Purple Patch Podcast

After a long season of training, most athletes are ready for a well-deserved break, yet they also recognize that training during the off-season is imperative for success in the coming season. So how do you strike the right balance so you get the rest and recovery you need without losing progress and risk stalling your performance next season? As part of our three-part series on everything off-seas...

Making sure you're primed and ready for your big race is essential, but planning correctly to avoid the negative impacts of travel on your performance is just as crucial. In this week's episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon provides a toolkit with a strategic approach to travel that offers guidance on pre-race preparation and best practices for a healthy and prospero...

This week on the Purple Patch Podcast, we conclude our Purple Patch Performance Case Studies series. In this series, we delve into the experiences of real athletes to provide practical insights about performance. In the past few weeks, we have examined some motivating and informative examples of athlete achievement. However, today we will focus on stories that serve as warnings. In this episode, I...

This week on the Purple Patch Podcast, we continue our Purple Patch Performance Case Studies series. In this series, we delve into real-life examples and the experiences of real athletes to provide practical insights about performance. In this episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon looks beyond athletics and sports and outlines a path to sustained high performance in work and life. Through the c...

Welcome to this week's episode of the Purple Patch Podcast! Today, we're continuing our Purple Patch Performance Case Studies series, where we delve into real-life examples and the experiences of real athletes to provide practical insights about performance. Joining IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon on the show is Purple Patch Tri-Squad member Chris Hughes, whose story is one of remarkable athletic...

On this week's episode of the Purple Patch podcast, we present the second part of our Purple Patch Performance Case Studies series, where we share practical insights about performance by analyzing real-life examples. Matt welcomes Purple Patch athlete David Farsai to the show. David is a busy executive seeking performance in sport, work, and life. He recently qualified for the IRONMAN World Champi...

This month on the Purple Patch Podcast, we're highlighting Purple Patch Performance Case Studies.  We wanted to share practical insights about performance, so we're analyzing real-life examples rather than just theories. In this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon begins our case study series by examining the performance journeys of two prominent members of the Pur...

On this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon reflects on the long history of the Purple Patch Pro Squad and the lessons you can apply to your own performance journey. Whether you're an athlete, the leader of an organization or team, a coach, or just someone striving to live a better and longer life, the stories we'll discuss today can greatly influence your mindset...

For those who are new to running, the training requirements for a marathon or other running events may seem intimidating or overwhelming. Alternatively, even experienced runners may face challenges with injuries related to race preparation. No matter where you are in your performance journey, there is an effective way to approach training for an endurance running event without overloading on hours...

Although endurance athletes typically focus on strength training during the off-season, it's important to recognize that strength and conditioning can benefit performance all year round. In this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon explains the value and significance of strength as a performance enhancer. He provides a framework for integrating strength into your tr...

It's been 15 years since the start of the Purple Patch journey. While many elements of the Purple Patch program have evolved, and we continually seek to grow, improve and enhance our coaching, our central belief and approach to coaching have remained unchanged.  We believe athletes of all levels can achieve optimal endurance performance by following a balanced training approach. Our methodology, b...

At the beginning of the year, we took some time to reflect, plan for the future and set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAGs). Now, we have reached the halfway point of the year. Most of you hit the ground running with ambitions and lofty goals, but how did they pan out? Are you nailing your goals? Are you thriving in your performance journey? Is it fulfilling? Where can you improve or shift your appr...

With race season in full swing, we've received a flood of requests asking us to tackle the topic of race-day fueling and hydration. So this week on the Purple Patch Podcast we are doing a special Episode Rewind. We are bringing back a timely conversation with renowned Sports Scientist and CEO of Precision Fuel and Hydration, Andy Blow. We pulled an episode out of the archives to help you fine-tune...

Are you showing up to your event in the best mental space possible? You may have checked all the boxes in your training program and set yourself up to arrive at your event ready to allow trained potential to translate to race-day performance, but setting up the right mindset is one part of the performance readiness equation that is often ignored or misunderstood by athletes and coaches. In this ep...

In this week's episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon takes a closer look at youth sports and the development of young athletes. With his experience as a parent, as well as a coach to world-class professional endurance athletes, executives, and amateurs alike for over 15 years, and using his own background in competitive swimming and triathlons, Matt examines the impo...

Imagine you are in the midst of a tough race in the middle of hot and humid conditions and suddenly your body begins sending you signals of surrender. Anyone who has exerted any type of energy in the sweltering heat can attest to the difficulties posed by the conditions. Nothing sucks the speed out of the legs more than high heat and humidity. So, how do you go about setting yourself up for succes...

In this week's episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, we focus on athletes like you. Ironman Master coach Matt Dixon puts a spotlight on four case studies anchored in performance. Matt breaks down the lessons we can learn from those who have excelled in their performance journey as well as those who were less fortunate and serve as cautionary tales about the pitfalls on the way to improved performan...

Whether it's the boost of our morning espresso or the common drowsiness that sets in after lunch, we all experience bumps and slumps in our daily energy levels. Our vitality over the course of the day can sometimes be a rollercoaster. For some of us, that erratic ride has become a daily routine and an obstacle that limits our potential for performance. However, there are ways to rewire that routin...

The path to improvement is one that includes hard work and commitment, but too often we travel that path alone. We seek our personal goals in a very personal way. It can often be a solitary endeavor. Not only does it not have to be, but it also shouldn't be. "You cannot expect to optimize your performance or results if you always take the journey alone." In this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast...

Welcome to another "Ask Matt Anything" edition of the Purple Patch Podcast. Today IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon tackles your voicemails and emails. You asked and today Matt answers your questions on training and racing through a coach's lens. In this installment of "Ask Matt Anything", Matt answers your questions related to: Management of training Expectations around improvement Race preparation...

Today on the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon welcomes former U.S. Pro Cyclist Robbie Ventura to the show. Robbie is the founder of Vision Quest Coaching and Velocity, an online indoor cycling training platform. Robbie shares experience and knowledge from his 12-year career as a pro cyclist, and more than 20 years providing expert training programs to endurance athletes of all...

As we begin to emerge into Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, many athletes are setting their sights on their B.H.A.G.s (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). The season is ahead of us and many of us are starting to move outside for more of our training. While it is a breath of fresh air for many athletes trapped indoors during the winter months, it is also the time when athletes start to make serious perfo...

Coaches and athletes love to discuss the importance of specificity in regard to training. While specificity is important to an extent, race-specific training is not always one-size-fits-all. Unfortunately, many athletes follow a specific plan that ends up not being the optimal plan for their needs and situation. For time-starved athletes, with competing demands in life and work, integrating a set...

As a companion to last week's Purple patch Podcast episode on training plans for time-starved endurance athletes, today's episode broadens the perspective by focusing on performance in health, work, and life.  ironman master coach Matt Dixon outlines a list of ten principles you need to put into action to build a platform of health and sustainable high performance. You don't need to be a pro athle...

Today on the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon takes a fresh look at how to structure training for a time-starved athlete. Whether you're training for an endurance event, either competitively or simply for personal enjoyment, Matt provides a ground-up framework of how to maximize your training approach to be successful. Matt shares 5 principles to help build your time-starved t...