Purple Patch Podcast

Article about Ed’s IRONMAN Lake Placid Victory   This week, we revisit a former guest with a playback of Episode 9 with Ed Baker. Ed is an accomplished and impressive business executive, serving as Head of International Growth at Facebook and then VP of Growth and Product at Uber until the Spring of 2017. In addition to his business accolades, he is the father of three children (with another one on the way this Fall) and, over the last two years, he has taken a leap of faith into triathlon under the leadership of Matt Dixon. On July 22, 2018, Ed Baker put his months of training and education to the test at IRONMAN Lake Placid and HE WON - OVERALL.   This episode, recorded in February 2018,  takes place while Ed was at the Purple Patch Pro Camp in Scottsdale.  Yes, Dixon threw this triathlon newbie to the professional wolves and they had a feast, but it gives you a glimpse into the journey and progression of Ed that would lead to his first IRONMAN victory. Throughout the conversation, you’ll hear them discuss

Should you toughen up and push through your training, or should you be smart and back off? Matt explores the concept of fatigue in today's podcast. Fatigue is not a negative word. In fact, it's a part of growth and you should lean into it. It is earned from hard work and the adaptions can be positive, but you must make smart decisions in managing your fatigue.  Context is everything when you're talking about this vital topic. There's a big difference between expected and anticipated fatigue (in a hard session or in a heavy block close to a race) and unanticipated fatigue (not responding to several light days, poor performance over several training weeks, persistent injury, and illness, etc.). In today's episode, Matt takes a deep dive on both objective and subjective markers of fatigue. How do you know if what you're feeling is normal or not? A lot of it depends on where you are at in your season; what lens you are looking through. He describes how to ease back into a regular training schedule after a few day

This episode is a triathlon strategist’s dream come true! Matt opens the lid on the coaching mindset as he dissects the planning and performance journey of Jesse Thomas’s successful podium finish at the recent Challenge Roth. When great performances happen, especially with elite and professional athletes, most people assume it’s simply a result of some herculean amount of training that always had a perfect rhythm and flow. The truth is, triathlon training in a time-starved life is seldom that. This is Matt’s personal case study of how he approached Jesse’s entire season and the lead-up to this “A” Race. Matt offers his in-depth thoughts, strategies, and even training sessions that went into this non-traditional approach to Ironman training. You’ll, no doubt, absorb a few key lessons along the way centered around: The importance of taking a break Why you don’t always train just for the demands of the event Why your training should have crystal clear clarity and purpose on every session and every day Why you s

Matt is on vacation, so he put together a “Best of” Series from the initial month of the podcast. It’s a taste of the key highlights of lessons and takeaways from episodes so far this year. CycleOps, PowerTap, and Purple Patch have teamed up to help you get crackin’ on your training! Visit purplepatchfitness.com/getcracking and register to win one of three great prizes that include: a pair of PowerTap P1 pedals, a Magnus indoor trainer and even a coaching consultation with Matt Dixon. Register now through July 8th!   Episode Highlights: 1:20- 4:55 Performance in a Time-Starved Life Hear Matt’s introduction on achieving performance in a time-starved life and the four magic words for a successful training recipe: specificity, consistency, progression, and patience. 4:57- 12:16 Sami Inkinen, Virta Health Matt and Sami discuss the key elements of training in context of Sami’s time-starved Life and how he achieves successful performance in both the workplace and sport. 12:20- 18:38 Dr. Chris Winter, MD, Author of

Register to win a 3-Month Subscription to Linden & True Coffee! Visit purplepatchfitness.com/coffee for the details. On April 16th, 2018, Des Linden became the first United States female to win the famed Boston Marathon in 33 years. While she admits that she often plays the role of “underdog,” this year was different. She went from “underdog” to champion in a race that brought with it epic wind, rain, and freezing temperatures. When others faded, she chiseled away and rose to the top, earning the dream victory of a professional running career that started at the Boston Marathon back in 2006. What goes into a victory like the Boston Marathon? It certainly wasn’t an easy victory. In fact, much has been reported about the fact that Des almost quit the race because she felt that it wasn't her day. But, she rode the wave and came out on top. What a lesson in life and performance! Today, she and her husband, elite Purple Patch triathlete, Ryan Linden, explore performance and relationships in this intimate conve

Excellence doesn’t often come without fear and doubt. Today, Matt dives into the internal struggle, the journey of achieving wonderful results, but focusing in on areas that few are honestly willing to discuss. Laura Siddall is a professional triathlete showing the greatest vulnerability in her expressing fears, confidence, and challenges she has faced and managed on her path to world-class performance. There is a perception that pros don’t face the same obstacles, anxieties, and struggles as age group athletes. Matt and Laura talk openly about the truth. Yes, she does have fears and she shares the internal and external pressures that she faces daily as a world-class performer. One of the many key takeaways from this discussion is understanding that fears and doubts never go away regardless of what level you perform. Your goal as an athlete or high performer is to implement tools and habits to manage those anxieties. Laura has successfully done this and has landed on the podium in 27 of her last 30 races.   I

Go to purplepatchfitness.com/transgenderathlete to receive more resources and information on Chris Mosier.   Matt Dixon is back with another moving and inspiring feature with a Purple Patch athlete. In 2015, Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender man to make the Men’s US National Team and, in 2016, he became the first trans athlete to compete in a World Championship. He is a 5-Time Member of Team USA, representing the United States in Sprint Triathlon, as well as both Short Course and Long Course Duathlon. He is, as the BBC said, “The Man Who Changed the Olympics” as he was instrumental in getting the International Olympic Committee (IOC) policy on transgender athletes changed. Today, Matt Dixon shares Chris’s journey from childhood athlete to successful athlete, advocate, and member of Team USA. What was it like growing up playing female sports even though he didn’t identify with his gender? How did he navigate sports in school and throughout college? When and why did he decide to transition? What

How do you define talent? Is it a combination of physical traits that allows an advantage over competitors? Is it God-given innate talent and gifts given to the rare few that allow potential to meet performance? Are people just born with talent, while the rest of us have no hope? Matt dissects this idea of “talent” in today’s episode and what he has learned by working with some of the best endurance athletes in the world, as well as many CEOs and business leaders. All of them are gifted, yes, but the talent to create greatness goes well beyond their mathematical skills or the size of their lungs. Quite simply, talented people, and the ability to be great over a long period of time, are fueled by the optimal use of their gifts. They convert potential into performance with longevity. This is where real talent lies. The greatest performers in sport, business, and life have similar aligned traits that facilitate greatness, and these traits are the key ingredients in a recipe that enable them to stay in the high-a

Matt takes a deep dive today with Erin Taylor, founder and head coach of Athletes for Yoga. Taylor is an international leader in yoga for athletes, and architect of the only yoga for athletes platform on-line. She’s also an author of two book: Work In and Hit Reset. Integrating Yoga into endurance sports goes well-beyond simply attending a weekly 60-minute yoga class or 90-minute hot yoga session. Performance yoga, like Jasyoga, is a key tool in your approach to maximizing your individual performance no matter what level you are. It truly creates an integrated athletic mindset by: -Maximizing Recovery -Increasing Sports Specific Mobility -Improving Performance Enjoy this insightful episode and learn how just five minutes a day of performance yoga can make a positive impact on your training and racing.  Athletes for Yoga Website Erin Taylor's Books: Work In Hit Reset   Follow Purple Patch Fitness and learn more about our Coaching Services, Training Camps, Promotions and Matt's Latest Book, Fast Track Triat

What do you do when you’ve lost everything? How do you start to rebuild? This conversation with new Purple Patch athlete, Lars Tandrup, is a story about performance and emerging from tragedy. It’s not about race performance, per se, but a lesson of how stress and adversity can be a catalyst for human growth, development and adaptation. Last year, Lars and his wife lost everything in the wildfires of Santa Rosa, forcing him to shift his lens on what is truly important in life. He focused on not falling into a victim mentality, but instead, to separate his reactions from the emotions he was feeling. The result? An overwhelming sense of gratitude enveloped him and a new opportunity to grow and develop emerged. “It’s when we struggle that there’s an opportunity to find clarity and solutions,” he says.  What has he learned? Life is about meaningful relationships and being of service to others. It’s also about defining what truly matters in your growth and happiness and, as he says,“We have been given the gift and

Matt introduces us to Purple Patch athlete, Jordan Ouida. Ouida, based in Manhattan, is a husband, father, financial executive, marathoner and triathlete.  And, as you’ll hear in this episode, has successfully integrated sport into life with a little “out-of-the-box” thinking. Matt explores Jordan’s evolution in training and how he has managed to navigate and excel in his multisport career. In fact, Ouida recently ran two marathons, Boston and Big Sur, just two weeks apart, on a recipe of just three runs per week. Guess what? He requalified for Boston in 2019! In this conversation with coach and athlete, you’ll learn the benefits of swimming and biking for run performance and how, as triathletes, run training cannot be designed in isolation. Triathlon is swim-bike-run. It’s not just three sports. It is one sport with three disciplines. Sometimes you have to turn traditional marathon training on its head in order to integrate training successfully into your life and still yield performance.   By Jordan Ouida’s

For more tips, Download our FREE Cheat Sheet on Maximizing Your Daily Energy Levels  Here's the Question of the Week: Are you surviving or thriving?  You want to successfully integrate sport into life so that, yes, you improve and achieve your goals, but you want that, in turn, to lift your health, your ability to perform in the workplace, and, of course, bring the best version of yourself to your friends and family. That's what today's discussion is all about. Matt gets practical as he helps you dial in simple and executable tips to maximize your daily energy management. Your ultimate goal? Make sure that you have fantastic daily energy so that you can thrive and perform outside of the time you are training or exercising giving you control, stability, and consistency in your life. Align your habits by optimizing some of these goals: How you Plan and Structure Your Week - The Sunday Special Post-Workout Fueling - Your #1 Performance Habit Nutrition Habits - Timing those Starchy Carbs  Hydration - When to Cons

To unlock and view the Free Purple Patch strength resources, visit, https://purplepatchfitness.com/freeresources    In previous episodes, Matt has discussed Endurance Planning, Nutrition and Recovery. Today, he dives deep into the Fourth Pillar of Performance: Functional Strength and its role within the scope of endurance activity. He tells the story of Purple Patch athlete, Jenny, a 46-year-old veteran triathlete who is struggling with a performance plateau. After absorbing the “whys” and “hows” of a year-round functional strength routine and incorporating it into her training schedule, you guessed it, Jenny busts through her plateaus and starts to see gains - not just in performance, but in overall health, posture, and performance confidence. This critical performance partner incorporates mobility, stability, and strength to improve the movements necessary for sports-specific performance gains. In addition to the case study of Jenny, Matt also outlines the headline news and many benefits of functional stren

In Part 1 the Jesse Thomas story with Matt Dixon, Jesse and Matt reminisced about Jesse's surprising and humorous entrance into the world of professional triathlon racing with his unsuspecting win at the legendary Wildflower Triathlon. Since then, he's gone on to win six Wildflower titles, two Ironmans and countless 70.3s, performing at the top level for practically the last decade.  Today, Jesse is still performing at a world-class level, but much has changed for him and his family. Now, he and wife, Lauren Fleshman, are parents to two young children. He's also CEO of fast-growing Picky Bars, as well as his own brand. While professional triathlon is still incredibly important, it's certainly not his sole focus.  This is a story of the transition from an unapologetic quest for world-class performance to high performance across sport, work, and life. In this episode, you'll hear Jesse and Matt discuss: What drives him now in this new phase of life How he describes balance How he prioritizes his day with famil

Click Here to Register for the Jesse Thomas Wildflower Giveaway!   In 2011, Jesse Thomas was a new pro triathlete. He was so new, in fact, that when he decided to race the Wildflower Triathlon at the last minute that year, there were no real pro spots left, so he ended up with bib number 87, the first number behind the female pro bibs. Picture this: He was on a borrowed bike and, fellow pro triathlete, Matt Lieto, let him borrow an aero helmet. Jesse slept in a closet the night before the race and he even stopped at the drug store at the last minute to pick up a pair of cheap aviator sunglasses because he didn’t even have sunglasses to wear. Literally, no one knew who he was; not even the race announcers who had to ask him his name as he crossed the finish line, much to everyone’s surprise, at the front of the stacked pro field. In part one of this special two-part interview with long-time Coach Matt Dixon, Jesse walks us through that magical day, which was, indeed, his catalyst into triathlon stardom. He was

Click Here for Peak Performance Cheat Sheets!   Brad Stulberg has been in the spotlight a lot recently. Last Fall, his book, “Peak Performance,” written with co-Author, Steve Magness, captivated the attention of many an endurance athlete. I mean, who wouldn’t be captivated with a subtitle like, “Elevate your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success?” Most recently, however, this speaker and regular columnist at Outside Magazine, has garnered attention in a much different way. In March, Stulberg, in an article entitled, “When a Stress Expert Battles Mental Illness,” opened up about his sudden and terrifying diagnosis with a rare mental illness known as Pure O. Pure O, it turns out, is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder without the physical manifestations of the illness that many know. This display of vulnerability has opened the door to even deeper conversations about performance, success, fulfillment, and happiness. That’s where this conversation with Matt Dixon picks up. Yes, they

This episode wraps up our in-depth discussion of both Nutrition and Fueling. If you missed previous episodes on this important Pillar of Performance, we encourage you to go back and listen to Episodes 11 and 12 on Nutrition and Episode 14 on Hydration. Today, we welcome back Purple Patch Fitness Resident Nutritionist, Kyla Channell, for a deep, granular and specific look at hydration, both in performance and in our daily lives. We all know hydration is important to our vitality and performance, but do we really know why? In this episode, Matt and Kyla discuss: The roles of hydration and electrolytes in training and racing Consequences and signs of dehydration Levels at which dehydration where performance declines Points of confusion around dehydration Why you want to keep your hydration and fueling separate What causes cramps? Do we really know? Rules of thumb for electrolyte intake Fueling ratios for races at different distances Actions to take during a race if you start to feel dehydrated The vital role of

In 2000, at the age of 40, Marina Gelman lost her college-aged daughter in a tragic car accident. At the time, Gelman was a new fitness enthusiast and avid runner. Overcome by grief after the accident, however, she holed herself up for almost two years and focused only on work to numb the pain. Unfortunately, during this time, she abandoned her fitness goals, started smoking again after a long hiatus, and put on weight; reaching over 200 pounds. Ironically, it was another tragedy a short time later, the death of her Father from a heart attack, that inspired her to start training again. As it turns out, training non-stop turned out to be a blessing and a curse. Yes, she lost weight and found relief from her stress and heartache, but she was also overtraining…severely. Marina eventually succumbed to the devastating effects of chronic fatigue. Even the simple act of walking up a flight of stairs became unbearable.  In 2012, after hearing about Matt Dixon and Purple Patch from her running club, she reached out. A

Matt covers the critical topic of hydration through two lenses. The principles and key actions around hydration in training and racing The role of hydration in your daily life, including recovery from training, tissue health, mental alertness, and energy management In addition to discussing the importance of hydration in these two key areas, Matt then lays out simple habits that you can integrate into your routine.  On the topic of Training and Racing, you’ll also hear his perspective on: The many roles of fluids and hydration in training, racing, and daily living. It goes well beyond quenching your thirst How hydration aids in the role of maintaining blood volume and why that’s critical to performance The point when your performance starts to decline and how to avoid this danger zone Tips and guidelines for hydration strategies in short and long-distance training and racing scenarios Types of fluids to drink and how much during training and racing Additional factors that impact individual hydration needs

What happens when two of endurance sports greatest thinkers go toe to toe on all aspects of performance? You get an educating and insightful “Inside the Coaches Studio“ episode from Matt Dixon along with author and coach, Steve Magness, co-author of the book, Peak Performance. This conversation definitely raises the collective process of coaching and you’ll hear their thoughts and opinions on many topics like the: Role of a Coach Necessary Components Successful Athletes Possess Habits and Traits of Great Performers Tips on Achieving Peak Performance Across Many Disciplines Lessons and Takeaways for Coaches Art of Managing Pain Role of Metrics and Measurement for Coaches and Athletes Athlete Development Skills …and even a discussion on the taboo subject of doping Both agree whole-heartedly that a collaborative coaching mindset and the sharing of ideas “raises the ships on all rising tides.” If we don’t share, they agree, “Then, we’re not going to learn or grow as a profession.” Plus, collaboration across all