Purple Patch Podcast

In part two of our three-part series on injury prevention and management, Matt Welcomes to the podcast leading performance nutritionist Scott Tindal of FuelIn for a discussion on the role of nutrition in injury prevention, mitigation, and recovery. Together Matt and Scott frame the topic of injury through the lens of under-fueling or improper fueling and its impact on soft tissue and bone health....

Fresh from the Haute Route Alps, Ironman Coach Matt Dixon returns to the podcast to share his thoughts on the experience, the lessons he gleaned from the 7-day event, and how to apply them to your athletic pursuits. The conversation covers training versus race execution and a look at the principles and elements of Matt's preparation as a time-starved athlete that supported his performance. (22:19)...

Welcome to the 8th and final day of our Haute Route Alps coverage as Matt and the Drunken Donkeys cross the finish line in Megève. Matt gives us a look at the team's last day of riding as the 7-day journey comes to a close. With one last 148km push through the Haute-Savoie, Matt and the gang make their way through the Col de l'Epine, Col de la Croix Fry, and Col des Aravis. We hear from the team a...

Welcome to day 7 of our Haute Route coverage. Today, the team takes on THE CLASSICS. Stage 6, the riders are headed for another climb of almost 4,000 meters as they traverse the switchbacks of the Col du Tra, before facing the Cormet de Roselend.  Matt couldn't resist and found his best ride of the course, Panos returns, Christopher attempts to add to his recent success, and Rob impresses everyone...

Welcome to day 6 of our Haute Route coverage. Today, it's Matt and the Drunken Donkeys vs time. The team faces Stage 5, LOVE OR LOATHE LA LOZE, which hosts the time trial portion of the course, along with a 10km climb from Méribel to Col de la Loze. With a good start, the team takes on the inclines while taking in the natural beauty of the course. Matt faces a crossroads with only two stages left...

Welcome to day 5 of our Haute Route coverage as Matt and his Team round the corner at the halfway mark of the 7-day journey from Nice to Megève. Stage 4, titled ON YOUR TOES, features a steep 1300m+ climb up the Col du Glandon followed by a challenging ascent up the Col de la Madeleine. Martin returns to the fold rejuvenated and Chris's youth helped him find a new gear as the entire team starts to...

Welcome to day four of our Haute Route coverage as Matt and his Team push forward on stage 3 of the 7-day journey from Nice to Megève. Stage 3, titled ALL FOR THE VIEWS, promised the picturesque landscape of the Écrins mountains and it most definitely delivered, but Matt suffers a minor setback along the way and has to adapt mid-climb. Matt gives us a look at the challenges of the day, the status...

Welcome to day three of our Haute Route coverage as Matt and his Team take off on stage 2 of the 7-day journey from Nice to Megève. The Drunken Donkeys face a sobering set of climbs in the stage known as the Two Giants. In a tour of Le Tour, so to speak, the team faces the Col d'Agnel and the Col d'Izoard, both of which have held prominent roles in Tour de France. Matt provides an update on the ch...

Welcome to day zero of our Haute Route coverage. The day before the excitement begins with stage 1 tomorrow. This is our first daily report and official kick-off show. Matt and his team are assembled and ready to ride. In this first preview of the Haute Route Alps, Matt introduces us to the gang and sets the scene for things to come. Be sure to check out our daily video breakdown of the day, every...

We have a special abbreviated podcast this week as Matt prepares for his journey to tackle the Haute Route Alps. In this episode, Matt provides a quick look at our daily coverage of his progress through the Haute Route and what we can expect. Beginning August 20th, Matt will provide daily field reports sharing his observations and insights as he and his two brothers navigate 7 days of some of the...

In this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon frames his preparation and training path as he sets his sights on the Haute Route Alps, a 7-day cycling challenge through the heart of the Alps. The Haute Route Alps is thought of as one of the toughest endurance cycling events in the world and is the original version of the Haute Route Series of events now spanning the g...

Whether you're an amateur or a professional athlete, there is no greater source of frustration than repeated cycles of niggles and injuries. It can derail your progression, dismantle race performance, erode confidence, and dilute your motivation. While there are myriad reasons for various kinds of injuries, the good news is that most can be preventable, and manageable by adopting practical habits...

Matt welcomes Purple Patch Pro Athlete, Line Thams, to the Podcast. Thams is a professional triathlete from Denmark, focusing on short-course ITU racing. She sits down with Matt to provide insight into dealing with stress and adversity. Thams shares her own story of coping with family tragedy and trauma and how to leverage adversity to emerge stronger in sport and life. Over the last few years, Th...

Welcome to another "Ask Matt Anything" edition of the Purple Patch Podcast. In part 1 of our 2 part series of Q & A episodes on all topics related to racing, Matt answers your voicemails and emails on race preparation and practices. In this installment, Matt answers your questions related to: Integrating sufficient recovery into training The constraints of metrics and how to move beyond them in yo...

In part 2 of our observations and lessons of 2022 so far, Matt takes a step beyond life performance and focuses on endurance sports and triathlon performance. After two years without specific goal-driven events to anchor training to, many athletes are either searching to build on the positive adaptions made during the shutdown or are looking to get their training back on track. Matt shares key ins...

As we approach the midway point of 2022, it is important to pause and reflect on the challenges we faced and lessons we learned throughout the year surrounding our overall performance in life, and the habits we can establish moving forward to set ourselves up for success. In part one of our two-part series on Lessons from 2022 so far, we look closely at how we were able to adapt our lives to the s...

For the time-starved athlete, the traditional approach to training for an Ironman or half Ironman can sometimes feel like a part-time job. Some athletes struggle to meet the demands of programs built on a foundation of accumulated weekly training hours. They often come up short when attempting to balance the demands of life and sport. Many athletes come away feeling as though the training is consu...

Matt welcomes Ironman World Champion swimmer and CEO and founder of Sailfish, a triathlon performance apparel company, Jan Sibbersen, for Part 2 of their discussion in which they focus on success in open water swimming. With more than 35 years of competitive swimming experience, Sibbersen shares his insights and best training practices for athletes both with a swimming background and without. In t...

Matt welcomes the founder of wetsuit company Sailfish, and Hawaii Ironman World Championship swim course record-holder, Jan Sibbersen, to the show. Part 1 of this 2 part series covers Sibbersen's road to conquering the Kona swim record in a comeback performance at the age of 43 and how his swimming background influenced his success in the water and inspired him to build a business from the ground...

If you are reading this, it's likely because you share a common thread with many athletes, which is the desire to improve your athletic and personal potential. Dedicating yourself to learning and applying best practices and methods for achieving enduring health and high performance seems straightforward enough. Unfortunately, the challenge many people face is being able to filter through the blizz...

So you've gone all-in and put your training in the hands of your coach. It's their role to build the framework of performance and provide clarity, accountability, and guidance through your evolution as an athlete. But how does a coach evolve beyond education and experience to become a more effective pillar of support? How do they improve themselves and grow in order to help you, the athlete, thriv...

Welcome to another "Ask Matt Anything" edition of the Purple Patch Podcast. In this episode, Matt answers your voicemails and emails on all topics related to run performance. In this installment, Matt answers questions related to: Running with a high heart rate Coming back from injury Dealing with the incessant niggles Fostering a lifelong love of running potential in children Arriving on race day...

Does it sometimes feel like the training you've been prescribed doesn't fit comfortably into your life? Does your training volume have you feeling like a zombie rather than a finely tuned athlete? Did your coach still schedule a bike workout even though you made clear notes that you had a work trip with no access to cycling? Do you struggle to understand the big picture of your training? Does your...

The endurance training circles are buzzing again about this (not-so-new) trend - Let's call it Zone 2 training, or to put it another way, training that is high in volume in low in intensity. There is inherently nothing wrong with this style of training unless it doesn't work in your time-starved life. Today, Matt discusses training optimization and getting the most out of your training time as a t...

Athletes often hear coaches talk about the importance of remaining focused and fully present in all of their workouts, but should this apply to every single training session? Should every training session really demand your full attention? The mission of this episode is to provide a framework around your training mindset that will both optimize the results from your training and also prevent the p...