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Most athletes think building a training plan starts with workouts.

It doesn’t.

In this episode, we break down what actually needs to happen before a single workout is written—the foundational decisions that determine whether your plan will work… or fall apart within weeks.

This is the first part of a 3-part series on training plan creation, where we walk through the exact framework we use as coaches to build sustainable, effective plans for endurance athletes.

In Part 1, we focus on the foundation:

The questions every coach should ask before building a plan
Why your available time is often misunderstood (and overestimated)
How injury history shapes your entire training approach
The difference between time availability vs. training capacity
Why recovery, mobility, and fueling must be accounted for upfront
The role of motivation—and why “surface-level goals” often fail

If you’ve ever:

Struggled to stick to a training plan
Felt like your plan didn’t fit your life
Or found yourself constantly adjusting or restarting

This episode will show you why—and how to fix it.

Because the reality is:

Most training plans don’t fail because of bad workouts.
They fail because the foundation was never built correctly.

📊 This is Part 1 of a 3-Part Series:

• Part 1: Building the Foundation (this episode)
• Part 2: How to Set Weekly Training Volume
• Part 3: How to Structure Your Training Week

Timestamps:
00:00 – Training Plan Series Overview (Start Here)
02:15 – Why Your “Why” Matters More Than Your Workouts
04:15 – The Questions Coaches Ask Before Building a Plan
08:45 – Athlete Background: Experience, Injuries, and Lifestyle
10:50 – Understanding Weekly Volume and Intensity
13:05 – How Sport Type Impacts Training Approach (Running vs Triathlon)
15:40 – The Truth About the 10% Rule and Recovery Limits
18:15 – Adjusting Training Based on Feedback and Real Life
22:35 – Why Subjective Feedback Matters More Than You Think
27:15 – When (and How) to Progress Training Volume Safely
33:15 – Managing Training Load to Avoid Injury
37:40 – Recovery Isn’t Optional: Building It Into the Plan
42:00 – Balancing Stress Across Multiple Disciplines
46:30 – From Foundation to Structure: Mapping Your Training Plan
49:35 – Building a Macro Plan: Peak Volume and Taper Strategy

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For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com