Dear Athletes! Being passionate about weight lifting and triathlon alike, I applied some highly unusual training methods in my athletes IRONMAN plans. It worked. Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Impactful strength sessions for endurance athletes. Important disclaimer: I do not have any scientific proof. I do see great results though. What I did: I have chosen 5 athletes, all starting at long distance Ironman races within June and July, for whom I decided to try something, that I have learned and experienced from heavy strength training: Single-Stress Training: Maximizing Adaptation and Recovery. The idea is simple: you only train for one specific kind of training stress within 24 hours. What does that mean? If you go to the gym for a max strength session, you are mainly training your neuromuscular system (efficient innervation of muscle fibers, recruitment, synchronization, intramuscular coordination). The body adapts to these specific stimuli and simply spoken: does not want to get interrupted while recovering. A 60 minute recovery bike ride after gym session is not recommended. Another example: Incorporating VO2max sessions leads to greater improvements in aerobic power because the body adapts specifically to the demands placed upon it. You wouldn't go for a long jog after a VO2max session either. Right? So far so good. Long distance triathletes always face the challenge on how to get all necessary training sessions in a fully packed week . Coaching is mainly about managing fatigue and recovery efficiently. Therefore I started to put TWO VO2max sessions in ONE DAY. One 60 minute ride in the morning, one 60 minute run in the evening (slightly adapted due to individual training history, goals, etc).   For the day before and the day after I planned low heart-rate, base tempo, long distance sessions. Mostly a very long swim session with lots of leg kicking showed up in their plans the day after the VO2max day. Important note: I asked to have at least 6 hours of 'rest' between the morning and the evening session and specifically advised to take care of proper food and water intake. What happened? Two women and three men have easily digested those VO2max days and never complained. Not once. Specifically asked for feedback, regarding mood, sleep, soreness, etc. they all were absolutely positive about this VO2max day. All of their VO2max figures increased, their 400m, 1000m run splits got better, their watt figures as well as their base endurance numbers increased , but without being stressed  as much during the week with tough bike and run sessions being split up in 2 or more days.   Engaging in one type of training stress per session can help manage fatigue more effectively. But using this principle also for 24hr frames seemed highly effective. Isolating stress types within 24hrs seemed to help athletes to avoid the compounded fatigue that might occur if multiple systems are taxed in a single training day. This targeted approach allows each system adequate recovery time, which is crucial for the maintenance of high training quality and for preventing overtraining. Isolating specific training stresses allows for targeted recovery strategies, making it possible to tailor nutrition, rest, and active recovery activities to the specific systems that were stressed. This can enhance overall recovery effectiveness and help maintain a higher level of consistent training performance.   Overall, stress management within a typical training week got better, mentally it got easier knowing that you have this one 'crazy day', figures improved and feedback was throughout positive.   Any thoughts or opinion on that? You can reach me any time!

Dear Athletes! Over the last ten years I was able to collect a decent amount of experience and knowledge on preparing athletes for their goals, through books, education, my own experience as an athlete, but mostly through each and everyone of you! Being very thankful for that, I decided to occasionally address you with a specific topic that I consider highly important in the process of increasing performance and staying healthy at the same time. It is in a sense a way to give back what I've gathered through you. I hope you enjoy it, text me if you (dis)agree and share it if you feel like it. Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Recovery is a key performance driver for any athlete. In my daily work with you I discovered that with all the passion and hard work you bring along the hardest thing to learn in the entire process of training is to recover properly. The intense and repetitive nature of triathlon can take a toll on your muscles, joints, and overall wellbeing. Recovery is a if not THE key element of performance. Knowing WHY makes your recovery weeks hopefully more valuable, easier to integrate in your training regimen and first and foremost more enjoyable.   The definition of a recovery week is a period of time where you intentionally reduce the volume and/or intensity of your training. Typically, a recovery week will involve a 20-50% reduction in training volume. The reduction of intensity is questionable and a topic for further discussions and research.   On an anatomical and physiological level this is what happens during a recovery period and mostly during sleep (sleep is without a doubt the most important phase for recovery):   Muscle Repair: during exercise, you create micro-tears in your muscle fibers. These tears are a normal part of the muscle-building process and can lead to soreness and fatigue. During a recovery week (RW), your body repairs these tears and rebuilds fibers. Depending on the training stress that has been put on the muscles (hypertrophy, max strength or strength endurance), the rebuilding process leads to bigger, stronger or more persistent muscle fibers. Creatine kinase (CK) is an enzyme that is released into the bloodstream when muscle cells are damaged. High levels of CK can be a sign of muscle damage and overtraining. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is another common symptom of overtraining. If an athlete is experiencing significant muscle soreness that is not resolving with rest, it may be a sign that the body needs a break. During recovery inflammatory markers such as CK, cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) decrease, indicating a reduction in muscles damage, inflammation and an improvement in muscle repair. In terms of differences between male and female repair mechanisms, there is some research to suggest that women may experience slower muscle recovery than men. This is thought to be due to differences in hormone levels, specifically estrogen and testosterone. However, it is important to note that individual differences can vary greatly between athletes, and recovery should be based on individual symptoms and metrics rather than gender.   Glycogen Replenishment: Glycogen is the primary fuel for your muscles during exercise. When you exercise, your body uses up its glycogen stores in the muscles and liver, which can lead to a decrease in blood glucose levels and further to fatigue and decreased performance. During a RW your body replenishes its glycogen stores, even grows these stores to be able to provide the body with more glycogen in the future.   Hormonal Balance: Intense exercise can disrupt your hormonal balance, leading to increased levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and testosterone. Cortisol is a stress hormone that is released in response to exercise. High levels of cortisol can be detrimental to muscle repair and recovery. Keeping up a high cortisol level without a break can have negative effects on your immune system, mood, and overall health. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone that is important for muscle growth and repair. During a RW your body rebalances all its hormones. Testosterone levels can increase, indicating a greater potential for muscle repair and growth.  Bone Remodeling: Old bone tissue will be broken down and rebuilt stronger. Regular exercise is essential for bone health, but too much high-impact training can put stress on your bones and increase your risk of injury. By taking a break from high-impact training during a RW your bones have a chance to undergo remodeling and become stronger and more resilient.  Tendon and Ligament Repair: Tendons and ligaments are connective tissues that attach muscles to bones or bones to bones and provide stability to joints. Training can lead to micro-tears and inflammation. During a RW the body has a chance to repair these tissues, which can reduce the risk of injury and improve overall joint health.  HRV Adaptation HRV (heart rate variability): is a measure of the variation in time between your heartbeats. High HRV is associated with better cardiovascular health, while low HRV is associated with increased stress and decreased health. If an athlete's performance metrics including HRV data are consistently decreasing, it may be a sign that the body needs a break to recover and repair. A RW increases HRV and can help improve your overall cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of injury and burnout.   Mental Recovery: Finally, a recovery week can be beneficial for your mental health. helping you to recharge and refocus. By giving your mind a chance to rest, you’ll be better prepared to tackle your next training block. Overtraining can also lead to changes in mood and energy levels. If an athlete is feeling consistently fatigued or irritable, it may be a sign that the body needs a break to recover. With all the additional stress that comes along with training, a full time job, friends and family it is highly recommended to clear out some time for the people who support you on your incredible journey. I always tell my athletes to enjoy these weeks, have great dinners, even drink a glas of wine and see family and friends.   In conclusion, monitoring biochemical parameters such as inflammatory markers, hormones, creatine kinase, and blood glucose can provide insight into the body's recovery process and would be ideal to measure. As we all know this won't happen for age-group athletes. Therefore I highly recommend to learn to listen to their bodies and to observe changes. Craving for a specific food might tell you that your body lacks magnesium, salt, calcium, etc. Being extremely tired, more than on other days, consecutively sleeping badly or developing pain in a specific area is definitely a sign to dig deeper. If you're tired and have the possibility SLEEP (instead of increasing the caffeine amount). Individual responses to training and recovery can vary greatly and can hardly be compared to training fellows. With years of experience you know way better what your body needs. A combination of monitoring metrics (performance data, HRV, sleep hours, etc.) and symptoms is the ideal and realistic way for age-group athletes. If your next recovery week comes up, just embrace it and think about all those fantastic processes your body is capable of and support that!   Your, Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! Ready to achieve your dreams and set new personal bests? Managing work-life-training time, recovery and training sequences is the key! Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 personalized coaching - individual triathlon training plans Whether you're gearing up for your next marathon, triathlon, or cycling event, I am dedicated to helping athletes like you achieve extraordinary results. With years of experience in coaching and a deep understanding of the demands of endurance sports, I'm here to guide you through every step of your training journey.   Why Choose Coaching? Most importantly: tailored to your work and family life Training should decompress you rather than adding another level of stress Recovery is key and will be monitored Tailored specifically to your fitness level, training history and goals The sequence of training bouts with specific breaks in between will be managed Advanced Analytics with TrainingPeaks, WK05, good old excel for all parameters Your valuable feedback will be listened to and taken into account Expert Guidance to overcome hurdles and motivational challenges   What’s Included? Comprehensive training program designed around your schedule Regular feedback and adjustments to ensure optimal progress Video Analysis of your swim & run technique Top notch strength & conditioning training for injury prevention and performance Access to premium TrainingPeaks features for detailed analytics and tracking.   Ready to achieve your dreams and set new personal bests? Join my team of dedicated athletes today by ➡️ signing up for a coaching plan    Not sure what you need?   Book a FREE 15 Minute Consultation!   Check my Calendar!   Looking forward to seeing you achieve your best, Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! My coaching structure, my perspective and my analysis are one thing, but equally important are my athlete's perceptions, feelings and feedbacks. Mixing all of it fairly into a pot is the recipe for a successful and amicable athlete-coach relationship. So, this time, I let my athletes speak about their last training year and Challenge Roth as their main race in 2024. Enjoy Joel's and Jan's recap. Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Joel Maia, Brazilian, living in Vienna, CEO, highly driven and competitive, a caring family person and understandably challenged by a 60hr work week, changed his life from an uncompromising couch potato into a full-on triathlete and marathoner. First and therefore PB marathon within a relay at Challenge Roth: 3:39:59.   The beginning of the journey was a Covid lockdown induced decision: why not making something seemingly impossible - an Ironman? The decision was followed by 20 kg of weight loss and a couple of Olympic distance triathlons. Life kicked in again though and plans have been put on hold.   We all have this “what the hell am I doing here” moments, and mine was in the first swim camp with Kathi in Samorin. What a kick-off for our partnership. Swimming was my utter weak spot. With perseverance and individualized training from Kathi I have not only survived that camp, but many more, all my swim challenges since then and were even able to gain an almost peaceful ease in swimming.   Biking and running felt more comfortable, on paper, but we still had lots to improve. Step by step, training by training, frustration by frustration but also achievement by achievement. We went together through a potential Achilles problem, and worst, my anxiety to not perform and my expectations management.   Sometimes it is hard to see, even more feel progress, but I always “trusted the plan” (quote). And the results were there. In 2023 I achieved PBs in Sprint and Olympic triathlons, crossed the finish line of my first Half Distance Ironman with an amazing time and could make my dream come true in 2024, finishing my first full marathon. I initially came from a 8:30 base run pace and finished my best HM in March 2024 with a 4:53 pace. I badly wanted to finish the Challenge Roth marathon under 3:40 and did so with 3:39:59 (Sidenote: first half in 5:13 and second half in 5:19). All my plans worked out, with lots of work, honest feedbacks, sweat ant tears but also with an extraordinary amount of laughs, and yet better, healthier than ever. I am still training hard for the Ironman distance in the near future, still “trusting the plan”.   Jan Diederichsen, living in Hamburg, hopefully soon in Vienna, heartful dad, perfectionist in every part of his life, from job to Ironman, incredibly talented athlete, fast learner and runner and the type of guy that you have to write RECOVERY in the plan so that he can check it off to make it green, otherwise he would just keep on going. Challenge Roth Long Distance Finish in 10:35:09.   The preparations for my second Long Distance Ironman went really well. This time I managed a year without any injuries or other absences. (My first Ironman had to be postponed due to a traffic accident and a broken shoulder).   You often ask yourself "have I trained enough, am I well prepared?" You always wonder, if you could have done even more. (Average weekly hours incl. recovery, race and tapering weeks from Jan 1st 2024 until Challenge Roth on July 7th 2024: 13:52. Jan has an extraordinary fulfillment ratio of about 98%).   Let's immediately jump to the race day in Roth: the excitement was somehow greater the second time around, even though I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole event around the race.   The swim start was set at 7:20. Despite the hustle and bustle at the mass start, the swim turned out pretty well and I could finish in 1:06:43. Through transition off to the two laps of the bike course, where it had started to rain already and we all have been pretty cold on the first kilometers. I couldn't wait to finally get to the magic spots. The atmosphere at Solarer Berg and Kalvarienberg was just incredible! My display and Watt system kept failing, but I tried, as trained, to listen to my body and therefore things went pretty well on the bike. I finished almost 20 minutes faster than at my first Ironman (comparable elevation). My run suffered more from the bike than I expected and I couldn't perform as I was hoping for. My PB half-marathon, set end of April 2024, was 1:28:28. But overall I finished over 40 minutes faster than in 2023.   The answer to the question if I had done enough... YES definitely ;-) Thank you Kathi for the past year! Thank you for your training and especially for your friendship!  Here's to another year, let's see what comes next!  __________________________________________________________________________________   Thank you both for the view through athlete's eyes. Managing expectations, seeing the earned progress while accepting the circumstances and bodies we live in, acknowledging that we are not machines, but human beings, fighting through motivational holes, new strength trainings, lack of time, but even more so celebrating moments like the finish line at Challenge Roth, is exactly what all athletes go through and what makes this sporty life so greatly fulfilling and awesome.   Wanna. talk about your expectations? Book a free slot here, anytime! Looking forward talking to you! Your, Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! My next and second topic is about short intervals for long distance runners and triathletes. When my athletes find short (100-400m intervals) in their plans they often wonder why. With this newly-informational format I want to give you insights into my training philosophy, convinced that educated athletes train better if they know the science behind every session. Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Short intervals for long-distance triathletes. After years of coaching experience and trying this strategy with all different kinds of athletes, I am convinced that not only short distance runners and triathletes, where the system seems quite logic, also long-distance athletes benefit highly from training short and fast intervals. Training at (almost) maximum speed improves an athlete's overall running economy, meaning that stride length and stride frequency get better. Whenever you run fast your form gets (automatically) better. True, long-distance running primarily relies on aerobic energy systems. Still, incorporating short, fast intervals can improve an athlete's anaerobic capacity, allowing them to sustain a faster pace during intense portions of a race (overtaking, finish line, etc.) and respond to race dynamics effectively. While running fast intervals the anaerobic energy systems, specifically the ATP-CP system and the glycolytic system, are primarily activated. The ATP-CP system provides immediate energy through the breakdown of stored creatine phosphate, while the glycolytic system utilizes stored glycogen to produce energy without requiring oxygen. Running 100m or 200m intervals quickly depletes these energy stores, leading to a buildup of metabolic byproducts such as lactate. Running multiple reps leads to lactate accumulation which is typically associated with muscle fatigue and the "burning" sensation. However, lactate serves as a fuel source for other muscle fibers and can be used for energy during subsequent efforts. Short and fast intervals kicks athletes out of their comfort zones and challenges them mentally. It helps build mental toughness and the ability to endure discomfort, which is valuable during long-distance races where fatigue and the temptation to slow down can be significant factors. If you run short and fast intervals, you need different muscle fibers than running slowly. Training these fast-twitch muscle fibers and learning how to recruit and engage them improves an athlete's overall muscular strength, power, and coordination. These fibers have a greater capacity for generating force and are responsible for producing high-speed movements. Running fast intervals particularly trains the quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles. Muscle fibers get damaged and a repair process is stimulated, leading to muscle adaptation and improved performance over time. (Reminder to recover properly and treating those muscles well ;-)) Variability is one of the seven principles of training: incorporating different types of workouts, adds variability to a program and helps prevent overuse injuries by reducing repetitive stress on the same muscles, tendons, and joints that occur during long, slow-distance running.   It's important to note that while short, fast intervals are beneficial, they should be implemented strategically within a well-rounded training program including swimming and running accordingly. Endurance, tempo runs, long steady-state runs, and recovery runs are also crucial components of a long-distance runner's and triathlete's training regimen. The key is to find the right balance between different training intensities and volumes to optimize performance and minimize the risk of overtraining or injuries.   Further questions? Anytime.   Your, Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! No matter if your season is finished, if you still have your major race ahead of you or your thoughts are already in the triathlon season 2025, a huge part of successful training and racing is planning. Get the ultimate checklist! Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Triathlon training and triathlon race day checklist I'll keep it short and simple this time. Download  the ultimate triathlon training  and triathlon race day checklist  (well, you can actually use this checklist for every endurance sport). I would love to get your feedback on this. Let me know, if you miss anything that's highly important for you.   Yes, I am fully convinced that successful athletes  do not just train consistently, having their goals set properly and having internalized their whys (that's another story), they simply have planned their races, training camps and daily trainings diligently and way in advance. It does help tremendously to be able to train when everything works when it should work and with everything in place where it should be. It further supports your mental status having planned and organized all your travels and equipment in advance. Lots of the things on that list will probably make my athletes smile - they know why ;-)   Have fun! Your Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! A marathon is not just 4x10km or 2 back-to-back half-marathons! Gettin' ready demands commitment and a balanced training between strength, speed work, mobility, nutrition, hydration, sleep, building-capacity, stamina and long runs! Here's what to expect! Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Key workouts in marathon training An early start is advantageous to build up the training load gradually and to reduce the risk of injuries. To exemplify marathon training this article covers the three main phases. The number and duration of sessions depend mainly on your experience and training history. During the entire period of marathon training it is of the essence to build in adequate sleep and recovery sessions as well as dialing in proper nutrition and hydration that is aligned with each session. Be aware of what and when you eat and what it does to your performance and feeling and test race nutrition in various training situations. Yoga, mobility and a massage gun should be incorporated at least 2-3 times per week. Run technique sessions are good advice, especially in the beginning. Make sure you're listening to your body and supporting yourself by being ready for the next day! Phase one  is all about building aerobic capacity  by enlarging the number of capillaries and mitochondria, hormones and enzymes accordingly and by growing your heart capacity. In other words: you want to raise the ceiling to be able to grow later! Further your muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and joints should be prepared for long runs. This is how: hill runs of up to 30 seconds with walk-downs to recover VO2max sessions with bouts of 30 seconds all-out runs and recovering easy jogs (1-2 minutes) Strength sessions with a 4 Set and 6-5-4-3 reps pattern (around 70% of 1RM) main exercises: squat, deadlift, hip-thrusts and lots of core strength (abs and lower! back) base endurance runs of up to 2 hours with very low intensity Phase two is ideally the longest phase, but also the toughest one as I call it the Stamina phase . Tempo runs, threshold runs, above threshold runs, half-marathon and marathon pace sessions from 1km to 5km interval sessions with less and less recovery in between each interval dominate this phase. Depending on the athlete I tend to include some hill and VO2max runs in this phase again. This is how: 4-12x 1000m or 2000m at threshold pace with 400m recovery runs progressive runs starting at an easy base and leading up to over-threshold pace varying between 1 and 5 km bouts long runs including half-marathon or marathon pacing base endurance runs with very low intensity around 2 hours, sometimes a bit longer Strength sessions with a 3-4 Set and 5-4-3-2 reps pattern (around 80% of 1 RM) Phase three  is a mixture of very long sessions with marathon pacing and high intensity intervals  to incorporate the speed that has been built up in phase one and two. Nutrition and sleep become more and more important. This is how: Strength sessions with a 3-4 Set and 4-3-3-2 reps pattern (around 90% of 1 RM) long runs lead into marathon pace in combination with very low intensity base endurance runs sessions up and sometimes over 30km should be included the spice comes from intervals of 400m with 3-4 minute rest Remember: every athlete is different. First and foremost it depends on where you're coming from. Analyze your entire training history, work and life situation and build a plan that excites you but is still doable and keeps you healthy and motivated! Get in touch! Your Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! Race results and feedback from my athletes show a huge positive impact from implementing heavy lifting in their endurance plans. Five key issues always pop up! Let's go through them! Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Implementing strength in your endurance plan. Question one is very obvious, which is 'WHY SHOULD I IMPLEMENT HEAVY LIFTING IN MY ENDURANCE TRAINING?' . Answers range from injury prevention to performance boost and you find most of them in one of my earlier articles (including a 2 week plan). Issue two is all about the NUMBER OF REPS. Decades long endurance athletes worked on their strength endurance (reps > 12) and some on hypertrophy (reps 8-12). Don't waste your time in the gym when you can train strength endurance on the bike (hills) or in the water (paddles) anyways. Hypertrophy is not anything you want as an endurance athlete, as this would grow the size of your muscles. [Exception: if athletes have never been in the gym before, I start with 4-6 weeks of hypertrophy for various reasons]. But in o-season and going into race season, we're only working on Maximum Strength (reps up to 5). We increase the weight from week to week while reducing the reps. The key is increasing the weight while keeping the technique, which is a huge challenge for athletes in the beginning. Pull through - increase the weight steadily, even minimally, and work consistently on your technique. Results will show! WHEN TO PERFORM STRENGTH IN A FULLY PACKED ENDURANCE WEEK is the third issue. There's one answer: go to the gym before endurance training, but never directly after endurance. Make sure you have at least 6-8 hours (preferably more) before strength. Strength in the morning and swim in the evening, perfectly fine. Morning jog and strength in the evening works as well. Strength training followed by short bike or run intervals go also hand in hand. Running as a warm up followed by strength - no no no. Understood the pattern? Question four IS ABOUT FOOD. This answer is simple as well: eat before and after! Don't do heavy lifting fasted. Bring a decent protein bar to the gym and eat it right after the training. Women should take their proteins even faster than men (preferably within a 30 minute slot). A fifth issue is very common and highly underestimated: if you feel PAIN DURING OR AFTER A SPECIFIC EXERCISE OR SESSION , analyze where the pain is coming from, work on those issues and not just leave these exercises out. Your body tells you, that this is a weak spot which needs SPECIAL ATTENTION and NOT NO attention just to avoid pain. Yesterday an athlete told me he had lower back pain while doing deadlifts and he'll just focuses now on squats. Nope - this is not what we're gonna do. First, we'll check the deadlifting technique again and the weights he used and second we're working more focused on the mobility and muscles needed for deadlifts: upper & lower back, abs, glutes, hamstrings. Listening to your body is key and gives you the best clues on what to work on. Questions? Get in touch!

Dear Athletes! Awareness of your self-efficacy can be a game-changer in your training. It is the belief in your ability to successfully accomplish specific tasks or goals.  Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Triathlon Training Attitude Understanding and being aware of your self-efficacy—the belief in your ability to succeed in specific tasks—can significantly enhance your approach in training and boost your overall success. Here’s how and how you should start talking to yourself in the future:   Motivation and Persistence When you believe in your abilities, you're more motivated to train consistently. Self-efficacy drives you to set ambitious goals and stick to them, even when faced with challenges. This persistence is crucial in sports, where progress often comes after overcoming obstacles.   Goal Setting and Achievement High self-efficacy helps you set realistic yet challenging goals. Believing in your capacity to achieve these goals makes you more committed to your training plan. Each small success reinforces your self-belief, creating a positive feedback loop that propels you toward greater achievements.   Coping with Setbacks Training involves setbacks, whether it’s an injury, a motivational hole, or a bad performance. Those with strong self-efficacy view these setbacks as temporary and surmountable. This resilience enables you to maintain a positive attitude and bounce back quickly, maintaining your training momentum.   Skill Application and Performance Believing in your abilities translates into better performance. In practice and competition, self-efficacious athletes are more likely to take the initiative, make confident decisions, and apply their skills effectively. This confidence can make a significant difference in high-pressure situations, leading to improved performance.   Strategies to Enhance Self-Efficacy in Your Training:   Set Incremental Goals: Break down your training into smaller, achievable goals. Each success builds your confidence and reinforces your self-efficacy. Seek Positive Role Models: Train with or observe athletes who have achieved what you aspire to. Seeing their success can boost your belief in your own potential. Positive Self-Talk: Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of past successes and your ability to overcome challenges. Visualize Success:  Use mental imagery to visualize achieving your goals. This can enhance your confidence and prepare you for real-life scenarios. Constructive Feedback: Seek feedback from coaches and peers that highlights your strengths and provides actionable steps for improvement. Constructive criticism can guide your development without diminishing your self-belief.  Any thoughts or opinions on that? You can reach me any time! Looking forward talking to you! Your, Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! It's time to boost your swim speed, endurance, and confidence for race season! Discover how off-season technique and medley training can transform your performance in the water! Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Triathlon Swim Training Plan The off-season is an ideal time for triathletes to invest in refining their swim technique, focusing not only on freestyle but also incorporating medley training . As the intensity of race season cools down, triathletes should shift their focus from sheer distance to developing stroke efficiency, coordination, and water feel—all of which can make a big impact on race-day performance.   Training with other strokes like backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly can be highly beneficial. Medley technique work builds a balanced, full-body strength  and enhances coordination , helping triathletes develop a more intuitive "feel" for the water . Each stroke emphasizes different muscle groups and movement patterns, which strengthens overall muscle coordination and enhances core stability—important for smoother, more efficient freestyle swimming.   🤙 Dedication to the smallest details creates the foundation for greatness on race day!  🤙   In addition to strengthening, medley training also promotes mental versatility and body awareness . Switching between strokes requires athletes to adjust their body positioning, breathing techniques, and stroke rhythm, enhancing water adaptability and fluidity. This adaptability can be an asset in open-water conditions, where maintaining rhythm despite waves or currents is critical.   [30" break if not given otherwise] Medley = Butterfly, Back, Breast, Crawl 4x100m each stroke: 25m legs, 25m catch up, 25m left arm, 25m right arm 4x100m Medley Catch Ups 400 Crawl Base Tempo with focus on leg kicking (use one leg only every few meters) 4x100 Crawl Base Intensive @ 2:00 8x50 Mini Medley @ 1:15 (12,5m each stroke) Cool Down: 200m free (incl. scullling)   In short, dedicating off-season time to both freestyle and medley technique creates a balanced, well-rounded swim foundation that improves speed, energy conservation, and endurance. This focus on varied technique will ultimately give triathletes an edge in race season, setting them up for stronger swims and a more powerful start to the bike and run segments.   Download an Off-Season Plan ➡️ HERE Join our legendary Swim Camp ➡️ HERE   Get in touch anytime! Your Coach Katharina

Dear Athletes! “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”. Diligent protocol keeping is allegedly an indispensable necessity in training sciences. Are we losing the ability to listen to our instincts? My sister dug deeper and reminded me of the importance of letting both - data and instincts - equally count in coaching and training. Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Hanni Steppan  started an exploration into why the ostensibly opposite approaches of instinct-driven versus data-driven performance improvement methods easily unite to build the perfect sandwich of performance goodness.   The method sandwich runs parallel to an athletes ability levels: beginners, advanced athletes and professionals are driven by intuition, then data, then intuition again.   ##The Baseline ...is non-negotiable.Good quality sleep, nutrition and a somewhat robust emotional constitution and a Plato-nian knowledge of thyself, are prerequisites for any training theory argument. What constitutes “good” in those categories opens an onslaught of fields of study, so for the ease of this article we will only assume the following self evident truths: they are irrefutably intertwined. One improves and/or destabilizes the other and for the sake of ourselves and those around us we should strive for the best quality of sleep, nutrition and self knowledge we can muster.   ##Proprioception What is it and what’s it got to do with performance improvement? If we want to look at intuitive training we must first look at one of our more mysterious senses:  Proprioception is the sensory information your muscles, tendons and ligaments are sending to your brain. Your mind-muscle connection. Standing on a beach in bare feet with your eyes closed, arms stretched out, head tilted back, sea-air filling your lungs, the sun on your skin, the tingling sensation in your ears as a seagull sounds out to its mate, without you losing all sense of bearing...that’s its job. When you squat, your feet tell your brain where they are in time and space and which muscle to activate to not fall over. It’s our system to “make it make sense”.   Proprioception is often falsely interchanged with motor skills. Motor skills and performance are in direct linear relation to one another (improve your motor skill = improve your performance), whereas proprioception and performance are not. Motor skills improvement shows relatively easy on data results, such as improved levels of perceived exhaustion, because of better technique.   Interestingly enough, motor skill deficits are clearly linked to psychological trauma or impaired genetics, but proprioception is sometimes even improved under those conditions. The hypervigilance of a PTSD survivor is one such example. Whilst research papers are inconclusive, because the overlap is simply too large, proprioception is fast getting a rep for being the scientific explanation of the ever elusive 6th sense. Our instinct.   So: unless you’re in a brain scanner during your workout, the closest thing to decent representation in data of your proprioceptive ability is at the far end of the data funnel. I.e. Proneness to fatigue injury, performance ability under heightened cortisol or adrenaline (i.e. competition mode), etc...   Simply put, if your deadlift weight increases the data will reflect it. If you learn to get a better sense of why your push-ups feel more flowy than usual or which mental pain cave you can afford to go into during an extraordinarily hard workout...there is no app for that (yet).   Proprioception and instinct are more than how you feel on any given day about your training routine. There are days you might feel like you’ve been hit by lightning simply because you stood up too fast, yet still have this guttural feeling that today might be a good workout day. Why is this relevant to the sports performance sandwich of goodness? Let’s see:   ##Take advantage of being a beginner Much like youth is wasted on the young, the joy of first year training progress is wasted on the beginner. Struck down by lacking a clear purpose, struggles of scheduling, and surrounded by an indecipherable amount of training information, beginners who (crucially) stick with it, often fail to recognize the most significant training progression of all: Turning a whim into a habit.   First let’s define a beginner: It takes the mind roughly 3 months to create a new habit, and another 6-9 months for our lives routines to adapt it into all its repetitive yet unpredictable circumstances (holidays, travel, sickness, changes at work or in family). The brain will have built new neural pathways in the same 3 months and now needs to test run them through all that daily life throws at us. Quite a lengthy process, but once set, hard to ignore.   Dr. Mike Israetel, popular YouTuber and Sport Sciences professor at Lehman College NY, states that in the beginning stages of any kind of regular training, people see both the most rapid improvements and equally make the most objectively measurable mistakes.How does such a blatant contradiction come to be?   Well, because in that first year of training, mistakes are actually what help build those neuroreceptors. We need that first year of continuous trial and error in order to teach all our senses how to deal with this new challenge. Making “mistakes” is the closest thing we have to tangible, perpetual dialogue with our bodies. The word “mistake” is absolutely substitutable with the word “learning”. As a beginner, the only data you should be obsessed with is your numbers of consistency. Just show up. Your sixth sense will do the rest.   ##Intermediate to advanced training and it’s love affair with data After a year or so of having successfully programmed a new sporting habit, and sharpened our mind-body connection instincts, we should be good to go, right? A sharp learning curve in the beginning may eventually decelerate, but we should still progress, right? Well...kind of. The negative psychological effect of loss of momentum can spiral quickly backwards into Newton’s law of inertia, and you run the risk of finding yourself back home on the couch, Pringles tube in hand. Sure, you can willpower your way through the loss of endorphins, but willpower is a limited resource, which anyone who’s ever tried to taste only a single Pringles chip will confirm.   Data driven training, focusing on numbers, reps, hours, amps, whatever your sport supplies, is now your anchor. With those ever increasing data challenges and points you can happily monkey-swing your way to your next level of athleticism.   ##The far ends of the statistics Courtney de Waulter is amongst the top 5 ultra runners in the world. Amongst both women and men. She is the first person ever to win the hattrick of the ultra world (Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and the UTMB) all in the same year. She also won a race called “Big’s Backyard”, covering 455.9 kilometers in 68 hours. A rare case in which a woman holds number 1 titles across both sexes, which is due to the nature of the sport. If you want to know more why that is, do yourself a favor and have a little google. It is truly fascinating.   Now, you’d expect that this elite athlete has a highly fine tuned training schedule, lots of specialized coaches and excel sheets brimming with data coming out her ears. She does not. She has a close knit team of support crew who all bring various skills and benefits, but she famously said she “gets up in the morning and just sees what she feels like doing”.   Her college sports career certainly laid the groundwork of basic training principles such a good tapering, so you might question if what she calls intuitive are just extremely deeply automated data driven training principles, but considering how much room for change she lets happen on any given day, this argument does not hold up against further probing. DeWaulter is exemplary in that, the training sandwich of goodness (intuitive-data-intuitive), glides smoothly parallel along the continuum of ability and athletic level.   ##Caveats about data You know how real estate is all about location - location - location? Well, data is all about context - context - context. A simple thought exercise: if I were to make a factually correct yet stand alone statement: “Mary goes running twice a month, for 45 minutes, at a 7.8 minute pace” and were to ask you: is that good or bad? I sure hope you would reply with the only correct answer: “I don’t know. I need more information about Mary”.   Data value is also quite frail in the context of volume. It takes a considerably large volume of data to obtain reliable readings. Individual data points are prone to technical failure and human imperfection.As non-professional athletes we obtain most of our data via training watches, which, granted, have improved dramatically in terms of GPS or heart rate accuracy, but they are far from perfect and so are we. All it takes to mess up a full day's worth of training data is forgetting to charge the watch in time, run into a GPS blind spot while hiking, or pressing the wrong lap button during training. Thus, to get a somewhat accurate interpretation of the data you generate as an amateur athlete, volume trumps quality.   This is what sports scientists and (well educated) coaches are for. Much like your lawyer knows how to read, and explain back to you, legal mumbo-jumbo, so it is the job of your coach to read and explain back to you the mess that is the data you are creating.   ##Caveats about intuitive training Intuitive training is sometimes mistaken for prioritizing the joy factor in training. Now, while the innately tenacious personalities will experience overcoming hardship as joy, someone more pleasure center or hedonistically inclined will simply stop working out once the hard stuff comes around. They will plateau, initially making peace with the maintenance of status quo, only to eventually give up training altogether because inevitably, they will hit bore-out. You cannot escape your shortcomings with the argument that training difficulties make your sport “not fun” anymore and retreat into old patterns. This is when that Plato-nian knowledge of self comes in. Like with most things in life, intuitive training is only effective if you dare to look deeper into your mind's musings and your body's doings.   Intuitive training does not only ask the question: what do I feel like doing today? but rather, What does my mind, body and soul tell me I need today?Much like when we care for someone we love, we should know that giving them what they need, is often not what they want. Though the capacity to push one’s comfort zone can certainly be developed (emotional maturity helps also), an athlete with the intrinsic temperament of a war horse has a much better chance at success with intuitive training, than those of us who'd rather prance around a petting zoo.   ##Limerence In the field of attachment theory psychologists have identified a behavior in anxiously or disorganized attached people termed: limerence. Limerence is a “state of involuntary obsession with another person or object”. It’s a much stronger compulsion than just wearing rose colored glasses. People who suffer with limerence often want to stop being infatuated, but no matter what distraction they try, the object of their focus can do no wrong. They fart rainbows and walk on glitter clouds. So, make sure you don’t go running around evangelizing neither data nor instinct as the true one prophet of the training sciences. Be mindful that the lines are as blurry as your vision in water filled goggles.   ##Be who you are - on purpose. In order to get the best out of both data driven or instinct driven training, you need to first know WHO YOU ARE and WHERE YOU ARE in your journey:If you’re highly conscientious, analytical or maybe a little neurotic in your planning, data is what will sustain you quickly during mid-level performance plateaus. If you’re quite open, creative, maybe a little disagreeable, intuition will be your favorable guide, maybe letting you stumble into more mistakes, but still accelerating you through the slump. For either training principle to work, you first must want to do hard things. Read that again.You must want to do hard things. Good luck out there, and may your data and intuition be with you.   Thanks, lil' sis! Get in touch anytime, Your Coach Katharina    References: “The effectiveness of proprioceptive training for improving motor function: a systematic review” Joshua E. Aman, Naveen Elangovan, I-Ling Yeh,and Jürgen Konczak, 2015, Frontiersin.org “Making Sense” Smetacek, V., Mechsner, F. Nature 432, 21 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/432021a ) “The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg “Increase Tenacity and Willpower” Andrew Huberman Lab Podcast OCT 8, 2023 Dr. Mike Israetel YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RenaissancePeriodization ) DeWaulter on Rich Roll: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOtSvYSnzNk&t=3600s

Dear Athletes! Can't count the times I have been confronted with the question on how long one should train for the first Ironman. The answer is - guess what - "it depends". Athletic background and realistic available time for your commitment are the key answers. Let’s break down what that might look like for you! Yours, Coach Katharina 🌺 Steps for your first Ironman race. Your Starting Point: ➡️ Athletic Background Matters Are you a seasoned runner, cyclist, or triathlete, or is endurance training new to you? Your starting fitness level is key to planning your timeline. Experienced Athletes:  If you’ve got a foundation in endurance sports, you may only need 6-9 months to build up to Ironman distance, with a final few months training around 12-16 hours per week. New to Endurance Sports:  If you’re new, plan for a longer build-up—about 12-18 months. This gives you time to gradually increase your stamina, potentially starting at 8-10 hours per week and slowly ramping up without overtaxing yourself.   Your Life Circumstances: ➡️ Time to Commit and Balance Whether balancing work, family, or both, it’s critical to assess how much time you can consistently dedicate to training. Busy Life Schedule: If time is tight, you may need a more gradual plan, with 8-12 hours per week over a longer period. A sustainable schedule is more effective and helps prevent burnout or injury. Flexible Schedule:  With more time, you might be able to handle shorter, more intensive preparation, around 12-18 hours per week closer to race day.   Why a Coach Can Help: Training Smarter, Not Harder A common pitfall for new triathletes is overtraining. This is where a coach can make all the difference. A coach not only creates a plan that suits your background and lifestyle but also acts as a sparring partner who keeps you from training too much too soon. They’ll help you focus on quality over quantity, incorporating essential rest and recovery to keep you strong, motivated, and injury-free.   🤙 Quick Training Timeline Breakdown: 1. Base Phase (Months 1-4): Build a foundation with manageable, consistent workouts. 2. Build Phase (Months 5-8): Gradually increase volume and introduce race-specific workouts. 3. Peak Phase (Months 9-11): Increase intensity and mileage, keeping it within a sustainable range. 4. Taper (Last Month): Ease off and recharge before race day.   Bottom Line: Training That Works With Your Life Remember, your Ironman journey is as unique as you are. A well-planned, realistic approach that considers your background, time availability, and guidance from a coach will help you reach that finish line healthy and ready.   Get in touch anytime! Your Coach Katharina