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Building a training plan isn’t just about adding more miles each week.

In this episode, we break down one of the most misunderstood concepts in endurance training: how to build volume the right way — without burning out, breaking down, or blindly following rules that don’t apply to you.

We walk through how coaches actually think about progressing volume, why increasing intensity and volume at the same time is a common mistake, and how to structure your training in a way that your body can actually absorb.

You’ll also learn why there is no such thing as a “perfect” training plan — and what actually matters if you want to make consistent progress.

Whether you’re training for your first race or trying to take your performance to the next level, this episode will help you approach your training with more clarity and confidence.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How to safely build training volume over time
• Why you shouldn’t increase volume and intensity together
• The difference between weekly volume and individual workout progression
• How to structure training using step-wise or block-based approaches
• Why “one-size-fits-all” training plans don’t work
• How to adjust your training based on real life and recovery

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why Volume Matters in Your Training Plan
02:30 – Assessing Your Starting Point as an Athlete
05:00 – How to Progress Volume Safely (Step-by-Step)
08:15 – Setting Peak Volume and Planning Your Taper
12:00 – Adjusting Volume Based on Experience Level
15:00 – The Truth About the 10% Rule
18:40 – Managing Volume in Multi-Sport Training
22:50 – Why the 80/20 Rule Doesn’t Work for Everyone
27:00 – Using Feedback to Adjust Your Training Plan
32:00 – Data vs. Feel: How Coaches Actually Plan Training
36:20 – The Art vs. Science of Coaching
41:00 – Why Communication Matters in Training Success
44:00 – When (and How) to Pivot Your Plan
48:00 – Key Takeaways: Build Smarter, Not Just More

Key Takeaways:

• Progression should be gradual — not forced
• Your training plan must adapt to your life, not the other way around
• The best plan is the one you can consistently execute and recover from

Join the Community:

💬 The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast Facebook Group
(Search the name on Facebook and request to join)

If You Enjoyed This Episode:

Please consider leaving a review and sharing this episode with another athlete who could benefit from it. Your support helps more athletes find the podcast.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Triathlon 101 Series — Episode 7: The Mental Side of Your First Triathlon

Most athletes spend months preparing physically for their first triathlon—but completely overlook the mental side of race day.

And that’s where races fall apart.

In this episode of Triathlon 101, Coach Justin breaks down the mental challenges you’ll face before and during your first triathlon—and more importantly, how to manage them so you can execute your race with confidence.

This isn’t about motivation.
This is about understanding your thoughts, managing your emotions, and staying in control when things start to feel uncertain.

You’ll learn:

• Why race day nerves are normal (and actually useful)
• The 3 key moments where mental struggles show up most
• A simple framework to break negative thought loops: Acknowledge → Anchor → Execute
• How to avoid the comparison trap during your race
• Why confidence is not a feeling—and how to build it
• How to define success beyond pace, power, and finish time

If you’re training for your first triathlon, this episode will help you show up prepared—not just physically, but mentally.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Why Your First Triathlon Falls Apart
01:03 – Why Fitness Isn’t the Problem
03:02 – When Mental Struggles Show Up
06:03 – The Night Before the Race
09:03 – Race Morning Nerves
15:03 – The Acknowledge → Anchor → Execute Framework
22:03 – Using Training as Your Anchor
27:03 – Focus Only on What’s in Front of You
31:03 – The Comparison Trap
39:03 – Why Confidence Isn’t a Feeling
48:03 – Defining Success Beyond Metrics
57:03 – When Things Start to Feel Off
1:01:03 – Breaking the Race Into Segments
1:02:03 – Final Takeaways and Race-Day Mindset

🎯 Ready for more guidance?
Explore coaching and resources at Tabula Rasa Racing:
👉 https://tabularasaracing.com

🎧 Listen to more episodes:
The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

If this episode helped you, share it with someone preparing for their first race—and leave a review to help more athletes find it.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Most athletes think building a training plan starts with workouts.

It doesn’t.

In this episode, we break down what actually needs to happen before a single workout is written—the foundational decisions that determine whether your plan will work… or fall apart within weeks.

This is the first part of a 3-part series on training plan creation, where we walk through the exact framework we use as coaches to build sustainable, effective plans for endurance athletes.

In Part 1, we focus on the foundation:

The questions every coach should ask before building a plan
Why your available time is often misunderstood (and overestimated)
How injury history shapes your entire training approach
The difference between time availability vs. training capacity
Why recovery, mobility, and fueling must be accounted for upfront
The role of motivation—and why “surface-level goals” often fail

If you’ve ever:

Struggled to stick to a training plan
Felt like your plan didn’t fit your life
Or found yourself constantly adjusting or restarting

This episode will show you why—and how to fix it.

Because the reality is:

Most training plans don’t fail because of bad workouts.
They fail because the foundation was never built correctly.

📊 This is Part 1 of a 3-Part Series:

• Part 1: Building the Foundation (this episode)
• Part 2: How to Set Weekly Training Volume
• Part 3: How to Structure Your Training Week

Timestamps:
00:00 – Training Plan Series Overview (Start Here)
02:15 – Why Your “Why” Matters More Than Your Workouts
04:15 – The Questions Coaches Ask Before Building a Plan
08:45 – Athlete Background: Experience, Injuries, and Lifestyle
10:50 – Understanding Weekly Volume and Intensity
13:05 – How Sport Type Impacts Training Approach (Running vs Triathlon)
15:40 – The Truth About the 10% Rule and Recovery Limits
18:15 – Adjusting Training Based on Feedback and Real Life
22:35 – Why Subjective Feedback Matters More Than You Think
27:15 – When (and How) to Progress Training Volume Safely
33:15 – Managing Training Load to Avoid Injury
37:40 – Recovery Isn’t Optional: Building It Into the Plan
42:00 – Balancing Stress Across Multiple Disciplines
46:30 – From Foundation to Structure: Mapping Your Training Plan
49:35 – Building a Macro Plan: Peak Volume and Taper Strategy

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If you found this episode helpful:

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For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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In this episode of my Road to Grandma's Marathon series, Katie is sharing a real, unfiltered look at the past couple weeks of training—high mileage, tough workouts, and the reality of balancing running with work, parenting, and unpredictable conditions.

From squeezing in treadmill workouts between calls to navigating spring break schedule changes, this was a week that required a lot of flexibility. Katie breaks down what worked, what didn’t, and how outside stress, heat, and fatigue can impact performance more than we sometimes expect.

Katie also recaps a challenging half marathon that didn’t go as planned—between unseasonably hot weather, a hilly course, and race-day decisions, it ended up being more of a learning experience than a confidence boost. Katie talks about how to interpret those kinds of races, what they actually mean for fitness, and how to move forward without spiraling.

During the second half of the episode, Katie dives into her marathon journey so far. This includes a total of 10 marathons. Katie provides details of each as well as what went well and not so well and learning lessons from each.

Plus, she dives into:

• Adjusting training when life gets busy
• Knowing when to push vs. when to back off
• Fueling during workouts for better recovery
• Adding plyometrics, strength work, and heat training
• Building volume strategically (even when the week isn’t ideal)

If you’ve ever had a week where training didn’t go perfectly—or a race that left you questioning everything—this episode is for you.

Key Takeaways

• Not every week will go as planned—and that’s normal
• Heat, stress, and life load can significantly impact performance
• One race doesn’t define your fitness
• Fueling during workouts can improve both performance and recovery
• Flexibility and consistency matter more than perfection
• Marathons are a journey within themselves and mastering the marathon is not completed with just one marathon

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Endurance training requires commitment, structure, and consistency.
But what often gets overlooked is the cost outside of training.

In this Coach’s Corner episode, we step away from workouts and performance metrics to talk about something every endurance athlete experiences—but rarely addresses directly: the impact training has on relationships, family, and daily life.

From long training hours and accumulated fatigue to shifting priorities and communication breakdowns, endurance sports can create tension if they’re not managed intentionally.

This conversation is not about eliminating those challenges—it’s about recognizing them and learning how to navigate them without sacrificing the people and relationships that matter most.

If you’re pursuing big goals while trying to balance work, family, and life, this episode will help you take a step back and evaluate how everything fits together.

Topics Covered:

• The time demands of endurance training
• How training affects relationships and family life
• The role of communication and shared expectations
• Balancing personal goals with real-life responsibilities
• When training starts to take more than it gives

If this episode resonates, share it with someone who understands the balance you’re trying to manage.

Timestamps:

00:11 – Introduction: Training and relationships
02:07 – Type A athletes and relationship challenges
04:14 – Training focus vs home life
06:41 – Long training hours and recovery impact
08:56 – Planning training around relationship needs

11:07 – Involving your partner in decisions
13:03 – Communicating expectations and sacrifices
16:19 – Managing training load with family commitments

19:38 – Mental health and household dynamics
22:42 – The role of vulnerability and honest conversations
27:13 – When training becomes unsustainable

30:31 – Parenting and prioritizing quality time
34:37 – Financial and logistical challenges
39:58 – Supporting your family during race season

43:44 – Recognizing stress and overtraining signals
47:27 – Turning races into shared experiences
50:45 – Adjusting race schedules for better balance

55:23 – Training as life vs life supporting training
1:00:49 – Self-awareness: monitoring stress and mood
1:05:03 – Final thoughts: your journey impacts others

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Summary:

If you’re feeling nervous about your first triathlon race day, you’re not behind—you’re right where you should be.

In this episode of Triathlon 101, Coach Justin walks you step-by-step through exactly what race day looks like—from the moment you wake up to the moment you cross the finish line.

This is not about racing perfectly.
It’s about knowing what to expect so you can stay calm, present, and in control.

You’ll learn:

• How to prepare the night before
• What race morning actually feels like
• How to set up your transition area
• What happens during the swim, bike, and run
• How to avoid common beginner mistakes
• How to define success on your first race

By the end of this episode, you’ll understand the flow of race day—and feel more confident heading into it.

Key Takeaway:

Race day isn’t chaos. It’s a sequence you can move through calmly.

Resources:

👉 Start Here (Coaching): https://tabularasaracing.com/start-here
👉 Triathlon 101 Series: https://tabularasaracing.com/triathlon-101

If this episode helped you, consider leaving a review or sharing it with another athlete preparing for their first race.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Continuous glucose monitoring is becoming more popular—but what does it actually tell endurance athletes?

In this episode, we break down how CGMs work, what they measure, and how they can (and can’t) be used to improve performance. From fueling strategies to recovery insights, this conversation explores how glucose data can provide a deeper look into what’s happening inside your body during training and racing.

We also dive into key concepts like exercise hypoglycemia, fueling mistakes that lead to energy crashes, and why CGMs should not be viewed as a perfect “fuel gauge.” Instead, they are a tool—one that, when used correctly, can help athletes refine their nutrition and better understand their body’s response to training.

If you’ve ever struggled with bonking, inconsistent energy, or dialing in your fueling strategy, this episode will give you a new perspective on how to approach endurance nutrition.

Key Takeaways:

• CGMs provide insight into glucose trends, not a complete picture of performance
• Blood glucose can be used as a proxy to infer fueling effectiveness
• Many athletes unknowingly underfuel during long training sessions
• CGMs can help shorten the trial-and-error process of fueling strategies
• Timing of carbohydrate intake is critical for glycogen replenishment
• Exercise hypoglycemia can result from poor pre-workout timing
• CGMs are more useful for post-analysis than real-time decision-making
• Glucose spikes during exercise are normal and not inherently negative
• Misinterpreting CGM data can lead to underfueling and performance decline
• Data is only valuable if it’s interpreted correctly and applied appropriately

Timestamps:

00:00 — Introduction: What Is Continuous Glucose Monitoring?
02:14 — Why Should Endurance Athletes Care About Glucose?
06:08 — Using CGM Data to Improve Fueling Strategy
12:16 — Can CGMs Be Used as a “Fuel Gauge”?
49:42 — Exercise Hypoglycemia Explained
58:14 — Can CGMs Actually Improve Performance?

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Katie takes a behind-the-scenes look at marathon training in real life—no perfect schedules, no ideal conditions, just consistency, adaptability, and a whole lot of grit.

From self-coaching strategies to balancing training with work, parenting, and unpredictable weather, this episode dives into what it really looks like to prepare for a goal race. You’ll hear a detailed breakdown of Katie's workouts, strength training integration, and how she structures a training plan that actually fits her life.

Katie also explore the mental side of racing—managing expectations, letting go of outcome pressure, and learning to trust the process. Plus, we share favorite training resources and books that inspire smarter, more intentional running.

Whether you're training for your first race or chasing a PR, this episode is packed with practical insights and honest reflections to help you train with purpose.

⏱️ Episode Breakdown

[00:00] Training Update Begins

[03:00] Week 1 Training Recap

[12:00] Mid-March Training Update

[17:30] Long Run & Weekly Volume

[18:30] Real-Life Scheduling Challenges

Training Philosophy & Structure

• Cap weekly mileage around ~70 miles
• Add cross-training (elliptical) for aerobic benefit with less impact
• Emphasis on:
  • Progression runs
  • Marathon pace work (later in cycle)
  • Speed development early in training

Typical Weekly Structure:

• 2 quality workouts
• 1 long run
• Easy/recovery days taken very seriously
• Strength training paired with hard run days

Training Resources Mentioned

Books & Authors:

• Advanced Marathoning – Pete Pfitzinger & Scott Douglas
• Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon – Matt Fitzgerald & Brad Hudson
• Marathon Excellence for Everyone – John Davis
• Modern Training and Physiology – John Davis
• The Practice of Change – Dan Cleather
• How Bad Do You Want It? – Matt Fitzgerald

Key Takeaways:

• Blend multiple training philosophies
• Adapt plans to your individual needs
• Training is both a science and an art

Mental Training Insights

• The challenge of letting go of outcome-based goals
• Managing race anxiety and sleep issues
• Reframing success:
  • Focus on effort, not just results
  • Accept uncontrollable factors (weather, race day variables)
• Learning to trust the process and enjoy training

Key Takeaways

• Consistency > perfection
• Structure your training around your life—not the other way around
• Hard days should be hard, easy days should be easy
• Progression and specificity matter as race day approaches
• Mental preparation is just as important as physical training

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com