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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.
Episodes

Mar 20, 2026
Mar 20, 2026
48 min
Episode # 146 Body check for Ironman racing
How do you make choices when racing? When do you deviate from the plan? What do the signs mean that your body is telling you? How do you interpret them?
We dive into these questions! Listen to level up your race IQ!
Thanks Jesse and Marilyn!

Feb 4, 2026
Feb 4, 2026
54 min
Episode # 145 scheduling triathlon in life
Today we chatted about fitting training into life. We chat about the value of routine and planning. We deep dive into how to best arrange your schedule in order to get the most out of yourself at the right time by how you arrange your workouts in a day and week with life. We also touch on the nutrition side of this fun game of Tetris.

Jan 19, 2026
Jan 19, 2026
47 min
Episode #144 Pre season? What are we doing now?
Today we chatted about what we are doing with our coaching groups now. We talked about trends that we have seen, some of the why we are seeing these trends and what we are doing to make sure the ship stays on course for our groups as a whole and our athletes as individuals.

Dec 29, 2025
Dec 29, 2025
55 min
Episode #143 Goal Shaping and Tucson Camp!
Tucson Camp Preparation
Goal Setting in Triathlon

Dec 11, 2025
Dec 11, 2025
43 min
Episode #142 Thriving as a triathlete during the holiday season
Marilyn and Jesse discuss approaches to having a ton of fun, maintaining fitness and feeling good and ready to train on the other side of the holiday season. Meeting all of these goals when at odds with each other can be quite a challenge, have a listen to find out how!
Also join us in the fun by tagging @mrjessev and @marilyn_chychota in your reindeer ear running photos!

Nov 18, 2025
Nov 18, 2025
46 min
Episode #141 Strength Training!
Personalized Strength Training for Athletes
Strength Training Techniques and Safety
Endurance Athlete Exercise Recommendations

Oct 28, 2025
Oct 28, 2025
45 min
Episode # 140 Racing your race!
In this episode we chat about the Women's race at the Ironman World Championships and what take aways athletes can use in any race. We explored the importance of adapting race strategies to environmental conditions and personal limits, emphasizing the value of pacing, self-regulation, and tactical decision-making during competitions. We also discussed the benefits of multi-sport training, shared experiences with recent races, and highlighted the need for athletes to develop strategies that balance fitness levels with race-specific demands.

Oct 2, 2025
Oct 2, 2025
56 min
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/

Sep 11, 2025
Sep 11, 2025
55 min
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!

Sep 6, 2025
Sep 6, 2025
55 min
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!!
