Podcast with Matt Dixon

Matt Dixon hosts the Purple Patch Podcast from the Hawaii IRONMAN training camp, featuring Susie Orcutt, a busy Mother and Physician's Assistant from Atlanta. Susie discusses her journey with Purple Patch, highlighting her coaching relationship with Nancy Clark and the challenges they faced initially. Susie emphasizes the importance of communication and trust in coaching, noting her significant improvements in performance, including winning her age group in an IRONMAN 70.3 and improving her rankings at the 70.3 World Championships. She also credits the team environment and the bike classes for her growth, particularly in bike handling and fueling strategies. Susie advises athletes to clearly define their goals and be open to feedback.

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A fresh new format featuring a coaching conversation with Host Matt Dixon and Co-Host Max Gering. This Valentine’s Day, we explore how athletes can integrate sport into life in a way that strengthens relationships rather than strains them—because true performance isn’t just about results, it’s about the bigger picture. IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon and Purple Patch Coach Max Gering discuss the importance of integrating sport into life sustainably, especially for athletes with busy schedules. They emphasize the need for effective training that fits within one's life, rather than overloading with long rides every weekend. They highlight the significance of communication with partners and family, planning together, and ensuring sport enhances life rather than compromising it. Practical tips include the "Sunday special" for reflection and planning, and making training a family activity. They stress that consistent, effective training over time leads to better performance and overall well-being, rather than focusing solely on training hours.

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IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon interviews Panos Kakoullis, a long-time Purple Patch athlete, at the Hawaii IRONMAN training camp. Panos shares his Greek Cypriot background, growing up above a fish and chip shop, and his journey from becoming an accountant, later Senior Partner at Deloitte to CFO at Rolls Royce. He discusses his transition from powerlifting to endurance sports, influenced by his wife, and his 16 IRONMAN completions. Panos emphasizes the importance of consistency, recovery, and integrating sport into life. He highlights the role of curiosity, growth mindset, and releasing mental weight in his success. Looking ahead, he plans more marathons and a cycling trip across Italy.

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IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon concludes a four-part series on winning at triathlon in 2025, emphasizing the importance of defining success, embracing the journey, and adopting a high-flex integration mindset. He highlights key strategies such as choosing races that align with strengths and weaknesses, avoiding common pitfalls like under-fueling and over-reliance on FTP, and prioritizing sleep and consistent strength training. Dixon also shares insights from a Purple Patch athlete, Dave Pray, who emphasizes the broader impact of endurance sports on health and longevity. Dixon explains how Pray and his focus on cycling and participation in the Purple Patch program has fueled his success and performance in triathlon and life. He emphasizes the importance of a high VO2 max for longevity and health, and how his training and social life are intertwined.

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In Part 3 of Beyond the Finish Line: Winning as a Triathlete in 2025, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon from Purple Patch Fitness discusses his high-performance coaching approach, emphasizing a team-based methodology that has helped over 1,500 athletes qualify for world championships. Their coaching includes remote sessions with real-time feedback and ongoing education. Dixon outlines five principles for success: focusing on daily actions rather than outcomes, keeping things simple, responding proactively to challenges, reflecting regularly, and building a supportive team. He uses Stuart, an athlete with ambitious goals, as a case study to illustrate these principles, highlighting Stuart's resilience and adaptability in the face of life's challenges, eventually placing at a podium in triathlon.

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In part two of a four-part series on winning at triathlon in 2025 IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon outlines Purple Patch's coaching offerings, including individual coaching and the tri squad program. He discusses the Purple Patch coaching model for triathletes, emphasizing a smart mindset and practical strategies for performance improvement. He outlines the training phases: off-season (October-December), pre-season (January-March), build phase (April-June), and race-specific (July-December). Dixon advises a preparatory mindset in pre-season, focusing on winning workouts and building foundational fitness. He recommends a three-week training block structure, balancing key sessions with supporting workouts, and integrating strength training. Dixon stresses the importance of life balance, flexibility, and the optimization mindset to avoid burnout and ensure long-term success.

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IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon introduces a four-part series on winning at triathlon in 2025, emphasizing personalized performance improvement. He outlines Purple Patch's coaching offerings, including individual coaching and the tri squad program. Dixon shares a case study of an athlete named Sam, detailing her goals, strengths, and weaknesses, and the three-pronged approach to her training: a swim project, a bike booster project, and a nutrition project. Sam's success in 2024 included improved swimming, stronger cycling, and faster running. Dixon encourages listeners to adopt an optimization mindset, focus on strengths, address weaknesses, and maintain supportive habits for sustainable high performance.

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On this episode IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon highlights the achievements of Purple Patch in 2024, including qualifying over 50 athletes for world championships with an average weekly training of 10.6 hours, and 30 athletes for the Boston Marathon using a multi-sport approach. The organization also launched a leadership program, added new team members, and introduced the Performance Hub for better community engagement. Key events included a fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a team race in Santa Cruz, and transformative camps in Hawaii, Napa, and Greenville. Notable athlete achievements featured Jeff Dolan and Susie Orca qualifying for multiple world championships, and Jake, CEO of Fellow Products, excelling in various endurance events.

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On this episode IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon highlights the achievements of Purple Patch in 2024, including qualifying over 50 athletes for world championships with an average weekly training of 10.6 hours, and 30 athletes for the Boston Marathon using a multi-sport approach. The organization also launched a leadership program, added new team members, and introduced the Performance Hub for better community engagement. Key events included a fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a team race in Santa Cruz, and transformative camps in Hawaii, Napa, and Greenville. Notable athlete achievements featured Jeff Dolan and Susie Orca qualifying for multiple world championships, and Jake, CEO of Fellow Products, excelling in various endurance events.

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Matt Dixon from Purple Patch Coaching emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to performance, aiming for success beyond just race goals. He discusses the need for athletes to define their vision of success, align with their coaches, and create a roadmap for their goals for 2025. Dixon introduces the concept of a two-to-three-day performance retreat, focusing on education, workshops, and activities like hiking and kayaking. He also highlights the importance of foundational habits such as proper eating, sleep, and hydration. Dixon encourages listeners to start these habits now to ensure a smooth transition into the new year and maximize their performance journey.

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Matt Dixon advises prioritizing key work and training sessions, integrating them into daily life, and allowing flexibility in exercise modalities. He stresses the importance of not regressing, maintaining critical habits like hydration and sleep, and being creative with workouts. Dixon also highlights the need for a re-entry plan post-holidays to avoid stress and ensure a smooth transition back to regular routines.

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Matt Dixon and Scott Tindal discuss the evolving landscape of nutrition in endurance sports, particularly in triathlon. Scott, co-founder of Fuelin, shares insights from the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championship, emphasizing the importance of tailored nutrition plans based on individual energy expenditure. He highlights the need for athletes to balance caloric intake with training intensity, noting that high-intensity athletes may require up to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour, while lower-intensity athletes should consume less. They also discuss the importance of consistent, high-quality nutrition for overall health and performance during races and daily life.

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Matt Dixon and Scott Tindal discuss the evolving landscape of nutrition in endurance sports, particularly in triathlon. Scott, co-founder of Fuelin, shares insights from the Hawaii IRONMAN World Championship, emphasizing the importance of tailored nutrition plans based on individual energy expenditure. He highlights the need for athletes to balance caloric intake with training intensity, noting that high-intensity athletes may require up to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour, while lower-intensity athletes should consume less. They also discuss the importance of consistent, high-quality nutrition for overall health and performance during races and daily life.

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Join IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon discusses the importance of reflection in achieving high performance, both in athletics and business. He emphasizes the need for athletes to assess their previous season to avoid performance plateaus and set goals for the next year. Dixon outlines a five-step reflection process: pausing to review past goals, identifying strengths, acknowledging growth opportunities, prioritizing key areas for improvement, and setting future objectives. He highlights the success of Purple Patch's leadership workshops and coaching programs, noting their effectiveness in improving performance. Dixon also promotes Purple Patch's one-to-one coaching opportunities and encourages listeners to reach out for support.

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In this episode, we’re discussing what it takes to perform at your best—not just in the moment but over the long term. Today’s topic is one that is often overlooked yet absolutely essential for sustained high performance: reflection. Whether you're an athlete aiming for an IRONMAN podium or a business leader managing high-stakes projects, reflection is a crucial component of the high-performance machine. It connects important traits such as adaptability, coachability, resilience, and the ability to prioritize what drives results. You might be working hard, but without reflection, you’re not necessarily working smart or focusing your efforts where they will drive you toward your goals.

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Our mission is to empower individuals to reach their athletic and full potential. Today, we’ll discuss injuries— a common frustration among endurance athletes—and how to reduce your injury risk as you prepare for the upcoming season during the off-season. While this time can feel like downtime, it’s actually a crucial opportunity to build resilience and prioritize health. Injury prevention is a key factor for success, as avoiding risks leads to the consistency needed for high performance. What you do in the coming weeks will lower your chances of setbacks without requiring excessive effort; just approach it smartly and pragmatically. IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon outlines four simple strategies to implement. 

This episode features the story of Sarah Piampiano, a professional triathlete who overcame a major injury by focusing on sleep, nutrition, stress management, strength training, and tissue resilience. Dixon outlines four key areas for injury prevention: developing healthy habits like sleep and nutrition, incorporating strength training, building tissue resilience through consistent, low-intensity running, and adopting a holistic approach that combines these elements. He stresses the importance of consistency and patience in building a resilient body to prevent future injuries.

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This new mini-series will reflect on over two decades of coaching top endurance athletes and executives. Join IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon as he’ll draw lessons from these individuals to help you achieve high performance in various aspects of life. These high-performance lessons will be integrated into monthly episodes over the next year. 

The first episode focuses on Australian triathlete Sam Appleton, who exemplified the trait of controlling the controllable. Despite a challenging two weeks leading up to the 2018 Ironman 70.3 World Championships, including illness and a nagging Achilles injury, Sam maintained a positive mindset and executed his race strategy. He placed 6th overall, demonstrating the power of focusing on controllable factors for high performance. Dixon emphasizes that this mindset applies beyond sports, improving resilience and reducing anxiety in athletic and professional settings.

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This is the last part of our three-part series on setting up a great off-season for athletes. Matt answers the top 10 questions about the off-season, covering health, energy, weight maintenance, rest days, training volume, the use of AI in training programs, and more. We believe this episode will help you plan your off-season to set yourself up for improved performance.

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This is the last part of our three-part series on setting up a great off-season for athletes. Matt answers the top 10 questions about the off-season, covering health, energy, weight maintenance, rest days, training volume, the use of AI in training programs, and more. We believe this episode will help you plan your off-season to set yourself up for improved performance.

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In part two of our Off-Season series, Coach Matt Dixon delves into Purple Patch's approach, focusing on swim school for technique and endurance, bike craft for race strategy, the run project for resilience and economy, and strength training for overall health and performance.

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