Purple Patch Podcast

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228 Ask Matt Anything on Racing - From Preparation to Performance Jul 20, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to another "Ask Matt Anything" edition of the Purple Patch Podcast. In part 1 of our 2 part series of Q & A episodes on all topics related to racing, Matt answers your voicemails and emails on race preparation and practices.

In this installment, Matt answers your questions related to:

Integrating sufficient recovery into training
The constraints of metrics and how to move beyond them in your athletic performance
Implementing race day hydration
The logistics of fueling and hydrating on the move
Spotting chronic fatigue and the proper steps to righting the ship

Episode Timestamps

0:02-03:43 Welcome and Episode Introduction

3:43-Question 1 from Frederik: I heard you say that the three up one down training structure is not something you believe in. Is that something that applies to pro athletes? And does the answer change if you're talking about female athletes?

I have had athletes that have very successfully been able to accumulate three weeks of consistent training, and not start to overreach or not start to get too tired. But in the middle of the bell curve, I've seen that most athletes don't succeed with that recipe. And that's because quite simply, you can't beat physiology.

11:56-Question 2 from Jeff: I have a question about race execution for someone who may not really like using data. I'd rather be following general cues tied to RPE. Do you have any general guidelines to follow?

The power and the metrics, whether you use heart rate, whether you use power, whether you use pace on the run, they're really valuable. They're great to have, but they shouldn't be driving the ship. What should be driving the ship is you, your intuition.

18:57-Question 3 from Les: I'm curious to know your thoughts on race day hydration. My bike is set up to carry a 750 mil bottle between my aero bars and two more behind my seat and I'll need about one bottle an hour or so I'm thinking for Ironman Canada. What are your thoughts on how much to carry versus trying to mix it along the way with tablets?

I would probably lead with one bottle behind, one up front and then you are refilling your chamber on an ongoing basis at the front torpedo system with water. But then having on the top of your handlebars or in your pockets, even on your thigh underneath your race suit, you might have the sachets of precision that you can rip pour into the chamber before you get to an aid station and then squeeze and dump water over the top of it so that you fill in the concentration.

26:29-Question 4 from Richard: One thing that's taken many minutes of my time is the logistics of bike aid stations. I've got dialed into a new hydration plan. I take electrolytes to add to the water but need to continually stop and sort things out on the bike, grab more nutrition and stash it somewhere. It feels a shame to spend more than five minutes stationary over an Ironman bike leg, but I can't figure out how else to do it.

I would really recommend you have a torpedo at the front of the bike. That can really be a game changer for logistics and carriage because you can then grab water as you're in flight, slowing down being very safe, keeping that hand supple on the bar, grab the water and refill while you're on the go, dump that water bottle away, and now you've got a new reservoir.

31:43-Question 5 from Brian: Is it possible to still have occasional good races despite being in a state of chronic fatigue, and is it possible to lose touch with your level of fatigue?

So what we need to look at is how much long term damage is there? How much recuperation do you need? And then also a little bit of an objective review of what's the ultimate root of the problem? And you're not going to say oh, it was that it was my nutrition, it was my training program, it was my lack of recovery, because it's always more holistic than that.

Ask Matt Anything! Head to the Podcast Page at PurplePatchFitness.com/podcast and leave a concise question for Matt. Tell us your name, where you're from, and ask your question. We'll get to as many as we can in future episodes.

Purple Patch Video Podcast and More

More on Jan Sibbersen and Sailfish

Free Webinar - Nail Your IRONMAN 70.3 and IRONMAN Race in 8-14 Hours Per Week

Training Camp - 2022 St.George Triathlon Camp

The Purple Patch Center is Open - Learn More and Schedule a Visit

Purple Patch Website and Newsletter

5:59- The Meat and Potatoes - Jan Sibbersen - Keys to a Championship Mindset in Sport, Business, and Life (Part 1)

Purple Patch and Episode Resources

This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch - Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20

Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt

Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program

Join Bike Squad - Don't just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program

Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running

Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching

Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming

Purple Patch Swim Analysis

Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events

Purple Patch Upcoming Webinars and Events

222 Filtering the Noise - Navigating the Landscape of High Performance Education Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

If you are reading this, it's likely because you share a common thread with many athletes, which is the desire to improve your athletic and personal potential. Dedicating yourself to learning and applying best practices and methods for achieving enduring health and high performance seems straightforward enough. Unfortunately, the challenge many people face is being able to filter through the blizzard of information and advice from performance experts and coaches. With health gurus, high-performance nutritionists, endurance coaches, life coaches, and an ever-growing list of specialists in related fields, all with seemingly sound theories and approaches, how do you know who to listen to? How do you differentiate a gimmick from good advice?

It can be confusing and frustrating to cut through all the contradictions and rival theories, but with a solid guiding principle in your approach to education, you can use the wealth of knowledge to your benefit and determine which advice should be taken to heart and which should be taken with a grain of salt.

Today Matt will highlight:

The challenge of taking well-intentioned advice from performance experts and coaches.

(31:02) "You can be learning and be inspired from a host of experts in fields, but at the same time, from those very same experts, you can fall into traps of quick fixes, instant gratifications, and ultimately culdesacs of performance failure."

The key voices and their differences, and how to build your personal filter for this type of education.

(19:58) "I think one of the first steps to this is understanding who you are listening to, and what challenge they are trying to solve. And then the key component is take that information, filter it and apply it to your own goals, your own situation, and ultimately yourself."

Creating a framework for approaching advice across health and performance and how to plot the best path for your performance journey.

(31:35) "I would encourage you to think in terms of long term, not interventions. That's just a globally smart way to approach performance."

(32:49) "Nothing of long-term value is going to come from some radical short-term intervention."

The goal of today's conversation is to provide you with clarity on how to approach advice and education and how to apply it within the context of your body, your journey, and your situation.

Episode Timestamps

0:00-09:37 Introduction and Matt's Personal Picks

Free Webinar - Nail Your IRONMAN 70.3 and IRONMAN Race in 8-14 Hours Per Week

Training Camp - 2022 St.George Triathlon Camp

The Purple Patch Center is Open - Learn More and Schedule a Visit

Purple Patch Website and Newsletter

9:50- The Meat and Potatoes - Navigating the Information Landscape: How to meet, greet and filter performance education

Purple Patch and Episode Resources

This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch - Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20

Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt

Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program

Join Bike Squad - Don't just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program

Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running

Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching

Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming

Purple Patch Swim Analysis

Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events

Purple Patch Upcoming Webinars and Events

221 Becoming a Better Coach - Leveraging Experts to Help Athletes Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

So you've gone all-in and put your training in the hands of your coach.

It's their role to build the framework of performance and provide clarity, accountability, and guidance through your evolution as an athlete.

But how does a coach evolve beyond education and experience to become a more effective pillar of support? How do they improve themselves and grow in order to help you, the athlete, thrive?

Matt answers that question with the help of Purple Patch Coach Mike Olzinksi and leading performance nutritionist, Scott Tindal, as they examine the role of mentorships in coaching.

Over the last year, Mike leveraged Scott's nutrition expertise to help facilitate high performance in several of his athletes. They discuss the importance of that collaboration to the overall success of two Purple Patch athletes, Kinga Kimbrel and Elliot Block.

With the help of Mike and Scott, Kinga, relatively new to the sport of triathlon, finds perspective in training through a focus on her nutritional deficits, while Elliot defies the odds with a new approach to fueling.

Matt, Mike, and Scott provide insight on:

The hesitance of some coaches in seeking assistance outside of their realm of expertise.

(19:19) "The coach is hired by the athlete and has this often internal burden that they carry that they need to have every answer to every question and expertise across every subject, which of course is a dangerous thing if you think that you really are a master of everything."

Leveraging the benefits of knowledge in related fields to help drive performance and facilitate recovery.

(17:53) "Tweaks are required in order to get the best out of the athlete. And it's about providing solutions to the problems that we're presented with using the best available science, the best available evidence."

The symbiotic relationship between nutrition coaching and performance training.

(48:43) "Nutrition shouldn't be viewed as like, Oh, I've got a nutrition program, and I've got a training program, they're just synonymous with each other. And if you want to do a really good training block, you're gonna need to fuel yourself appropriately."

(39:18) Case Study: Kinga Kimbrel - The marriage of passion, potential, and science.
(56:14) Case Study: Elliot Block - Solving the protein problem.

Episode Timestamps

0:00-09:59 Introduction and Matt's Personal Picks

Purple Patch Podcast - Episode 219: The Biggest Mistakes Coaches Make When Guiding Time-Starved Athletes

Purple Patch Blog - Improve Triathlon Performance in the Heat with the Sauna Protocol Heat Acclimation Training

Purple Patch Blog - How to Race Effectively in Hot and Humid Conditions

Purple Patch Blog - Are You in a Broken Triathlon Coaching Relationship?

Purple Patch Athlete Case Study - Kinga Kimbrel

Learn More About Scott Tindal and FuelIn

The Purple Patch Center is Open - Learn More and Schedule a Visit

Purple Patch Website and Newsletter

10:14- The Meat and Potatoes - Leveraging Expertise to Expand Knowledge and Performance

Purple Patch and Episode Resources

This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch - Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20

Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt

Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program

Join Bike Squad - Don't just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program

Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running

Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching

Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming

Purple Patch Swim Analysis

Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events

Purple Patch Upcoming Webinars and Events

220 Ask Matt Anything on Running - Are You on the Niggle Bus? May 25, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to another "Ask Matt Anything" edition of the Purple Patch Podcast. In this episode, Matt answers your voicemails and emails on all topics related to run performance.

In this installment, Matt answers questions related to:

Running with a high heart rate
Coming back from injury
Dealing with the incessant niggles
Fostering a lifelong love of running potential in children
Arriving on race day injury-free and ready to run healthy

Episode Timestamps

0:00-02:10 Welcome and Episode Introduction

02:10-The Meat and Potatoes

02:10 -Question 1 from Brett: I tend to succumb to injuries with the required running mileage in a leadup to IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3. I have heard you talk about the multisport approach for run performance and I'm a bit skeptical. I'd love insights on how I might think about these coming months into race day to help me arrive healthily, but also race-ready.

13:12 - Question 2 from Carol: Any tips on helping my child get the most out of her running potential?

22:11 - Question 3 from Van: I'm coming back from a fractured tibia and I still feel residual pain and discomfort in the area, mostly to the touch but not during exercise. Is that relatively normal on the return from running?

29:22 - Question 4 from Theo: I feel like my heart rate is much higher than most people. When I'm doing a very easy effort, my heart rate will still read 165-175, even creep up to 180. My max heart rate is just under 200. And so my question is, when it comes to zone two running, or easy, long runs, should I really be forcing myself to stay in what is calculated as zone two? I'm 29 years old. Or, is it okay to stay out of that range and go a little bit more off of perceived exertion?

36:58 - Question 5 from Alice: What do you do when you're on the niggle bus? And by that, I mean, constantly wrestling with minor pre-injuries?

Purple Patch and Episode Resources

This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch- Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20

Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt

Purple Patch Blog for Free Training Resources and Education

Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program

Join Bike Squad - Don't just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program

Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running

Purple Patch Training Camps - Education, Skills, Community

Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching

Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming

Purple Patch Swim Analysis

Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events

Purple Patch Upcoming Webinars and Events

219 The Biggest Mistakes Coaches Make When Guiding Time-Starved Athletes May 18, 2022

Show notes

Does it sometimes feel like the training you've been prescribed doesn't fit comfortably into your life?

Does your training volume have you feeling like a zombie rather than a finely tuned athlete?

Did your coach still schedule a bike workout even though you made clear notes that you had a work trip with no access to cycling?

Do you struggle to understand the big picture of your training?

Does your coach keep pushing for commitment and focus even though you're already stretched too thin?

If so, you are experiencing some of the biggest mistakes coaches make when working with the time-starved athlete.

The challenge of every time-starved athlete is finding a balance between the demands of life's competing non-negotiable priorities, and the pursuit of self-improvement, or peak performance, in sport or fitness.

Whether you're a triathlete, runner, cyclist, parent, or CEO, each role comes with its own unique challenges, making it difficult to stay on course with a training program designed to maximize performance outside the context of your life.

While plenty of coaches are skilled at building training programs anchored in tried and true methodology geared towards high-performance athletes, the question is, do the same approaches and methodologies fit when someone is incredibly time-starved?

Today, Matt takes a closer look at the relationship between the coach and the time-starved athlete to identify the coaching mistakes that often lead to underperformance or an ineffective coaching relationship, along with the keys to fostering a healthy coaching relationship in the pursuit of balance and success in sport and life.

You'll learn:

Critical Benefits from Leveraging a Successful Coaching Relationship

(16:19) "It's beyond sporting results. The other thing a coach should be able to do, particularly for a time-starved athlete is, through their expertise and experience, help you improve your profile in health, your work performance, and how you show up in life."

(17:07) "Coaching isn't just about writing some magic good plan. It is enabling the athlete to appreciate and understand the plan, buy into it, and then be able to self manage."

The Biggest Coaching Mistakes When Guiding Time-Starved Athletes

(27:25) "If you just build your proverbial, this is the plan that is necessary to get ready for X - a marathon, an Ironman, a half Ironman - whatever it might be, it's always going to conflict with life. Because for a time-starved athlete, life is non-negotiable."

(41:31) "Give them freedom. Allow much of the training to be a little bit of ME TIME. A freshener. A cognitive cleanse. So many coaches miss that as an opportunity and they overload."

Building a Framework of Coaching and Program to Get the Best Return for Your Hard Work

(46:54) "You can set high standards, you can have high expectations as a coach, but that is only going to be fostered to high performance if it is supported with great listening and empathy."

We hope this episode will empower you, the athlete, to improve your own training and performance and raise the bar when it comes to finding the right coach.

Episode Timestamps

0:00-09:49 Introduction and Matt's Personal Picks

Purple Patch Blog - How to Train for Half IRONMAN and IRONMAN in a Time-Starved Life

Purple Patch Blog - Are You in a Broken Triathlon Coaching Relationship?

Purple Patch Podcast - Episode 218: Conquer The Optimization Challenge - Getting the Most Out of the Time You Have

The Purple Patch Center is Open - Learn More and Schedule a Visit

Purple Patch Website and Newsletter

10:03-11:55 Word of the Week - Right Off - "Don't give up on yourself."

12:11- The Meat and Potatoes - The Biggest Coaching Mistakes for a Time-Starved Athlete

Purple Patch and Episode Resources

This episode is sponsored by our collaboration with INSIDE TRACKER. Inside Tracker and Purple Patch - Receive 20% off their services with code: PURPLEPATCHPRO20

Ask Matt Anything - Leave a voicemail question for Matt

Learn more about Purple Patch Squad High-Performance Training Program

Join Bike Squad - Don't just exercise and work out; learn to train with our structured online cycling program

Join Run Squad - Increase your running performance through our progressive, multi-sport approach to running

Learn more about Purple Patch Fully Customized 1:1 Coaching

Learn more about Purple Patch Strength Programming

Purple Patch Swim Analysis

Stay Up-to-Date with Purple Patch News and Events

Purple Patch Upcoming Webinars and Events