Purple Patch Podcast

Welcome back to the Purple Patch Podcast! This is the final part of our three-part series on setting up a great off-season for athletes. We recommend checking out the first episodes of the series. In episode one, we discussed the importance of the Off-Season and the need for a real break while also laying a strong foundation for the upcoming year. In the second episode, we delved into the specifics of our approach at Purple Patch, building on last year's successes while making necessary refinements. We received positive feedback on the first two episodes along with some phenomenal questions from athletes like you. In this episode, Matt shares the top 10 questions we received over the last two to three weeks about the off-season. He breaks the questions down into three categories: Big Picture Questions, Off-Season Training Questions, and Nutrition and Body Composition Questions. Matt covers a range of topics from health and energy improvements to maintaining weight during the off-season, rest days, training vo

Welcome back to the Purple Patch Podcast! This is part two of our three-part series on the Off-Season. We've reimagined the Off-Season to help you thrive and achieve success in the upcoming season. This week, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon discusses the Purple Patch Off-Season, focusing on a comprehensive 18-week training plan that extends into the initial 6 weeks of the following year. This period, which we refer to as Q4, starts in October for most athletes and continues through November and December, with the off-season mindset extending into the first six weeks of the next year. Matt emphasizes the importance of structured training and smart Off-Season practices to prevent burnout and reduce the risk of injury. His approach covers swim, bike, run, strength, and supporting habits, and while our discussion will be centered around triathletes, the principles and approaches apply to all endurance athletes and fitness enthusiasts. If you missed last week's episode, we encourage you to listen to it first, as i

A year ago, we at Purple Patch decided to completely reimagine our Off-Season training. We wanted to address the question of how to deliver a block of training for our athletes that is crucial for their long-term development and results, while also providing them with flexibility and a much-needed mental and physical break. We recognized the importance of taking a break after a strenuous season, while also understanding the necessity of consistent training for athletic performance. As we approach the Off-Season once again, we want to offer insight into how we approach this important part of the athletic journey. This week, we are beginning a three-part series focusing on Off-Season training for athletes. In this episode, we will revisit the value, importance, and role of the Off-Season, emphasizing the need to take a real break while also establishing a strong foundation for the upcoming year. In the second episode, we will delve into the specifics of our approach at Purple Patch, building on the successes of

Welcome to another episode of the Purple Patch podcast. This week, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon explores the concept of Child’s play. What do children have to do with our pursuit of high performance in work, life, and sport? It turns out, quite a bit. While it may sometimes seem like kids do nothing but go to school, say the wildest things, and create messes around the house, the study of child development holds valuable lessons. Understanding how children grow into high-functioning adults can parallel the importance of sports and physical challenges in our own lives. These experiences can help us perform better under pressure in all aspects of life. Today's discussion about high performance will draw inspiration from the playful and physical activities of children that many of us remember from our childhoods. The aim is to rejuvenate your spirit of adventure and inspire you to either rediscover the joy in your current pursuits or take on an entirely new challenge. Episode Timestamps 00:00 - 02:49 - Welcom

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast! As we air this show, most Purple Patch athletes are busy preparing for a variety of late-season races. We have the Ironman World Championships in Nice for the women, the Ironman World Championships in Kona for the men, the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in New Zealand, and the T100 series ramping up with the championship approaching for the pros. Additionally, we have the New York Marathon, the Santa Cruz Half Ironman, and a series of Ultra Trail runs. Despite these big looming events, we want to take a moment to encourage high performers to pause, step back, and reflect. In this week’s episode, we take a look back at the past year to see the big picture of how we made it to this point. Almost a year ago, we emphasized the critical role of Off-Season in achieving significant performance gains in the year ahead. This week we want to report on the impact of this approach on Purple Patch athletes. First, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon revisits the key goals of Off-Season a

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast! This week, we discuss taking on a challenge and kickstarting your journey of transformation. This episode is filled with stories of achieving extraordinary accomplishments, from athletes winning championships to individuals overcoming health challenges and excelling in leadership. They all dared to commit to their journey of personal performance and embrace challenges. IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon showcases the value of embracing challenges with purpose, direction, and commitment. While many people wish to achieve great things, they hesitate to commit to a challenge. Matt explores the reasons behind this hesitation and discusses how to overcome it. He offers encouragement to inspire you to take on a challenge and outlines the steps required to turn your aspirations into commitments and actions. If you have any questions or feel inspired to continue the discussion, reach out to us at info@purplepatchfitness.com. Let us know that you listened to the show, and we'll be hap

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast. This week, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon discusses a crucial aspect of your performance journey – finding purpose and setting goals. These two elements are essential for success, whether aiming for a world championship, building a business, or simply striving to be the best version of yourself. They are the foundation of your performance. Matt defines and highlights the differences between purpose and goals, and explores the process of building effective goals and understanding their value. He also stresses the importance of creating a plan to achieve these goals, leveraging support and resources, and avoiding common pitfalls that lead to goal failure. We hope this episode serves as an informative and go-to resource on your performance journey. If you have any thoughts, or questions, or want to learn about our services, feel free to reach out to us at info@purplepatchfitness.com for a complimentary consultation. Episode Timestamps 00:00 - 02:52 - Welcome and Episode Intr

Welcome to this special bulletin-edition episode of the Purple Patch Podcast. IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon shares a quick message about a free webinar opportunity to help you conquer your IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3. Matt provides details on signing up to help you access information on developing effective training strategies and supportive habits to enhance your performance without compromising your schedule, sleep, or well-being. Episode Timestamps N/A Purple Patch and Episode Resources Purple Patch Video Podcast and More FREE WEBINAR - Nail Your IRONMAN & 70.3 Training in Just 8-14 Hours Per Week Learn more about our Tri Squad Program Amplify your approach to nutrition with Purple Patch and Fuelin We've reimagined indoor cycling - Find out more about Purple Patch Bike Live & On-Demand Learn more about 1:1 Coaching Get a Free Taste of Purple Patch Strength ORDER NOW - 2024 PURPLE PATCH APPAREL Everything you need to know about the Purple Patch Methodology Join the Purple Patch Team The Purple Patch C

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast! With the Paris Olympics all wrapped up, we have a perfect opportunity to reflect on the outstanding athletic performances and their relevance to you. In this week's episode, Ironman master coach Matt Dixon, fresh from his trip to the Paris Olympics, shares his insights on the common trends among the athletes in various events. Matt compiles a series of performance lessons for all athletes based on observations of competing Olympians in the women's team gymnastics final, triathlon events, swimming finals, and track and field. You don't have to be an elite athlete to benefit from these lessons, which can be applied in sports and everyday life. He shares patterns that have emerged during his years of experience coaching world-class athletes and guiding them on their journeys. These patterns are essential for developing the right mindset to overcome challenges and prepare for any event. Matt distills practical and actionable strategies from elite athletes that anyone can and s

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast! This week, we're continuing with part two of our Q&A session with Scott Tindal, the co-founder of Fuelin. Fuelin is a personalized sports nutrition coaching program and app for triathletes, and they are our partner and go-to resource for everything related to nutrition, race fueling, and hydration. Scott is a fantastic resource in the world of professional sports and nutrition. As part of Fuelin, he is now helping time-starved amateurs of all levels improve their performance, health, and ultimately the results they achieve - not just in sport, but also in life. Last week, our questions were focused on race fueling and hydration, specifically for endurance athletes. This week, we are shifting our focus and putting sports-specific nutrition and hydration aside. Instead, we will be asking Scott a series of questions centered on overall life performance. Matt and Scott delve into improving cognitive function and longevity, and how to manage and improve your energy througho

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast. This week, we have a special edition of the podcast featuring Scott Tindal, the co-founder of Fuelin, a personalized sports nutrition coaching program and app for triathletes. Fuelin is our partner and resource for everything related to nutrition, race fueling, and hydration. Scott has worked in multiple professional sports, from rugby to rowing to NHL hockey, and now he is one of the most trusted resources in the sport of Ironman Triathlon. He has worked with numerous professionals in the sport, including the great Jan Frodeno. In this episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon hosts a Q&A focused on race fueling and hydration. Matt and Scott cover everything from overcoming GI distress and planning pre-race meals to fueling for specific race distances and gaining insights on how to be precise about your nutrition. Scott shares his experiences of working with the pros and simplifies nutrition to a set of principles that any athlete can understand. He provides details to

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast! This week, we're exploring the topic of mature athletes. These athletes are just as ambitious and goal-driven as younger ones, but they often have a deeper and more meaningful purpose beyond winning races and setting personal records. We received a great question from a podcast listener who has participated in triathlons for over 20 years. Despite still being ambitious, she now has three kids and is seeking advice on how to approach the sport from a new perspective and adjust her training. This is a common challenge for many athletes, not just in triathlon. We've dedicated a whole show to addressing this question and hopefully, we provide helpful guidance for any mature athlete looking to optimize their mindset, strategy, and training for performance gains. The episode is divided into three parts. The first part discusses "perspective" and building a new relationship with sports. It provides context for understanding how to adjust your approach to sports and how it may dif

Welcome to the Purple Patch podcast. In this week's episode, we'll be discussing the traits that deliver high performance. Our inspiration for this episode came from two sources. Firstly, the incredible achievement in the recent Tour de France, where Mark Cavendish clinched his 35th stage victory. His story embodies passion, joy, and perseverance despite facing numerous obstacles and setbacks. Following a serious injury last year, he made a remarkable comeback and secured a long-awaited win. The second catalyst was a question received by Matt from an athlete he coaches. This question stemmed from the athlete's observation of the Olympic swimming trials, with the Olympics right around the corner. Watching the returning athletes, many of whom were making their second or third Olympic appearance, left the athlete in awe and sparked thoughts about the mindset of a winner. These seasoned athletes seemed to possess remarkable toughness and composure. Given the stories of comebacks during this year's trials, the ath

Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast. In this week’s episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon delves deep into the subject of sleep. In this episode, we aim to provide you with an action plan to help you improve the quality of your sleep. If you're an athlete, this episode is crucial as quality sleep is essential for maximizing the benefits of your training. If you're focused on excelling in the workplace, this episode is equally important as sleep can help to stabilize your energy and optimize cognitive function.  First, Matt provides insight into establishing the right mindset towards sleep to develop a realistic approach to implementing changes to your sleep routine. He then breaks down the various stages of a typical night's sleep to give us a better understanding of how sleep impacts our bodies on a physiological level. Finally, Matt provides actionable tips to develop the practices that can help build consistency and establish opportunities for growth, adaptations, and repair. With these recommendations,

Welcome to the Purple Patch podcast. This week, our show focuses on performance. Purple Patch is a performance coaching organization, and IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon is well-known for coaching successful Ironman athletes and inspiring strong individual performances. Surprisingly, the backbone of his success has been the use of a team approach. Ironman is an extremely individual sport, but team and community have been essential to Purple Patch’s sustained success over the last two decades. In this week’s episode, Matt discusses the power and importance of a team approach for individual performance success. He uses a recent Purple Patch training camp in South Carolina as proof of concept. Despite the attendees being vastly different athletically and having individual goals, they came together in just a few short days, created a shared purpose, and emerged as a high-performing team. Matt shares his key takeaways from the training camp and his years of coaching experience to highlight the elements of teamwork

We are six months into the year and hopefully in a better position than when we started. Now is the time to look up, find that buoy of progress, take a breath, and realign ourselves before moving forward. This week on the Purple Patch podcast, we REWIND and revisit an important episode about assessing your performance so far and redefining your goals as we enter the second half of the year. At the beginning of the year, we took 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 approach? It is essential to come up for air midway through the season and execute some big-picture thinking about the work you have been putting in, the purpose of it, and where you want it to take you. On this week’s episode of The Purp

  Welcome to the Purple Patch Podcast. Last week's episode focused on opening the door of opportunity for those who may have never thought it possible to finish a marathon, let alone be successful at one. We discussed strategies to motivate you towards taking on a challenge and strategies to help you thrive. This week, we focus on those of you who have completed a marathon or even several. In this episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon shares actionable steps and strategies to help you improve your performance and take your marathon to the next level. Matt dissects marathon training and the unique challenges of marathon running to better understand what you face. He discusses common flaws in many marathon training plans to help runners avoid injury and progress. Matt highlights strategies you can leverage for a smarter training approach. From the benefits of clustered and split runs to practicing good posture with subtle inclines, Matt shares tips that can help enhance your speed

Welcome to the Purple Patch podcast. This week, we aim to inspire, instill hope, and create opportunities. Many people watch others doing amazing things and think, "That's not for me. I couldn't do that." But the truth is, you can do it if you apply a smart and patient approach that builds incrementally over time. Before you know it, you can look back and marvel at what you have accomplished, regardless of the challenge or goal, whether in sport or life. In this week's episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon focuses on marathon and half marathon races. Half marathons are a great starting point for many people and can serve as a bridge to longer distances. Whether you've struggled with injuries or don't consider yourself a runner, Matt offers insight and tips to help you break through those barriers. Drawing from two case studies, Matt explores the common challenges faced by athletes training for long-distance runs and offers simple solutions to maximize their potential. The first case study features an athle

Welcome to the Purple Patch podcast. This week, we continue our series on Purple Patch Case Studies, where we hear first-hand experiences of time-starved athletes on their journey towards improved performance in sports and life. This week, Matt welcomes Purple Patch athletes Rachel Brown and Tiger Paton. Rachel, a busy mother of seven boys, is a passionate runner with a wonderful story of shifting perspectives. By embracing the tri-squad approach, Rachel evolved her understanding of training and multi-sport to become a faster runner and unlocked abilities she never considered. Tiger Paton, a well-known figure in the Purple Patch community, serves as our squad specialist and program manager. She began her journey as a Purple Patch Squad athlete several years ago. She shares an inspiring lesson about perseverance. As a new athlete, she fully used all the tools in the program to overcome injury and fatigue. Struggling to find time for her health and needing a change, Tiger found support in the Purple Patch commu

There is some exciting news in the world of Ironman. All Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events across Europe, including the Vinfast Ironman World Championships in Nice this fall, will be supported by our friends at Precision Hydration. Access to Precision Hydration is a big change from having Gatorade delivered on course. It is fantastic news for our athletes who are competing there. Since the news broke, our athletes have had many questions about the specifics behind the changes and how they will impact their fueling and hydration plans. In this week's episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon interviews Andy Blow, founder of Precision Fuel and Hydration. They discuss the recent announcement and its implications for athletes competing in these races. Matt and Andy discuss the products that will be offered on the course. During the conversation, they detail how to develop an optimal fueling and hydration plan based on the changes and highlight the strategy to ensure you fuel your race success. This episode offers va