All Things Endurance

We're glad you joined us for this episode! Use code ATE75 to receive $75 off any UESCA certificationIn this episode of ‘All Things Endurance,’ host, Rick Prince chats with elite cycling coach, Ben Sharp. Ben is the co-owner of Sharp Coaching and has coached all levels of cyclists from amateurs to Olympic gold medalists. Ben himself is a masters track cycling world champion and former US masters national road race champion. In this episode, Rick and Ben discuss the rise of gravel and more specifically, how to train effectively for gravel racing and how it differs from training for other cycling disciplines. Some of the areas discussed are:·       Key differences between road and gravel cycling·       Importance of sustained power·       Role of volume in training program·       How to train for bike handling skills of gravel riding/racing·       Different tactics based on the goal of a gravel race·       How to properly warm up for a gravel raceIf you participate in gravel riding/racing, you won’t want to miss this one!Talking Points for this Episode1.       Could you tell our listeners a bit more about your background?2.       As road racing has been on an unfortunate steady decline over the years in the US, gravel riding and racing has largely taken its place. What are some things that you attribute the rise of gravel to?3.       Do you now see gravel replacing road racing as a means for US riders to get noticed and possibly, land pro contracts in Europe?4.       What are some of the key differences with respect to training for gravel versus road?5.       We hear about power training a lot with respect to cycling, how important is sustained power during gravel racing?6.       What are some key bike-specific considerations with gravel riding/racing?7.       A lot of gravel races cover long distances, would you say that for the average gravel rider/racer, endurance is one of the biggest success factors?8.       Following up on the prior question, for the average gravel rider/racer, do things such as sprint training and high-intensity intervals still have a place in training?9.       How important are bike handling skills for gravel riders/racers and more specifically, what are some of the more important bike handling skills to master?What, if any tactics are different in gravel racing versus road racing?

In this episode of All Things Endurance, host Rick Prince chats with running coach and psychotherapist, Brant Stachel. Regarding his work as a psychotherapist, his focus is on sports performance and disordered eating. As both an endurance coach and disordered eating specialist, Brant brings a unique and very informed perspective to this very important topic.   Below are some of the main topics that Brant discusses:1.       Could you tell our listeners about your background?2.       Disordered eating is becoming more of a topic these days. What does disordered eating encompass?3.       Do you think that endurance athletes have an increased chance of having an eating disorder due to the desire to lower their body weight to become more competitive.4.       Are there any signs that coaches should be aware of in regard to disordered eating?5.       If a coach believes that their athlete may have an eating disorder, how should a coach proceed – both in terms of what to say to them, and what should be the first person that they are recommended to?6.       As a therapist who focuses on individuals with eating disorders, do you work closely with registered dietitians?7.       What should a coach do if an athlete does not admit to having an eating disorder, and/or admits to it but won’t seek help?8.       What can a coach do to best help and support an athlete that has an eating disorder?9.       A lot of endurance athletes are type A personalities. As such, do you find that many of them have addictive personalities and that instead of being addicted to drugs or alcohol, some are addicted to exercise and disordered eating?

In this episode of ‘All Things Endurance,’ host Rick Prince chats with exercise physiologist, Dr. Genadijus Sokolovas (Dr. G). Dr. G is widely regarded as one of the world’s most accomplished physiologists.   In this podcast, Rick and Dr. G discuss many areas related to program design, as well as hot topics such as Zone 2 and the ‘grey zone’ intensity zone. If you want to learn from the best about programming and training ‘zones,’ this episode with Dr. G is required listening!   If you're interesting in Dr. G's E-Coach software, you can learn more here: https://globsport.org/index_files/Page480.htmHere's what was covered: 1.       Please tell our listeners a little bit about yourself (your education history, work history, current roles)?2.       Coaches must take a lot of things into consideration when creating a training program. However, often coaches don’t take into consideration an athlete’s rate of adaptation. Could you discuss this a bit more?3.       A lot of the questions that we get at UESCA is about program design, could you discuss some of the most important factors in creating a good program?4.       What are some of the biggest mistakes that you see coaches make with respect to program design?5.       Of the different physiological tests that are commonly done, is there one that you deem the most valuable?6.       Most non-elite athletes are time-crunched. What are your thoughts on doing primarily Z1 and Z2 training, especially during the so-called ‘base training period’ for these type athletes?7.       There is a long-standing thought that ‘grey-zone’ training is sort of no man land where minimal physiological adaptions occur. Is there any truth to this?

In this episode of the ‘All Things Endurance’ Podcast, host Rick Prince chats with David Callahan, Co-CEO of Ultrasignup. As the leading event registration platform for ultrarunning events, David has a unique perspective on the state and growth of ultrarunning. Some of the topics that Rick and David discuss are:1.       Could you tell our listeners a little more about your background, both professionally and athletically?2.       The popularity of ultrarunning is through the roof, what are some of the key factors that you believe are driving this popularity?3.       Within the sport of ultrarunning and based on Ultrasignup’s data, are there specific distances that are seeing above average growth?4.       Where do you see the sport of ultrarunning over the next 5-10 years?5.       Athletes within sports like gravel racing and climbing often resent the result of their sports becoming more popular and mainstream – do you think this is, or will be the case with ultrarunning?6.       In the same vein as the prior question, popularity often comes with large organizations looking to purchase events. Is there a concern amongst the ultra community that the acquired events will lose their identity? 7.       For someone that is looking to get into ultrarunning, do you have any advice in regard to what type of ultra to choose as their first ultra event?8.       We often hear from our ultra coaches that running ultra’s are addictive. While it’s also true of road running, it seems to be more the case with ultra’s – why do you think this is?Where do you see ultrasignup in the coming years? 

Jeff Pierce is a former professional cyclist and the current CEO of Carmichael Training Systems (CTS). In Jeff’s distinguished cycling career, he rode for team 7-11, the first American to ride the Tour De France and in 1987, Jeff became just the third American to win a stage of the Tour De France on the final stage on the Champs-Elysees.   In his current role as CEO of CTS, Jeff is responsible for the overall operations and direction of CTS. In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with Jeff about the coaching landscape and how it has evolved over the years – as well as where it is heading. Questions covered in this episode include:1.       Please tell our listeners about your sport background as well as your career post being a pro cyclist2.       What was the coaching landscape like while you were racing professionally?3.       How has training technology changed the coaching profession over the years?4.       What are some of the main reasons that athletes hire coaches at CTS?5.       What do you think the increase in demand of qualified coaches is due to?6.       Are there any significant trends that you see in the coaching landscape at CTS?7.       To be a successful coach, what are some of key qualities that athletes are looking for, as well as you as the head of CTS?8.       What are some current challenges that the coaching profession faces?9.       Where to you see the coaching profession in 5-10 years with respect to its evolution?Lastly, as CTS is largely one of the first to legitimize the profession of endurance sports coaching, what do you attribute its longevity to? 

In this episode, host Rick Prince chat with professional triathlete and coach, Matt Hanson. Matt is a six-time Ironman champion, and also a six-time Half Ironman champion. In 2024, Matt finished 5th overall in the Ironman Pro Series. As both an accomplished triathlete and triathlon coach… as well as a former professor of exercise physiology, there is perhaps no one better to discuss the evolution of triathlon training than Matt. In this podcast, Rick and Matt discuss many topics including how training has evolved over the years, how technology has played a role in this evolution and some common mistakes that triathletes make in their training. Questions covered in this podcast include:1.       Could you tell us about your background, both academically and as a professional triathlete?2.       Could you give an overview of how triathlon training has evolved over the years?3.       Of the three sport disciplines, is there one that has evolved the most with respect to being triathlon-focused vs. training as a stand-alone sport discipline?4.       You are also a coach, have you found that any athletes push back against a modern triathlon-focused program versus a more old-school triathlon program?5.       What are some of the biggest changes in the sport with respect to training and racing from the days of Dave Scott to today?6.       How has technology played a role in the modernization of triathlon training?7.       There is a saying in bike racing “Train your weakness, race your strength.” Does this also hold true for triathlon? Meaning, do you overly focus on your weakest sport discipline, or do you focus on your strength?8.       What are some of the biggest training mistakes that you see triathletes make with respect to their training?9.       If you could give one piece of advice to our listeners with respect to triathlon training, what would it be?

Steve House is a former professional alpinist and mountaineer guide. Steve is currently the founder and CEO of Uphill Athlete.   As a professional climber, Steve climbed some of the most difficult mountains around the world and in 2006, Steve was awarded the Piolet d’Or (the Golden Ice Axe) award, which is the highest honor in the world of professional mountaineering.   With mountaineering being an inherently risky sport, host Rick Prince discusses the element of risk with Steve as it pertains to mountaineering and business. Unsurprisingly, there are quite a few takeaways with respect to mountaineering to business.   Questions covered in this podcast include:1.       Please tell us about your background as an alpinist and how you decided to start Uphill Athlete.2.       In most all sports, there is an element of risk. However, I can’t think of any sport with more at stake than high alpine mountaineering. How has being an alpinist shaped your perception of risk?3.       According to various sources, approximately 90% of start-up’s fail within the first 5 years, with 10% failing within the first year. Of the climbs that have been attempted, are there any that have this high (90%) of a failure rate?4.       What are some key lessons that you learned about risk that you’ve taken from climbing that you have applied to your business?5.       Regarding risk, what are some common mistakes that you see athletes and business owners make?6.       How do you assess risk? Specifically, deciding if a risk is worth the effort?7.       Appreciating the risk of a situation and going for it any way involves getting over one’s fear. As it relates to climbing, how did you get over the fear of certain situations that had a high risk factor?If you could leave our listeners with one or two nuggets of advice with respect to assessing and managing risk in their athletic and business endeavors, what would they be? 

In this episode of ‘All Things Endurance,’ host Rick Prince chat with Alli Felsenthal, owner of Runwithalli – a run coaching business. If you’re an aspiring coach, or an existing coach, you will be hard pressed not to come away from this podcast with valuable pieces of advice. Alli goes deep into how she started and scaled her running coach business, discussing a wide range of topics such as athlete retention, bringing on other coaches, the importance of goal setting and structure, among many other topics. So if you’re in the coaching business, this is one podcast you won’t want to miss!1.       Please tell us a little about yourself – when did you get into running and coaching?2.       How did you decide to take the leap to starting your own business? Did you do it as a side gig at first, or did you go full time immediately?3.       You have a pretty substantial background in business and sales. How did you leverage this knowledge when starting up your coaching business?4.       What were some of the biggest challenges that you faced when starting up your coaching business, and also when scaling it to a full-time business?5.       Getting paying athletes is always a challenge for new coaches. What advice or strategies do you have for new coaches, and for those looking to continue scaling their coaching practice?6.       What were some of your biggest mistakes when building your coaching practice?7.       Pricing is another issue that a lot of coaches get stuck on. How did you determine your pricing?8.       Where do you see Runwithalli in the next 5 years?

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with former professional, and current elite masters cyclist, Laura Van Gilder. Laura is a former elite criterium champion, the winningest female US cyclist in history and the current UCI gravel world champion (60-64)... in addition to other national and world titles.  In this podcast, Laura discusses many things, including her beginnings in the sport, her rise to becoming a professional cyclist, and how she manages to keep things fun and still race to this day! Laura is a legend in the sport of cycling and whether you’re a fan of cycling or not, this is an intriguing conversation. 1.       Could you tell us more about your sport background and some of your many accomplishments2.       How many years have you been competing?3.       You’re known as a sprinter, but you live in a pretty hilly area. Have you found that training in a hilly area has given you an advantage over other sprinters on rolling/hilly terrain?4.       As you’ve progressed through your cycling career, how has your training changed/evolved?5.       With respect to various aspects of fitness (i.e., endurance, strength, explosiveness, etc…), how have these changed, if at all?6.       What keeps you training and racing?7.       How has your nutrition changed over the years of your career, if at all?8.       What advice would you give to other master’s athletes?9.       Given the popularity of gravel racing/riding, do you find yourself doing more gravel riding than road riding these days?10.  Given all your experience, if there is one thing that you’ve learned that you wish you knew when you were in the infancy of your cycling career, what would it be?What cycling goals do you have for the upcoming year? 

In this episode, host Rick Prince chats with coach and physical therapist, Nicole Armbrust – owner of Jump Start Running, based out of Boulder, Colorado. Nicole specialized in working with female masters athletes and as such, this podcast discusses her decision to focus on working with masters athletes, as well as various aspects that are pertinent to masters athletes. 1.       Tell us about your background2.       Your current focus is working with female masters runners. Why?3.       As a PT, are there any common issues that you see amongst master runners versus younger runners?4.       As a generalization, with respect to endurance sports, aging is often associated with increased – or at least not diminishing endurance, while youth, is often associated with speed and quickness… and quick recovery. Do you find this generalization to be true?5.       What are some of the most important considerations when working with masters runners?6.       I think a lot of masters athletes are concerned about becoming slower. How do you tackle this subject with your athletes and moreover, are there any main things to focus on?7.       As a masters athlete myself, I often reflect back on how I was faster when I was younger and I find myself comparing myself to that person – which inevitably leads to frustration. How do you deal with athletes like myself in this regard?Do you find that masters athletes are more susceptible to injuries?