In this episode of The Giddy Up Edge, Evan Gruda and 8x World Champion coach Michellie Jones break down the ultimate concept every triathlete loves: free speed—the performance you unlock without adding more training hours.
We look back on the biggest needle-movers from 2025 (and the mistakes worth leaving behind), starting with the foundations: sleep as a non-negotiable, smarter recovery, better warmups, automatic refueling, and ego-free easy days. From there, we go discipline-by-discipline with practical upgrades you can steal immediately:
🏊 Swim: masters groups, higher stroke rate, tempo trainer work, paddles/pull sets, and straighter open-water sighting
🚴 Bike: cadence control, durable race execution, aero positioning, handling skills, and why fit + equipment choices matter
🏃 Run: cadence efficiency, negative splitting, brick-specific durability, and smarter risk management so you stay healthy and fast
We also dig into a hugely overlooked performance lever: blood testing—what to track, how often to test, and how athlete-specific trends can reveal issues (iron, hormones, recovery markers) before they derail a build.
Finally, we set our 2026 targets, share what we’re doubling down on, and leave you with a Free Speed Checklist you can use to start getting faster—before your training even ramps.
If you’re planning 2026, this is the episode to replay with a notebook.
Follow @GiddyUpCoaching and visit giddyupcoaching.com for coaching, camps, and tools.
If you want to reach out to Michellie Jones you can find her at https://giddyupmultisports.com/ for coaching, camps, and tools.
Evan Gruda can be found on instagram @GrudaGoesGlobal
Podcast theme music by Transistor.fm.