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In Episode 2 of Highway to HYROX, I share an update on my training and take a deeper look at how to fuel for the unique demands of HYROX.

If you want to jump right into the Nutrition content and skip my training recap and you go to about 31:30 on the podcast episode.

Balancing running, strength training, race-specific workouts, and adequate recovery has required some experimentation. I discuss what my current training week looks like, why I’m prioritizing threshold running, and how I’m learning to adjust my schedule when fatigue starts to build.

Then, drawing on my experience as a board-certified sports dietitian and longtime endurance athlete, I break down the nutrition strategies that can support HYROX training and racing. We cover:

• Why HYROX athletes need both carbohydrates and adequate protein
• How to adjust carbohydrate intake based on daily training demands
• What to eat before and after HYROX workouts
• Protein needs for supporting strength, recovery, and muscle maintenance
• Hydration and sodium considerations
• Whether carb loading is beneficial before a HYROX race
• How to fuel when your race starts later in the day
• Whether you should use gels or other carbohydrates during the event
• Why trying to lose weight during a demanding training block can compromise performance

HYROX combines endurance running with repeated high-intensity strength stations, making carbohydrates especially important for performing well. The goal isn’t simply to make it through the race—it’s to arrive properly fueled so you can maintain your effort from the first run through the final wall ball.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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You can get stronger, follow the plan, hit your numbers—and still have the same side of your body keep breaking down.

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie are joined by physical therapist Craig Depperschmidt to explore why endurance athletes are naturally asymmetrical, how repetitive training can magnify those patterns, and why recurring injuries may involve more than weakness or poor form. The conversation goes beyond muscles into movement, breathing, the brain, body awareness, and what it really takes to build durability for the long haul.

What You’ll Learn

• Why the same side of your body may repeatedly become your “problem side”
• Why getting stronger doesn’t automatically correct the movement patterns underneath recurring injuries
• How single-leg training, body awareness, and movement variability can help athletes better manage asymmetry
• Why rigid, metric-driven training may be missing an important piece of long-term adaptability and durability

Timestamps
00:00 — Why body asymmetry matters for endurance athletes
09:01 — What does it actually mean to be asymmetrical?
12:23 — Why endurance training can magnify imbalances
17:01 — When the same side keeps causing problems
19:41 — Asymmetry, durability, and injury-prone athletes
23:11 — Why single-leg and single-arm strength work matters
31:42 — Signs your asymmetry may be affecting movement
37:25 — What may be happening before mechanical breakdown
44:32 — Strength training progression for endurance athletes
55:05 — The connection between the brain and body
1:02:34 — Metrics, body awareness, and rigid training habits
1:14:53 — RPE, novelty, community, and becoming more adaptable

Connect with Craig Depperschmidt, DPT, PRC:
Craig is a physical therapist at ProActive Physical Therapy & Performance Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, and is Postural Restoration Certified through the Postural Restoration Institute.

Learn more about Craig and his work:
Craig’s website — Resilient Endurance
Craig’s Postural Restoration Institute provider profile

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Training hard is one thing. Knowing whether that training actually prepared you to race is another.

Coach Justin uses the Kinetic Multisport Patriot Race Weekend as a real-world test: an Olympic Aquabike on Saturday followed by a sprint triathlon less than 24 hours later. One race produced his first-ever win. The next exposed exactly where his training still falls short.

This episode breaks down what the weekend revealed about bike fitness, run durability, race-specific training, tapering, and the role fueling and recovery played in being able to perform again the next morning.

What You’ll Learn

• Why being fit enough to finish is different from being prepared to perform and compete
• What racing twice in 24 hours revealed about training volume, durability, and recovery
• How a breakthrough bike performance exposed outdated training zones—and a different limiter on Sunday
• Why the next step isn't automatically more training, but more specific training aimed at the weakness that matters

Timestamps

00:00 — Two races, 24 hours, and the questions behind the experiment
05:30 — What did my training actually prepare me to do?
11:30 — Building durability through volume, frequency, and accumulated fatigue
20:00 — Bike, run, and swim preparation for Patriot
29:00 — Tapering to express fitness instead of building more of it
34:00 — Saturday: Olympic Aquabike and a breakthrough bike performance
42:30 — First place—and the shift from completing to competing
47:00 — Refueling and recovering for another race in less than 24 hours
51:00 — Sunday: what held up and what the sprint exposed
59:00 — The run reveals the missing piece
64:00 — Prepared to Complete vs. Perform vs. Compete
70:00 — What changes in training from here

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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A stress fracture does not automatically mean you trained too much—or trained badly.

For endurance athletes, bone stress injuries often develop when training load begins to outpace the body’s ability to recover, rebuild and adapt. In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down the bigger picture behind stress fractures, including training progression, underfueling, low energy availability, aging, hormones, nutrient intake and strength training.

If you are increasing mileage, returning to running, training through weight loss or simply wondering how a fit athlete can still end up with a bone injury, this conversation will help you understand what may be happening beneath the surface.

What You’ll Learn

• Why a well-designed training progression can still lead to problems when fueling and recovery do not keep pace
• How low energy availability, rapid weight loss and hormonal changes can affect bone health
• Why cardiovascular fitness and strength do not automatically mean your bones are ready for running impact
• How strength training, progressive loading and key nutrients can help support long-term bone durability

Timestamps

00:00 Why stress fractures are more complicated than “too much training”
06:05 How bone adapts, remodels and responds to load
15:15 Training load, recovery and nutrition: finding the cause
20:21 Rapid weight loss, GLP-1s and bone-health risk
26:25 Calcium, vitamin D, iron and other nutrients that matter
40:05 Low energy availability, RED-S and underfueling
45:32 Aging athletes, hormones and declining bone density
48:08 Strength training and loading bones as you age
54:27 Why running, cycling and swimming affect bones differently
56:05 Why being fit does not mean your bones are ready to run
1:03:34 High-volume training is not the real problem
1:05:44 Stress-fracture location and what it may tell you

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Highway to HYROX: Starting a New Training Journey

What happens when a longtime runner and endurance athlete decides to step outside her comfort zone and train for something completely new?

In this episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey, Katie kicks off a new series: Highway to HYROX. She’s training for her first HYROX race in Denver and taking listeners along for the entire experience—from figuring out what HYROX actually involves to learning how to balance running, strength training, recovery, and all of the unique demands of hybrid racing.

Katie breaks down the HYROX format, including the running and functional fitness stations, and shares her initial thoughts about pacing, race strategy, and what makes HYROX so different from a traditional running race. She also walks through her current training week and the challenge of fitting two HYROX workouts, running workouts, a long run, strength training, and recovery into a busy schedule.

But this series isn't about having all the answers. Katie is very intentionally approaching this as a learning experience. She doesn't consider herself a HYROX expert, and she isn't presenting her training plan as the right way to prepare. Instead, she's sharing what she's trying, what's working, what's challenging, and what she's learning along the way.

If you've ever been curious about HYROX, wondered what it's like for a runner to transition into hybrid training, or simply enjoy following an athlete through the highs and lows of preparing for a new challenge, come along for the ride.

The Highway to HYROX has officially begun!

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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If one hard workout makes you wonder whether you’re actually ready for race day, you’re not alone. The mistake is assuming training should prove what you’ll be capable of when the race finally arrives.

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down why race-specific work can create doubt, how accumulated fatigue can distort your perception of fitness, and why chasing certainty can lead athletes to do too much. The goal isn’t to eliminate uncertainty—it’s to arrive prepared enough to perform when it matters.

What You’ll Learn

• Why a difficult workout does not automatically mean your race goal is unrealistic
• How trying to “prove” your fitness in training can create unnecessary fatigue and risk
• Why preparedness matters more than confidence or certainty on race morning
• How training for discomfort helps prevent doubt from taking over when racing gets hard

Timestamps

00:00 When training creates insecurity about race day
04:43 Justin’s own doubts about race-specific bike power and fitness
15:31 How fear feeds insecurity during a training build
17:00 Why one hard workout can make athletes question everything
21:58 Why training should not be used to prove race-day fitness
27:51 The danger of doing too much just to feel confident
37:49 Confidence vs. preparedness
41:22 “We don’t train to make race day easy”
45:31 Learning to suffer well and preparing for discomfort
54:10 Why comfortable training alone won’t prepare you to race hard
1:03:35 How a coach protects athletes from themselves
1:09:48 Managing doubt when it inevitably shows up

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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What if you knew this might be your last race?

Jim Logan was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer and told he might have six months to two years to live. Instead of stepping away from endurance sport, he kept training. Now, after chemotherapy, radiation, major surgeries, an ostomy, and repeated Ironman setbacks, he is preparing to race the Ironman World Championship in Kona.

But this episode is about more than cancer or Kona. Jim challenges endurance athletes to stop assuming there will always be another race, another season, or another chance—and to recognize that the real value of this sport is often found long before the finish line.

What You’ll Learn

• Why Jim believes you shouldn't wait for a crisis to start treating your time like it matters
• How endurance training prepared him for the “uninvited pain” of cancer, treatment, and surgery
• Why a DNF or disappointing race doesn't erase everything you gained through the pursuit
• How “Just Keep Tri-ing” became more than a mantra as Jim prepares for Kona with stage 4 cancer

Timestamps

00:00 Meet Jim Logan: Stage 4 cancer and the road to Kona
07:02 Ironman DNFs, second chances, and the question that changes everything
10:22 What cancer taught Jim about today, tomorrow, and priorities
13:31 The symptoms he almost dismissed as normal training fatigue
16:33 Finish line → start line → the daily pursuit
22:03 “Cancer has my body. It cannot have my heart, mind, or soul.”
24:18 How endurance training prepared him for chemo, radiation, and surgery
30:16 Why performance isn't what ultimately defines the athlete
37:00 Faith, purpose, and finding meaning inside the diagnosis
43:22 Training is a privilege—and you may not always get to do it
51:55 Why worrying about race day can steal the joy from today
1:12:07 Jim's story changes Coach Justin's perspective on returning to racing

Connect With & Support James Logan

Want to follow James’ journey to Kona or support the mission behind it?

Follow James on Instagram:
@stage42025
Instagram – @stage42025

Support James’ IRONMAN Foundation fundraising:
James is racing the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona while raising funds for the IRONMAN Foundation.
Donate to James’ IRONMAN Foundation campaign

Get James’ book, Just Keep TRI-ING:
Just Keep TRI-ING: The Faith-Fueled Formula to Push Through Pain, Face Your Fears, and Finish Your Race
Buy Just Keep TRI-ING on Amazon

Proceeds from the book support James’ IRONMAN Foundation fundraising efforts.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

If you’re an endurance athlete getting older, the goal isn’t to preserve the training you used to do. The goal is to preserve your ability to perform.

In Part 3 of our aging athlete series, we look at what happens when an experienced athlete still wants to get faster, stronger, and more competitive—but their body no longer responds to training exactly the way it once did. We cover body composition, strength, speed work, recovery, and why the best training plan may be the one you can consistently absorb for years to come.

What You’ll Learn

• Why changing body composition doesn’t automatically mean you need to lose weight
• How masters athletes can adjust volume, intensity, and recovery without giving up performance
• Why strength and consistency become increasingly important as you age
• How to keep pursuing ambitious goals without sacrificing long-term durability

Timestamps

00:00 – Training updates and learning to let go of pace
14:24 – Body composition vs. body weight as you age
19:30 – Why being lighter doesn’t automatically mean performing better
29:05 – Stop trying to recreate what worked when you were younger
34:02 – Building muscle, losing fat, and the endurance training tradeoff
41:52 – Is improving body composition worth sacrificing aerobic training?
46:01 – Performance vs. longevity: Do masters athletes have to choose?
49:00 – Why a 7-day training week may not work for every aging athlete
53:58 – Consistency, injury prevention, and protecting future performance
56:00 – Sleep, stress, nutrition, and the recovery factors outside your training plan
1:03:33 – How strength training and speed work should change with age
1:19:25 – Bringing joy back into training as a masters athlete

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com