The Endurance Drive Podcast

In this week's episode, we welcome a very special guest to the podcast: Susan Dunklee, a 3x Olympian and 2x World Championship Silver Medalist in the sport of biathlon. Susan currently directs the biathlon program at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont, and she shares her wisdom on a ton of topics including: life as a professional athlete, mindfulness in sport, balance, sense of place, training on the east coast, highs and lows throughout her career, and what life looks like in her post-competition phase. We also catch up with Elena to hear how her 100 mile recovery has been going and share a bunch of coaching and training insights from a busy couple of weeks. We're excited for you to listen to this episode! View extended show notes for this episode here.

On our 30th (!) podcast episode, we're continuing on our theme of best practices for race week by covering everything you need to know to crush your Ironman or Half Ironman / 70.3 race day! We go over pre-race breakfast, how to execute a proper warm-up, and our best tips and tricks for approaching the swim, T1, the bike, T2, and the run. This episode also features an interview with Coach Jim about his recent bike crash and subsequent surgery—a super scary experience, but we hope that sharing the lessons Jim has learned so far and will continue to learn throughout the recovery process will help us support listeners and athletes experiencing similar incidents. We're excited for you to hear this one! View extended show notes for this episode here.

In this super special ~emergency~ podcast episode, Katie sits down with Elena less than 48 hours post-race to talk about her recent victory in the Canyons 100 Mile Race, the American Major for ultra-running presented by UTMB. This was Elena's first 100-mile race, and she talks us through how she got into trail running, how 100-mile ultras and the UTMB circuit work, how she prepared for this race (including her victory at Black Canyon 60K in February), her racing strategy, the mental prep work she did before the race and mental strategies she drew on during the race, the 60 (!) gels she consumed on course, the gear that got her across the finish line, what recovery has been like so far, and where she's headed next. Regardless of whether you're a fellow ultra-runner, a triathlete, or even just a fan of endurance racing, this episode has a wealth of knowledge and insight for everyone. Thank you to Elena for sharing your wisdom and a huge congratulations! View extended show notes for this episode here.

Race season is finally here! In this episode, we cover everything you should be thinking about in the 1-2 weeks leading up to your goal race. Sub-topics include: bike prep and maintenance, race week sleep and fueling protocols, final workouts, tapering, mental preparation, what to do at the race site, and a whole lot more. We also spend time on some coaching and training insights related to carb intake, resilience data points, bike handling, TT bike position, and more. Happy racing! View extended show notes for this episode here.

In this week's episode, Katie and Elena sit down with a longtime friend of The Endurance Drive, Justine Pomerance, to talk about her journey as an athlete and—most recently—her experience racing the Boston Marathon just five months after becoming a new mom. Justine is a certified badass and her perspective on balance, adventure, and longevity in sport has something for all of our listeners. We can't wait for you to hear this one! View extended show notes for this episode here.

In this week's episode, we dive deep with a master in the sport psychology space. Dr. Justin Ross is a licensed clinical psychologist and a certified cycling and running coach who specializes in health, wellness, and human performance. He shares his expertise on a ton of topics that will help you unlock the next level of performance in training and racing, including activating mindfulness as an athlete, myths about mental training, building self-efficacy, setting goals, mental skills for before, during, and after races, the power of self-talk and mantras, fear and anxiety in races, optimism, and so much more. This one is a game-changer! And check out our extended show notes here for a very special offer only for our community on his sports psychology and 12-week TrainingPeaks mental training programs.

This week’s episode features one of our favorite people in the Endurance Drive community: our social media and gear guru, Colleen Geaumont. Katie and Elena chat with Colleen about the common themes that have marked her journey through sport and life as a high school swimmer, a nationally ranked beauty queen (Miss Maine World), a competitive triathlete, and a powerlifter. We talk about team dynamics inside and outside of sport, challenges related to body image and eating disorders, confidence in performing and racing, Colleen’s big comeback from a severe neck injury and surgery that sidelined her from sport, visual content creation as Colleen’s creative outlet, and a whole lot more. We were overjoyed to put the spotlight on the woman who is usually behind the camera in this one, and we’re so grateful to Colleen for openly and confidently sharing her story with a healthy dose of levity and humor. Check it out! View extended show notes for this episode here.

In this super special episode, we asked the amazing members of our community what they are most afraid of when it comes to endurance training and racing. They delivered with thoughtful, insightful responses that helped us come up with a ton of content for our longest episode yet! Topics include: fears related to training and conditioning; mental or psychological fears like falling short of goals or expectations; hesitations about technique and skills (including, yes, open water swimming); concerns about nutrition, health, and body composition; and fears about equipment and gear mishaps on the race course. We share our thoughts and experiences navigating these fears and helpful strategies that have helped us overcome them as athletes and coaches. Check it out! View extended show notes for this episode here.

This week’s episode is a special one for us. We got to interview an everyday hero, Elena’s high school cross country coach and chemistry teacher, Susan “Coach” Savage. A self-declared Title IX baby, Coach Savage grew up running with the boys before her talent finally convinced the Pittsburgh City Schools to start a girls track program. She went on to run on scholarship for West Virginia University, before eventually settling in Ohio to start a 40+ year career as a standout high school cross country and track coach and chemistry teacher. We chat about overcoming early obstacles as a woman in sport, developing her wise coaching philosophy, and listening to your body as a lifelong athlete. We already know Coach Savage has had a tremendous impact on the hundreds of athletes she’s coached, and, as a pioneer for women in sport who’s always flown under the radar, we’re honored to share her story and wisdom! View extended show notes for this episode here.

A discussion on managing life stress for athletes, tracking Life Stress Score (LSS), benefits of power napping, improving swim efficiency, and transitioning to outdoor workouts. Insights on fitness testing methods, eustress, and strategies for reducing stress. Also, celebrating completion of a PhD and gear recommendations for athletes.