, as well as her own background as an endurance athlete, to answer our questions about common mental health conditions that affect athletes, including anxiety, depression, OCD, and PTSD. We also discuss how personality traits like conscientiousness can act as a double-edged sword in sport, the connections between trauma and endurance training, practical strategies for managing a range of mental health challenges, and how to leverage movement, social connection, and creativity to support mental well-being. Finally, we cover a range of quick-hitter insights on fueling and body composition, using LLMs for season planning and reflection, and setting up your environment to support your goals. Check it out!Note: This episode is a general discussion of topics related to mental health and does not represent a therapist/client relationship. We encourage listeners to connect with a mental health provider to discuss individual concerns.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.
This week's podcast—the first in our next century of episodes—features insights and listener questions on a ton of fun topics including: how to transition back into Zone 2 running after time off, channeling the idea of "smooth" rather than specific paces or other data points in workouts, what to do if you get injured or sick right before a race, why modulating volume and intensity over the course of the year is helpful from a mental health perspective, how you should think about using data to match your goals at different points in your season, the fitness benefits of tire dragging and other forms of resistance training, the science behind building strength while on the bike, an update on TrainingPeaks Virtual, and a discussion of mindfulness in workouts. We also introduce a ~twist~ to our classic gear pick of the week segment that will help us come up with more fun things to share with you in future episodes. 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.
Celebration episode inbound! In this episode, Katie, Jim, and Elena reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from 100 (!) episodes of the podcast. We riff on themes including connection, community, endurance principles, gratitude, vulnerability, progress, and creativity, and we share what excites us most about the next 100 episodes. Our biggest takeaway? None of this would be possible without all of our listeners, so thank you to everyone who has come back week after week to signal to us that we have created something worth listening to. We are incredibly grateful, and cheers to the next 100!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.
We love a deep reflections episode! Katie and Elena hit a bunch of topics including recovery after really big races, what it actually means to listen to your body (and why listening to your body can be hard in pregnancy), mental challenges with the off season and how to manage them, athlete identity, risk tolerance for moving your body at different stages of life, why doing anything for the first time is so tough, and a whole lot more. We also answer a great listener question on racing on your period and mindset shifts that can help you with any type of adversity in races. 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.
This week’s episode hits a bunch of fun topics including: insights from the professional men’s race at the Ironman World Championships in Nice, France; what’s hot and what’s not in the Norwegian training protocols; our recommendations on TT bike brands; how to identify and prevent burnout as long seasons draw to a close; some additional tips for the off-season; and how to manage race-day anxiety. We also dive into habit stacking as a way to make sure you actually do the recovery and mobility things you should be doing and hit some of our most creative gear picks of the week yet. 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.
She did it! This episode recaps many of the physical and mental insights Elena picked up while racing for over 29 hours at the world's most competitive and well-known 100-mile ultramarathon. We cover: what the energy in Chamonix is like during race week; how Elena prepped mentally and physically in the days and hours leading up to the race start; what the experience is like for crew and spectators; how she mentally and physically navigated feeling worse than expected in the first 20 miles of the race; how she dealt with insane weather conditions including rain, mud, cold, and snow through the night; the story behind the broken pole; what the last 30 miles felt like once she realized she was going to finish; how Elena is feeling now; and what's next on her running and racing scene. We also hit an interesting insight related to Boston Marathon registration and pregnancy race deferral policies at big races. This was such a fun episode to record, and we're so psyched for Elena on her huge accomplishment (did we mention 18th in the world?!)—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.
This week's episode features plenty of insights from recent adventures and races. We cover: takeaways from Katie's recent "Pregnant Prezi" and FKT attempt on the Cannon and Kinsmans Loop, our favorite hikes and runs in New England, tips on mapping and route planning if you want to plan your own adventures (especially in a new location), insights from tough open water swims in races, mentally resetting when a race or training session doesn't go your way, whether weighted vests are a good training stimulus and/or investment, and advice for the upcoming fall off 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.
This week's episode features a deep dive on the training principles and philosophy between two very different endurance projects: Elena's multi-year prep to race in the elite field at Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and the first half of Katie's journey through pregnancy as an endurance athlete. We cover insights that with a surprising amount of overlap between the two experiences, including the importance of flexibility, fueling, and mindset, as well as lots of tips for listeners who are interested in elements of either journey. Whatever endurance adventure is on your radar next, this episode has something for you. Check it out!UTMB Tracking Link: https://live.utmb.world/utmb/2025/utmbTo 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.
This week’s episode is another grab bag full of insights! Topics include: the benefits of Zone 0 movement, good data and bad data in training and in pregnancy, why mountain adventures are so great, how to approach workouts and training in periods of high LSS (life stress score), governing effort on big days, bike handling tips, training in bad air quality, how muscle memory helps you retain your season’s gains even when you take time off, and an interesting discussion on doping in amateur endurance sports. 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, Elena and Katie catch up on all things training, mindset, and life as Elena wraps up the final month of prep for UTMB and Katie navigates the second trimester of pregnancy as an endurance athlete. Topics include: why “saying maybe” and listening to your body is sometimes a better training approach than saying yes; unsolicited comments on pregnant athletes’ bodies and training and how to handle them; how to take the pressure off going into big events, including going “Strava dark,” planning adventures, and reconnecting with your why; Elena’s big days at the Speedgoat 50K and “Soft Rock” and how they helped her build confidence for UTMB later this year; hydration strategies in ultra endurance events; and more! We love it when casual life catch-ups turn into insights-packed episodes for the podcast, and we hope you enjoy it too. 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.