How to Train “80/20” without Really Trying
Every once in a while an athlete asks me if the training plans offered in one of my older books such as Braining Training for Runners or Triathlete Magazine’s Essential Week-by-Wee
Matt Fitzgerald ·
Articles
Training science, coaching, and the 80/20 method — from Matt Fitzgerald and the 80/20 Endurance coaching team.
The Trouble with Mental Toughness
At the February 1982 Ironman World Championship, Julie Moss had a comfortable lead with less than 2 miles remaining. Then her body began to shut down. Staggering and crawling, she
Matt Fitzgerald ·
That Coach Is Best Who Coaches Least
In his classic political manifesto Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau writes, “That government is best which governs least.” It’s an interesting idea. Thoreau does here not de
Matt Fitzgerald ·
Improve Your Mental Game with the One-Month “No Hope” Challenge!
I once coached a runner, let’s call him Kevin, who used the word “easy” more often than any athlete other I’ve ever worked with. It was like some kind of verbal tic. He deployed th
Matt Fitzgerald ·
Laughing All the Way to the Finish Line
Dear Dr. Young, The good news is I have heart disease . . . These are the actual first words of an email message I sent to my primary care physician a couple of weeks ago. I had ju
Matt Fitzgerald ·
A Lot of Triathletes Train Too Much During Ironman Prep
There is a consistent pattern in my coaching of endurance athletes that I wasn’t conscious of until quite recently. When I coach amateur runners for marathons, more often than not
Matt Fitzgerald ·
Will Respiratory Muscle Training Finally Catch On?
In last week’s post I discussed the idea that innovation in endurance training methods obeys the Law of Good Enough, as I call it. This simply means that elite coaches and athletes
Matt Fitzgerald ·
Why It’s Impossible for Your Training to Be Better Than “Good Enough”
I’m not a total science geek, but I do take an interest in certain scientific fields, including evolutionary biology. My brother Josh, who is a total science geek, being aware of m
Matt Fitzgerald ·
May the Smartest Runner Win
A few years ago, New York Times writer Gretchen Reynolds penned an interesting article titled “Running as the Thinking Person’s Sport.” It focused on a then-recent study by neurosc
Matt Fitzgerald ·
What’s My Excuse?
In 2013, Maria Kang became an overnight sensation when a photograph that showed her posing underneath the caption “What’s your excuse?” clad in shorts and a sports bra, her chisele
Matt Fitzgerald ·
