The Infirmary | Fixing Broken Endurance Athletes

Campfire Endurance Coaching
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Welcome to The Infirmary! We're sorry you're not feeling great. Our goal on The Infirmary is to solve the problems you are having in your endurance sport. Whether you are getting ready for your first triathlon, or you are a seasoned endurance athlete, we are here to help. Featuring discussions with coaches, athletes, and other business owners, we are confident we'll be able to help. Welcome to The Infirmary! We hope you'll be feeling better soon.

  1. 6D AGO

    Coaching The "Emotional" Athlete

    For well over the first half of my professional career, I was labeled an “emotional athlete.” That label seemed to mean, well, something else. In this case that “something else” appears to have been “undisciplined,” if the describer was being nice, or “riding like a stupid a*****e,” if the describer wasn’t concerned with hurting my feelings. Faced with this description, which wasn’t ever really elucidated further until later in my career, I set about eradicating the problem. I had a problem with pacing, was the coaching feedback I probably should have received, but without clear guidance on how to pace better I found myself falling into the same pattern: starting too hard in the swim and having to slow down after 2-300m and losing the main pack, burbling self-recrimination to myself for the rest of the swim leg, before climbing out of the water alone and…repeating the exact same pattern on the bike: riding too hard to “catch up,” and then, successful or not at catching up, blowing to bits on the run. In this episode we explore why we make decisions that don’t serve us as athletes, on and off the race course. We look at how fear was the prevailing emotion behind my explosion at Canada in 2012, and how I would have handled it differently, had I the tools. I hope this episode helps someone determine the shadows they have that are driving behaviors that they don’t like. The Mankind Project accountability exercise Chat with Chris about your emotional game, whatever your sport. Learn about CAMP May 29-June 2

    36 min

  2. JAN 12

    "The Bonfire of Success," with Coach David Tilbury-Daviss

    David Tilbury-Davis coaches or has coached triathlon household names such as Ashleigh Gentile, Lionel Sanders, Skye Moench, Corinne Abraham, Cody Beals, and Matt Hanson, and he’s been doing so for three decades. In this episode, David explains his “evidence-led” in contrast to “evidence-based” approaches, how he gives athletes autonomy within structured training blocks, and why understanding your race day "poker hand" matters more than race-day magic. We discuss block periodization across the four disciplines of triathlon, how the Norwegian Method is more a product of excellent professionalism, cognitive load in VO2 work, and why even successful performances need analysis. In the moment I found most affecting, David talks about how an athlete deals with setbacks separates the great from the merely good. Links mentioned in this episode: David's website: tilburydavis.com David on Instagram: @tilburydavis Book: Think Like a Rocket Scientist by Ozan Varol Book: The Scout Mindset by Julia Galef Book: Anti-Fragile by Nassim Taleb Book: How to Decide, by Annie Duke Resource: Swim Smooth

    1h 7m

  3. 12/29/2025

    Overtrained or Just Under-recovered? The Difference That Could Save Next Season

    Overtraining syndrome is rare, serious, and can end your endurance career if you're not careful. In this episode, we break down the differences between functional overreaching (proper training), non-functional overreaching (under-recovery), and true overtraining syndrome (OTS, and again, it's really rare!). You'll learn the warning signs that separate temporary fatigue from something far more concerning, plus we walk through actual case studies of athletes who took years to recover from OTS. We cover the psychological patterns that lead to overtraining, a return-to-training protocol that can get you back on the right track safely, and why consistency beats intensity every single time. If you're training hard right now or coaching athletes through big training blocks, this episode is the reality check you need before it's too late, for you or for your athletes! #triathlon #overtraining #endurancetraining Links mentioned in this episode: Return to Training Protocol Profile of Mood States Questionnaire Progressive Overload episode (for understanding proper training) Cody Beals burnout episode (previous episode referenced) 2026 Coaching spots Bend Camp Kreher Studies: Kreher JB & Schwartz JB (2012). "Overtraining Syndrome: A Practical Guide" – Sports Health, 4(2):128-138 Full-text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3435910/ Kreher JB et al. (2025). "Overtraining Syndrome (OTS) in Three Endurance Athletes and Roads to Recovery" – BMJ Case Reports, 18(7):e265066 Full-text: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12258013/ Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/fe77a/bright-ideasLicense code: JTATK7ILXBEATYUM

    1 hr

  4. 12/15/2025

    Cody Beals' "Pathological Inability to Rest," Burnout, and Recovery

    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.com Cody Beals on Instagram: @cody.beals Book a coaching consultation: https://www.campfireendurance.com/triathlon-coaching

  5. 12/01/2025

    Why RPE Matters Just As Much As Power: Kolie Moore from Empirical Cycling on Training Smarter

    What if the most sophisticated training tool you have isn't your power meter, but your ability to feel the difference between sustainable and unsustainable effort? Kolie Moore launched Empirical Cycling in 2015 after noticing a gap in how coaches approached endurance training. With a background in biology, biochemistry, metabolism, and physiology from Boston University, plus his own experience as a national championship medalist in track cycling, Kolie recognized that most coaching focused too much on training plans and not enough on the biological processes actually driving adaptation. Nearly a decade later, Kolie’s Empirical Cycling Podcast is known for its, uh, thorough explanations of exercise physiology—but also for its human approach to applying that knowledge. The Expanding Brain Meme: From RPE to Power and Back Again, Kolie's first and favorite meme, illustrates the training evolution most athletes experience. You start by training to RPE because you don't know any better. Then you discover heart rate and power-based training. Finally, if you stick with it long enough and pay attention to what works, you end up training to RPE again—but this time with the wisdom to know why it matters. The problem isn't that power meters and heart rate monitors aren’t useful. The issue is that athletes get so fixated on hitting prescribed numbers that they ignore what their bodies are telling them. Your brain integrates signals that no device can measure—life stress, environmental conditions, recovery status, total accumulated fatigue. When you override those signals to complete a workout exactly as written, you might be digging yourself into a hole rather than building fitness. We also talk about the assessment that has become known as the "Kolie Moore FTP Test," although Kolie is somewhat uncomfortable with this title. The test emerged from his realization that WKO5's power duration modeling was excellent at finding inflection points in the 30-80 minute range, and that the best predictor of performance is performance itself. Rather than suffering through a traditional 20-minute all-out effort and applying a mathematical discount, why not just ride at threshold by feel? We talk about how training plans should be flexible, not rigid, what makes Professional World Tour cyclists different from the rest of us, and our favorite books that have shaped our coaching methods. A HUGE thank you to Kolie for coming on the show—please go and listen to his! Learn More: Check out the Empirical Cycling Podcast at https://www.empiricalcycling.com/podcast.html Follow @empiricalcycling on Instagram for weekend AMAs with shorter answers Join us at an upcoming Campfire Endurance training camp: https://www.campfireendurance.com/training-camps Ready to work on your training? Book a consultation: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule/f0ceda55/appointment/63067352/calendar/any?appointmentTypeIds[]=63067352

    1h 8m

  6. 11/17/2025

    From Ironman Pro to Gravel Worlds: Rach McBride's Championship Season Review

    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

    1 hr

  7. 11/03/2025

    Why Your "Z2" Training Feels Painfully Slow

    “Zone 2” training has become incredibly popular in endurance sports, but most athletes misunderstand what it actually does and why it feels so frustratingly slow. In this episode, we debunk the misconceptions to explain how this training intensity establishes your aerobic infrastructure, why comparing yourself to professional athletes derails your progress, and how to embrace slow work now so you can do harder and more effective training later. You'll learn about the physiological adaptations that happen at this intensity, why a monoculture approach to training never works, and how years of consistent aerobic conditioning create the physiological infrastructure that supports faster racing. If your “Zone 2” pace feels slow, this episode explains exactly why that is and what to do about it. Campfire Endurance Coaching: campfireendurance.com Book a FREE 45-minute training consultation Instagram: @campfire_endurance Email me: chris@campfireendurance.com Frontiers in Physiology Article

    31 min

  8. 10/20/2025

    The Complete Guide to Your First 70.3 with Author Brittany Vermeer

    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.com The Complete Guide to Your First 70.3 Triathlon - on Amazon - on Brittany’s website, thetriplethreatlife.com - Instagram: @thetriplethreatlife

    54 min
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About

Welcome to The Infirmary! We're sorry you're not feeling great. Our goal on The Infirmary is to solve the problems you are having in your endurance sport. Whether you are getting ready for your first triathlon, or you are a seasoned endurance athlete, we are here to help. Featuring discussions with coaches, athletes, and other business owners, we are confident we'll be able to help. Welcome to The Infirmary! We hope you'll be feeling better soon.

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