Training for the Time-Crunched Endurance Athlete

A Roundtable Q&A with Josiah Middaugh 

It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to call First Endurance athlete Josiah Middaugh an American multi-sport legend. With a career spanning three decades, Middaugh rose to prominence in the world of off-road triathlon, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the sport with a victory at the 2015 XTERRA World Championship. His dominance in XTERRA is further underscored by an impressive collection of 15 U.S. National XTERRA Championship titles and his 2021 induction into the XTERRA Hall of Fame.

But Josiah's athletic prowess extends far beyond triathlons. Demonstrating exceptional versatility, he has secured U.S. national championships in disciplines as diverse as snowshoe racing, long-course triathlon, winter triathlon, and fat biking. This broad spectrum of achievements solidifies his reputation as the "multi-sport athlete of all seasons."

Beyond his competitive endeavors, Middaugh is a dedicated coach and family man who shares his extensive knowledge and wisdom through Middaugh Coaching. He holds a master’s degree in human movement, blending practical experience with academic understanding. He and his family live in Colorado, where he’s mastered the art of balancing the demands of a professional athletic career with family life. With a character marked by humility and perseverance, he’s a highly respected figure in the wider endurance sports community.

We recently jumped at the opportunity to pick his brain on training for the time-crunched athlete.

Q: Josiah, thanks for taking time out of what is surely a crazy schedule to chat with us a bit! We’ll start with the burning question we have for pretty much any multi-discipline athlete: how do you balance the demands of swim, bike, and run training, especially when your time is tightly constrained, and still maintain some semblance of a life outside of sport?

 A: First, I have to say that balance is a myth.  You can have discipline and priorities, but that doesn’t put more hours in the day.  It means I need to be a lot more efficient with my time.  Instead of trying to completely optimize every bit of my training, I ask myself how I can make the most out of the time I have available. Something always has to give: personally, I always prioritize family first, and that means balance in other areas of life is not always possible.  

Q: Do you focus more on a particular discipline when it comes to your training? 

A:  For XTERRA training, I tend to do more of my key sessions on the bike, although I really like to keep as much swim and run frequency as possible.  About 10 years ago I started commuting on foot to the swimming pool and back at 5:30am, and that was an efficient way to squeeze in a few more running miles.  I have been biking with power for over 20 years, and that has been a very effective way for me to make good use of my time, especially with indoor training through the winter months.

Q: Are your workouts weighted more toward high-intensity intervals or lower intensity “base” training?

A: Technically, I take a pyramidal approach to training, especially on the bike.  I still spend a lot of time in zone 2, but very little time in zone 1 power, just due to time constraints.  Tempo and threshold workouts are a very important part of my training, which some people call high intensity and some people do not.  I use shorter intervals more sparingly, usually during the final preparation for key events.

Q: Talk to us about recovery: is more attention required here for the time-crunched athlete and  do you have any favorite recovery strategies or modalities you can share with us?

A: I think that the time-crunched athlete needs to take total life stress into account when determining the proper training load.  Attempting to copy training programs from your favorite elite athlete is a fool’s errand. In terms of recovery, sleep is key: time-crunched athletes might not be able to achieve the same number of hours of sleep, but could still benefit from a regular sleep schedule and good sleep hygiene. Overall, I don’t think the obsessive recovery strategies of the “pros” are necessary if your training load is optimal.

Q: Does strength training play any sort of a role in your program, and if so, where does it fit into your schedule?

A: Strength training has always been an important supplemental part of my training; I aim for 16-20 weeks of consistent strength training through the offseason (2 sessions per week), and then strength maintenance through the long competitive season, which includes form drills, plyometrics, and short corrective exercise routines.

Q: Do you find particular challenges in managing nutrition when you're constantly on the go, and what’s your favorite nutrition “hack?” 

A:  Like training, nutrition requires planning.  My number one pillar of nutrition for endurance athletes is adequacy.  It is important to fuel for your activity level, and adequate fueling is what improves recovery, immune system function, and adaptation to training.  A “hack” I have employed in the past is eating a sandwich in the shower, Cosmo Kramer style.  Another tip is that peanut butter and raisin sandwiches travel better than PB&J when commuting on foot.

Q: What is the most important thing for an athlete to remember or focus on when they feel like they don't have enough time?

A: Consistency wins, and something is always better than nothing. Don’t wait for the weather to be perfect, and that includes daylight.  Set an alarm, get up early, schedule your training, and make it happen.

Q: What are your go-to 'best bang for the buck' workouts for each discipline? 

A: Swim:  20 x 100 at T-pace

    Bike:  4 x 8 min at 100% threshold power with 4 min recovery

    Run:  Running is always efficient: a steady 20-30 minute run is always worth doing.

Q: If you had to choose just one tip for athletes who are struggling to find time to train, what would it be?

A: Wake up early.