The Endurance Drive Podcast

Topics discussed include the importance of durability for endurance athletes, how to build physical and mental durability, a memorable 100 mile wilderness race, and the significance of swimming and technical focus.

Expert in fueling for endurance athletes, Cate Ward, PhD, RD, discusses topics such as fueling long endurance days, supplementation, relative energy deficiency in sport, the physiology of zone 2, and metabolic flexibility with the hosts.

Today we're covering our favorite topic to discuss in real life—why we love coaching! We tell the stories of our respective journeys into becoming coaches, The Endurance Drive's coaching philosophy, what we love about coaching, why you should get a coach, and our favorite stories from coaching and being coached. Stick around to the end for listener questions and our gear pick of the week! View extended show notes for this episode here.

Learn about the benefits of indoor bike training in winter, including safety and time efficiency. Discover different cycling zones and the concept of sweet spot training. Get tips for maximizing indoor training, including equipment and snacks. Hear about the power of group training and favorite entertainment options. Find out how to make indoor training enjoyable, and explore fitness systems and gear picks of the week.

In this episode, we talk about another one of the core features of our endurance training: unstructured adventures! Sub-topics include: different types of unstructured adventures; principles of adventures; why to do adventures; how to do adventures; and our favorite mountain adventures in New England. We also tell the storied tale of one of our most epic adventures yet: the New England Triple Crown, a self-made adventure that involved completing a single-day Presidential Traverse, a single-day Pemi Loop, and a single-day Katahdin ski/hike in one winter season in 2021. We also answer listener questions and highlight a few of our favorite winter adventure gear items. View our extended show notes for this episode here.

2023 was a big year for us! In this episode, we cover many of the lessons we learned from training and coaching. Topics include: strength training, mental health, how to get the most out of Zwift training, supplementation, fueling, Norwegian training, diverting injuries before they happen, and more! We also introduce a new segment—gear pick of the week—and reveal Katie’s 2024 A-race and Jim’s vision for her training plan. View our extended show notes for this episode here.

This week's episode focuses on injury prevention! We cover rest days; strength and mobility; warm-up and cool down; cross-training; maintaining proper form; fueling; sleep; zone 2; and establishing a local body care team. We also go through some listener questions, share our thoughts on how to choose a goal race, and indulge Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. View our extended show notes for this episode here.

This episode focuses on the female athlete. Coach Katie provides an overview on aspects of female physiology, health, and wellness that impact how she trains and coaches across life stages, including: the young female athlete, puberty, and relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs); tracking and training around the menstrual cycle; contraception choices for female athletes; pregnancy and postpartum return to training; training through peri-menopause and menopause; gear for female athletes; and recommended resources. View our extended show notes for this episode here. Check out our female athlete resource page here.

This episode focuses on the most foundational aspect of our training programs: Zone 2 (or low intensity) training. We will get into Jim's initial entry into endurance training and coaching; what Zone 2 training means both metabolically and practically; benefits of Zone 2; how we develop training plans focused on Zone 2; how to incorporate intensity into Zone 2 training; how to find your training zones; common Zone 2 mistakes; and how to make Zone 2 training interesting and fun. View our extended show notes for this episode here.

Welcome to the Endurance Drive podcast! Our mission is to share the key principles that structure our approach to endurance training and coaching.  This week’s episode focuses on season planning; how to structure your general and specific preparation blocks; how to plan your A race and supporting races; how to approach training during the holidays; how to incorporate early-season racing and training camps into your season plan; how to think about planning for being a lifelong athlete; and many other topics that we will cover in future podcasts! Visit theendurancedrive.com to learn more about our approach, our coaches, and our training plans, or reach out to us at info@theendurancedrive.com. View our extended show notes for this episode here. Joy, health, and community, Jim and Katie