In today’s episode I’m joined by Dr. Sam Shepherd, Head of Sports Science at Precision Fuel and Hydration, and a leading expert on lactate. Together, we dive into the fascinating world of lactate, training zones, and the cutting-edge Norwegian Method often associated with elite triathletes like Gustav Iden and Kristian Blummenfelt. We wrap up by exploring the Norwegian Method - a high-volume, high-intensity training approach that emphasizes frequent threshold training and precise lactate testing...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 400
Back by popular demand! Mrs. Ward returns to the podcast following the amazing feedback from her previous episode. This time, we dive deeper into the challenges she faces in the pool and explore solutions that resonate with many triathletes. As a coach, I’ve seen these obstacles time and again, which inspired me to create the "7 Steps to Swimming Faster" infographic. You can download your FREE copy using the link in the show notes! In this episode we break down the 7 steps, including: Why having...
Dec 04, 2024•45 min•Ep. 399
Have you ever wondered if plyometrics could boost your performance as a triathlete or distance runner? On today’s episode, we’re jumping into the world of plyometric training (see what I did there?) — what it is, why it matters, and how it can take your endurance game to the next level. Joining me today is strength and fitness coach Joe Hotton, founder of Gym Geek, a sports science and personal training facility in Weymouth. With a BSc in Strength & Conditioning and extensive experience work...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 398
This week, I’m thrilled to welcome a very special guest . . my wife, Bethany Ward! Beth is training for Ironman Austria 2025, and her last long-distance was back in 2019. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share how I approach creating a training plan for a new athlete. In this episode, we cover: Structuring a training plan after years of focusing on other events How to find the training volume sweet spot for balance and success The high-performance habits of sleep, nutrition, a...
Nov 20, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 397
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Claire Carlin, an accomplished age-group triathlete, karate black belt, and dedicated Assembly of God minister. Claire shares her journey as an athlete navigating the unique challenges posed by her co-occurring conditions of autism and dyspraxia, conditions that often impact her ability to perform coordinated movements. Despite these hurdles, Claire has tackled multiple triathlons, including three full-distance Outlaw triathlons, and recently achieved ...
Nov 13, 2024•58 min•Ep. 396
Over 7 years I have recoded many podcasts on the topic of nutrition (you can find links for these in the show notes if you want to take a deeper dive into the topic). One topic we have not covered in detail to this point is female athlete specific nutrition. For our male listeners, please don’t turn off now. The information you are about to hear will be relevant to any female who works out regularly, and that could be your partner, mother, sister, daughter, training partner or an athlete you coa...
Nov 06, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 395
He’s back and he did it!! Age group triathlete Paul Robinson returns to share his story of conquering Arch to Arc. You might remember that Paul was on the show at the beginning of September. At that point, he was waiting to start the Enduroman (Arch to Arc) challenge which is billed as the toughest triathlon in the world for good reason. Run 87 miles from Marble Arch to Dover, swim the English Channel (which is at least 21 miles and could be more due to currents), and then cycle 181 miles from C...
Oct 30, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 394
Since starting the podcast in 2017, I've been fortunate to speak with quite a few Olympic Gold medallists. It’s even more fun when you have known them since before that victory and observed their progress. Today’s guest is Leeds-based triathlete, Jess Learmonth. I've known Jess for quite sometime, and I'm so pleased to be chatting with her today! About 8 or 9 years ago she started swimming with our Masters group at the Survival Saturday session. 2 hours of pain overseen by our enthusiastic coach...
Oct 23, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 393
Age group athletes are the lifeblood of triathlon They are the ones who pay to enter races, and they make up 99% of the start list. Back in the day when I began in triathlon, the athletes were lifers. I can name a dozen or more who did their first event in the late 80's/early 90's who're still doing triathlons today. But in more recent years, triathlon seems to have become transient, with athletes coming into the sport for a few short years and then moving onto another sport. Two of those who've...
Oct 16, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 392
"Simon, I’d like to lose some weight before my next Ironman event. I’m going keto!” Believe it or not, I hear this on a regular basis and it makes me anxious for the individual. Keto diets have been very successful in helping individuals lose weight although that's mostly due to the body needing to store less water from the reduced carbohydrate intake. True keto is also very restrictive and difficult to sustain for more than a few weeks. It is also stressful on the body. Training for an Ironman ...
Oct 09, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 391
In last week's email I briefly mentioned my adventurous spirit and pursuit of ’triathlon tourism’. Today’s podcast guest, Chris Brown, shares a similar and maybe even more enthusiastic approach to life. Chris is a triathlete, racing driver, entrepreneur, Guinness World Record Holder and explorer. I’ve known Chris for about 20 years. We first met through our local triathlon club, Leeds/Bradford, and Chris and his son Mika swam in my session every Wednesday. For as long as I have known Chris he ha...
Oct 02, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 390
My guest today is Matt Spooner, who recently completed the Trans Continental Race - a 4200km non-stop bike ride from Roubaix in France, down to Istanbul in Turkey. Apart from the start & finish, there are 5 checkpoints and several compulsory sections known as parcours. There are also some roads which are banned, generally because they are unsafe for the riders. After that the route is completely open to the choices made by the riders. This event isn’t just about cycling for many days. It’s a...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 389
As we all start to consider the ways in which we can improve our performances after 2024, I think it is really useful to consider the role that sleep plays. More and harder training is often the first resort for many athletes seeking improvements in fitness. What if you were to do similar training to the previous season, but explored ways in which you could make that training more productive? Like a rising tide that lifts all boats, more or better quality sleep improves everything. In fact, I’d ...
Sep 18, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 388
What do you think is the toughest triathlon in the world? Ironman Lanzarote, Norseman, ICON Livigno? They are all tough and have a legitimate claim, but what about this one? Enduroman, also known as Arch to Arc. The athletes attempting this will run 87 miles from London to Dover, then swim at least 21 miles from Dover to France (distance could be more depending on currents/tides), and finally bike 181 miles from Calais to Paris. There have only ever been 59 finishers! The latest to attempt this ...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 387
"If you want to run faster, move better." That's the advice of several top running coaches I have spoken with. It’s particularly important for us older athletes, because as you might already know (and be experiencing) lack of mobility is part of the aging process. Fortunately, today's guest Tim Anderson from Original Strength has a solution to the mobility loss, he calls it 'Pressing Reset’. As humans we are designed and born to be strong and healthy throughout our entire lives, and in our conve...
Sep 04, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 386
Gravel biking is growing really fast, and as much as I like being on my road bike, I find gravel riding much more fun. I discovered gravel riding during the pandemic, which is also what happened to this week's podcast guest. She is professional gravel racer Danni Shrosbree, and she races globally for the Felt UN1TD racing team. She was UK National Gravel Champion in 2022, runner-up in 2023, and has finished 4th in the world famous Unbound Gravel race in Kansas. What makes this conversation even ...
Aug 28, 2024•50 min•Ep. 385
Kay Bretz is an ultra-runner and corporate leader from Australia. Kay has a passion for inspiring the magic, and shares his life lessons in his book Turning Right. Kay thrives on embarking on quests which appear impossible. He was already accomplished in the corporate world, before going on to seek personal growth by entering the world of ultra-running where he learned to master the inner game. He began a challenging journey of emotional development where he learned to let go of his limiting bel...
Aug 21, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 384
In last week’s podcast about recovery, our guest Natalie Brown told us that there were 3 key elements to good recovery - sleep, nutrition and stress management. One area which many athletes (and non-athletes) are keen to explore is a plant based diet. There is certainly plenty of anecdotal evidence about how it can improve health and performance. In his book, Eat and Run, Scott Jurek attributes a change to plant based eating as being instrumental to his success in the ultra running world. What b...
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 383
Building fitness in the long term is quite a simple equation. You workout, and then you recover. If you get the balance of these two right, you should see a steady upward progress over time. Most folks I know and work with are pretty good at the training part, but maybe they could do better on the recovery side. I don’t know about you, but over the years I’ve come to appreciate the recovery part a lot more! Fortunately, my guest today is an expert in recovery. Dr Natalie Brown (who you may remem...
Aug 07, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 382
Regular listeners will have heard me talking about turning 60 in February of this year, and how it has sharpened my mind and prompted me to adjust my focus around training and life habits. I’ve also become a lot more curious about how others are tackling life post-60. Are they just waiting for the inevitable, or are they being proactive and doing everything they can to continue living life to the full? Today's guest, Jason Dunn, is doing the latter. His book Unlimited: The art of being Limitless...
Jul 31, 2024•1 hr 55 min•Ep. 381
The Paris Olympics start this week, and I have clear memories dating back to the first one I can remember: Munich 1972. Every 4 years we witness amazing performances and emotional moments. Hopefully, 2024 in Paris will be the same. For our podcast guest this week it will be a magical moment, when he steps onto the pontoon for the Men's Individual Triathlon next week. Sam Dickinson is a professional triathlete based in Leeds, and he is one of 5 who have been selected for the GB Olympic triathlon ...
Jul 24, 2024•51 min•Ep. 380
On the podcast this week, we have Kyle Smith! Kyle is a professional triathlete from New Zealand. Raised in Blackburn, UK on a diet of motocross and modern pentathlon, he moved to Taupo in his youth, found triathlon and set about becoming one of the best in the world. He is often first off the bike with blistering swim and bike splits, and this year he's been backing that up with solid run performances. As you’ll hear, he prefers the middle distance events such as T100 and 70.3, but he's found s...
Jul 17, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 379
If you struggle to find a reason to insert regular strength work into your training plan, maybe the motivation from entering a HYROX event will help. HYROX is a relative newcomer to the mix of indoor events combining strength and endurance. At first glance you might think it’s similar to CrossFit, but actually it's quite different. To help you and me to understand what HYROX is all about, I have 2 guests to help. Andy Sloan is a 39 year old former triathlete who competed twice at the IM World Ch...
Jul 10, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 378
When you're getting close to the day of your big event it’s natural to feel some nerves and even a little anxiety. It happens to everyone, even the very top performers. In fact, if you felt no anxiety or nerves at all, that would probably be a bad thing. It’s one thing to feel a little anxious, but to get to the point where you feel unable to make a decision or you're so uptight that it has a negative influence on your event, that's another matter altogether. Today we have sports psychologist Dr...
Jul 03, 2024•51 min•Ep. 377
The first triathlon in the UK was 1983. I did my first event in 1987 and while the sport continued to grow for the next 15 years it didn't really take off until the start of the Brownlee era from 2008. Having said that, there are a significant number of folks who I consider the legends - the Triathletes, coaches, and administrators who were instrumental in building the foundations of British triathlon. Since I started the podcast in 2017 I have spoken with many of these legends. Great coaches li...
Jun 26, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 376
As you might have been able to pick up, I’m really getting into strength training at the moment. I feel like I need to share all of my lessons with you, because this type of activity is arguably your best antidote to aging. Dan John is back again today to help me with this. Dan and I discuss the importance of strength training for endurance athletes, particularly those in their 50s, emphasising the need to focus on hypertrophy and explosive lifting to maintain lean body mass and mobility. We als...
Jun 19, 2024•54 min•Ep. 375
"There are no solutions, only compromises" In last week’s podcast Lexi Kelson and her colleague Emily Arrell from Precision Fuel and Hydration spoke with 3 SWAT athletes to help them create a viable race day hydration and nutrition strategy. This is all very well, but race days don’t come around that often and in between there are many days of normal living and eating. But even then not everyone has things so straight-forward. What if you are one of the folks who have stomach or digestive issues...
Jun 12, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 374
As the race season gets into full swing, I know that many of you are thinking not only of your performance goals but also how you can support these with a good race day hydration and nutrition strategy. Some of the key lessons I have learned over the years are: 1) without a good fuelling/hydration strategy you are unlikely to hit your goals, especially on the longer events. 2) there are 3 pillars to focus on - fuelling, hydration and electrolytes. 3) your strategy must change with every key even...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 373
Someone once told me that good coaches never stop learning. This is a philosophy that I have carried with me ever since I started coaching, and one which I share with other coaches whenever we are delivering workshops. Reading books and speaking with podcast guests probably forms the majority of my learning these days, although not all. I still go to conferences and in person workshops. Today’s guest ticks two of the key learning boxes for me and I hope it does for you as well. My guest today is...
May 29, 2024•57 min•Ep. 372
Have you watched the Paralympics? What about when you are taking part in or volunteering/spectating at a running event or a triathlon? Have you ever observed the wheelchair triathletes? For them, it’s swim, to hand cycle, to racing chair. Everything is about the upper body, and I’ve always been curious about how they take care of their shoulders, and what constitutes a rest day. Today I’m chatting with Bret Crossley, a paratriathlete who lives in the Leeds area. Bret has been involved in triathl...
May 22, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 371
