Hey Reader, Most of us in the endurance world have a fairly tidy definition of mental toughness rattling around our heads: the ability to suffer without complaining, to keep going when it hurts, to not quit, “wanting it” more than someone else. These are fine sound bites — except that they don’t actually explain what’s happening in the moments when everything goes sideways. They doesn’t tell you what to do when your race plan falls apart at mile 18, or when you someone tells you to bake a...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 28 MAY 2026 A former triathlete out in the wind Every few years, there’s a new “marathon.” In the 1980s, that new marathon was...the marathon. The running craze had seized the United States and the world beyond. Regular citizens were running for fun and fitness, U.S. athletes...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 21 MAY 2026 Running after cycling CAN feel like this Triathlon lore disagrees about the origin of the term “Brick Run.” Some coaches and athletes believe that the dead, heavy sensations one experiences running off the the bike resulted in the term “brick.” Other, more…literally...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 14 MAY 2026 Cramps affect 63% of Triathletes — We Can Do Better Late on the run at Challenge Penticton in 2014, barely holding on to second place but only a few minutes, I started to feel my hamstring begin to tighten and quiver—the nascent signs of a coming catastrophic cramp....
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 7 MAY 2026 Chris’ note—in today’s Infirmary episode, Chris sits down to talk with the legendary triathlon and cycling coach Joe Friel, and our freewheeling discussion spent a fair amount of time talking about a term that’s been en vogue recently, but has been used by coaches for...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 1 MAY 2026 Chris' note—sometimes I find myself repeating the same ideas to my athletes, and when I notice that those ideas become longer posts such as the one that showed up on our Substack page yesterday (you should subscribe for free if you haven't already). This...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 23 APR 2026 A new paradigm for prescribing intensity? Chris' note - today in The Infirmary we posit that perhaps triathlon needs way fewer zones than some of the zones system out there. If you want to go on a truly deep exploration of this "revolutionary" assertion, go ahead and...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 16 APR 2026 A customary pre-ride tradition, but caffeine can be put to better use It was 2:34 PM, ten days before my last 70.3 of the year, and I was breaking my commitment to stick to only two cups of coffee a day. Great way to establish credibility, right? And you thought you...
2 months ago • 4 min read
Welcome to our weekly gathering around the campfire. This free communique will level up your endurance skills in ten minutes, twice a month. Forwarded this message? You can sign up for these emails by clicking here. 9 APRIL 2026 Physiological Testing and Technique Analysis Come to YOU Yup, Campfire Endurance, powered by Chris Bagg Coaching Group (wait, is there a rebrand going on?) has procured a van in order to travel to you, removing the logistical puzzle of where testing happens. Need to...
2 months ago • 2 min read