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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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

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 → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com