The Endurance Drive Podcast

In this week's episode, we asked some of our most inspiring community members to tell us how they make training work alongside busy family and professional lives. We were blown away by the rich insights that came back, including tips on early morning workouts, run commutes, calendar blocks, stroller jogs, home gym setups, and how to effectively tag-team with your partner when both of you want to get some movement in. Our parent-athletes also opened up about how their mindsets have evolved since becoming parents—reframing training as self-care, identity, and connection—and how that shift helps them show up more fully for the people they love, without letting go of big athletic goals. Whether you're a parent-athlete yourself, thinking about starting a family, or just looking for better balance in a busy life, this episode is for you. Check it out!

In this episode we finally got to discuss our reactions to one of the craziest races we have ever seen in Ironman history: the all-women’s 2025 Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We discuss what it means to win and lose with grace, Taylor Knibb’s incredible post-race interview, the role of heat and humidity in making or breaking an athlete’s day, and what bike brands seem to be most popular at the elite level. We also chat through the role of muscular endurance in super long-distance events like half and full Ironmans, marathons, and ultra runs, and preview some of the innovations we will be bringing to our athletes’ training in the 2026 season to account for this. Next, we deep dive on takeaways from Ironman California, which Katie and Jim agree is one of the best races you can do as a first-time IM athlete. Finally, we expand on a listener question from last week about burnout and drill into three different types of athletes: “event athletes,” “identity-based athletes,” and “for the love of the sport athletes,” considering what lessons we can learn from each athlete type as we try to burnout-proof our season. This episode was so fun to record and we’re excited to share it with you, so check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

This week's episode features a deep dive on three big topics: (1) how to plan out a sustainable season in order to avoid burnout, (2) pros, cons, and use cases of AI as an athlete, and (3) playing the long game in pregnancy and postpartum—particularly with respect to new research on bone density in pregnant and postpartum runners. We also riff on hydration and running shoe recommendations and share updates from our training and coaching lives. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

In this week's episode, we’re joined by a very special guest: clinical psychologist and triathlete extraordinaire Dr. Alejandra Zamora, Psy.D. Ale draws on her experience working with Division I athletes, as well as her own background as an endurance athlete, to answer our questions about common mental health conditions that affect athletes, including anxiety, depression, OCD, and PTSD. We also discuss how personality traits like conscientiousness can act as a double-edged sword in sport, the connections between trauma and endurance training, practical strategies for managing a range of mental health challenges, and how to leverage movement, social connection, and creativity to support mental well-being. Finally, we cover a range of quick-hitter insights on fueling and body composition, using LLMs for season planning and reflection, and setting up your environment to support your goals. Check it out!Note: This episode is a general discussion of topics related to mental health and does not represent a therapist/client relationship. We encourage listeners to connect with a mental health provider to discuss individual concerns.To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

This week's podcast—the first in our next century of episodes—features insights and listener questions on a ton of fun topics including: how to transition back into Zone 2 running after time off, channeling the idea of "smooth" rather than specific paces or other data points in workouts, what to do if you get injured or sick right before a race, why modulating volume and intensity over the course of the year is helpful from a mental health perspective, how you should think about using data to match your goals at different points in your season, the fitness benefits of tire dragging and other forms of resistance training, the science behind building strength while on the bike, an update on TrainingPeaks Virtual, and a discussion of mindfulness in workouts. We also introduce a ~twist~ to our classic gear pick of the week segment that will help us come up with more fun things to share with you in future episodes. Check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

Celebration episode inbound! In this episode, Katie, Jim, and Elena reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from 100 (!) episodes of the podcast. We riff on themes including connection, community, endurance principles, gratitude, vulnerability, progress, and creativity, and we share what excites us most about the next 100 episodes. Our biggest takeaway? None of this would be possible without all of our listeners, so thank you to everyone who has come back week after week to signal to us that we have created something worth listening to. We are incredibly grateful, and cheers to the next 100!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

We love a deep reflections episode! Katie and Elena hit a bunch of topics including recovery after really big races, what it actually means to listen to your body (and why listening to your body can be hard in pregnancy), mental challenges with the off season and how to manage them, athlete identity, risk tolerance for moving your body at different stages of life, why doing anything for the first time is so tough, and a whole lot more. We also answer a great listener question on racing on your period and mindset shifts that can help you with any type of adversity in races. Check it out! To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

This week’s episode hits a bunch of fun topics including: insights from the professional men’s race at the Ironman World Championships in Nice, France; what’s hot and what’s not in the Norwegian training protocols; our recommendations on TT bike brands; how to identify and prevent burnout as long seasons draw to a close; some additional tips for the off-season; and how to manage race-day anxiety. We also dive into habit stacking as a way to make sure you actually do the recovery and mobility things you should be doing and hit some of our most creative gear picks of the week yet. Check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

She did it! This episode recaps many of the physical and mental insights Elena picked up while racing for over 29 hours at the world's most competitive and well-known 100-mile ultramarathon. We cover: what the energy in Chamonix is like during race week; how Elena prepped mentally and physically in the days and hours leading up to the race start; what the experience is like for crew and spectators; how she mentally and physically navigated feeling worse than expected in the first 20 miles of the race; how she dealt with insane weather conditions including rain, mud, cold, and snow through the night; the story behind the broken pole; what the last 30 miles felt like once she realized she was going to finish; how Elena is feeling now; and what's next on her running and racing scene. We also hit an interesting insight related to Boston Marathon registration and pregnancy race deferral policies at big races. This was such a fun episode to record, and we're so psyched for Elena on her huge accomplishment (did we mention 18th in the world?!)—check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.

This week's episode features plenty of insights from recent adventures and races. We cover: takeaways from Katie's recent "Pregnant Prezi" and FKT attempt on the Cannon and Kinsmans Loop, our favorite hikes and runs in New England, tips on mapping and route planning if you want to plan your own adventures (especially in a new location), insights from tough open water swims in races, mentally resetting when a race or training session doesn't go your way, whether weighted vests are a good training stimulus and/or investment, and advice for the upcoming fall off season. Check it out!To view extended show notes for this episode, visit: theendurancedrive.com/podcast To share feedback or ask questions to be featured on a future episode, please use ⁠this form⁠ or email: Katie@TheEnduranceDrive.com.