Conquer the Ups and Downs: How to Train and Race Smarter on Trail Hills
by Coach Nicole Ford Hills define trail running. They’re the soul of the sport, the grinding climbs that spike your heart rate and the quad-pounding descents that test your control. But hills are also where many runners blow up, twist an ankle, or shred their legs before the finish line. A smarter approach, one that […]
Masters Athletes: The Break Your Body Craves (Even If You Hate Taking It)
I hated taking a break after a season. In fact, I rarely took an off-season, maybe a weekend off racing. But this year, I limped into the cross season after a long year of hard gravel racing. So I actually took a two-week break this year from racing and structured training. If you’re like many […]
Consistency Is King: Why Showing Up Beats Going Hard in Endurance Training
by Coach Paul Warloski You can have the best training plan, the smartest coach, and the fanciest gear. But none of it matters if you’re not consistent with your training, even if your schedule is extra busy. Consistency in triathlon, gravel racing, cyclocross, or trail running is the quiet, unglamorous key to endurance success, more […]
Let Them Go: How Parents Can Support Their Kids in Endurance Sport Racing Without Taking Over
I spent a weekend at the Trek Cup cyclocross race in October and watched a lot of parents support their children racers. The research and top junior coaches suggest an important element in child development: the best way to help kids become strong athletes and resilient people is to let them take ownership of their […]
Optimal Cadence for Cyclists: What the Research Says About Power, Efficiency, and Fatigue
by Coach Paul Warloski If you’ve ever ridden with a group, you’ve probably noticed everyone pedals at a slightly different rhythm. Some spin at 100+ rpm (revolutions per minute), others grind away in the 70s. So, what’s the “best” cadence for cycling performance? A great Twitter thread from sports scientist Rod Siegel led me to […]
Eat, Sleep, Race: Peak Performance Strategies for Tour of America’s Dairyland
Several Simple Endurance Coaching athletes have signed up for the whole Colby or Cheddar series at Tour of America’s Dairyland in Wisconsin, as well as the Grit series in Chicago. We’ve been talking a lot about how to manage five days or more of daily racing. The three most important elements for a successful race […]
Get Race-Ready: A Six-Week Cyclocross Training Plan for Peak Performance
Cyclocross training requires a unique blend of skills, speed work, endurance, and recovery. The cyclocross season is almost upon us, and managing your training load right before and during the season is crucial. The first race in Wisconsin and the national cyclocross series is on Sept. 7 and 8 at the Englewood CX in Fall […]
Optimize Your Cycling Potential: Balancing Endurance and Intensity Workouts
I’ve been having discussions with one of my newer cycling athletes about endurance riding. They consistently ride sort of hard all the time, and often add extra rides in at similar pacing. And while there’s a place for riding sort of hard, like in group rides or focused tempo intervals, this rider is slowly starting […]
Dial In Your Warm-Ups for Endurance Events: Maximizing Speed Without Burning Matches
I know a pro cyclocross racer who does a warmup before the race that is so intense I wonder if the rider was burning too many matches before the race began. Warming up before a race is tricky: Too much and you’re burning matches before the event even starts, but too little, and you’re missing […]
Mastering midlife nutrition: a guide for the over-50 endurance athlete to lose weight, gain energy
Navigating nutrition after 50 can be tricky at best, especially as an endurance athlete. I had a long discussion with several older male athletes about nutrition recently and decided to share my current understanding. (I have a nutrition certification, and I’m not a nutritionist or dietician.) Some endurance athletes over 50 tend to not eat […]
