The concept of a massive over-distance day is nothing new to endurance athletes and something many do during their overload block of training for their key race (Ironman, ultra-marathon run or ultra-distance bike race like The Dirty Kanza 200). Personally, as an athlete and as a coach I am a big fan of this for multiple reasons I’ll explain here. There’s both an equal part physical training stimulus and a mental fitness stimulus. If one has never done an extreme endurance activity it’s kind of its own rite of passage if you will – the endurance athlete’s rite of passage.

Training for a race of any distance is a big commitment – you’re excited and ALL in. As weekly mileage starts to creep up, so should your focus on recovery strategies. These choices are nearly 100% within your control. The best athletes execute these techniques as consistently as workouts to improve personal performance, month to month and year over year. Recovery is just as critical as training.

Coach Tim Snow started out writing a blog post called The Butterfly Affect, which ended up turning into something much more complex, and lengthy. It turned into something that could not really be most effectively shared in a blog-type setting. But, we wanted to make sure that it was made available to you in the typical way that you access our written content. To that end, please see, below, three different links, all of which will allow you to access the writing, in three different forms.

Caffeine can be a great tool for athletes of all abilities used to enhance performance. However, when abused (or not used as a tool), it can be a detriment to your training and racing.

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to coach 116 athletes at the Austin half marathon. For these athletes their why is a concrete one. To find a cure for an illness they are all in one way or another impacted by. I had the honor and privilege to speak as the charities inspirational speaker the night before the race where I talked about the importance of having a why. Having an intention for our training and racing can mentally be that extra 1% that pushes us just a little harder. Our whys can change race to race and its important to go back to them on a regular basis.

Read about Coach Doug MacLean's journey from back surgery to 100K finish line.

February is National Heart Month so when better to think about heart rate training! This Q will help you learn more about HOW to utilize heart rate in your training. Below, I have responded to the most commonly asked questions.

One of the most significant life changing moments for me was when I became a Mom. The added responsibility of taking care of another human being has been extremely overwhelming, and the sacrifices along the way have been endless. The days of just worrying about myself have come and gone. Today it is all about balance and finding that happy medium, which does exist…if you let it.

Finally, I’m at the Start Line. Phew. No more thinking about getting enough sleep, traveling to the race, timing my last banana and all of those little details that get me ready for race start. I know everyone around me has similar butterflies (the good kind), and we’re all in this pre race vibe together. For many of us, the longer the event, the more it becomes about focusing on our individual goals, rather than feeling competitive with the other runners. I work on letting go of my nerves and smile and say hello to the runners standing next to me. There’s a first timer (please don’t start too fast), and a woman who hasn’t run this distance in eleven years; after having 3 children she’s excited and looks really nervous.

Rest in peace old friend…I know nothing of the man, other than what was available, to me, on Wikipedia. He was an author, and he died in 1936. I didn’t get much further than that. Having said that, he helped me to, in a single line, sum up what coaching is really all about. At least to me, and all of us at QT2 Systems, OutRival Racing, The Run Formula, and The Cycling Formula.