Mikael Eriksson and Jack Hutchens answer listener questions, starting with a long look at how to fit a marathon into a triathlon year: when to do it, how much running it takes, what happens to the swim and the bike, and how far the long run really should be. Then questions on racing a 70.3 inside a base phase, coming back from overtraining syndrome, and whether you have to dig a hole to get supercompensation. We do listener Q&As monthly, the last Thursday every month.
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:
Where a marathon fits in a triathlon year, autumn against spring, and the one situation where the less obvious option is the right call.
Setting run mileage when you are also swimming and biking. Why the starting point is your own running history rather than a plan chosen by goal time, and what is wrong with how most marathon plans are built.
A pro triathlete with a 60-minute record of 400 W at 78 kg asks why a 2:30 marathon still feels far away. What VO2max and fractional utilisation leave as the only possible explanation, and what can and cannot be changed about it.
Long run distance against total volume, and the main point of disagreement between Mikael and Jack for this episode. Plus how far the longest long run should go, banded by goal time from a first marathon through to sub-2:30.
Quads as the limiter in the marathon, from a listener with a 1:17 half and a 3:01 Ironman marathon. Conditioning, cadence, shoe drop and fuelling, and which of those actually matters.
Racing a 70.3 in the middle of a base phase. The question to answer before you decide, and where Mikael and Jack come down differently on treating a race as a training day.
Returning to training after overtraining syndrome. What to monitor on the way back, why HRV gets less weight here than you might expect, and the case study of a world-class skier who came back from underperformance to the top.
Whether supercompensation requires digging a hole. Thirty-three trained triathletes, a three-week overload block into a four-week taper, and what separated the group that gained the most from the group that spent the study getting sick.
That Triatlon Show Group Ride on ROUVY - 5 October, 18:00 CET (12pm ET, 9am PT), 25 km / 15.5 miles on the Kona bike course. Social ride, easy, everybody is welcome regardless of speed!
Precision Fuel & Hydration produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout.
Rouvy is hands down the most complete indoor cycling platform for triathletes. Among their thousands of beautiful bike courses from all around the world, all filmed in stunning quality, they have over 75 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 race courses plus 20+ Challenge Family courses, so you can pre-ride your race from home. Real gradients, real visuals, and real feel! Head to rouvy.com and use the code TTS to get your first month free on top of a 7-day free trial.
Effortless Swimming produce the best swim goggles for triathletes and open water swimmers. Their NanoClear anti-fog lenses give you clear, fog-free vision that lasts and doesn't wear off. Don't let foggy or leaky goggles ruin another swim. Go to shop.effortlessswimming.com and use the code TTS15 to get 15% off your goggles, and get a free two-month Effortless Swimming course membership.
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time.
Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!
Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Podden och tillhörande omslagsbild på den här sidan tillhör
Mikael Eriksson. Innehållet i podden är skapat av Mikael Eriksson och inte av,
eller tillsammans med, Poddtoppen.
