Purple Patch Podcast

Who is the ‘King of Toughness?’ The ‘Queen of Managing Adversity?’ Who had an almost mystical ability to focus on a task, even as stress and distraction amplified? Which of the Purple Patch Pros is the ‘King of Lazy,’ all the while finding consistent world-class performance? Enjoy this rare coach’s insight into some of the special traits, skills, and elements of the pros (well beyond physical prowess) that have catapulted them to success at the world-class level. Matt picks his favorites in the categories of: The Art of Pacing and Racing The Thrills of Skills Mindset, Focus, and Courage Handling Failure and Adversity Athlete IQ No doubt, there is much to be learned and absorbed by all of us because, as you’ll see, these are traits that carry from sport across to daily life as well. How do the pros do it? Let’s find out. Episode Resources https://www.purplepatchfitness.com/weapons  

The premise of the Purple Patch podcast is all about performance and helping you enhance your performance journey to become the best that you can be in sport and in life. This week is part two of the in-depth performance discussion with Alex Hutchinson, who is a leading researcher on everything cutting-edge in the world of athletic performance. Hutchinson is a science journalist who writes about fitness, health, and endurance sports for Outside magazine in his Sweat Science columns. His most recent book is the New York Times bestseller Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a post-doctoral physicist for the U.S. National Security Agency, and competed for the Canadian national team in track, cross-country, and mountain running. In today’s discussion series, Matt and Alex tackle the last two Purple Patch Pillars of Performance: Strength Training and Recovery. They also dive into the latest research on performance. What are their tho

The premise of the Purple Patch podcast is all about performance and helping you enhance your performance journey to become the best that you can be in sport and in life. As the performance engines rev up in 2021, it is more vital than ever to educate and empower all human beings to reach their athletic potential because, through the lens of athletic potential, you reach your human potential. For the next two weeks, Matt features a little expert “speed dating” with Alex Hutchinson who is a leading researcher on everything cutting-edge in the world of performance. Hutchinson is a science journalist who writes about fitness, health, and endurance sports for Outside magazine in his Sweat Science columns. His most recent book is the New York Times bestseller Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a post-doctoral physicist for the U.S. National Security Agency, and competed for the Canadian national team in track, cross-country, and mo

Yes, we're still in the midst of it all and racing feels like a way off, but it is time to begin to build your base for performance. Yes...starting NOW. I don’t want you to let this opportunity bypass you. Admittedly the postseason/prep-phase of training is not usually the favorite of athletes and yet, it’s so critical that you can’t be race-ready without it.  The problem with this kind of preparation is that the real rewards of this kind of training can only be seen in the rearview mirror. You can’t make up deficits in this early work later in the season because you will be neck-deep in other goals. So our goal, therefore, is to build sustainable consistency with specificity that fits into the context of our lives. This is where the all-important ARTERY SESSIONS come into play. Artery Sessions are designed to help you put your finger on the "pulse" of your performance and provide a sense of continuity as your training progresses. The workouts will retain a familiar feel, but evolve through the season. This i

Matt lays down a solid foundation on STAYING POWER - creating and cementing performance habits, especially in the popular areas of nutrition and strength. First, though, we must differentiate between a habit and a resolution. A habit is something that stays with you - becomes a part of you -- for the long-term.  A resolution, conversely, is quite often a self-imposed intervention and reeks of unsustainability. These are often pass/fail short term fixes with very little chance of success. Matt anchors this timely discussion around two always-popular topics of performance: strength training and nutrition. How do you go about making a long-lasting change without falling into short-term, pass/fail traps? Here are some of the tips that Matt breaks down in detail. Share the journey (for accountability) Focus on the process, not the outcome Seek mini-victories Draw from the lessons of 2020 Habit formation. It should feel like a small change, a small step. But it will be a step that makes a mighty ech

A coach is not the catalyst to your success and breakthroughs don't lie in a software platform or a wristwatch. You are the one who determines if you achieve success and, in this episode, Matt provides perspective and three steps to find the best coaching fit for you. Ask yourself: What are your needs and what type of support do you need? Go shopping to find the best relationship that meets your needs. Develop a relationship that will evolve over time. Once you’ve made the choice, get committed to the process! If you follow these three steps and you retain a clear head, your chances of having a fruitful coached journey will be amplified. Purple Patch Coaching Resources 1:1 Coaching Purple Patch Squad Purple Patch Performance Academy Subscribe to the Purple Patch Podcast: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music

Matt Dixon is back with his 2020 Holiday Gift Guide and, in a year that was anything but ordinary, we hope these gift ideas spark a little extraordinary creativity, love, and thought. We also hope they ignite a little positive motivation to start your own performance journey in 2021. Sport has the potential to amplify life, happiness, resilience, and adaptability and we’re here to provide the tools you need. Let us know how we can help. Happy Holidays from our family to yours!   Shop Local Consider a gift card or gifts from area running stores, athletic stores, and restaurants Reach out to a local events producer and sign up for an area race or event   The Gift of Performance Customized Purple Patch Gift Card - email us at info@purplepatchfitness.com and let’s create a custom performance package Tissue Health with Addaday.com - https://www.addaday.com/discount/T-Add-PPF-30 code: T-Add-PPF-30  Lauren Fleshman’s Running and Training Journals The Gift of Schwag Gift of Chocolate from Dandelion Ch

Some athletes think about "strength" in terms of push-ups and pull-ups, others think about bodybuilders and weightlifting. Strength training for multisport development is NOT strictly weightlifting. Matt talks with long-time Purple Patch Coach, Mike Olzinski, about the role of strength training in endurance sports and life performance. According to Olzinski, a comprehensive strength training program consists of FIVE Basic Biomotor Building Blocks: Mobility + Stability Balance + Coordination Strength → Endurance = Ability to do work Power → Power Endurance = Ability to do work over time. Speed → Speed Endurance (aka getting faster in a RACE) = Ability to do work over time while in motion Matt and Mike discuss each of these elements in detail, along with common mistakes endurance athletes make in the process, how to incorporate a routine into a busy schedule, hormonal benefits, and why you shouldn't worry about gaining too much bulk. Strength training is a Purple Patch Pillar of Performance that req

Let’s set a framework for 2021 and to do so, it's important to know that what you do in the next nine to 12 weeks will likely determine your performance success for all of 2021. This year especially, you cannot rely on re-running prior experiences or approaches to thrive going forward. You must learn lessons from adversity, plan within the context of your realities, and you must deploy some incremental aspects of your performance that -- perhaps -- were not important to you in prior years. This episode is all about the Postseason, or the Preparatory Phase. We don't train in the upcoming months. Instead, we prepare to train for the year ahead. How? Providing specific focus and action items to focus on NOW -- and the coming two-three months. Ensuring that our training and habit creation in the coming weeks and months are not rushed. Applying focus with a long-term lens. Developing a mindset of preparing the body to do the work over DOING the work. Matt dives into two case studies of real-life athletes

What would you do if you were born without a femur in one of your legs and told you would never walk, especially, if you were born into a modest Moroccan family with no access to technology or real health assistance? What if you had to endure the ridicule and shame that comes with rejection and exclusion from schoolmates and teachers who won't let you participate in organized sports? Like today's guest, Mohamed Lahna, you would hopefully adapt and rise above. You would visit the local cobbler and develop your own ill-fitted shoewear. You would attempt to play sports and participate in soccer and swimming just like all of your friends - even when the odds are stacked against you. You would dream big and, if you're anything like Mo, you would work your way to the Paralympics with a meteoric-like rise in endurance sports and, once again, against all odds, you would succeed. Today's episode is not only a celebration of athletic achievement but also a recognition of emotional and physical resilience. Lahna provide

Are you frustrated with a lack of improvement in running? Do you suffer from a history of running injuries when you try and stick to a traditional running plan? Have you found yourself saying, “I've tried, but running just isn’t for me?” Today, Matt breaks down proven different approaches to running faster-with less injury risk-while avoiding fake promises, quick fixes, or any of the fads that permeate the endurance industry. Let’s shake up your definition of what you might think of as a “healthy approach to running.” Donate to Challenged Athletes Foundation Subscribe to the Purple Patch Podcast: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music  

Growing up on a farm in Finland, Sami was always intrigued by health, wellness, and athletic performance. He did ride his bike or cross-country ski to-and-from school most days, after all! He moved to the United States in 2003 to attend Stanford Business School, and it's there where he met his friend and business partner, Pete Flint, and, together, they founded Trulia, eventually turning it public. Today, he is the CEO and Founder of Virta Health, a company on a mission to reverse Type 2 Diabetes in 100 million people by 2025. It was a revelation about his own health that was the catalyst for this new mission. You see, even though Sami was and still is a top performer both in sport and life, he made the mistake that so many of us make: burning the candle at both ends. “In 2008,” he says, “I had a view that the more hours you train, the faster you become, and the more hours you work, the more effective you are.” That way of life led to frequent bouts of flu and fever. Even worse, he recalls, he was forgetting

Matt welcomes Six-Time IRONMAN World Champion, Mark Allen, to the podcast. In 2012, ESPN named Mark Allen the Greatest Endurance Athlete of All-Time and he's been inspiring and motivating people of all backgrounds for decades.  Mark is known as the 'Master of Mindset.' His views on what it takes to be successful in any endeavor, how to navigate adversity, how to establish the right perspective while remaining calm are exactly the reasons why Mark is one of the featured keynote speakers at the upcoming Performance Reset Virtual Conference.  Who better to provide some lessons and perspective in a turbulent time than 'The Grip,' Mark Allen.  Purple Patch Resources Register for Performance Reset 2020 Mark Allen Website Thanks for taking a listen and, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, share, rate and review. Your feedback is appreciated. Subscribe to the Purple Patch Podcast: Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music

Bob Babbitt is, simply put, the lightning rod of the endurance world. In 1980, he participated in his first IRONMAN on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii, and has been making history ever since. He'd never call himself an elite athlete and yet, he's a member of the USA Triathlon and IRONMAN Triathlon Halls of Fame. Why? Because he believes that sport is essential for all and changes lives every day. His name is synonymous with the sport of triathlon along with his long-running Babbittville podcast, radio, and tv show. In fact, it is Babbitt, more than anyone, who has given voice and image to this crazy event in Hawaii that no one could really wrap their mind around. He is the heartbeat of multisport/triathlon and, in our sport’s story, is the main character. Nope. He's the hero. Through his efforts, he has exposed endurance sports to everyone - literally - everyone, as co-founder of Challenged Athletes Foundation, founder of Competitor Magazine, and more. "When you go from your gut and when you go from your passions

As we finish 2020 and gear up emotionally for bigger and better times in 2021, we’ve got a chance to RESET, to lay the groundwork of mindset, habits, and action that will equip us to thrive next year - no matter what is thrown our way. Matt put this mantra to action at a recent 50 Mile Ultra race and shares the poignant, painful, and powerful life lessons he learned running for over 12 hours in the mountains of central Oregon. This very simple event acted as a lightening rod and helped with so many other positive habits around flexibility, patience, accountability, and community. He leaned into the power of sport and it provided much-needed purpose to enable excellence across all aspects of life. This is the heart of the Performance Reset 2020 - experts and companies sharing their thoughts on the role of sport because, make no mistake, sport is powerful. You might be feeling rudderless. You might be tired of this carnival and the uncertainty. But, we have no doubt you have a performance-driven mindset. You ma

Purple Patch is proud to announce Performance Reset 2020, a 3-Day Virtual Conference taking place live from San Francisco. Now is the time to reset from the turbulence of 2020 and take aim at performance. Join us for this immersive conference that will equip you with the planning, mindset, habits, and execution you need to unlock performance in the years ahead. Engage with leaders in the performance space, world champions, and premier brands and walk away with a toolkit for success in 2021. Featuring World Class Speakers and Presenters Matt Dixon, Founder of Purple Patch Fitness Mark Allen, 6x IRONMAN Champion and Coach Bob Babbitt, Triathlon Hall of Famer, Co-Founder of Challenged Athletes Foundation Sami Inkinen, Founder Virta Health Pros - Jesse Thomas, Sarah Piampiano, Sam Appleton, Kevin Collington ...and experts across all disciplines of nutrition, hydration, strength/mobility, women's health and more. A portion of every ticket sold benefits The Challenged Athletes Foundation. Purple Patch R

Yes, it's the week that triathletes, coaches, and spectators usually descend up Kailua-Kona for the annual IRONMAN World Championships.  This week, Matt looks back on six memorable stories from his 20+ years of heading over to Kona for the big race. Some stories involve lessons pros like Chris Lieto, Rachel Joyce, and Sarah Piampiano. Other takeaways center around age-group athletes that Matt has coached at the World Championships.  Each story is poignant and full of life lessons for all of us - stay calm, stick with the process, nail the basics, get your attitude right, and, most importantly: NEVER Stand Down Wind.  We know you'll enjoy this look back at some of the moments that make this race so special, sufferable, unique, rewarding, and totally unforgettable. We don't even blame you if you feel a wee bit of nostalgia. We miss it too.

Our children have faced change across various arenas of life and, for most, it has been incredibly isolating. Many parents are struggling with how to support kids through the turbulence that we find ourselves in these days, especially in terms of talking about Covid-19, supporting their education, and addressing the common fears of social, sporting, and emotional development due to the detours that we are navigating. Today, Matt provides his lens on how to support children emotionally, through his unique coaching lens: fostering development in our kids through sport, and creating fun and inventive ways to drive them forward. Kids are observant, smart, and adaptable. We cannot hide or gloss the situation and they are more equipped than we realize to handle a tailored version of the realities we face. Purple Patch Resources Learn More about Purple Patch 1:1 Coaching Learn More about Purple Patch Squad Thanks for taking a listen and, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, share, rate and review. Your feedb

We've got one for the geeks this week as I welcome Ivan O'Gorman of IOG Bike Fit and Consulting to the podcast for a deep dive on bike fitting and performance. Ivan regularly works with recreational cyclists and triathletes of all levels, as well as World Tour professionals and Olympians. As a seven-time IRONMAN World Championship finisher and two-time LT 100 MTB finisher, Ivan has significant first-hand knowledge of the many factors athletes must consider to maximize results. Plus, did we mention that he's engaging, animated, and incredibly smart? Bike fitting, one would argue, is equal parts art and science, but as you'll hear, it's much more than just changing a saddle position and sending you on your way without regard to comfort and performance. If you've recently purchased a new bike (and we know many of you have), or if you want to get dialed in for 2021, now is a great time to get your equipment in order. It doesn't matter if you're a competitve triathlete eeking out every last watt, or a recreational

Today, we take off the heavy cloak of 2020 and begin to set our path toward high performance in 2021. We do so in style -- via YOUR questions. Yes -- today’s show is a chance for Matt to sink his chops into questions delivered by the listeners. Matt addresses listener questions around: Trends for performance in 2021 How to address the stress of 2020 with our children Getting a chance to race in 2020 Navigating a difficult work schedule that makes traditional training impossible Managing Daily Energy Levels ...and more It's a fun one that is anchored around navigating the turbulence of 2020, while still looking ahead to 2021.   Purple Patch Coaching Resources Learn More about Purple Patch 1:1 Coaching Learn More about Purple Patch Squad Thanks for taking a listen and, if you like what you hear, please subscribe, share, rate and review. Your feedback is appreciated. Subscribe to the Purple Patch Podcast: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher Google Podcasts