Top 5 Podcast Episodes of 2024

The Full Circle Podcast officially launched for the first time in January 2024.  Over the course of the year, 69 episodes were published.  Some of them really resonated with listeners!  We decided to share the Top 5 Episodes of the year.

Read this Article:
https://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/top-5-podcast-episodes-of-2024 

Learn more about Full Circle Endurance: https://FullCircleEndurance.com/

Submit questions to be answered on the show: https://FullCircleEndurance.com/podcast/

Reach out to Coach Laura Henry: Hello@FullCircleEndurance.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Opening
• 0:16 Top 5 Episodes of 2024
• 0:45 #1 - How to Train for a Sprint Triathlon
• 1:34 #2 - Don’t Pull Up on Your Bicycle Pedals
• 2:09 #3 - How Much Does it Cost to Train for a Marathon?
• 3:12 #4 - Are Morning or Evening Workouts Better?
• 3:53 #5 - Now Impacts Later
• 4:36 The Bottom Line
• 5:09 Closing

Transcript

(0:04 - 5:54)
Hello and welcome to the Full Circle Podcast, your source for insights into the science and art of endurance sports training and racing. I'm your host, Coach Laura Henry. The Full Circle Podcast officially launched in January 2024. 

While our blog has been going strong with weekly articles for almost a decade now, media preferences have shifted over the last several years and we recognize that it was time to publish our content in more than one medium. We published an introductory episode and then followed it up with 69 full episodes over the course of 2024. Some of the episodes really resonated with listeners, so we decided to recap the top five podcast episodes of the year. 

Number one, How to Train for a Sprint Triathlon. The number one podcast episode of this year was by far episode 34, How to Train for a Sprint Triathlon. This episode has more than twice the number of downloads of any other episode that we've produced this year. 

As the episode's title indicates, this episode dives into the details of how to get started with training for a sprint triathlon. At face value, triathlon can definitely be an intimidating sport, especially for those who are new to it and or for those who haven't ever embarked on a journey to train for an endurance event before. However, as this episode details, getting involved with triathlon and multi-sport doesn't have to be a scary proposition. 

By giving yourself enough time to prepare thoughtfully, considering each stage and element of the race and being consistent in training, anyone can be prepared to tackle a sprint triathlon. Number two, Don't Pull Up on Your Bicycle Pedals. We knew that producing an episode about not pulling up on bicycle pedals would likely catch people's attention because push down, pull up is such common advice doled out to cyclists, both by coaches and fellow cyclists alike. 

So we are not surprised that episode 19, Don't Pull Up on Your Bicycle Pedals, was our second most popular podcast episode this year. Unfortunately, push down, pull up is poor advice. This episode dives into why this is poor advice, and it provides alternative ways to approach pedaling mechanics that will serve cyclists and multi-sport athletes well. 

Number three, How Much Does It Cost to Train for a Marathon? We produced a series of four episodes that dove into the financial cost of training for four of the most common long course endurance events, a marathon, a half marathon, an Ironman, and an Ironman 70.3. Episode 45, How Much Does It Cost to Train for a Marathon, was our most popular of these four episodes, and it was our third most popular episode of the entire year. When asked the question, how much does it cost to train for a marathon, most athletes probably can't give an accurate answer. This is most likely because they don't know how much it costs, even if they've trained for one or more than one. 

Or, and this might be the actual truth here, folks, athletes might be afraid to face how much it actually costs them. However, hiding from this reality isn't ever going to do anyone any good, and the financial cost of training for a marathon is something that all athletes should be aware of if they set their sights on one, so they can make the best choices possible for themselves over the course of their training journey. This episode dives into all of the costs associated with training for a marathon, from race registration, to gear, to fueling and and more. 

Number four, Are Morning or Evening Workouts Better? Is it best to complete workouts in the morning or the evening? This is a question that has been asked and debated by athletes and coaches alike as long as we've been involved in endurance sports. Episode 35, Are Morning or Evening Workouts Better? explores our observations about which time of day is best for workouts, gleaned from working with athletes for more than a decade. While it's indisputable that everyone has a slightly different circadian clock, and therefore some people are wired as morning larks, while others are wired as night owls, there is a consistent trend that we've observed that indicates which time of day might be best for athletes, no matter their circadian predisposition to complete workouts at. 

Number five, Now Impacts Later. Rounding out the top five podcast episodes of 2024 is our second ever episode that we produced. Episode two, Now Impacts Later, explains how what we do in training in the present, aka now, impacts what we will be able to do training-wise in the future. 

It's not uncommon for athletes to focus on what they are doing or not doing right now and to lose sight of how profoundly those decisions impact their training as a whole over the long term. The impacts that these choices can have can either be positive or negative, so it's important for athletes to consider the future even as they navigate their day-to-day choices about workouts. It's so important not to get stuck on the present and the here and the now, to think about the big picture. 

Is there a topic that you would like us to cover on the Full Circle Podcast in 2025? Send us an email at hello at fullcircleendurance.com to share your suggestions. Sharing the podcast and any episodes that resonate with you helps us accomplish our mission of getting good information to more endurance athletes. Plus, the podcast player algorithms really, really take sharing and episode downloads into account when they recommend episodes to potential new listeners. 

Thank you for listening, and we look forward to producing new and interesting episodes throughout all of the coming year. That was another episode of the Full Circle Podcast. Subscribe to the Full Circle Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. 

If you like what you listen to, please be sure to leave us a rating and review as this goes a long way in helping us reach others. The thoughts and opinions expressed on the Full Circle Podcast are those of the individual. As always, we'd love to hear from you and we value your feedback. 

Please send us an email at podcast at fullcircleendurance.com or visit us at fullcircleendurance.com backslash podcast. To find training plans, see what other coaching services we offer, or to join our community, please visit fullcircleendurance.com. I'm Coach Laura Henry. Thanks for listening.