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Where the real gains are made. This is a triathlon podcast dedicated to the big picture ways to get faster and develop as an athlete. Hosted by Marilyn Chychota head coach of Marilyn Chychota Coaching, and Jesse Vondracek the head coach of Top Step Training.
Where the real gains are made. This is a triathlon podcast dedicated to the big picture ways to get faster and develop as an athlete. Hosted by Marilyn Chychota head coach of Marilyn Chychota Coaching, and Jesse Vondracek the head coach of Top Step Training.
Episodes

Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Episode #139 Intensity control in triathlon training
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Episode #139 Intensity control in triathlon training
In this Episode Jesse is joined by Cameron Lamont, Head coach of the Wildcats Triathlon Team. They chat about how they use intensity control with the team, and go into how each of them use it with there individual athletes they coach. They end up chatting about intensity control coupled with intuitive training, all in all a really fun chat!
Jesse Vondracek - https://topsteptraining.com/
Cameron Lamont - https://cams-world.de/

Thursday Sep 11, 2025
Episode #138 Triathlon Training through Pregnancy
Thursday Sep 11, 2025
Thursday Sep 11, 2025
Episode #138 Triathlon Training through Pregnancy
Jesse and Marilyn are joined by Emily Machiela-Leestman to share her story on training during pregnancy and postpartum. She is an open book and shares her story including miscarriages, pregnancy, and getting back to sport as well as offering advice for other women facing similar challenges. We know this process is extremely individual, but Emily offers great insights on what worked for her and she has some great take aways for daily practices for physical and emotional well-being that everyone can learn from!

Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Episode #137 Swim Block training for triathletes
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Saturday Sep 06, 2025
Episode #137 Swim Block training for triathletes
In this Episode I am joined by a blast from the past - Elliot is back! Elliot and I dive into block training and how it can be effective and we seemed to really deep dive into this idea with the swim, we head down a few other tangents on the swim, a fun episode, not for the linear listener!!

Friday Aug 22, 2025
Episode # 136 The Fartlek Run Workout
Friday Aug 22, 2025
Friday Aug 22, 2025
Episode # 136 The Fartlek Run Workout
The Fartlek Run Workout for triathletes - a personal favorite of mine. My running partners will affectionately remember them as "a few strides" until after the workout starts and I tell them the plan. In this episode we dive into the Fartlek run workout and how you can use it in your training effectively. A great listen for understanding the nuance of building a fartlek workout.

Wednesday Aug 13, 2025
Episode #135 Are you race ready?
Wednesday Aug 13, 2025
Wednesday Aug 13, 2025
Readiness for performance isn’t a simple checklist of fitness metrics or generic data points. It’s personal, layered, and often emotional. It evolves as we do—shaped by age, experience, setbacks, and growth.

Friday Aug 01, 2025
Friday Aug 01, 2025
Episode # 134
The Endurance of Adaptation: Living, Racing, and Thriving with Diabetes
In this edition of “The 99%,” Marilyn sits down with two longtime friends, athletes, and training partners—Eddie Fishman and Gary Allen—to talk about endurance sport, diabetes, and the delicate balance between performance and health. What unfolds is a raw, insightful, and powerful conversation that transcends diagnosis and dives deep into self-awareness, adaptation, and the athlete’s mindset.

Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Episode #133 Open Water Swim Skills
Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Thursday Jul 03, 2025
Episode #133 Open Water Swim Skills
In this Episode Marilyn and Jesse chat about going from swimming in the pool to swimming in open water. We go into ways to mimic open water in the pool and some skills you can work on in the pool to get better at open water swimming, after all how you swim in open water is really the only benchmark of success! Enjoy -
Marilyn -- swim resources
Jesse -- Top Step Training

Friday Jun 13, 2025
Episode #132 The Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health
Friday Jun 13, 2025
Friday Jun 13, 2025
Episode #132 The Benefits of Exercise on Mental Health
A really fun chat with Marilyn outlining all the positives of exercise on mental heath. There are so many benefits that training has on your life, we just touched on a few - goal setting, routine, health, great habits and many more!

Thursday May 22, 2025
Episode #131 Kona, training trends and racing!
Thursday May 22, 2025
Thursday May 22, 2025
Episode #131 Kona, Training trends and Racing!
This Episode we discuss the move of Ironman back to world championships as a one day event in Kona. We talk about some discussions on training and racing we have been hearing in the triathlon world especially after Sanders dominate start to the year. We also talk in a bit more detail what is going on in our own racing.

Thursday May 08, 2025
Episode #130 The long swim with Christina MacDougall
Thursday May 08, 2025
Thursday May 08, 2025
Episode #130 The long swim with Christina MacDougall
We dive into the world of Open Water Swimming and have a great chat with Christina. She is an extremely accomplished swimmer herself and we roll through lots of the ins and outs of swimming long. She has recently completed the SCAR event in Arizona and is preparing for th English Channel Swim! Lots of great insights here!
Questions?
Looking for individual coaching? -- check us out!
Top Step Training - Jesse
MCC - Marilyn
