The Infirmary | Fixing Broken Endurance Athletes

Swim improvement is slow, frustrating, and worth every minute — and this episode is proof of that. Chris walks you through Alex W.’s amazing 2:35 to 1:52/100 threshold pace improvement in today’s episode: what wasn’t working, what Chris prescribed, and how Alex took the reins and put in the hard work. We track her development step by step: the front quadrant breakdown that was costing her propulsion, the drift toward her breathing side that threatened her open water navigation, the elbow angle problem that was limiting her pull power — and the specific drills that addressed each one. Along the way, Chris explains why triathlon is an energy cascade, what deliberate practice actually requires, and why more yardage without technique work has a ceiling that most swimmers hit much sooner than they expect. If your swim has been stuck at the same pace for longer than you'd like to admit, this is the episode to listen to twice. Links mentioned in this episode:Book a swim analysis with Chris: campfireendurance.com/swim-analysisSwim Smooth (methodology and drill references): swimsmooth.comCampfire Endurance coaching (spots opening July 2026): campfireendurance.com or email chris@campfireendurance.com

Canadian pro triathlete Cody Beals opens up about thoroughly burning out, wondering if his triathlon career was over after Ironman Chattanooga, and what happened when he took his first real break in over 25 years of school, athletics, work, and professional endurance sport. We discuss the difference between intellectual understanding and actual practice when it comes to rest, why so many endurance athletes struggle with exercise addiction and forgoing necessary rest, and how Cody is rebuilding his relationship with the sport that's defined his adult life. We discuss fatigue resistance testing, the merits and difficulties of self-coaching (particularly when we fail to see how tired we are), and why baseline fitness sometimes matters more than peak training volume. Whether you're fighting burnout yourself or just trying to build a more sustainable approach to training, this episode offers practical, real-world advice from someone who's been to the brink of burnout and back.www.codybeals.comCody Beals on Instagram: @cody.bealsBook a coaching consultation: https://www.campfireendurance.com/triathlon-coaching

I am joined by professional triathlete and cyclist Rach McBride to review their 2025 season, which saw them shift focus from professional triathlon to Elite UCI Gravel World Championships qualifier. We chat about the realities of racing at the world championship level—the different (but sensible!) call-up system, competing independently against fully-supported national teams, and what it felt like to represent Canada on the world stage. We also talk a bunch about the training that Rach and I collaborated on throughout the season. instead of chasing higher FTP numbers (Rach’s is already excellent), we prioritized building aerobic conditioning and developing superior fatigue resistance. Through detailed power data analysis, Rach reveals their remarkable ability to maintain threshold power for extended periods, even after hours of racing. Their fatigue resistance numbers at 20 and 60 minutes are among the best I’ve seen in my coaching career, and we talk about how we assessed those abilities and built upon them. This episode demonstrates why sustainable performance gains for well-trained endurance athletes come from systematic aerobic base building rather than constantly pursuing peak power numbers. My favorite part of the episode, though, is when Rach discusses the anxiety they face before events, revealing that everyone—even those at this level—struggles with wondering if they belong on their particular start line. Rest assured, Rach also discusses HOW they deal with that anxiety.Rach McBride on Instagram: @rachelmcbRach McBride's website: rachelmcbride.comCampfire Endurance Coaching: campfireendurance.comBook a free consultation: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14902097&appointmentType=63067352

Endurance journalist and author Brittany Vermeer joins me to discuss her book, The Complete Guide to Your First 70.3 Triathlon. Brittany has been in endurance media for 17 years, writing for Ironman, Triathlete, and Outside Magazin. Brittany shares the most common mistakes athletes make when tackling their first middle distance race, from nutrition mishaps to pacing errors, and we go beyond training plans to explore the mental game necessary for 70.3 triathlon success, the difference between racing as a test versus a challenge, and why racing by feel is a crucial skill to use alongside objective data. Whether you're preparing for your first 70.3 or looking to improve your approach to long course racing, this episode offers practical wisdom for training smarter and racing stronger.Links!Triple Threat Life newsletter: triplethreatlife.substack.comThe Complete Guide to Your First 70.3 Triathlon- on Amazon- on Brittany’s website, thetriplethreatlife.com- Instagram: @thetriplethreatlife

One of the athletes I work with, Robin Cummings, asked a deceptively simple question about heat training that opened up a much larger conversation: which training adaptations actually last, and which ones disappear the moment you stop training them? The answer reveals your body's efficient "last hired, first fired" approach to fitness —and changes how you should think about periodization.In this coach-to-coach conversation, Robin, an elite cyclist and coach, and Chris break down the durability hierarchy that governs every training decision, from skills work that can last decades to altitude adaptations that vanish in two weeks. You'll learn why your body operates like a lazy but efficient accountant, maintaining only the adaptations it absolutely needs and dumping everything else the moment the metabolic cost gets too high.You can find Robin @gender_deer on Instagram, where they post about their racing and where you can talk to them about coaching.

Choosing an endurance coach might be one of the most important decisions you'll make as an athlete, yet most people approach it completely backwards. This episode of The Infirmary breaks down how to choose and endurance coach who matches your goals, communication style, and budget, because not everyone needs the same thing in a coaching relationship. We start with the biggest but oft-ignored question: do you even need a coach in the first place? Some athletes thrive in community-focused training groups, while others need a personalized, data-driven approach that only comes from professional triathlon coaching. Understanding your values—what YOU think is important in your sport—determines everything about your coach search. Your sporting values and needs should align with your coach's training philosophy. Are you looking for someone who'll craft completely customized training plans, or do you prefer a simple plan with slight modifications? We bring up some red flags to watch for, including coaches who just copy-paste their own training history onto every athlete they work with or push you to purchase their services on the first information call. Whether you're looking for workout accountability, technical expertise, or someone to help you navigate the mental game, this episode gives you a framework to find exactly what you need without getting caught up in fancy marketing or credentials that don't actually matter for your specific situation.You can read the article version of this episode here: https://www.campfireendurance.com/how-to-choose-a-triathlon-coachAnd you can sign up for free 45-minute training analysis here: https://www.campfireendurance.com/triathlon-coaching

Heat training is one of those topics that is a) poorly understood and b) deployed by coaches and athletes everywhere, which is…not a great combination. In this episode of The Infirmary, Chris walks you through the adaptations we are after when we heat train, the possible mechanism by which those adaptations occur, and then practical suggestions to apply these principles to your own training.Most athletes think that they can simply go to their destination race and “acclimate if I get there 7-10 days early.” That approach will actually hurt your performance, not help it. By understanding evidence-based approaches to heat training, you’ll be able to adapt to the heat effectively and have the performance that you are training for. But you’re not alone! At the 2015 IAAF Track and Field World Championships, only 15% of the professional athletes there used any kind of heat preparation, so don’t feel bad if heat training feels confusing.You can read the meta-analysis Chris distills in this episode here, and you can see the sample training program he explains in the image below.Want to talk to Chris about your heat training plan? Book a free analysis here.